To think it's very unreasonable for school not to take my word DS is sick.

[VioletsArePurple]

DS has been home sick (sore throat, fever, headache) for three days. I have emailed them each day to inform them he is ill. No response from them on day 1 or day 2. He's going back tomorrow. Today (day 3) I got I an email from school with the following text: "...Just wanted to check in regarding how XXX is doing and also from an attendance perspective. Our school policy around holidays is to mark a child as unauthorised absence unless we have medical evidence for their illness. I wonder if you have been to the GP or hospital and if you have any evidence of this or a prescription bottle you could email us a photo of so I can change his attendance to illness once he comes back in."

AS it happens I was at the GP this afternoon for an appointment for me. And behind reception there was a sign stating:

SICK NOTES FOR SCHOOL ABSENCE
Your GP does not provide this information.
Please do not book an appointment.
A school should accept a note from the child's parent or guardian.
Speak to reception for further information.

Now, I should point out I actually love our school. But this email annoyed me. They have no idea how much I was looking forward to the first day of school. They can have DS all of next break to make up for it if they like.

I’d of taken a photo of the notice at the doctors and sent that in

Send them a picture of the GP note. Ridiculous request of the school. Unless they have a reason to believe you are not speaking the truth they should take you at your word. And who goes to the GP for a cold/fever or gets prescription medicines??

Who was the email from and are they suggesting he’s away rather then off sick?

You’ve done your bit keeping them updated. It’s a crappy email and I’d be upset too.

It's probably because the sick days were tacked onto the end of a break, so it looks dodgy. Like you've gone away on holiday after new year and have just taken an extra few days. I would reply that you're not wasting doctors time for a child with a cold.

I’d be making an appointment with the head to give him/her my opinion of the email!

Speak to reception for further information.

Did you do this? I bet they could quote you chapter and verse on any relevant guidelines.

Can you pop back to the GP photograph the notice and email that to school? I would be annoyed too, but work in a school where children have been told to come in even though they are vomiting/have diarrhoea just to get the attendance numbers up. It makes me 🤬 I heard one class teacher offer a bucket in the corner to a child who had been vomiting and wanted to go home.

My own DC school has a 48 hr rule.

Our school stated this, it’s ridiculous.
You should have photographed the poster at the doctors and sent this.
I really would.
Even the infants school says no doctors appointments or dentists in school time, which is absurd if you ever try to get an appointment.

Our older daughter has achieved an 89% attendance this term. Off once ( a few days) with flu, and then again a few days after an immunisation at school.
Were we supposed to send her in sick ?
I am past caring.
They also send threatening texts near every holiday to everyone about attendance.

She is sent on extra curricular activities with school for her excellent behaviour and being top in the year, but threatened with an attendance officer this term

They’re not saying they don’t believe you, they are just expected by those above them to be strict on attendance. If you have evidence you can provide, then that would help them out and it would be easy enough to give them. As you don’t, they’ll have to go without and just leave it as unauthorised. It won’t make any difference to anything as long as you don’t actually take an unauthorised holiday.

So many parents lie around holiday times, this is the position schools have been put in. Don’t take it personally.

Agree send them a picture of the sign and also a copy of your appointment card so they can see you were there today.

Meanwhile mention in email that it maybe school policy to request but it is not the law. Currently law does not state that a parent must provide medical evidence. Only they inform the school.

Oh previously the infant class my child was in, had three children throwing up into buckets. Disgraceful.
No wonder they all catch bugs

Can you take a photo of the sign at the docs? I would send them the pic also pics of the calpol/lemsips/throat lozenges (depending on age) , point out that you were keeping him from sharing it, but if they wish the next time he will be dropped off and they can cope with said ill child regardless of symptoms...

So many parents lie around holiday times, this is the position schools have been put in. Don’t take it personally.

^^Agree.

Yep, like PPs I'd send them a picture of the sign and say you expect your child's absence to be marked as illness accordingly.

I would email them a photo of a bottle of calpol. No wonder kids at school catch so many bugs pressuring the parents to send them in!

Stupid policy if you ask me, and I’m a teacher!

All these ridiculous attendance rules have done is make parents lie more and stop people on very low incomes having any sort of family holiday at all.

Has your child’s attendance been particularly low so far?

OP, YANBU and as has been written here, take a photo of the GP's sign and email it in.

However, I wanted to give you a different perspective. I am a secondary teacher. Last term 2 kids from the same family were absent during the final week of term. On SIMs it said "D&V - Mum has emailed in" - fair enough, keep away, I don't want it. Except the kids were fine and on their way down under for a family holiday. Mum & Dad are doctors and the school takes their word for it. I had one in my tutor group last year whose dad was a GP and would always sign him out with a similar illness during the final couple of days of the autumn & spring terms so they could go skiing. The other kids always told me where he really was

I too was asked for a note when one of the DDs was off. The school asked for a doctor's note so I got my PhD-awarded DH to write the note and sign it "Dr Malbecfan". Never heard any more about it.

This has been brought up on a few "cant get an appointment at my GP surgery" threads as one of the reasons why.

Thats why the notice has gone up at the surgery.

Yes they do have the right to ask you to prove it actually. Schools out this in their policy to stop people faking it, and it has to be the same across the board. But to be honest I only follow it up if the child is at risk of becoming a persistent absentee or is already met that threshold. They can also ask you to prove holiday dates/flights to show they were not in term time if they suspect you have said the child is ill rather than on holiday. With regards to sickness you don't need a letter from the actually doctor. Proof of an appointment of they've had one, or evidence of medication from the pharmacy. But like I said, schools only really all for this if it is a recurring issue or if they have reason to suspect you are telling fibs.

Yanbu. My dd had glandular fever, I knew this because I recognised the smell from when I had it at the same age. She was too weak to get out of bed so i wasn't going to drag her to docs just to please the school. They wouldn't take my word for it so marked as unauthorised.

I would send them a photo of the notice in the GP's surgery. I can sympathise when they follow up on constant absences (although even these can happen with a bit of bad luck - a few D&V's and a flu in a year can add up to a lot of time missed). Three days with a bug in the middle of winter is ridiculous though.

I would email back something along the lines of:

To answer your question, no I did not feel it necessary to consult an overstretched GP or hospital service for a minor illness that I was able to manage at home. (child's name) is well enough to attend school tomorrow and I will not be accepting this as an unauthorised absence and request it is changed to an illness, as per my emails over the last few days.

Regards, VioletsArePurple

Whether they have the right to ask you to prove it is irrelevant. They're asking for something they know is impossible to provide so it's ridiculous.

tell them to fuck off. It's not their fault they have to badger you, but they took the job.
They aren't part of the solution, so part of the problem.
The problem government trying to own us.
Fight it every way, we are not slaves, unless of course we want to be.

Is it policy to email rather than ring? Both my kids schools request a phone call. I guess as others have implied they suspect you are away rather than him sick, especially as you have emailed rather than called.