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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

Unauthorised absences wtf are we supposed to do!

422 replies

dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2023 12:18

Surely everyone knows that it's nearly impossible to get GP appointments these days. And surely everyone understands that sometimes your DC are too unwell to go to school but not unwell enough to get an emergency appointment.

But my DC's school are now saying any absence that doesn't have medical evidence will be unauthorised. They will only accept things you can get from a GP, like an appointment card or prescription.

So what are we meant to do??? We are finishing the year being this close to persistent absence, which doesn't seem fair. We can't help it if DC was ill a lot this year, but with routine bugs that a GP would never see him for or prescribe anything (including norovirus -- are we meant to send him in and spread it then?)

AIBU to think this makes no sense?

(not school bashing here, they say they are just following policy)

OP posts:
Catsanfan · 13/07/2023 12:20

Standard practice if your child's attendance is poor. If they had good attendance they probably wouldn't be asking for proof

SteveBuscemisRheumyEye · 13/07/2023 12:22

Send them in sick and then get school to send them home again 🤷🏾‍♀️

IncomingTraffic · 13/07/2023 12:22

I wouldn’t give a stuff. It’s their problem
if absences for illness are recorded as unauthorised. It doesn’t actually matter to you or the child.

araiwa · 13/07/2023 12:22

Just ignore it?

Would it Impact on you or your child?

Wolfiefan · 13/07/2023 12:23

Some children are sick more than others. If you are keeping them off because they are vomiting or have an upset tummy or raging temperature then of course you’re doing the right thing. Just keep a note of reasons.
If you’re keeping them off with a snotty nose or a bit of a headache then maybe that’s worth rethinking.
Schools are under immense pressure to tackle attendance.

IncomingTraffic · 13/07/2023 12:25

Catsanfan · 13/07/2023 12:20

Standard practice if your child's attendance is poor. If they had good attendance they probably wouldn't be asking for proof

That attitude is bordering on disability discrimination. Insisting that people who are more likely to be absent for health reasons must provide medical evidence is not a great idea.

And adding additional pressure on GP’s is ridiculous. Schools shouldn’t be making demands like this.

orangeleavesinautumn · 13/07/2023 12:27

so what if they get recorded as unauthorised? This is between the school and ofsted, it doesn't impact on you or your child in any way- just disregard it

TopGunMaverick · 13/07/2023 12:28

I contacted the school, told them my thoughts and they changed their tune. If they hadn’t, I’d have just ignored it and their attendance bullshit.

Original poster
dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2023 12:29

Can I really ignore it?

They say if it goes below 90% it will be reported to council and we may be fined. Also some 6th forms will not accept students with poor attendance.

I know that is poor attendance but honestly he was just ill so much this year, genuinely so. And he's still near the top of his year and at parents evening his teachers said he was doing great, so it's not had a huge negative impact on his learning.

OP posts:
AngelicInnocent · 13/07/2023 12:29

When school here did this, the GP surgery sent a letter to the school advising that they would not be issuing appointment cards or private sick notes unless it was for an exam etc.

They advised the school that they could call at a specific time each day and they would be told if the pupil was ill. They were also told that the answer in each case would be if "their parent said they were ill then yes they were".

Sugargliderwombat · 13/07/2023 12:30

IncomingTraffic · 13/07/2023 12:25

That attitude is bordering on disability discrimination. Insisting that people who are more likely to be absent for health reasons must provide medical evidence is not a great idea.

And adding additional pressure on GP’s is ridiculous. Schools shouldn’t be making demands like this.

Show quote history

It's a very good idea. Children in abusive homes are often kept there under a fictitious long term illness.

Dixiechickonhols · 13/07/2023 12:32

I’d ask for a meeting with school and see exactly what they want you to do in each scenario (no appointment available/pharmacy/otc treated/d&v so gp not appropriate etc) then follow up by email.

TopGunMaverick · 13/07/2023 12:33

It's a very good idea. Children in abusive homes are often kept there under a fictitious long term illness.

Yes, but even when they know that is not the case, they continue to harass parents with genuinely ill children that are engaged with the school. Their procedures are awful.

orangeleavesinautumn · 13/07/2023 12:35

TopGunMaverick · 13/07/2023 12:33

It's a very good idea. Children in abusive homes are often kept there under a fictitious long term illness.

Yes, but even when they know that is not the case, they continue to harass parents with genuinely ill children that are engaged with the school. Their procedures are awful.

The schools have no choice, they are doing what ofsted demand. Most of the teacher involved are as fed up with these procedures as parents are, but they have to do them

Original poster
dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2023 12:35

Wolfiefan · 13/07/2023 12:23

Some children are sick more than others. If you are keeping them off because they are vomiting or have an upset tummy or raging temperature then of course you’re doing the right thing. Just keep a note of reasons.
If you’re keeping them off with a snotty nose or a bit of a headache then maybe that’s worth rethinking.
Schools are under immense pressure to tackle attendance.

