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Original poster

Does your primary school do this? Home visit on Day 3 of illness

153 replies

Moonshinebaby · 18/12/2024 11:50

So my son (4 years) is off with chicken pox at the moment. This is his 3rd day of illness.

Since he's started reception in September, he's only had 2 previous sick days due to vomiting.

It's in the school's policy that they will visit a child on the 3rd day of sickness.

I thought they are bluffing, but they actually have just been around.

The lady said that it has nothing to do with my parenting, but that they need to do spot checks.

I asked and they said there are a few cases of chickenpox at the school at the moment.

Does your primary school do this?

OP posts:
Leipling · 18/12/2024 13:22

Am I the only person who sniggered at a 'spot check' for chickenpox!

SneddlingIntoSpace · 18/12/2024 13:28

Ours did it on day 4. But then we did have parents who couldn't be arsed to walk their children to school and so the school actually went and collected some children. Took 2 members of staff for safeguarding reasons and the families were known to social services. So whilst help was being arranged and the children didn't miss school, the 2 staff members collected 3 children from 3 different families.

Just because you kept your child off for legitimate reasons doesn't mean every other parent does. Ds1 was off on the last 2 days before the summer holidays but his brother was well enough to be in so obvious we weren't doing it for a cheaper holiday. A lot do though.

ItOnlyTakesTwoMinutes · 18/12/2024 13:32

My kids school do this on day 5. It’s a very good thing.

ItOnlyTakesTwoMinutes · 18/12/2024 13:40

Is this his 5th off sick this year? That’s quite a lot, I know you’ve just been unlucky but it was definitely right that the school do a welfare check. Try not to be offended, it’s not personal.

Original poster
Moonshinebaby · 18/12/2024 13:43

ItOnlyTakesTwoMinutes · 18/12/2024 13:40

Is this his 5th off sick this year? That’s quite a lot, I know you’ve just been unlucky but it was definitely right that the school do a welfare check. Try not to be offended, it’s not personal.

Well, the first time he was vomiting and the school said I couldn't send him for 48 hours. Now it is chicken pox.

There's always a good reason.
.
I work, so have no time to keep him off school without a good reason

OP posts:
comfyshoes2022 · 18/12/2024 13:47

Wow - I find this really surprising and strange.

ItOnlyTakesTwoMinutes · 18/12/2024 13:48

Moonshinebaby · 18/12/2024 13:43

Well, the first time he was vomiting and the school said I couldn't send him for 48 hours. Now it is chicken pox.

There's always a good reason.
.
I work, so have no time to keep him off school without a good reason

Show quote history

No, I know, you’ve just been unlucky. It’s just, I can see why they’ve checked because unfortunately it’s not always the case.

BendingSpoons · 18/12/2024 13:49

Our school apparently come after 5 days off. We haven't ever had long enough off to test that.

Raindropskeepfallinonmyhead · 18/12/2024 13:51

I don't think this is a bad thing -l would have nothing to hide and actually attendance figures are getting worse so good to check it out.

UpUpUpU · 18/12/2024 13:52

Yes. My son had a vile stomach bug in the summer time. It was a warm day and I was so determined not to get it I had all the windows and doors open and my son was curled up on the sofa with his sick bowl, when a little voice said “hullo!” Through the open door. It was an office member of staff and she said she was doing the rounds and that half the school were off and the deep cleaners had been in.
it was a Wednesday. She took one look at his green tinged pale face and said don’t come back until next Monday 😂😂

QuickDenimDeer · 18/12/2024 13:55

How on earth do they have the funding for that?? Given that there’s a whole thread about home education and the lack of interaction with professionals…

If it’s to do with parents taking their children out of term time to go on holiday then isn’t that just a good side earner for the council anyway??

FrenchandSaunders · 18/12/2024 13:58

Never heard of this. My DD's attendance at secondary was shocking (60%) at one time, and they weren't overly interested despite me begging for help.

Caravaggiouch · 18/12/2024 14:00

I don’t know, mine has never been off more than a day but I haven’t heard of it from other parents. But it’s probably quite location/cohort specific. Is the school catchment quite deprived?

