Year 12 - 2025/2026: Support Thread 2

[QueenMabby]

A new thread for us to keep chatting on!

@Oblomov25 having had issues with DS (my year 8) attendance and what evidence is needed and when a photo of the antibiotics would be sufficient- it’s questionable about whether they need it (just had this argument as DS was off a similar length) but certainly the antibiotics would cover it

its awful the virus going round

I know. I'd already explained that he'd seen out of hours GP, who then sent us to A&E because concerned at how weak he was.

Then next day GP diagnosed chest infection, prescribed antibiotics. Which I sent a photo of.

but no, this wasn't enough. They wanted sick note, which gp surgery refused, saying they only give it to employers.

FFS. 🙄

Your GP is correct @Oblomov25 they don’t issue sick notes for children. Even for workers a ‘fit to work’ certificate is only required after a 7 day absence. Within that 7 days employees can self certify. No clue what school are thinking here!!

That is totally unreasonable of the school. My son’s school wrote to us saying that as his attendance was below 90% (it can’t physically be above 80% as he has a flexischooling agreement, with the school! to be home one day a week, which is authorised but still counts as absence) we would need medical evidence if we ever rang in sick. I challenged this saying he flexis due to being diagnosed ASD and that is considered a disability under law so could they explain how their demand did not discriminate against him. They backed down but also said that medical evidence did not have to be a note from a doctor (I did point out that a GP would be unlikely to give us one) and they said a photograph of a recently prescribed medicine would be adequate, even a receipt for over the counter medicine would do it. Recently he was off and I sent a photo of the thermometer reading which was 39.3 and they authorised this absence.

So your DS’s school is being totally unreasonable for not accepting an antibiotic prescription. Stupidity like that from a school makes me realise how lucky I am that DS’s school is so reasonable. DD’s is less accommodating but still would have accepted an antibiotic prescription!

Morning all - I’ve been scrolling this morning while avoiding housework - keep coming up against headlines about 50 Universities at risk of closure .. can’t find an actual list though - has anyone seen one ? Know some of us are looking at Universities so thought might be relevant

same @SuperSue77 they also accept other stuff as well

the presumption should always be that the child is legitimately off sick it is only if they suspect it to be a lie then can challenge it (normally one suspect term time holidays)

they need to be flexible with what proof is needed (even an appointment card) and frankly antibiotics with his name and DOB is a pretty good one.

I would say that it to them that it is only when the school had genuine and reasonable doubt about the authenticity of the illness that medical evidence is required and then they only need reasonable medical evidence and need to be flexible with it. Antibiotics is a legal prescription that shows his name/DOB etc and cannot be falsified so it is acceptable evidence

I was arguing this with DS school when he had an awful virus about even needing evidence but then he needed antibiotics so I just sent that

I've been wondering about that but actual list not been made public as it won't help teh government or the institutions.

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-15325829/50-universities-close-just-3-years-watchdog-warns.html
OfS chief executive Susan Lapworth said her staff had created a ‘risk’ category for every institution’s financial future.
She said: ‘Towards the top we would be looking at a provider that is actively exiting the market. There’s one of those that’s in the public domain.
‘The second category down is where we’re concerned about the risk of exit within the next 12 months, and the one below that is a two-to-three-year horizon.
‘Currently across those two categories we’ve got about 50 providers in total.
‘Around 30 of those are the small providers, and around 20 are more than 3,000 students.’
She said there are 24 at risk of closure in the next 12 months, seven large and 17 small.
She added it was a ‘conservative risk assessment’ and added: ‘We are not saying that we are expecting any of those to be exiting in a disorderly way.’

I don't think reading this it's most uni - it's reads like the really smaller, specialist institutions.

I suppose it makes sense larger one can shut course and merge departments like Nottinghams and Lecister are doing. Which doesn't help as course DD2 is looking at would all be high risk for shutting as they tend to be costly ones.

Media lists I've seen I don't belive as some have a lot of welsh ones and at least one is back tracking on cutting course as welsh government got involved - so think welsh government would step in even if UK one refuses. Plus every list I've seen has different uni on it.

They wanted sick note, which gp surgery refused, saying they only give it to employers.

We had this when welsh gov was in distant past doing major crack down on attendance - attendance officer and reception were insistant one needed GP wouldn't entertain - wrote e-mail to head who agreed it was fine.

Reading between the lines in the exchanges between school and me tell me that this is very much the local authority pushing this agenda and school are less rigid - but they have to be seen to be toeing the line. LEAs just want to impose a blanket policy on pupils but the schools know individual pupils and can help - though some sound worse than the LEAs themselves.

I feel furious with myself that I stooped so low as approaching the GP to even request it. As soon as I told Dh he said I should've just ignored it, or told them to bog off.

