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Home ed

Find advice from other parents on our Homeschool forum. You may also find our round up of the best online learning resources useful.

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Original poster

Mandate of an EWO - Advice please

17 replies

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 07:16

Does anyone know if an EWO is allowed to ask me to prove when my child is ill so that they can check that I am "providing him with appropriate medical care"

I think this is outrageous !!!

Anyone have any advice for me please ?

OP posts:

FatBoySwim · 23/02/2010 07:22

Are you home educating?

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 07:39

2 of my children are HE'd but this child is at school and has only had a week off ! I thought I would put this question on this part of the site as I hoped more people would have come across EWO's and may know the "rules"

Thanks

OP posts:

FatBoySwim · 23/02/2010 07:49

You are the same as me with HE and school children.

I have never heard of this before, certainly not for just a week off. Did he/she have alot of other sick time recently?

Am flabbergasted that they want to know if you are provding him with appropriate care. Disgusted, actually.

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 07:54

No, this is all of the sick time !

I am so angry, I am having trouble typing my letter (the 3rd) as I have got the shakes

OP posts:

FatBoySwim · 23/02/2010 08:05

I am not surprised. You need to start by asking them what their reasons are for questioning whether you are 'providing him with proper medical care'

Say no more than that. Apart from the fact that you are horrified about this.

Has anyone else in your school had this, or is it just you?

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 08:45

A few people got the standard letter..." your child has had so many days off blah blah" but it ended with a threat of legal action or a fine in accordance with the Education Act 1996 which I questioned as from what I can make of the Education Act is says illness does not count - you are allowed to be ill ! I got a stroppy letter back saying he "must" improve his attendance and in future I must prove he has been ill and send him back with a doctor's certificate ! They again finished with more threats of legal action. I wrote another letter asking for where I could find these rules as I can't find them anywhere and a few other questions but they haven't replied (this was over 2 weeks ago)
I called to chase up a reply and was told they haven't got time to reply !! but that they need proof I am providing him with proper medical care !

I have written another letter as I think it is best to have everything in writing with more questions.

I cannot believe these people

OP posts:

SDeuchars · 23/02/2010 09:51

The school is entitled to ask for a certificate (see the first link on teachernet.gov.uk - illness):

... If the school has concerns that the illness may not either be genuine or warrant the amount of absence accruing, the school may ask the parent to substantiate the illness by asking to see additional evidence such as an appointment card.
However, they should not request additional evidence every time pupils miss school due to illness.

They do not need proof of the care provided and it is outrageous that one week should trigger this. Tell them to go jump (politely, of course).

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 10:20

Jump is exactly what they can do !

I am amazed, he has had flu and then another time a stomach bug where he couldn't get out of the bathroom. What person in their right mind would send a child that ill to school ?

I have asked them what happens if he catches another bug (he caught both of his last bugs from school and brought them home to his family!) and is sick - do they want me to send him to school to pass it around ? They don't have an answer...

OP posts:

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 10:23

I also meant to write, this is all coming from the LA not the school.

OP posts:

Tinuviel · 23/02/2010 12:47

But you don't get an appointment card for going to the doctor. And you wouldn't get a 'certificate for a week off. Up to 7 days is self-certificated even for adults. And why would you take a child to the doctor's for flu. They have spent a fortune telling us all recently that if we have swine flu NOT to go to the doctors. You would just keep them at home and follow all the usual advice. Are you intending writing a letter of complaint? Good idea to have asked them for their 'rules/regulations'.

Original poster

loumum23 · 23/02/2010 13:47

My thoughts exactly, you don't go to the doctors with vomiting either do you ?

I have written my letter and copied in lots of people within the department and hope I will get some sense out of them !

OP posts:

FatBoySwim · 23/02/2010 14:26

I doubt your doctor would want to wste time writing out sick certs for every child who is absent due to illnes.

The whole thing beggars belief tbh

debs40 · 24/02/2010 13:20

Write to the Director of Education at your LA and ask him/her to explain this nonsense. In my experience, you only get any sense if you go to the top.

loumum3 · 24/02/2010 14:43

Thanks debs40 - I copied in the Director, hopefully I will get an answer as to why I have had 2 threatening letters !

Vallhala · 26/02/2010 22:34

My sympathy. I've had this but for different reasons - my DD2 has had a lot of time off, some for illness and some owing to the effects of having been bullied. The bullying has caused sleeplessness and being sick with fear (which DD and I have seen our GP about so the school are aware) and also school refusal. Mine's a long story, but in essence for a long time the school didn't address the bullying and I had to kick up an almighty fuss. As a former HE parent who has had run-ins with the LA in the past over their breech of law I am not popular to start with. It strikes me that as an HE parent/former HE parent we might be on some kind of "watch list".

THANK YOU very much, SDeuchars, for the information on what may and may not be requested if a child is off sick. I too have been told by EW that "all" future absence must be accompanied by a GPs cert or appointment card. The beggar is that I've mislaid that LA letter, but I'll damn well ensure I find it and respond to them, quoting what you have said now!

By chance DD was off sick today. She's been vomiting and had rapidly developed a nasty cols, had a temperature and felt weak and dizzy. Loathe to walk her to the GP's for her sake and that of other patients I called the surgery. I was told by the GP that she doubtless had the virus which is affecting half the town and that I should tell the school to write to the surgery whereby they would confirm that I'd consulted them about DD. I emailed the school to this effect this afternoon asking them to tell me asap if this wasn't acceptable and got a 2 sentence reply from the year head thanking me and saying that he would add my email to DD's file, so still none the wiser.

I'd be grateful if loumum23 posted a follow-up on here and I will certainly do the same to let her know how I get on in the hope that it might help her.

loumum3 · 27/02/2010 07:10

I wonder what planet some of these people live on Vallhala !?

I wrote to them on Monday and still no reply, but then I was thinking will they actually say they were wrong, in writing ?

We live and HE in a different LA to the one my son goes to school in which is just as well as our local HE dept at the LA are lovely and nothing (so far) is a problem. Thank goodness we do not live in the LA where my son goes to school ! I wonder if they know we HE our other 2 ?

My eldest son is reading 1984 at the moment, and reads me snippets, laughing at our situation...
He is really interested in career in Law so all of this is good for him I suppose

LucindaCarlisle · 17/08/2010 11:38

Educational Social Workers should and can provide tremendous help and support. But sadly most of them are useless.

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