to think the extreme school attendance pressure makes more illnesses go round.

[staydazzling]

so yeah, this holiday has been a nightmare, the Friday they both broke up, both that night started with D&v and of course within 24 hrs so had me and my DH we then sort or recovered to then get worse again and fingers crossed now the worst is over, I spent yesterday shivering in bed raging with fever and throwing up . When I posted inquiring on Facebook the response was overwhelming, also quite relevant the junior and infant is next to each other but seperate so has raged through both like wildfire, one mum has even been hospitalised, we think it's gastroenteritis. These 'epidemics' seem to be happening regularly now though, when I was at school bug season was winter, that was it, certainly not different ones all year round, AIBU??

Yep there’s so much going round at the moment. Dd started it off with stomach pains, coughing, cold symptoms and a high temp on the first weekend of hols, spent first 4 days of hols in bed really unwell, she then gave it to youngest dd who whenever she has a cold throws up, so we had vomiting everywhere mon-sun during the first week, they both passed it to us towards the end of the first week and for the second week we’ve had heavy colds, headaches, earache etc and still not over it now, it really has wiped out the whole of our Easter holidays and thank goodness we were booked to go anywhere or do anything because no one was in any fit state! If they were at school when it had struck I wouldn’t have thought twice about keeping them off, they normally have 100% attendance and I will be the judge of how I’ll they are, not school.
School were not impressed when I kept them off when it snowed and I got an earful from the receptionist, despite living 3miles from school on the top of a huge (not gritted) hill, I was fuming considering they are never off school usually.
This last week though has made me glad I’m not back at work yet as I don’t think I’ve coped! Dp has been in every day though, like a trooper despite snottiness and earache and headaches(he works not in proximity to others, mostly solo)

Build up their immune systems surely

My son has a condition which means he has to rest if he gets a virus. The school know this and have a plan from the hospital. Still without fail, every time he is off school unwell I get a shitty email and have to trot out the same explanation. Which they know full well. I’m going to continue to put his health first

I had the flu last week and was just starting to get over it and I've now got a d&v bug. I want to stab the selfish cow that keeps sending her sick kids in to school, she's been warned so many times.

I've spent most of the day lying on the bathroom floor crying.

Death is too good for people hat knowlyign go out sick or send their kids to schools

I once attended a talk by the school head. They started by telling us that children needed to be off for 48hrs after d and v. The next breath was to tell us about 100% attendance awards. Schools cannot have it both ways

Absolutely agree. It's ridiculous.

This nonsense started with the Michael Gove brand of politics that laboured under the ludicrous misapprehension that quantity of time spent in the classroom equates directly with quality of education. All it takes is to read any serious education study carried out within the last decade to find compelling evidence that this isn't the case. In fact, the reverse is true. It's also the antithesis of the approaches adopted in counties like Finland, who have superior attainments in literacy and numeracy to ours and whose children don't even begin primary education until age 7.

There are only three people who will decide whether our DC is well enough to attend school or otherwise: me, DH, or if necessary our GP.

A further observation: if we in the UK read about this happening in some despotic backwater run by a regime of dictators, we'd laugh and ask why people put up with it. Some American acquaintances of mine have questioned me in similar terms.

When the hell did we as a nation become so complacent?

@Ewitsahooman That's horrendous!! I have emetophobia too and would be in absolute bits.😭😭

Hope you're okay, I'm sure you'll be fine as you didn't have contact with her.

It's crazy! I don't have children yet but 100% if one was ill with something contagious ESPECIALLY a sick bug, I'd keep them off whilst they were ill and the required 48hrs after recovering too. I'd hate to expose other people to something like that.

These days people seem to be chronically ill, people practice bad hand hygiene, everyone commutes now, sick pay/sick allowances are shit and people get threatened if they don't work, everyone's stressed and tired from working long hours (which lowers your immune system) and everything spreads like wildfire!

In theory, if everyone practiced good, regular hand washing & isolated themselves whilst ill/tended to children with a scarf over their mouth and cleaned rigorously, these bugs aren't actually that easy to catch. But as I've said, people don't practice good hygiene and come in sick and as a result everyone gets it.

I've literally refused before to go into work if someone comes in ill, I'm not spending my day in an office/school with contagious people, fuck that! It's primarily why I work and study from home now and will continue to do so.

@ForalltheSaints Maybe if flexible working & sickness policies were better people wouldn't be so stressed therefore they probably would exercise more eat better but after working all day and potentially having children to care for not many people manage to get to the gym to lead a healthy lifestyle.

I think one of the factors is we are all expected to work such long days and not even for good pay!

