To think it slightly strange that school is encouraging this

[AsIfIWish]

Just got a letter from our school (sent to all parents) about attendance, starting with congratulations for good attendance, but then going into more detail of what they actually want. One bit says:

"Sometimes your child may be too ill to attend; however they could go to school if they have one of the following symptoms:
• Headache
• Stomach ache
• Ear ache
• Cough
• Cold
• Sore throat

I don't expect my kids to be 'wimps' as my dad would say (and I only let mine stay at home if they seem to exhibit quite bad symptoms - e.g. my youngest sometimes mentions something mild and I encourage them to go and then they bounce out happily at the end of the day) but likewise I do find it a little odd to be seemingly encouraging kids to go to school when ill.

Maybe these things are aimed primarily at those parents who keep their child off for every little thing? What do you think and what are your schools' policies? This is a secondary school btw.

Covid anxiety and hangover of misunderstanding protocols. Also Strep has killed kids in UK and children should absolutely not be spreading these things. I know plenty idiotic parents who send their child in when they have vomited the previous night.

DS is in Reception and has had a few days off so far this academic year. One week with an awful cough and a fever that wouldn't go away... Last week, he stayed home with me for two days (mostly OK, mild cough and feeling a little tired...but I was off sick anyway). He went to school Wednesday to Friday. I picked him up Friday morning because he "felt a bit warm and didn't feel well". He's still got a slight cold and is just feeling tired. He'll be back at school on Monday and we'll see how he does.

I send children home when they've got a sore throat or a headache. Usually, those children then stay home the next day as well because there is something more going on. I don't see the need for them to be at school when feeling unwell. (And no, the "Oh goodness...they cannot possibly miss one day of school" ideology is bollocks in most cases. They can usually catch up.) However, we aren't in the UK. Nobody checks our attendance figures and we mostly trust parents to make the right choice for their children. It's also much more acceptable here to take time off when you are sick. You practically had to be at death's door to take a day off in the UK as a teacher...and even then they'd make you feel guilty about it. I don't think that's a healthy attitude...

Yep, DS5 felt ill last week so came to find me with the thermometer! He knows no temperature = no day off.

Even then though there is a massive range of ear ache. I have always struggled with my ears and it ranges from “oh that’s annoying” to being hospitalised from the roaring infection and being super relieved when the ear drum burst.

if I had stayed off every time I had a minor ear ache I would never have made it in!

If it's borderline I have always sent mine in, most of the time they were fine, but occasionally I have been called later to collect.
Some parents keep their children home after one sneeze!

Thanks everyone for all the responses. I got a paper letter from the school a few days after with the attendance repost, saying basically, "your child's attendance is 86.4%, which sucks," which really got my back up given that at least half of that is for medical or autism-related appointments! @TheOriginalEmu - clearly your school isn't the only one that does this...

Anyway I have emailed the school to ask what the sodding point of giving reasons for absence is when the document that
@Ariautec so helpfully shared states that absence codes legally MUST be used. (Unfortunately I didn't have that info at the time of emailing, but I will definitely be mentioning it when he/she eventually replies.) Hospital stays and appointments and illnesses all have appropriate codes, so why is everything lumped together into one percentage? (Oh, yeah, one that also penalises ill/disabled kids!😡)

Of course, you're right, it's all about ofsted and ticking boxes. My DS is autistic, and the school is pretty unhelpful because he's intelligent and good at masking, and therefore clearly' doesn't have any issues with school' so they don't bother doing anything to help his attendance except give him Timeout cards which he's too scared to use. His headaches are almost always due to overwhelm/overstimulation/stress, and tbh I would rather give a physical reason than try and explain autistic overwhelm.

@whistleblown I completely agree on your comments about schools and education. Sigh.

There is no cure or medication for a cold. But it is inconsiderate (be it school or workplace) to pass it on to others.

I think the wording is not great.

To list out symptoms like that implies that they would expect children in with those symptoms - but a cough can be mild or it can be an awful chest infection.

I can see what they are trying to do but they should have worded it better as some people will think they are expected to send in poorly children.

My school did that though - I got a letter saying how my son’s attendance wasn’t good. I took it in and said ‘but all these days were for reasons you agreed with ie he was sent home, he had CAMHS, he has SALT, he was at another service etc?’ They agreed and said it’s just automatic but nothing to worry about. Maybe if it’s worrying you you could go in for a chat about his struggles and his attendance.

Oh, I’ve just seen the school isn’t very helpful. That’s a shame. As I’m sure you know, the school’s attitude can be a HUGE factor in the life of a child with autism. It’s so annoying that there’s such discrepancy. Our school is absolutely fantastic but my friend (met through a group for autism parents) has her son in an awful school and is desperately trying to move him. The school looked great when she visited but it turns out they are not actually up to date for kids with SN.

I basically told them to shove it up their arses and they were more than welcome to send the EWO round and I could let her and the LEA know about the utter failures of this school to safe guard my child (but that’s a different story).
utterly stupid letters with such a patronising tone ‘I’m sure you want to work with us to increase your child’s attendance’. Well, when you cure Crohn’s disease and Migraines let me know and I’ll be all ears 🙄

Agree with this. Our school started sending out weekly attendance stats last term. Every week it was accompanied by an explanatory message saying attendance was lower than expected due to an outbreak of strep/covid/chickenpox/noro etc. It's amazing how full of illness schools are and the knock on effect on other's absence by encouraging ill kids in.

I wish the schools would speak individually to parents. I'm tired of all these generic you letters when the people it really applies to are not reading them or thinking it doesn't apply to them.
I agree with you because teachers should know where the low attenders are, have an understanding of their situations and respond according to the situation.

The parents with very unwell children are likely to find generic letters stressful, which they don't need.
The parents with children who attend well will read it and decide to continue using common sense.
The parents who keep their children off every few weeks because they might have seen a tiny spec of snot on the nostril and DC says they feel a bit under the weather aren't going to become common sense parents after reading a letter.

Will your school give over counter meds? Ours doesn't.

Hospital stays and appointments and illnesses all have appropriate codes, so why is everything lumped together into one percentage? (Oh, yeah, one that also penalises ill/disabled kids!😡)

I’d be pointing out this appalling ableism to the HT, OP.

Also, encouraging parents to send their kids in if they’re ill is completely irresponsible. My kids have gone in with minor sniffles but anything like a bad cough or severe earache needs rest - why on earth are we teaching our children to ignore their bodies when it’s clear they need to recover from something? Heaven forbid they might grow up to to prioritise their health over a few hours of “productive” labour at the office 🙄

What about slight fever? My Dd, 4, has had cough, cold, blocked ears for so long. She’s been going to school but then started having a fever, red cheeks and sleeping. Dr says its nothing to worry about, but would you send Dd in hot, sleepy and with red cheeks?

No

Some just released guidance @AsIfIWish www.gov.uk/government/publications/mental-health-issues-affecting-a-pupils-attendance-guidance-for-schools

As we are now finding, kids not mixing to avoid the covid spread has now led to a resurgence of other viruses. We had to manage the COVID spread with lockdowns but we shouldn’t take away the message that it demonstrated lockdown and isolation was good for population immunity.

stomach is often stress.A friend who is the nurse at a GS say its extremely common amongst her charges

Yep. Yrs ago the very small school I taught in had ofsted in, when they used to do parent meetings.
Attendance was poor for a few families but that made a big % difference. We would send out reminders, letters, speak to certain families etc.
Ofsted inspector told the parents attendance was poor but there's not a lot more the school could do and it was upto the parents to get their finger out and get their kids in!
Now it seems that its down to the school to be doing that!