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Original poster

School coming to home to view sick child - Normal?

719 replies

CandlelightGlow · 16/03/2023 10:59

I'm feeling really sensitive right now due to work stress so please be kind.

My 5 year old is off with chicken pox right now. He got the spots on Sunday, he's been quite poorly with it Monday - Tuesday, very sleepy, then very uncomfortable Weds waiting for the scabs to form. He's just started to feel better today but the school have an INSET day tomorrow anyway.

We just had a knock at the door, and it was a teacher from DS's school! He was very reluctant to come downstairs because he's only in his pants and thought the teacher was there to take him to school. She was very nice and said it's sad that they have to do this in this day and age but it's completely normal and they do it for everyone who's been off this length of time.

He's been off for 4 days? His older sister is at school so we've still done the school run every day. To be fair as it's an inset day tomorrow it will be over a week by the time he goes back on Monday. But I've never had a teacher come unannounced to our house to check on our child. Can someone reassure me it is actually normal and they don't think something bad of us! My poor boy is just ill. I've called him in and updated, updated again this morning saying he would be back on Monday!

OP posts:
Isitthathardtobekind · 17/03/2023 18:04

It would be normal in many schools if you hadn’t called in to say he was poorly and school had called you and had no response. I realise you say you had called in though.

toomuchlaundry · 17/03/2023 18:04

I'm assuming the school might just include a clause about being able to check on pupil welfare without giving too much detail on when this would kick in, otherwise certain parents would try and work round it to avoid school and other agencies being alerted. Bit like schools will have a lockdown procedure policy but that won't be advertised on the website to avoid people working round it

Hbee88 · 17/03/2023 18:04

Primary teacher here… I have never been asked to do this and don’t know any colleagues that have either. It might be a misguided (but well intentioned) way of making sure everything’s ok, but a friendly phone call asking if you needed any support would surely have sufficed?! My biggest question is how on earth a teacher had the time to go to your house?

MargaretThursday · 17/03/2023 18:04

I'd wonder whether older sister might have said something along the lines of "he isn't really ill, Mum just fusses over him" or "yes, he's ill. Mum's going to work and said he'll be fine at home" and they thought it was worth a check.

toomuchlaundry · 17/03/2023 18:05

@Isitthathardtobekind I don't think OP phoned in later in the week

toomuchlaundry · 17/03/2023 18:07

@mumda even if schools are short of money they will prioritise safeguarding of children

Isitthathardtobekind · 17/03/2023 18:08

@toomuchlaundry ah ok. Lots of schools would expect a call each day that the child is off and if they don’t hear from the parent, would call them. Then if the call isn’t answered or returned within a certain time frame, they would go to knock on the door to check all is ok.

Isitthathardtobekind · 17/03/2023 18:11

zingally · 17/03/2023 16:45

I've been a teacher for 15 years, across many schools and different parts of the country, and have NEVER seen or heard of this before. Absolutely not normal practice.

@zingally it is normal practice in some schools and happens regularly.

BronH · 17/03/2023 18:12

Hi,
My husband works as an Educational Welfare Officer. It is a statutory requirement that a home visit is carried out after an absence of three days or more and every three days thereafter. The child must be seen in person by the EWO. This was put into place after the review of Baby P’s death and is a general Safeguarding measure and nothing personal at all.
My husband took this job as a retirement job (was retired for 6 months before boredom drove him back to work 🤣) so our children are well past school age. I was horrified when he told me this policy and said I wouldn’t have let staff from school into my home to inspect my sick child. When I thought about it though it seems a very small invasion of privacy compared to the benefit of protecting a vulnerable child. I suppose if your child is genuinely poorly you don’t have to worry about a visit to verify this but it did seem extremely intrusive to me.

Tessabelle74 · 17/03/2023 18:15

4 kids that have gone to various schools and NEVER had this happen

celticprincess · 17/03/2023 18:17

I’m a teacher and find that odd. We make welfare checks. If parent hasn’t called in we call them. If the child has repeated absences then they may be monitored more, meetings arranged with parent etc but never heard of an unannounced visit.

stoptherainny · 17/03/2023 18:18

It's never happened when my dc have been off but a friend, who's son in is high school, was off for a week and a teacher came round to their house to check and they wanted to see him at the door. I thought it might be a way to checking they are not on holiday

celticprincess · 17/03/2023 18:19

In 24 years of teaching I’ve never known this to happen. Maybe it’s certain local authority areas??

