School harassing us over attendance...

[1993baby]

A bit of backstory..
This school is obsessed with attendance.
Last year in reception my daughter was hospitalised and really poorly. The school were calling me every day asking when she would be back when they knew she was in the hospital! I remember sat by her hospital bed and getting called from the school.
Then when she was discharged, they were coming to our house every day to “check on her progress” basically harassing us in to sending her back to school.
She was only 4 - under compulsory school age.

This continued any time she was off with illness.

Now...

This year DD had chickenpox and was off school for 2 weeks, she was really poorly with it and ended up in A&E dehydrated from being sick constantly. It took 2 weeks for her all of the scabs to scab over. We followed NHS and GOV guidelines about staying off until the scabs had healed.

Then immediately after, she got tonsillitis.
She couldn’t even drink water and we ended up at the out of hours. He prescribed antibiotics and said she had a really bad case of tonsillitis.
He said to keep her off school to rest until she feels better. She has been off a week as she has been really poorly with it.
I’ve taken her back to the GP two times as she seemed to get worse.

I informed school about all of this.
However when she had chicken pox, they were calling me even on the second day of illness asking for an update on when she would be back?
the GOV advice says AT LEAST 5 days..
so how are they asking for an update on when she would be back when it’s only been 2 days, she’s in the infectious period and it was actually impossible for her to be in school according to the rules.
It was just ridiculous.

Then 2 people from the school came round to our house to give us an attendance warning letter!! She had chicken pox.

They then asked us to send her to school with chickenpox.

Today, the GP told us that school has contacted them about her absence. They have asked the GP for confirmation of illnesses and told them to encourage her back to school?!

Apparently the school have now flagged this up as a safeguarding issue because she has been off a couple of weeks.

We went to 2 doctors this week and both of them said the same thing about school attendance, so it must be permanently on her health record now?!

Are they allowed to do this? I thought they had to ask my permission to access her medical records?
She has been off with genuine illness and been to the GP more times than I can count on two hands in that time period ! It’s hardly a safeguarding issue?! I kept the school updated and informed.

The GP asked me “how is everything at home?” So the school has obviously flagged a safeguarding with them which is totally unfair and I feel disgusted by the insinuation they are making here.

I walked out of the GP’s room in tears I was that upset by it all...

What can I do?
Can I get this taken off her record? :(

Ignore the letters, they are computer generated based on attendance percentages and her percentage is low at this point because she’s had time off early in the school year. The school has to send them though they’re just box ticking their procedures.

You know you’ve done nothing wrong so just go with the flow of their calls, “yes she’s still got chickenpox, no I don’t know when she’ll be better, thanks so much for your concern, bye”. They do have a way of phasing things that insinuate you are untrustworthy - it’s awful but the best way to deal is to grey rock them.

I still think it's ott and warrants a complaint, to Head, possibly Board of Governors.

School attendance is off the scale now when children are genuinely ill.
Back a few years ago when the fines were first introduced and attendance was seen as priority even when children were ill I had a terrible experience.
Our healthy daughter suddenly collapsed and was diagnosed with a life threatening heart condition that none of us had any idea she was suffering.
Our daughter was transferred to a specialist heart unit over 100 miles away for heart surgery.I kid you not but as they were wheeling our daughter to theatre for heart surgery,my mobile phone went off and it was her school banging on about the importance of attendance and wanting to know when she would be back.I was struggling to hold it together and I told the school's attendance officer to f off and went on a rant.I knew my daughter had no English teacher for months due to her teacher being off for months sick and and endless supply of supply teachers.In my anger I told the attendance officer to drag her English teacher back to work as obviously sickness isn't allowed regardless I'd it's life threatening.Ive no advice just sympathy for how the system is regarding long term illness for school children.Its worse now than it was then.I think it gets to the point your so angry you don't care who the school report to.I now work in a school and it's no wonder illness spreads like wildfire due to the hygiene issues.For example 2 young children messed themselves this week ,spread it on class walls and floors and it was left there all day until the night time cleaners come in.
So no wonder germs and illnesses spread like wildfire in schools.

I really feel for you. Schools can be terrible about attendance. My son and daughter attend different schools. A couple of years ago my dad dropped dead suddenly whilst abroad. My mum has a terminal illness and uses a wheelchair. My dad was her carer. I'm an only child and both parents only children.
I had to go to the country to sort everything out and care for my mum, eventually bringing her back to the u. There was property involved and this took 6 weeks.
I don't drive and they were located in the middle of nowhere. So my DH had to come as he drives. So we went across as a family.
His work were amazing. My work were amazing. My daughters school were amazing.
My sons school reported us to the LEA and I had attendance warning letters despite me having told them every step of the way what was going on.
I had to meet with the LEA officer whilst having all this stuff going on, moving my dying mother cross countries etc
And they had the audacity to say to me 'how can we make sure things improve and this doesn't happen again?'
I don't fucking know mate? Can you guarantee none of my close family members suddenly drop dead?
My son had perfect attendance up until this point abd he's had it since. They knew what it was about.. they still chose to make my life so much harder by harassing me.

This does sound like the school being over the top - a none-too-bright safeguarding officer blindly following "guidance" without using any common sense. But wouldn't it be helpful they contacted the GP, as GP should have been able to confirm child was genuinely ill? (provided they asked your permission?).
I hope the solicitor you consulted is able to clarify the position so that whatever records they have are clear that this should not count against you.