Original poster
Moonshinebaby · 18/12/2024 14:11

Caravaggiouch · 18/12/2024 14:00

I don’t know, mine has never been off more than a day but I haven’t heard of it from other parents. But it’s probably quite location/cohort specific. Is the school catchment quite deprived?

Not really. It is a mixed area, some middle class, wealthy families and some poorer families.

OP posts:
AgeingDoc · 18/12/2024 14:16

No, but my manager did come round to "check I was ok" when I rang in sick with chickenpox when I was due to be on call on New Year's Day one year. He didn't stay long! I'm not sure whether I was more offended by the fact that he obviously thought I was lying or that he didn't think I would have been capable of coming up with something a bit more believable if I had wanted to get out of my on call!
But seriously, I suspect schools that have an issue with attendance issues are doing this more than those that don't, and they need to apply the policy consistently for it to be effective. I'm sure they can spot patterns and will have a pretty good idea who is genuinely unwell and who isn't, but making assumptions does risk errors being made. A child with an otherwise excellent attendance record who is absent with chickenpox during a chickenpox outbreak almost certainly has chickenpox, but it would also be a believable way to cover up a holiday, or, far worse, to keep a child out of sight for a few days whilst non accidental injuries heal.
A policy like this must be expensive so I imagine the school has good reason for believing it to be worthwhile.

404ErrorCode · 18/12/2024 14:16

I honestly don’t like the way this is going. Parents have Parental Rights, not the government. These schools should trust parents, and not go snooping like this.

Probably doing it so they can find out who are blagging a holiday on the quiet (don’t approve of this behaviour, but I suspect it’s to do with fining parents).

Imagine this happening in the workplace for a couple of days off sick, following a good sickness record?!

Of course, I feel differently regarding kids on the at risk register etc though.

user2848502016 · 18/12/2024 14:18

No never have!

MumonabikeE5 · 18/12/2024 14:20

Kids have died because schools and SW haven’t paid enough attention .
i reckon if a bit of extra supervision when you don’t have anything to hide isn’t the end of the world.

CoodleMoodle · 18/12/2024 14:21

Not here. My DD has just gone back after being off for 6 days with tonsillitis. The only other time she was off for so long was when she had chicken pox a couple of years ago. Never had anybody coming and checking on her.

I've been at the school every day with DS though, and most days one of the staff stopped me and asked me how she was (in a polite, concerned way!). Maybe it would've been different if I didn't have another child there? Although DS was still at preschool when she had the CP and nobody checked on her then...

CocoPlum · 18/12/2024 14:30

Attendance rules have changed, plus safeguarding concerns ... my son was off for a day with a virus earlier this term, the next morning before he was even due in I'd had a call from his form tutor checking on him.

If chickenpox is doing the rounds and your child had it as a toddler, it would be easier to fake it. The schools are looking after children. It seems invasive but when children are kept out of school, no one visits, and something awful happens, everyone is up in arms that the school should have raised the alarm. They can't win!

Betsybee88 · 18/12/2024 14:35

My daughter is on day 2 of chicken pox. It has been spreading around the school like wildfire and no one has mentioned a check to me. But I work at school and I've been attending work so they know it's not case of an extended Christmas holiday for our family.

SuzieNine · 18/12/2024 14:40

Never had this. TBH our infants sends children home for the slightest reason. DS got wise to it and knew full well that if he wanted to come home early all he had to do was tell a teacher that he had bumped his head and they would be straight on the phone demanding we come and pick him up.

Honeycrisp · 18/12/2024 14:41

No, and I'd tell them to sod off if they did.

pumpkinpillow · 18/12/2024 14:42

It's not really a spot check if it's a policy that they will come round on the 3rd day.
This might prevent the people who claim sickness when they go on holiday, but is less effective as a random safeguarding check.

Original poster
Moonshinebaby · 18/12/2024 14:45

pumpkinpillow · 18/12/2024 14:42

It's not really a spot check if it's a policy that they will come round on the 3rd day.
This might prevent the people who claim sickness when they go on holiday, but is less effective as a random safeguarding check.

That had me confused as well.

It is a school policy, so why did she call it a spot checks?

OP posts:
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