Covid related absence changes- school

[Whothe]

Positing for traffic in the hope someone knows the answer.

Have the rules re covid absence at school now changed?

Previously all covid related absence was marked differently to other absence. But now it’s marked as regular absence (except weirdly the small time frame that you advise you are waiting for a PCR result).

If this is the case, it does seem a bit off given that the kids have no choice but to be off (isolation rules) and because actually they will be given work to do from home/home schooled as opposed to other sickness where work is not provided.

For context, (pre covid) I’m not one to send my kids in and cover up sickness that requires time off (vomiting etc) but equally I’m not a push over either and will encourage them in with a cold etc.

One of our kids wants to apply for a specialist school where previous absence is requested along with School reports so I’m just trying to work out what her being off for five days with covid would do to her absence figures.

Does it seem odd that they’ve changed how they report this absence now? Particularly given 1) the kids have to stay off school 2) they get work given to them.

Or AIBU and it shoujd be treated like any other sicknesss where they have to be off for specified time (eg vomiting, chicken pox etc).

Or, have I read it all wrong and nothing is changing!!

You are correct. The government changed it at the beginning of this academic year presumably to hide the impact that covid is having on children.

Yes you're right. It's now I and not X so you can't see when monitoring attendance what the impact of covid was. X is still used for awaiting PCRs.

Thanks FellWanderer.

Yes, maybe that is the case.

Thanks Kitkat.

Bonkers!

That's spectacularly unhelpful. What a stupid thing to do. They need to be able to monitor covid in schools.

I work in a school and I didn’t know that. We haven’t been told to change how we’re recording absences.

Just hold off confirming a positive PCR for a couple of days 😉.

Coming from the other direction... why should a child be penalised going forward for having chicken pox for example, but not Covid? Neither should reflect badly on a child.

The whole attendance thing is bonkers anyway. A child with two parent is working in the nhs or retail, with a couple of siblings in different settings is much more likely to pick up more bugs compared to someone with WFH parents and no siblings. I've already had this argument with school that as a FT working parent it is a right pain in the arse to have my kids off school with sickness. Why would I choose that if they weren't really sick?

Yes it changed in September.

I wouldn't worry about it, loads of kids with previously good attendance now have shit attendance due to covid.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

Coming from the other direction... why should a child be penalised going forward for having chicken pox for example, but not Covid? Neither should reflect badly on a child.

Good point. They need to overhaul the system.

My dd has a chronic illness and has watched other children be rewarded at school being healthy every year.. it's crap, but schools value attendance over everything.

*for being healthy, e.g. 100% attendance trips, treats and awards.

I didn't think illness was ever "authorised" absence?

Its nothing to do with avoiding monitoring Covid. It's to deter healthy children being kept off by parents when they dont need to be (e.g parents claiming children need to isolate as close contacts), a huge issue behind low attendance. There's more unnecessary absence than there is genuine absence where the child themselves has Covid.

Schools who take it easy in reception and leave too much of the academic learning to y1/y2 (ours does this a bit) have been caught with their pants down big time the past 2 years. At our school way way more kids than usual are way behind where they should be in reading. There will always be an odd kid coming into y1 barely on red books, there shouldnt be a third of the class.

The government publishes pretty clear advice on infectious diseases here
www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/chapter-9-managing-specific-infectious-diseases

In terms of authorised vs unauthorised absence, my view is that "authorised" should be absences per that guide (eg for things where infection spread needs to be managed) OR for absence for medical appointments or with doctors note (thus covering children with chronic conditions or disabilities that mean they are absent more).

Eg the guide has this for chicken pox: "
Don’t allow the child back to school until at least 5 days after the appearance of the chickenpox rash (blisters) and all the lesions have crusted over."

However, the guide lists no exclusion needed for cold sores, or for hand foot and mouth, meaning an otherwise well child doesnt need to be kept home for these.