@Slazengerbag at least he proved he was ill! (Not that he bloody well should have too!)

@pinkgloves oh that sounds awful, you poor thing! That must be so bloody frustrating knowing you probably wouldn't be sick if a stupid woman actually stuck to the rules! Does she have form for it?

I hope you get some rest tonight, sip water and take it easy. I'm sure you'll feel better by tomorrow afternoon, just hold onto that.

D&V is non negotiable stay-off-school time. Pretty much anything else though and my kids go in, and I go in (I work in a school). Mine don't have 100% (and neither do I), we won't lose sleep over it with regards to attendance certs/awards. C'est la vie.

However there are some parents who will keep their child off if they so much as cough, or have a sore throat, and their attendance isn't great. It's those parents the attendance drive is aimed at IMO.

@boilersontheblink thank you! I can't even keep water down yet.

She has form, this is the fifth time she's sent them in the same day they've thrown up.

the problem is that parents are threatened and intimidated with "the welfare officer" or whatever else, so where they would prefer to keep their child off they feel they have to send them in.

@ShawshanksRedemption would you keep your kids off if they had a temp + flu symptoms? Or would you send them in?

I agree, I wouldn't lose sleep over attendance either tbh as long as the children are doing well.

@pinkgloves what a twat. can you complain to the school? Honestly I'd send her a message on social media as it's dangerous for kids or adults who have low immune systems or illnesses that make them more susceptible.

There's one mum in my youngest's class who is like some kind of wannabe private investigator when she suspects any child is slightly ill. If she so much as hears a kid cough on the way to school she's asking if they've thrown up you know they have to stay home 48 hours after they last puked etc. I always thought fair enough she runs her own business doesn't want to catch anything. When her son had chicken pox she sent him in for two days insisting it was just a rash from her new washing detergent. Bloody annoying, especially since there was a pregnant mum in the class at the time.

@FredFlinstoneMadeOfBones She's a walking contradiction then! chicken pox is another one you don't mess with, I'm assuming the pregnant woman was okay?

I sound like her regarding the asking people if they've been sick recently I get so anxious about it!

My dc aren't at school yet, but are at nursery.

I'd be really really interested in an anonymous survey that finds out what proportion of parents actually do the 48 hour rule with d&v, as obviously everyone says they do.

I have done but to date but I feel like I'm the only bloody one as my youngest has had so many (literally 5-6 this winter). So I'm wondering if I'm being a mug keeping my kid off for literally about 25% of the time she's at nursery (and still paying if course) when no one else bothers.

Surely there would be fewer of these viruses if everyone actually did it OR actually the 48 hour rule makes f* all difference because they're contagious before they're symptomatic?

Totally agree! It’s ridiculous. I recently got a letter telling me my 5 year old son had fallen below 97% attendance, I screwed it up and binned it. I’d rather not infect other people and I’m not making him sit through school when he’s ill. The teachers get bollocked if they take time off yet we’re all supposed to send our diseased children in. Total rubbish.

@givemesteel They're only contagious if the child doesn't know how to wash hands. Nurseries should spend more time teaching children (even young ones!) how to practice good hygiene so it's a natural reaction for them to want to wash their hands before eating/after the bathroom.

You're not a mug! You're helping to reduce the spread of illness and more importantly sticking to the rules!, it can feel like fighting a losing battle though.

@Chocolate35 I don't know how teachers cope honestly, they must get every bug going, they have so many roles! Social worker, safeguarding, teacher, school nurse, parent!

Doesn't help if classrooms aren't appropriately cleaned at the end of the day either, all surfaces, tables, handles, toys etc should be disinfected ready for a new day.

MarieIVanArkleStinks

Well said.

I'm so glad my DC are now adults. What with this attendance crap and the lunchbox police I'd have been done for verbal abuse or worse by now.

Yes I had a red warning letter regarding my dc’s attendance. This was after I had a message from the school to say, keep her home tomorrow as she has been coughing all day.

Even when they know full well your child is ill, you still get attendance percentages reported to you.

Tbf to the schools, the attendance data is scrutinised by inspectors and the school is judged on it so they are under pressure to improve attendance and meet targets all the time.

We were given a list of acceptable illness to send kids in to school with, along with attendance rules for fining. Why?!?! Kids that are upset and groggy and feeling unwell will not learn, the teachers dont have time to care for them and nurse them. It's batshit. My child will say they're not feeling well amd school NEVER calls home, until after theyve been sick (one time he told them he was unwell and they didn't call, they never do, he had a 'brown accident' as food poisoning kicked in while at school). Can't just call amd say your child is off ill, they need specifics. They're impossible and lack sense.