To send my children to school today even though they are unwell and clearly contagious

[sicknotez]

They both have nasty coughs/colds. I know that the best thing for them would be rest (and their inhalers). I know they are clearly contagious.

But under the new rules as I understand I would need a doctor's note or it would be unauthorised absence? And it doesn't seem right to waste a stretched doctors time with this when they don't need anything prescribing.

So I guess I send them into school and wait for school to send them home and in the meantime they will infect their teachers and classmates?

It seems like a stupid new system to me.

They both have chronic conditions so it's likely they will need quite a number of days off in the year. Despite this they are both steaming along in top sets. They love learning and hate missing school and would happily do work at home when ill if teachers sent them some

And of schools. Schools shouldn't selfishly prioritise meeting their targets over children's health.

Definitely keep them home, I don't understand why people ask this. It's not fair to spread the germs and they need to rest.

I'm quoting you because you obviously can't comprehend,it doesn't actually say in the OP or in her replies!!!

If they are well enough to go in they go in. Same as my workplace. They don't actually care if anyone else gets ill/dies.

The school gets criticised for not challenging 'persistent' absence. So it is probably also in the headteachers KPI to bring down the rate of absence. Next year's salary uplift is probably conditional on this. Perhaps your MP needs to point out that this practice is going on. Our education system is built around a very blunt set of tools and all I can see is that it helps to stoke elitism or indifference in the parents and the teachers.

@zingally better health not less health! Sorry.

These aren’t ’the new rules’. They may have been set by an individual school or LEA and need challenging but the only new rules introduced are around unauthorised absences.

sickness is authorised but can trigger closer inspection over a certain amount and one of the many reasons for that is that parents have been known to claim a child is ill when they’re not and take them away for a day out/holiday or safeguarding issues should be raised and supported if possible.

Ime letters are sent out automatically on triggering a certain amount of absence but on speaking to the school the advice is to ignore them as they know when sickness has been genuine.

there are cases of individual schools behaving badly and demanding evidence they have no right to but the situation the OP outlines doesn’t sound like that. It sounds like she hasn’t communicated with the school at all and has set herself up for a battle she doesn’t need to have.

I agree.
I said the same thing pages back.

All this needs is a conversation in person with the school. Then if necessary confirmed by email.

Teachers/ schools know which parents are being honest and which aren't. It's very, very obvious. Just like the parents they want to talk to never attend parents' evenings.

Absences that are excessive will be picked up by a computer.
This picks up genuine absence for illness.

There is also a new drive to stop truancy because after Covid a lot of children are refusing to go to school.

It might have been your post I skimmed through to quote @Girlslikepearls

Nothing the OP has posted sounds like the school has acted inappropriately and all she needs to do is clarify with them. other posters have detailed awful behaviour by their schools but the OP is not in the same situation no matter how much she tries to squeeze herself into the same category.

Jesus, how selfish and lazy are you?

Doctors don’t give sick notes to children and they education authorities have been told. The schools , however much they want to cannot “unauthorise” illness. Make sure that they put the correct absence code against their names on the register , it is a criminal offence to do this.

What fines are we taking about? by the school? Don't pay. By the local authority? Don't pay. If they take you to court, fight it, don't pay any fines and waste their time. In any case due to the backlog in the spouts, your child will probably be at University before any case gets to court.

Please put your children’s wellbeing first. The new gov hub states “For children who face complex barriers to attendance, schools should have sensitive conversations with children and families and work with them to put support in place for their individual needs. ”
Having asthma would be classed as this. I’m an ex teacher who worked with vulnerable children and this new rule is not aimed at parents like you. It’s to prevent term time holidays and also to try combat truancy . I’m not saying I agree with the policy as many schools do not follow common sense, Keep them home tomorrow and wish you all better x

Sickness should be authorised. The fines are for unauthorised absence.
Government guidance clearly states schools shouldn't request 'proof' of sickness, unless they have reason to believe the parent is lying.