Yes we have only kept him off when he was really unwell. He always goes in if it's just sniffles, mild cold, he went in with a foot injury that had him limping all day. But if he has a terrible cough and cold, high temp, noro, etc., then it just seems sensible to keep him home, he's not going to learn anything and he's just going to infect everyone else.

I do understand schools are under pressure which is why I don't want to bash the school but the policy makes no sense.

OP posts:
Original poster
dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2023 12:36

Dixiechickonhols · 13/07/2023 12:32

I’d ask for a meeting with school and see exactly what they want you to do in each scenario (no appointment available/pharmacy/otc treated/d&v so gp not appropriate etc) then follow up by email.

I have asked them but they just repeat they're following Council policy. I don't know what else to do, if anyone has any ideas that would be great.

OP posts:
orangeleavesinautumn · 13/07/2023 12:37

dreamingbohemian · 13/07/2023 12:29

Can I really ignore it?

They say if it goes below 90% it will be reported to council and we may be fined. Also some 6th forms will not accept students with poor attendance.

I know that is poor attendance but honestly he was just ill so much this year, genuinely so. And he's still near the top of his year and at parents evening his teachers said he was doing great, so it's not had a huge negative impact on his learning.

yes, ignore

I have done years of enrollment into sixth form - If a child has a lot of absence, that can be a query, certainly, but it makes no difference if the absence is authorised or not. Why would it? Some schools just authorise everything, and some authorise nothing. Depends on ofsted reports, rather than the reason for the absence.

TopGunMaverick · 13/07/2023 12:38

The schools have no choice, they are doing what ofsted demand. Most of the teacher involved are as fed up with these procedures as parents are, but they have to do them

Obviously not because they now leave us alone. We keep them informed of course but no more welfare offices or threats.

Sugargliderwombat · 13/07/2023 12:38

TopGunMaverick · 13/07/2023 12:33

It's a very good idea. Children in abusive homes are often kept there under a fictitious long term illness.

Yes, but even when they know that is not the case, they continue to harass parents with genuinely ill children that are engaged with the school. Their procedures are awful.

What do you mean? It's not up to people to make that judgement, there was a case of a little child dying because the step-mum (who said the child had a long term illness) worked at the school. I'm sure everyone in the school knew the child wasn't being abused...

These policies also help protect young girls from FGM. It's an inconvenience but it's keeping someone out there safe.

DelphiniumBlue · 13/07/2023 12:40

These are standard form letters, triggered by attendance falling below a set figure.
You can't do anything about how they record absences. I suppose in some cases you could show photo evidence, eg chicken pox, but otherwise there's not a lot you can do, other than encourage your DC to build resilience by going in even if he's not feeling 100%, and building resistance with extra vitamins. But sometimes people are ill and contagious and need not to be in school/workplace for everyone's benefit. You are the best judge of whether your DC is ill enough to be off school and whether they need to see a doctor , and I agree it's not on for schools to be asking for medical evidence, wasting gp time.
Is DC showing responsibility by catching up on missed work by getting notes from friends etc? Or asking them to get copies of handouts for him?

User9753224 · 13/07/2023 12:41

orangeleavesinautumn · 13/07/2023 12:27

so what if they get recorded as unauthorised? This is between the school and ofsted, it doesn't impact on you or your child in any way- just disregard it

This

Namechangedforthis2244 · 13/07/2023 12:43

Our school has this ridiculous policy.

When my son had chicken pox (and they knew he had chicken pox because it had been discovered at school and he was sent home) they were cross because I didn’t have a doctors note for the time he was isolating.

Not to worry, he’s feeling fine, I’ll bring him in right now I said. Don’t want unauthorised absence. I don’t mind at all, he’s not poorly, you might just get some complaints from other parents because he’s got chicken pox. 😈

They backtracked pretty quickly…..

Augend23 · 13/07/2023 12:43

I'd probably get a copy of the council policy either send it to my GP practice asking if they were aware the school was asking for this or send it to my local ICB (they commission services from GPs) asking if they were aware this was council policy and if so if the GPs were going to have capacity to support it?

I wouldn't imagine either GPs or ICB will be happy and the ICB will be in a position to get the council to change their policy.

As if the GPs don't have enough to be doing.

YukoandHiro · 13/07/2023 12:45

Catsanfan · 13/07/2023 12:20

Standard practice if your child's attendance is poor. If they had good attendance they probably wouldn't be asking for proof

Sadly this is true. In reception my daughter was very ill and we ended up needing evidence. But they accepted, for example, a dated video taken on the phone of you taking a temperature to prove a fever, or a photo of chicken pox spots. Where we had viral wheeze episodes we had a print out to demonstrate a&e attendance and that sort of thing.
Can you ask your school what kind of evidence they will accept on file?

IncomingTraffic · 13/07/2023 12:45

Sugargliderwombat · 13/07/2023 12:30

It's a very good idea. Children in abusive homes are often kept there under a fictitious long term illness.

Show quote history

That is not a reasonable solution to that problem. If you think it’s abuse, social services should be informed. Demanding proof doesn’t actually help.