child is ill but school are complaining.

[leilarose98]

my 13 y/o daughter has been off school since monday due to constant throwing up, full body aches, coughing, cold sweat and a headache. today is her third day off and she has a doctors appointment in the morning for something different, however i was going to bring this up in order for medical advice and treatment. however, her high school have just called and told me she must attend tomorrow regardless of her physical state or i will be fined immediately. her school has a history of not sending children home when they are ill, especially if their attendance is not great, meaning if she throws up in school (which i have no doubt will occur) she will not be sent home. i worry because she is constantly crying due to being in immense pain yet i am having to send her to school, among other students who could get ill too, and forcing her to do work while in this state will not help her- she cannot concentrate on almost anything and is always tired. a friend told me i should ring them back and ‘kick off’ but i highly doubt they will change their mind! advice?

Thats just odd. Maybe you need the Daily Mail to step in?

These are the government guidelines for how long a child should be kept off school. If you scroll down you can see the D&V entry, which says that they should be kept off for 48 hours.

www.gov.uk/government/publications/health-protection-in-schools-and-other-childcare-facilities/chapter-9-managing-specific-infectious-diseases

I would be emailing with this and asking why they are not following government health advice which is designed to limit the spread of potentially dangerous infections to other children and their families.

If I were a parent of another child and a sick child was forced to attend on fear of fines/detention etc. by the school head teacher/management, I'd be furious. I don't want my kid to pick up whatever is making another child so ill they are already off school. Colds are run of the mill but something that is making a young teenager so poorly they are constant throwing up, full body aches, coughing, cold sweat and a headache, I'd be marching down to the school to complain. What on earth is the school thinking!!!!

What is her attendance like? If she is off every week they may simply not believe she is ill again.

oh op big hugs, its disgraceful how attendance mad schools have gotten my ds once had D&V and school rang and said they wouldnt expect him to be off for 3 days ..... well D&V has a 48 hr mandatory off period im no mathematician but

You should reschedule her GP appt, which you say is about another issue...but because she’s throwing up at the moment, not because school say so!

And “when she found out she had to go in....”- WTF? Why on earth have you told her that?

She’s ILL.

How many days has she had off this year? Is she already subject to attendance concerns?

the only other days off she has had are due to hospital appointments that they are aware of!

So how many this year?

i’ve looked through the sickness policy but cannot find where it says the thing i need

5 days off including these three days this week

Do not send your daughter to school. She should be off 48hrs from last vomit if she has a vomiting bug. The school should know this.
I would question why they think it is appropriate to send a staff member out to check if you're daughter is really sick, if her mother is telling them she is i find that very strange unless she has a terrible attendance record?

Two hospital appointments and these three days? No other illness. No underlying health conditions?

That sounds pretty unreasonable of them then.

Just email saying she will be back 48 hours after stopping vomiting. Ask them to show you where in your LA’s policy it entitled them to fine parents after 3 days sickness.

Hope she’s better soon.

thank you !!

That is bonkers. No way can the school enforce that, that’s ridiculous. And quite frankly as an immunocompromised teacher who has literally been in bed for two weeks solid with the flu and a perforated eardrum as a consequence, I think it’s irrespinsible of the school to suggest she returns until she is well- for her and people like me.

I mean this kindly OP but you need to get a grip. The school are not in charge here, this is not a police state where you need to do everything you are told.

Put your daughter back to bed, if she's too ill to go to school then she's too ill, end of story. If she needs medical attention for her current illness then seek it.

You can't force an ill child into school because it avoids having to deal with the school's unreasonable demands. I'd also be seriously questioning whether this was the right school for my child. Are they this unreasonable about everything?

Schools seem to be getting worse and worse about sickness as time goes on. Is this due to targets set by Government for attendance percentages? I know my dd, who was being investigated for ME while at College doing A levels, was subjected to an appalling level of bullying by her tutor because her attendance became very low. That's what happens with ME you silly woman, I wanted to say, just bloody support her in her efforts to keep up! Not a chance.

One the whole, targets have appeared to have deleterious effects that even the great Gordon didn't think of.

Keep your child off if they're ill. Take her to the doctor and ask for a sick note for bloody school. I'm so fed up with this sort of unthinking nonsense.

when she first threw up i thought it may be because of her mini pill, however it continued to progressively get worse

I am utterly gobsmacked at your DD's school! If a child is too ill to attend school then they should not be at school. End of story. And there should be no question of fines concerning that absence. Outrageous.

Presumably it's to do with overall attendance figures for the school, perhaps Ofsted have warned them and they have got hardline about it. But it's not acceptable to insist ill children go to school. I would be livid in your shoes.

Also, agree with what you and other posts said re: risk of spreading illness. Our County (and I thought all Counties) have rules that you cannot attend school until 48 hours after the last bout of vomiting/diorreah. Yep, 48 hours after they stop being sick. Definitely not ok to go back to school whilst they are still being sick. My DC school sends kids home if they break that rule - it's just not ok for everyone else as the bug is likely to spread. In any case, school's attendance figures will really be rubbish if they get an outbreak so it's not in their interests either (though that should be secondary to your DD's best interests).
Check with your County Council if you are unsure and that can back you up.

I also wouldn't cancel a Dr appointment. Your DD may need medical help, or perhaps just need rest and love (and a doctor's note to keep school off her and your backs_. So I hope that you can get her to a Dr soon.

Stay strong, don't let them pressure you. You know your DD best. Hope your DD gets better soon.

There is no way in hell I would send my sick child to school because school told me to, I couldn't give a shiny shit if it reflects badly on them, my priority would be my childs wellbeing.

if they sent someone round I would answer the door, politely tell them my child was sick, and resting and I did not think their presence would help.

She's ill. She needs to be at home to recover, and also not infect others. YOU make that call, as a parent. Do not let the school push you around. They have no idea how ill she is, but you do. What actual power do you think they have here? Push back.

I do not believe the school said you would be "fined immediately" if she is not in school tomorrow. I think there is something you are not telling us or you are misunderstanding. I suggest you ring the school back and clarify.

Take your DD to see the head, and let her puke all over her office. Ideally on her keyboard and her in-tray.
No one can fine you for your daughter being ill. Jot down any notes you can now, before it slips your mind.- when it started, symptoms, times of vomiting, any medication taken etc...Phone your LEA - tho if it's an academy they probably can't do anything- and name the school, explain what they have threatened and ask if this is permitted.

i assure you this is what was said

Do you mean an attendance officer from school called and told you your daughter must attend even though she is ill?

yes, along with her form tutor and apparently the ht’s approval