I was at work, in the middle of a
massive project, month end management accounts, and a massive issue with WIP and our processes being questioned, and standing up for my poor Accounts Assistant who is being asked to do yet another unreasonable task.

For those of you who don't know I have a chequered history where in primary I was criticised as being an unfit mother.

Thus my fear of not being compliant immediately made me ring the GP secretary.

With hindsight, with 30+ years of Accounts and HR experience I know that for employees, not students, if someone is off sick for 7 calendar days or less they don't need a fit note.

so why didn't I think of that at the time.

instead I lowered myself to pandering to their whim, and now I'm embarrassed that it's on my record that I even requested it.

I have an overwhelming desire to email 6th form secretary and ask her what the policy is, because I'm puzzled and confused, just to spite her, to put the policy in writing. 🤣

Btw ( no claim to fame, nothing to do with me, just fact) both my boys are never ill, never had D&V, only had about 3 days off, in the whole of schooling, primary and secondary, ie in the last 10 years. So attendance concerns are not applicable here.

I have the same (so far - tough wood!) with my eldest - my year 12. She didn;t have single day off from reception through to end of year 11 and hasn't missed a day yet at sixth form. She did have to stay home at times when she tested positive for Covid but was still doing her lessons online.

My other two are totally different though - middle one had lung lobe removed as a baby and has asthma so loads of time off with chest infections, hospital appointments etc. Youngest has had various hospital stays and being AuDHD struggles with the school environment so had quite a few adhoc days at home recovering, until school agreed to him having a regular day off each week (flexischooling).

I shouldn't let the GP thing upset you. I've said much worse to mine - life is so busy and overwhleming these days we can't be on our A game all the time. I'm sure they won't give it another thought. 💐

Bless you @SuperSue77

@Oblomov25 - mine were the same all through Primary … once puberty started to kick in though they started to get migraines like DH and I do - and DS1 now gets every cold going despite a decent diet

Ds2 failed his driving theory, Monday. 😢 One of his male friends failed the week before. My friends dd passed.

Just wanted to say a big thank you to whoever posted about university access schemes for low income families.
My dt applied and got places. It has been lots of jumping through hoops (an application form, 1500 words about themselves, proof of entitlement, school reference and an inperson individual and group interview). Im sure it'll be worth it for the experience.

@Oblomov25 DS1 failed his first attempt too - trying again next week 🤞… get another booked asap - there was a long wait ( due to Christmas I guess)

Yes I now can barely get anything booked at all. 😡

Ah that’s a pain @Oblomov25 did he do the mock ones online? Have they changed it in the last 3yrs?

Yes, he'd done lots of mocks. Failed by a few marks. Thrashed the hazards.

Anyway practically none available tests available, bit just logged back in and now more choices, so got Dec 20th.

Well done to you and your DT for jumping through the hoops @Pluckmeoutbluemoon, I'm sure the experiences will be invaluable.

Ahh that’s not too long to wait @Oblomov25 good luck to him!

Good afternoon all,

Just caught up with the whole thread, I think. Ups and downs as always with teenagers.

Ratty is learning to drive, theory test booked 24th January, we are in no rush to have him on the road solo, he can get the local train to college, when it turns up (reliability is dreadful truly the worst) but we muddle through.

Still needs prodding with homework, same old same old, but if prodding is required then that is what will happen.

He seems content though, met a nice new group of maths/physics/DND geek type teenagers and yeah he seems steady.

First big test in just Chemistry in a week or so, god knows why, so back to RattyRevision, what joy, ding dong merrily on high, I didn't do ALevel Chemistry so this should be interesting!

And will have a stab a serious looking at universities after Christmas.

Hi, would it be okay to join this thread please? I have a year 12 DD studying A Levels - her previous school didn't have a sixth form so she joined a sixth form at another school nearby.

I am curious if other year 12s are coming home talking about work experience? DD has a week in July for work experience and the onus seems to be on students to arrange. My DD is rather anxious and seems to think that I can just fire off emails to the big financial services firms in London. I am a PA at a big firm in London but my firm only do specific schemes aimed at 1st year uni students or social mobility programmes, so the only other option which I have seen is that people bring their teens in to do 'unofficial' experience which gives them very little to do as they can't access our systems.

Obviously I will help her but I am feeling really overwhelmed. A couple of her friends have work experience already sorted but it seems to be from connections with family members.

We are all recovering from the flu here - poor DD had to take her flute Grade 5 exam feeling really rough and it definitely cost her - she is normally great at the aural part but lost 8 marks and struggled with some of the breathing - was odds on a merit (is a competent but not outstanding flautist) but had to settle for a high pass. Last grade as well she is only continuing with singing (and lots of dance which is her passion)