School want gp note every time dc off??

[Ohtheyresickagain]

Dc appears to have caught every one of the bugs going round since October. It’s been an absolute nightmare on so many levels (them suffering, missing family activities, impact on our work etc etc) that it’s honestly brought me to my knees.

We were presented with an attendance warning letter on their last day of school before Xmas. Lovely way to start the holidays. I know I’m sensitive because of how hard it’s been but it actually made me cry- mostly with frustration. The wording (I’m assuming a standard template?) was incredibly cold and basically said they are ill too often (you don’t chuffing say!) and therefore any time they’re off this year they’ll require a gp note.

Thing is, they’ve only been off for the time they have because of following school policy, which is usual I think - not allowed in with a temperature, or for 48 hours after vomiting. We’ve abided by this and are now being ‘told off’. In the weekly school newsletter they commented on how badly the country has been hit by illnesses this winter as it’s first proper winter free of restrictions since covid etc but some parents have been sending kids in ill and please don’t do that. Gahhhh

anyway. I have no intention of phoning the gp for a sick note for my child every time they have a temp or have vomited. Insane use of the nhs imo. I’m not being unreasonable with this surely?

I don’t understand how they expect parents to control something like illness ! Of course I wan t my dc in as much as possible but it’s sheer bad luck ! Schools need to stop this nonsense as it’s putting so much stress on parents

DS caught a sickness bug in the second week of term, and was then sick again at around hour 47 twice. So basically a whole week off right at the start of the year. His attendance % was about 70% by half term.
When I called to say he had been sick again so wouldn’t be in for another 48 hours at least, I got a call back from the attendance officer about it all. I offered to send a photo of the ‘evidence’ if she wanted. She did not want.
Luckily he’s been ok since so the % is now creeping back up, and he’s not had poor attendance previously so I think they were happy to leave us alone.
It makes me so cross for those families with chronic illness or other challenges around attendance though. Stupid letters just bringing more stress and upset.
I wonder how many people read the letter and think oh yes, now I’m going to be extra sure my child is in school more 😩

We have the exact same contradictory letters that have poor attendance levels in one paragraph and then a lecture on sending children in when poorly and reiterating sickness rules and quarantine times in another!

It’s laughable.

We’ve had letters and meetings where we have been made to feel awful - it’s clear they don’t believe us. It’s a horrible position to be in. They even threatened court which is absurd because for illness you can’t fine or take legal action so why say that 😞

We had similar when our son was repeatedly sent home from school. The GP won’t do sick notes before 5 days, they have a notice on their website stating this. Thankfully he wasn’t off after that so not sure what would have happened.

Absolutely ridiculous. Please know you are doing the right thing by keeping your children off when they are poorly. The schools attendance will only get worse if they keep trying to push kids back into school when unwell.

Both my children were off for 4 days and 5 days over the same week after being diagnosed with strep A. They said with antibiotics they can be back after 24 hours of starting the antibiotics. Unfortunately my children weren't well enough in themselves to go back to school, so I kept them off. They then both developed hand foot and mouth within 24 hours of strep a diagnosis; again, according to the 'guidelines' they could go back to school. One of my boys couldn't walk on his feet they were that sore, the other couldn't hold anything in their hands! Obviously, I kept them off until they were above to walk / hold things again.

They both had a REALLY bad case of it unfortunately, so I felt justified keeping them off, but it didn't stop the comments from school. When one of my boys came back to school, they were very sheepish when they saw the state of his hands and how exhausted they both were from it.

Honestly, I get schools issuing letters when families are lying about illness to cover up a holiday (I've seen several of these cases over the last couple of years, claiming covid isolation, but kids always spill!) or if they is genuine concern there's something more to the story, but genuinely poorly kids - would they rather spread it???

Just tell them no. Schools have seriously overstepped their mark recently

Yes they really have. We are probably one more shitty meeting away from deregistering

Have guidelines recently changed or something as our school previously not too bad have totally changed. We felt so threatened when they said about court it’s like they have hot huge pressure coming from elsewhere ?

*got

Our son's school seems to be very comfortable having him in when ill. We kept him off a couple of times at the start of the year when he had really bad lungs, but they did not to worry.

So we send him in ill (unless he's too ill to function).

I got one once and was really pissed off. I wrote back and said that

1. they're obviously aware that a GP surgery will not give me an emergency appointment just because you require a letter.
2. I have no interest in sending in a sick child and if they actually encouraged other people to not send in sick children, then maybe this would not have happened.
3. I have been very financially supportive of the school, but that will not continue if I receive another of these letters.

Unsurprisingly, no more letters arrived!

I've had this letter before. When I did attend a GP appointment (it was needed) I told them what the school said and he laughed. He said his own son was off the week before and the school asked for the same proof. Him being a GP himself didn't count apparently. He told me to tell them to ring him themselfs. It was a sore subject for him as a parent 😂

Yeah, all of this. Schools are under a silly amount of pressure from the government over attendance. Glad you are able to emotionally detach from the lett, OP and realise it's not actually aimed at you. It's a useful life skill!

And I have some sympathy for schools because attendance is a hard one to police. And the last few years have been confusing with all the chopping and changing.

That’s an impossible request if you live where I do. Impossible to get hold of GP or get any appointment, let alone a note.

Agree with PP - bin and ignore. They are automated letters as the school have to be seen to be chasing attendance by the authorities otherwise they'll be pulled up on it.
We have had several of them for DD, straight in the bin. Conversely, we also got a letter/certificate for DS last term congratulating him on 100% attendance - that also went straight in the bin.

@MilkyYay nope, again, info in op explains why age is irrelevant - school policy is school policy

@Asthebellcurves so sorry to hear that 😞 really hope your daughters better now?

It's definitely national. I can't take it seriously now.

It's all about safeguarding. This is very serious. Children are in danger! Here's a letter to warn you that your child has an attendance of 95.5% when our minimum is 96%
Actually, we hadn't entered all the registers so your child was present for five more sessions than we counted up. This means actually it was 96.5% not 95.5%. Not that we are going to say sorry. Oh, and it's a rolling percentage so two weeks off in June will look way better than two weeks off in September.

Utter tripe. And not taking illness into account let alone their own policies is just making them laughable.

@LatteLady @MrsMoastyToasty thats helpful to know thank you

Schools are under a silly amount of pressure from the government over attendance

True. But also the latest guidance from the government (DFE), says this:

Code I: Illness (not medical or dental appointment)
219. Schools should advise parents to notify them on the first day the child is unable to attend due to illness. Schools
must record absences as authorised where pupils cannot attend due to illness (both physical and mental health related).

220. In the majority of cases a parent's notification that their child is ill can be accepted without question or concern.Schools should not routinely request that parents provide medical evidence to support illness. Schools are advised not to request medical evidence unnecessarily as it places additional pressure on health professionals, their staff and their appointments system particularly if the illness is one that does not require treatment by a health professional. Only where the school has a genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness should medical evidence be requested to support the absence.

Send your dc in unwell and give the germs back. They’ll soon send them home.
On another note, since when has a GP surgery got time to send sick notes 🙄

They don’t though!!! We’ve had dc kept at school and coming out with high fevers / visibly unwell so we have little to no faith in them in that respect

So sorry to hear about everyone with poorly children and all those families in same situations as us, picking up one thing after yet another. Solidarity!!

The whole irony is, that so many more children are off school ill, because people send their ill children into school. Colds, bugs and virus' spread like absolute wildfire, so why schools are encouraging kids to go in ill is beyond me! Ignore it OP, if your child is poorly, keep them home and get them well again.