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.

ustthecat Thu 09-Jan-20 16:47:09
I’d have taken a photo of the notice at the doctors and sent that in.
.......
So would I.

However I imagine you were sent a standard email. Nevertheless it is irksome, I'd be offended.

@Canadianpancake AS a PP said it makes no sense to say they have the right to ask you to prove it. For a minor bug (fever, D&V) there is no evidence that could be provided (unless they want a video of DC puking up?) so to ask for it is stupid.

I would be furious (and I'm a teacher). It's absolutely stupid - you simply don't need to see a gp every time you are ill enough to be off school. It's frankly irresponsible for schools to be encouraging parents to add to huge gp overload by taking them to the gp just to get proof. And no it's not ok for them to imply you're a liar just because other parents might be.

I always email rather than call, the reception is always busy first thing and I've never been told to call. To be honest unless there's a pattern of absences it's really excessive to treat each person with such extreme suspicion. Of course people are going to be offended. It's also ridiculous to ask for evidence which clearly isn't going to be available. It makes them look deliberately obtuse.

The jist of it is. I told them he was sick, and they told me he would be marked as being on holiday until I proved it. If I had proof I'd comply and hand it over. But I don't have proof. And I take offence that they don't think my word is trustworthy. So, they have effectively called me a liar. And went on to say he'd be marked as unauthorised holiday until I prove otherwise. When push comes to shove the data they hold on my son is inaccurate and I have asked them to correct it. They are in breech of data protection laws, and hopefully they will fix it without me having to point the seriousness of their error out to them. As I said before, I love this school. So I don't really want to ruffle any feathers. But I will be following up and letting them know its not okay to accuse us of bunking off school when that is simply a false accusation. I believe it is they who carry the burden of proof. (although I am not a lawyer so I might be wrong)

In infants school my DS was off for nearly 3 weeks with a lingering d and v bug, followed by tonsillitis. He actually seemed fine 90% of the time but seemed to have diahorrea every morning first thing for about 2 weeks.I probably could have sent him in and no one would have been any the wiser but I didnt want him to spread it to the class.

How weird that they assume someone is on holiday!

I would just politely state that the doctor will not provide notes for routine childhood illnesses and bugs.

This is daft. Children don't need to go to the GP for every cold, fever, ache, pain, stomach bug - and nor should they! Nobody in the GP waiting room wants those germs either.

I suspect it's a policy, maybe LA I don't know, but it's stupid. Next time he's off, take a video of him throwing up into the loo. That should suffice.

I'd email back and ask what evidence they think I could possibly provide in the circumstances and ask for them to record it as authorised which is the correct procedure for illness.

You may want to quote bma guidance on this at them:

www.bma.org.uk/advice/employment/gp-practices/service-provision/supporting-pupils-at-school

FFS, most employers don’t need a sick note until you’ve been off a week!, Schools asking for sick notes for any length of time sick is utter madness.

What @justthecat said

When you email them cc it to the letters page of the local newspaper and the head of the Local Authority Schools.

I get that you find this aggrieving but why is it always schools people have a pop at here and not doctors for being so awkward. You shouldn't have to provide a note for such a short absence, no : but for longer absences hospitals, consultant etc usually happily write letters but not GPs (or they charge a lot for the privilege)

GPs' surgeries are of course busy but it has become a cottage industry in some charging for letters, passport verification and so on. Who are people meant to get sick notes from??

All that said, if DCs do go to the GP most schools will take an appointment slip or card, or a copy of a prescription as evidence.

I agree, completely unreasonable to require a doctor's note and not take the parents' word. Especially at a time when the NHS is in crisis and going to the GP surgery purely for a sick note is a complete waste of time and money.

Schools are an overstretched public service. The NHS is an overstretched public service. How on earth can they think it reasonable to impose every child with a virus on local GPs? Have they tried getting an appointment lately? And, bearing in mind the sign in your local surgery, they are requiring you to supply something that it is simply not possible for you to get. It’s ridiculous.
I would find out the email address for my GP surgery’s practice manager and would forward the email from the school and suggest that they inform the school attendance office that they do not provide this service and ask them to refrain from suggesting that parents make unnecessary appointments. I’ve worked in a GP practice and our manager would certainly have done this.

They're asking for something they know is impossible to provide so it's ridiculous.

They don’t know it’s impossible to provide at all. They don’t know whether the child has needed a prescription or not, and if he has, then that would have provided the evidence they need. In this case, the child didn’t have evidence of a prescription or appointment, so they will have to go without, but they don’t know if they don’t ask.

How weird that they assume someone is on holiday!

Honestly, if you could take a school receptionist's job -or an attendance officer's job - for a while, you would understand why this is not weird at all.

The number of families who 'tack on a few days' to holidays to get cheaper flights is very surprising to those who would never think of doing that - and such absences are almost always accompanied by e-mails or messages left on the answering machine to claim sickness.

There are better ways of finding out than asking for a doctor's note - asking the child on return is very effective in younger children, a general query to the class 'anyone know where X is today?' is surprisingly effective, and a call to the home landline in school hours is usually great at identifying those who genuinely are at home sick.

However, it is not 'weird' to assume that a child reported sick at the start of a term is on holiday - it's actually a pretty conservative guess.

Schools can put what they want in a policy.
But it doesn't trump law.
If the school want to mark as unauthorised despite the emails and refer to la who decide to fine they have to prove that you were lying.

I would send the following:-

“I appreciate that it is difficult when kids are off straight after school holidays. However, our GP surgery does not provide sick notes in this instance (see attachment 1)and as Fred has a virus antibiotics would not be appropriate. I also attach the following:-

Attachment 2:- Email from my boss very annoyed about me having to stay home with Fred today
Attachment 3:- Photo of me attempting to work from home (note Meaghan and Harry on today’s news to prove was taken today)
Attachment 4:- Photo of Fred’s tonsils (note - not for the faint hearted!)
Attachment 5:- Film of me taking Fred’s temperature - as you can see - it is 101.3 and Harry and Meghan are still being discussed.

Please let me know if this is not satisfactory evidence. You are welcome to pop round and check we are here if you like. (I’ve been stuck in the house with Fred for 3 days - I’m at the point of hoping for a burglar just to give me someone to chat to!

Best regards

Fred’s Mum.”

Such a pity it wasn’t a cold or you would be able to send photos of the contents of tissues!

It is quite a well known ploy for parents to say their DCs are ill to extend a holiday but it is pretty rude of the school to be open to you about it! (Not suggesting you are lying).

I don't understand anyway why they actively want to increase their record of unauthorised absence. That seems odd.

Doctors aren't being "awkward".
They have surgeries to run and a huge responsibility to their patients.
GPs also should not have to waste surgery time doing passport verification- of course people should pay for that and for letters etc to be done in doctors own time!

A short unauthorised absence would not be referred to the LA. I find it odd how many MNers have experience of fines. I worked in attendance in a school for 12 years and we issued two fines the entire time (huge secondary school with average attendance figures).

@Mumoftwoyoungkids

This guidance from GPs also states the position quite clearly...

You may want to suggest your GP surgery writes a letter to the school along the lines of the one below.

www.lmc.org.uk/visageimages/Campaigns/GPSoE16/schoolabsencegpsoeaug17.pdf