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

Please don't send them in. They probably have covid.
I'm just getting over a nasty bout of it.

What does your local gp surgery say about the school policy? I would actually refer this policy to the local ICB and ask if the local population are meant to waste gp services for routine illness such as cold/cough, D&V etc. schools cannot (should not) make these policies that impact other public services in isolation. The ICB may have a response that’s useful for the school.

Surely no GP would be available to give a sick note for every day a child is off sick? That would be such a waste of time and resources. I certainly wouldn't send an obviously poorly child in - ring the school and explain.

Schools will surely be sensible about this one-year when my son was at primary school, he had a bout of tonsillitis in the autumn term and was off for five days ,and then caught chicken pox in the spring term and was advised by the GP to stay off ten days ,schools know these things happen.

Be brave, risk a fine. I bet common sense will prevail and you will not be reported for keeping sick children at home.

Keep an incident booklet.
Date and note what symptoms your children are suffering, that they are kept home to recover and so not to infect other children. Also take a photo of snotty nose.

Voice your opinion at the Parents' Club and School Council Meetings in written form.

I'm sure it means 5 days in a row.

Get the doctor’s note. It’s not you making extra work for the doctor but the system. If all parents needing a note contact the doctor then the medics will complain to the school authorities and the system will surely change.

My friend whose daughter has diabetes has also been threatened with fines too.

Maybe some schools are more sensible than others but given all the children with chronic conditions came home with letters at the end of the summer term warning parents about fines, with no caveats saying "but we know your child has a chronic condition" then I think we can assume some schools are using this new guidance to bully parents into sending unwell children to school.

Nowhere does it say "consecutive" and my daughter didn't have 5 consecutive days off last year but i still got a "next year we would fine you" letter from school at the end of the summer

That is literally the exact opposite of what the guidance says about medical evidence. You should quote this to your school and say you will contact DfE if they are diverging from the statutory guidance.

Code I: Illness (not medical or dental appointment)

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.
365. 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.
366. 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.
367. This code is classified for statistical purposes as authorised absence.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

It sounds like the OP wants to actually send them to school and is trying to find a reason to justify it.

Just do what is best for your kids. If you think they need monitoring more closely and regular inhaler, they might be better at home. But if school are good at supervising hourly inhaler for example and they are just a bit sniffy, then send them in. Don't let new guidelines cloud your judgement about what is right in terms of their health and in considering class mates who may get infected.

Then do what we did when our daughters high school did this. When her attendance dropped due to illness and they threatened us we went into school and had a meeting with the school. Pointed out that in no way would we be wasting our overstretched GP'S time with appointments for colds or flu, that we never kept her off if she wasn't ill and that they needed to be reassured that it was upto us to decided if she was well enough to attend school or not.

They agreed and stopped asking for doctors notes. 🙄 Then said we still get the letters as they where automatically generated, so they just went in the bin.

I also wouldn't send in my son who often needs watching and his inhaler when ill. Luckily the primary where more understanding, but I won't send sick children to school nor will I bother GP'S for sick notes for things like colds/flu.

It’s incredibly stupid and unfair now. Is there really no difference for children that have chronic conditions? Im a teacher and hate parents are being put in this situation.
I definelty wouldn’t want a contagious child at school where I could bring it home to my baby and toddler.

That's a fair point and actually I might talk to their asthma clinic about a preemptive note. Even though their nurses have better things to do.

The most annoying thing is mine only get ill because other people send their children to school when contagious

You’re being very selfish.

The website literally says:

Your child must attend every day that the school is open, unless:
- Your child is too ill to attend that day.

Think the NHS has enough to deal with without being used as a tool to force school compliance with DfE's statutory guidance (link below).

People should challenge school's that are not following this guidance.

You don't value education if you're happy to spread your dc's viruses to other children and school staff.

In the contrary. I would rather they stayed home and rested.

I work from home full time anyway

@sicknotez My middle one went for an hour Tue last week, full day Wed felt a little off when they got home. Temp of 38.5. Stayed at home Thurs I rang them in the morning, stayed hom Fri as no better rang them.
Wagging officer turned up at 11am banging on the door like a lunatic (I was in a teams meeting with my manager) to check she was ill. Made me get the sick child out of bed to see her. Was told I need to get s DR note to have the days authorised!!! must take her if shes ill today - it's viral rest, paracetamol and water she's been perking up, no need to see a DR.
Needless to say she's gone in this morning still not 100% they can authorise the absence and send her home. I may tell them work need to see the DR note that she needs to come home so they can authorise my WFH.
Stupid all my years of dealing with school and poorly children and the WO turns up after 2 days.

It's not me that came up with these rules. It's not me that comes up with brainless schemes like 100% attendance awards that reward contagion

How many days off did they have last year, OP? Sorry if you’ve already said it somewhere.

Sickness has always been unauthorised has it not?

I think you're referring to the more time your kids have off the more likely you are to be fined?

Which County? They need reporting to DfE - this is not what the statutory guidance says.

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/media/66bf300da44f1c4c23e5bd1b/Working_together_to_improve_school_attendance_-_August_2024.pdf

WTF that's utterly stupid and so infuriating!

We had this last year like one day after my son had been in hospital. When I said to the officer my son would love some work sent home they looked totally blank and said that wasn't something they could do. So I paid a tutor to do some work with him instead.

It's attendance they care about not education