We have similar. Dd, 6 has been ill since the start of July-Pans/pandas-severe psychological symptoms. She’s been off school for 22 days in total, the school are relentless, organising meetings to see how we can work together to get her back in school. We have letters are Drs & psychiatrist letters confirming her illness, we just need a bit of time to get better, I want Dd back to school and back to normal too but she’s clearly not well yet, so much added pressure at an already difficult time

The school are right to keep an eye on it, sure, but to be so fascist and relentless and heartless about it is damaging the child and is a safeguarding issue in itself.

Not a fit note. A medical certificate stating that x child has to stay out of school for x time due to serious illness.

They are absolute fucking twats, OP. Write to your MP about it ìf you can. So sorry you had school pestering you and providing extra worry at the time you were worried about your daughter.

Complain to the school board, the official channels at the highest level. That is pure harrassment. Turning up at your house when you have valid reasons and proof? Contacting your gp with safeguarding issues when you have proof of hospital admissions and gp appointments? That is NOT OKAY. Phone calls and meetings with welfare officer maybe but all of the other stuff is harrassment and I would be taking it way higher!!

@ReadingSoManyThreads

maybe you’re reading so many threads you need to slow down and read properly. I wasn’t suggesting the school saved this child’s life. I said a potential child’s life. Because being off school repeatedly is a high indicator for abuse. So, if the ops child isn’t being abused the only downside is minor annoyance, if she was, it could save her life.

Contacting your gp with safeguarding issues when you have proof of hospital admissions and gp appointments? That is NOT OKAY.

tbf we don’t know this is the case. I agree it would seem odd to pester a parent if they had significant evidence of hospitalisation. Did they get the evidence op?

I have no worda.

Can Mumsnet not run a campaign to try to change schools and government views on this? State education is dreadful now, completely ruined by academy chains and schools which are absolutely massive.

I’d be telling them to fuck off. Pulling my child out of school and putting her somewhere more relaxed.
they can not access her medical records.

Put in a formal complaint detailing every time she's been off and all the times they've contacted you when they know she's unwell.

Also move schools, it's not going to improve at this one.

Apparently the school have now flagged this up as a safeguarding issue because she has been off a couple of weeks

it’s a safeguarding issue trying to get a child to school on day 2 of chicken pox.

What's happened? When did it get like this?

DD is nearly 19. When she was 8 she was off school for 5 weeks woth illness. I wasn't harassed. I kept school updated and after a couple of weeks the head called and asked IF DD WOULD LIKE her to visit us at home which dd did

Head turned up with an pile of cards from DDs class, a couple of books from the library and some work sheets she said dd could do as much or as little as she felt like. She or another member of staff then popped in a couple of times a week to go through any work dd had managed, change her library books and and read the little stories she was writing. We never felt pressured or judged simply supported they always said to phone school if they could do anything to help

Everything I'm reading lately suggests these days we'd have been demonised and harassed rather than cared for and supported.
It's only 10 years what's happening?

So if school has all legal documents required; GP certificates and hospital decharges then everything is good. If they check with the GP fine, they will confirm. You have nothing to worry about, throw the papers in the bin.

No it isn't my child was also hospitalised with chicken pox I asked was it common they said yes and they were hoping that vaccines would be added to the routine schedule. Thankfully they are adding it. I privately for my next child,

Leave this school. Go to another. She’s in year one. You’ve five more years dealing with this.

This is disgraceful behaviour from the school. Do find out their complaints procedure and write to them plus the relevant Governor and cc in your MP. Harassing a sick child's family is not okay. Covid lockdown showed how little class time kids need to keep up with learning. Prioritising attendance above everything else is madness. Think you should consider moving schools if possible as this will only carry on each time your child is off sick.

Child is 4 ….so not legally required to attend

Last year. Not this academic year.

Reading this it makes me think that schools are more interested in attendance percentages than actual learning.

My granddaughter missed the first two weeks of reception and she has missed this week of school and will miss next week of school because of hospitalisations (two, two week hospitalisations).

She has also missed school sessions because of hospital appointments.

The school have not sent/emailed any work home as requested. But my daughter does feel 'harassed' over the times she's been contacted about attendance figures despite letting school know in advance of absences. She already has the feeling that the school do not want a child who will make their registers look bad.

Fortunately, there's a grandson also in reception (cousins) and his phonics work, cvc practice sheets/flash cards are copied for her to work on. We have also bought reception class pupil books for her to work through.

It's completely understandable that schools are responsible for safeguarding children as some do slip through the net with tragic consequences. But there must be far more children just simply ill - and when it's a matter of illness it can appear that it's out of sight out of mind as far as the learning goes.

It's a shame that the emphasis is on attendance figures - understandable from the point of view of holidays but not recorded illness, especially children with chronic conditions.

This is excessive and putting unnecessary strain on you and your child. I'm sorry you're going through it.

I'd be wanting a meeting with the head, make sure you take notes. If that doesn't get you anywhere maybe reach out to the council. Then failing that start looking at other schools.

They're kids, illnesses happen. Mines had 9 days off already this year with 2 different illnesses. Im not sending him in if he doesnt feel well enough. He wont learn anything if his head isnt in it and will ultimately just disturb the rest of the class. Schools are just large petri dishes.