To tell the school to sod off

[fernie3]

My daughter (in reception)had a letter a couple of weeks ago saying that her attendance was too low and that we needed to go in and see the nurse about it. Fair enough, she has been ill but I dont mind going in to talk about it.
We went in to be confronted with the head teacher and the nurse and a load of paperwork relating to our daughters attendance and the head then openely accused us of lying about the reasons she was off as it looked like we were taking "long weekends".

Yes she has had time off (her attendance is 83%) with illness the head teacher also has copies of consultants letters detailing not only the appointments that she has had but also the tests (scans etc). We explained that it is not a case of her having a cold and staying off she has been off not only with serious urinary infections which have left her at the hospital and crying in pain but also with a whole host of other illness.

The consultant has told us that due to the initial illness a year ago (e coli) she WILL get ill more often and WILL get more ill with a disease than she otherwise would have done and that this could take in his words "years" to reslove. So for example my son had conjunctivitis and had a slightly sore eye for a couple of days, my daughter then got the same thing her eye was so badly infected it was swollen shut she had a temp of 41 degrees and was ill for a week on antibiotics!.I HAVE sent her with minor illness for example today she is in with a fairly bad cold and cough etc

The school have now told us to take her in when she is ill so they can send her home so basically they want me to walk her two miles to the school with a possibly serious illness, high temp and if its another urinary infection also in pain and then bring her home again while also pushing my one year old in a pushchair and walking my 3 year old on and being pregnant? ridiculous.

AIBU to tell them to sod off next time she is properly ill and keep her home anyway. Surely if we provide medical evidence she is ill thats enough? unless they are also accusing us of forging that!.

We had this with dd's last school. I'm afraid you have to keep fighting. Get the EWO on your side for a start, get your doctor to write another letter in support spelling out that your dd's condition means she will need more time off school than other children.

Don't contact the LA until you have been through the complaints process. It will be a waste of time. If you are complaining about the Head you complain to the Governors, if you are complaining about a teacher you complain first to the Head, then the governors.
When the governors hold a hearing they will have a member of the LA to advise them.
Just get the complaints procedure and follow it, among other things I clerk complaints hearings, so I know what you need to do.

O would write a letter stating that if she is insisting that the girl child be taken to school to be shown that she is ill - then you will sue the head teacher if this time taken effects your dd's health detrimently.

Please respond to this letter within 14 days to state that you are happy to be held resposable and open ofr being sued as not a medic

place it firmly in the hands of the school to make a choice as to how they wish to behave and get it on a letter from them

bet they wouldn't dare....

It is the governors at the school who hover like dragons over the attendance records and decide if a child gets a holiday or not and the governors at our school are supposedly particularly anal about attendance, however it is the LA who pushes it on them, tis rhubarb

My child is in reception - and we have had a few "long weekends" on the advice of her teacher - she is a young one, only 5 in july but i was worried about the full time attendance and the school told me, if she is tired, keep her home - i think i have done this once or twice and she has had about a week off in total inclusive of "genuine" illness.

I would most definately be telling the school to fuck right off

This is all about the school putting their attendance record tick boxes ahead of the health and wellbeing of an individual child.

DD has to have a lot of time off for medical reasons (and regular check-ups at 3 different hospitals), and while we haven?t had anything as unpleasant as this, fernie, we?re constantly having to remind them why she is absent so much.

In your position I would be telling the school to off as well, and the first word wouldn?t be ?sod? either.

Definatly s*d off! WHO do they think they are to decide if your daughter is ill or not????

Arghhhhhhh!!!!! to this stupidity we are getting from our schools at the moment!!!!!

I would do exactly as IvyKaty44, inform them that you will sue if your child's health suffers adversly as a result of their policy. Also ask for a copy of the Head's medical qualifications. CC the same letter to the Governors and the LA.