KateKateLee · 17/03/2023 18:19

DrinkFeckArseBrick · 16/03/2023 11:07

Surely this is potentially putting teachers at risk from illness

Plus they're not medically qualified...how are they meant to tell for example the difference between a cough and a severe chest infection, a cold and an ear infection or a sore throat and tonsillitis. How can they judge if a child with a complicated condition flare up is well enough to be in school?

I guess it's a good check that there is nothing else concerning happening at home...but again I'm not sure teachers are the best placed to judge this, given social services can miss things.

Sorry not really answering your question about usual practice!

Maybe they aren't checking for illness? Perhaps they are checking that the child isn't off because say they have a black eye which might lead to question being asked if they went to school? Or other bruises or broken bones or other signs of abuse?

WotsitsMadeIn1927 · 17/03/2023 18:21

I think four days is too soon and a bit extreme to do an unannounced home visit for chicken pox!!! I would not be happy.
My sons friend (female, 14) attendance in year 9 went down to 3% (she wasn’t going for mainly anxiety and being investigated by a consultant for digestive issues) so her head of year knocked at her door. I think her mum was warned though and her attendance was 3%…. So that visit was justified.

lieselotte · 17/03/2023 18:35

My husband works as an Educational Welfare Officer. It is a statutory requirement that a home visit is carried out after an absence of three days or more and every three days thereafter. The child must be seen in person by the EWO. This was put into place after the review of Baby P’s death and is a general Safeguarding measure and nothing personal at all

I don't believe a word of it, given that children were left in lockdown for weeks and weeks (months) on end!

shellyleppard · 17/03/2023 18:40

At my sons secondary school you have to report their sickness every day they are off. If you don't you get a visit from the attendance officer. Ott.....a little but unfortunately how schools are now. Hope your little one feels better soon x

LikeTearsInRain · 17/03/2023 18:40

Do you usually work from home or only because DS was ill?

Jennybeans401 · 17/03/2023 18:45

That's weird, yes not normal. I would complain about this. Its a bit like a manager ringing you when you're off sick; it puts pressure on you. Children get poorly and need time to recover. It will be the dreaded attendance figures!!!

Meandfour · 17/03/2023 18:45

Hbee88 · 17/03/2023 18:04

Primary teacher here… I have never been asked to do this and don’t know any colleagues that have either. It might be a misguided (but well intentioned) way of making sure everything’s ok, but a friendly phone call asking if you needed any support would surely have sufficed?! My biggest question is how on earth a teacher had the time to go to your house?

Do you work in a school without a pastoral team? OP clearly stated it was a member of support staff.

cherish123 · 17/03/2023 18:46

Nope. I am a teacher and it's not normal. I would refuse to do this as a child as I wouldn't want to pick up anything.
Sometimes if a child is vulnerable, a HT might.

Jennybeans401 · 17/03/2023 18:46

@lieselotte I royally agree. What a load of bunkum! My ds was off with chickenpox for a full week and no one checked up on him. Absolutely absurd!

toomuchlaundry · 17/03/2023 18:48

@lieselotte many teachers did doorstep visits during lockdown. DS's private school asked for cameras on during remote lessons, at least once a day so they could see the children

Original poster
CandlelightGlow · 17/03/2023 18:50

LikeTearsInRain · 17/03/2023 18:40

Do you usually work from home or only because DS was ill?

I always WFH. My partner is a SAHD, he was looking after the DC and dealt with the situation, he told me after. I could hear something going on vaguely but I was on a call and shut away in the room I work in.

OP posts:
Original poster
CandlelightGlow · 17/03/2023 18:52

shellyleppard · 17/03/2023 18:40

At my sons secondary school you have to report their sickness every day they are off. If you don't you get a visit from the attendance officer. Ott.....a little but unfortunately how schools are now. Hope your little one feels better soon x

Thank you Smile He's so much better to day, the spots seem to be shrinking really rapidly now they're scabbing over!

OP posts:
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