Not sure if I’m missing something here. Absense due to sickness is authorised absence. Hence even 5 consecutive or non consecutive would not constitute a fine.

https://educationhub.blog.gov.uk/2024/01/03/improving-school-attendance/

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/monitor-your-school-attendance-user-guide/monitor-your-school-attendance-user-guide

Page 86-87 - Working Together to improve school attendance
Explains the use of the I Illness code and that schools should not routinely request proof of sickness.

good grief
im bloody glad i home educate and opted out of being controlled

the brainwashing schools/government put on parents are out of control

your genuinely putting school rules-policy over ill children's wellbeing just so you don't get in trouble

the system of brainwashing to compliance has worked wonders

they are your kids you know, they don't "belong" to schools/heads where they think the have complete control

I agree. I used to work in a school and terms 1 and 2 were dreadful for catching colds, ear infections and conjunctivitis, etc. Having asthma meant that I would likely have either sinusitis or a chest infection after having colds too. It was a bloody nightmare, especially when covid was lobbed in as well.😫

Nowadays if I catch one or two colds a year that's generally me done.😎

No thanks. It’s baffling how many teacher trolls will have a bash at teachers for being off sick but then send their kids in sick and wonder why staff do. Why should staff be vomiting with a temp whilst trying to work. Madness.

It's all very odd this talk of notes from doctors, sick notes etc. This is not something doctors do for children, Fit Notes are related to sick pay.
Someone's getting wires crossed somewhere, not suggesting it's you OP. I mean as if GPs aren't under enough pressure... this would dragging 2 unwell children out to an 'energency' on the day appt... madness, for no reason. If unwell and getting worse not better that's a different matter. They would need to be seen to be diagnosed and treated not for some phantom 'note'. Do schools no longer know their puplis and parents to understand when there's a need for some sort of intervention and when not. Sad, very sad

www.avonroadsurgery.nhs.uk/2023/07/24/school-absences-fit-notes/

I just came on to post this. The rules have not changed for sickness. This is the guidelines all schools should be following. If they are not, I would be quoting this guidance to them! x

364. The pupil is unable to attend due to illness (both physical and mental health related). Schools should advise parents to notify them on the first day the child is unable to attend due to illness. 86

1. Schools are not expected to routinely request that parents provide medical evidence to support illness absences. Schools should only request reasonable medical evidence in cases where they need clarification to accurately record absence in the attendance register - i.e. making a decision that code I is the absence code that accurately describes the reason the pupil is not in school for the session in question. In the majority of cases a parent's notification that their child is too ill to attend school will be that evidence and can be accepted without question or concern. Only where the school has genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness should medical evidence be requested to support the absence.
2. Where medical evidence is deemed necessary, schools should not be rigid about the form of evidence requested and should speak to the family about what evidence is available. Schools should be mindful that requesting additional medical evidence unnecessarily places pressure on health professionals, their staff and their appointment system, particularly if the illness is one that does not require treatment by a health professional. Where a parent cannot provide evidence in the form requested but can provide other evidence, schools should take this into account. Where a parent cannot provide any written evidence the school should have a conversation with the parent and pupil, if appropriate, which may in itself serve as the necessary evidence to record the absence.
3. This code is classified for statistical purposes as authorised absence.

I wouldn’t worry. My child was actually out of school for two years. I did provide a doctor’s note and didn’t get fined. If your child can’t attend for genuine reasons, you have nothing to worry about. If you go over the 5 days, contact the GP. Just stick to the rules and they cannot fine you. GP’s are already pissed off with this school attendance, doctor’s note malarkey. Let see how this works out for the government, LA’s and schools, with their ridiculous school attendance drives.

Just wait for the 80 per parent fine to hit your doorstep soon then..

🙄Sickness should be authorised therefore no fine. See my post above with the actual government guidelines.

Surely if you ring to say they’re poorly you don’t need a sick note… you just need to inform the office.