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?

Getting ill is part of life and, ultimately, good for our immune systems. Kids need to be exposed to illnesses and, especially in primary school, can usually manage school with coughs and colds.

My son's nursery (attached to an infant school) encourages attendence when ill (not with fevers).

I can see why. We kept our son off one day and by 10am he was back to running around.

In our school you notice massively that the children with two parents working full time out of the home, seem massively more disease resistant to those with a stay home or part time working parent.

For all the people who genuinely have had shit luck and had a child with 5 sick bugs in a single term, there are far more parents who do not believe children can attend school with mild illness.

I can see why. We kept our son off one day and by 10am he was back to running around.

Yes at our school you get kids kept off, walking to school with older sibling, then you see them playing happily in the adjacent playground after drop off! #NotSoSickAfterAll

My daughter injured her foot and was given crutches by the hospital. School wouldn't let her return for several days because a health and safety assessment was needed but nobody was free to do it. When she finally we allowed back to school a week later I was sent an absence warning letter. Ridiculous, and what on earth do these letters achieve?

I hate all this attendance bollocks. They don't want them in school when poorly (understandably) yet if you keep them at home when they're poorly they send out poor attendance letters. Can't bloody win! This is (partly) why parents end up sending unwell children in to school.

@MilkyYay what a strange school your children seem to attend.

I’ll let my child (as the offspring of two parents who work full time out of the house) know that he has seemingly missed picking up his ‘disease resistance’ tonic.

We received a similar letter just before the holidays but the letter also contained that as the illness absences were un-authorised we will be subject to penalty notices.

The NHS has all the time in the world to do this sort of thing. What a great use of resources. 😳

Ignore the letter.

Or massively more dosed up with paracetamol and/or ibuprofen and sent in regardless

I have not read the whole thread, so may be repeating what has already been said

Ofsted demand evidence that school had come down heavily on absences

School demand GP letters so that they can show to ofsted that they have demanded GP letters. Not because they want GP letters

School is jumping though hoops for ofsted

You do not need to respond

You do not need to supply GP letters

nobody cares

This is unlikely to have been generated by the school; it's almost certainly an automated LEA mailing after attendance has dropped below a frankly arbitrary percentage. As PPs have said, GP surgeries will not issue these letters so feel free to burn the stupid letter with glee. Only parents who are actually taking the piss about attendance ought to be concerned, and not much is done about them either, in my experience!

Our surgery charges for letters and statements. My husband needed a statement of health for renewing his gun licence and the surgery charged me £40 to fill out the form.

Just to add, whilst knowing how annoying this is and why it is not appropriate (see earlier post), it does not rest with the HT, the issue lies with Ofsted. Attendance being below 95% may generate an inspection, especially at schools where the numbers fall below this constantly, so in order to show the Ofsted team that the school take this seriously they have to document the process of encouraging children to attend. HTs know that this is a waste of time and paper but are caught between a rock and a hard place.

Originally, this started from a good place, safeguarding, ensuring that parents called in daily to report their child being absent, so that the rare abductions on the way to school, a child missing school due to maltreatment or because a parent had died... all of these happened, then the school would be able to raise the alarm within the first couple of hours, however the pendulum has now swung too far.

And once again, pls do not bother your GP, they are all rather busy at the moment.

This isn’t normal practice. This is put in place when a child has levels of attendance much lower than expected / peers. Next step is attendance officer.

@niugboo blatantly not true lol. See above.

of course it’s true. They aren’t sending these letters to all parents. It’s when they hit a percentage that’s concerning.

@niugboo Unfortunately using the percentages gives a false impression, as many of us have explained earlier in the thread. There are 190 compulsory days in school per academic year... if during week 1, your child is out for 2 days, then it would be calculated as just 60% attendance at that time... but if they were not out for the rest of the year, in truth it would be just under 99% attendance. They are using a very blunt and inaccurate method to demonstrate absence.

Next, as others have explained, this is common practice because it has become a tick box exercise by schools who are expected to demonstrate, with evidence, to Ofsted that they are pursuing attendance with parents.

@LatteLady which is why they don’t look at a single week.

end of term assessment will look at 2 things. Attendance and number of absences. You don’t have kids with decent attendance getting these letters.

I'd reply and say I assume then that you want me to send a sick child in to school when the GP doesn't issue a letter for every bug and virus?

They have no rights to a GP letter or any evidence. GPs are only contracted to provide this for over 7 days sickness for adults. I’d point out that it’s totally inappropriate to request this given the current state of health care and will lead to delays for people who need treatment. GP also has no obligation to do it and will probably say no even for private provision. I’d also point out that they are effectively accusing you of lying? And your child’s attendance isn’t even that low at 91%!

@niugboo Well I only have 30+ yrs experience as a School Governor, so obviously I know nothing; what you are saying should happen, but in actuality, it doesn't.

@LatteLady ah the send Govenor. The authority on attendance. 🙄😂

No, the Chair, the Safeguarding governor with external experience and the Ofsted Inspector...

I’m a teacher. Our attendance lead doesn’t have a choice in sending that letter, it’s part of the attendance welfare guidance. What it means is that without medical evidence the absences go down as unauthorised rather than sickness and the attendance welfare office becomes involved.