Can I legally be kicked out of college due to pregnancy related absences

[kElise1]

So im in my last year of college, I have a lot of prior health conditions including asthma, fainting disorders and arrhythmia, and of course pregnancy weakens your immume system due to this I have had the flu once and super cold 3 times since the start of september (its ridiculous). Oh and the fact i am high risk for preeclampsia and ges diabetes, both of which im already showing possible indicators/symptoms of at 15 weeks preggo. I go to a top college producing loads of oxbridge students and A and A* students, so they only want the best students and when i told them i was pregnant they promised to support me, my teachers kept that side of the bargain, higher ups did not, due to illness ive missed 50% since september (and im still doing better than some on 100%) but they want to kick me out as they fear i wont achieve my predicted As and bring down the college's average, ive told them since the start all the issues and have been verified by my mum. Can they legally throw me out of college due to my attendance, even though it is caused by pregnancy, also my I add this women who is higher up broke confidentiality and has not treated me fairly since the start and just as an inconvenience even though her place as director of student support.

What is your age if you're in college are you under 18?

How many days of pregnancy-related sickness (cold and flu won't count as you can't say you wouldn't necessarily have had them when not pregnant, even though logic tells you it's likely that was a factor in you picking them up) have you had and did you state as much when you gave your reason for absence at the time? And how many non-pregnancy sick days, including the cold and flu ones?

I can see your OP you're on 50% attendance but the ratio of the pregnancy to non pregnancy is likely to be important in any conversation you might have.

@Amijustagrump I'm 17

I don't think flu / colds will hold as pregnancy related; anyone can get them. Examples would be conditions like hyperemesis, spd, obstetric cholestasis etc

@PensionPuzzle I couldnt tell, a lot were related to doctors and midwife appointments but since they no longer give an appointment card its been very difficult to prove without getting the hosptials themselves to phone - which for obvious privacy and busy reasons they wouldnt want to do. The absences on the cold and flu days were due to fainting and low iron which I was told by health practitioners was due to the pregnancy so i'd likely say 30% directly caused and 20% non, my attendance the prior year was 75% due to mental health and illness and they were okay with that.

Most educational establishments have a minimum attendance policy. It rather depends on what provision you have in place for your pre existing medical conditions in terms of expectations for attendance e.g. via a needs assessment or ehcp. Your mother isn't sufficient 'proof' of your illness, this would need to be confirmed by a doctor, which would then trigger am assessment from the college in terms of how they can best support you. However, flu and 'super colds' are not classed as pregnancy related illness so if that's the bulk reason for your absence and its not been medically verified, then yes they can legally make steps to end your studies.

I also did warn them at the start of the term that i would likely incur a low attendance due to my risks which they confirmed would be okay

If they're genuine medical appointments you hardly need them verified by your Mum
Tbh, if they have an actual attendance policy I don't think the cause of your absences really matters; if you're unable to give sufficient time to the course for whatever reason they can certainly ask you to leave.

The reason I ask is if under 18 the school has a responsibility to ensure you are receiving an education somewhere, they can't just leave you!

@JustOneMoreStep thankyou :) my issue is with badger notes being the main source of proof and the fact its been down a lot causing some to be written but not given to me

Try giving this helpline a call here - they might be able to offer you some advice.

Is your attendance likely to get worse? When are you due?
Do you complete all missed work?
Would they let you return year after?

There does come a point though where your attendance is so low, there's not a lot of point in attending at all.
It sounds like, in your opinion, you're not at that point yet.

You should ask for an appointment to discuss what you need to do to be allowed to stay on. Can they give you work to do at home for example? It might not be the attendance per se that's the issue, it could be the number of essays etc you're not doing etc.

It's worth noting that they can't expel you unless they make sure you have something else in place to go to. Under 18s have to be in education, employment or training.
When are you 18?

@GreyhoundG1rl Thats what i thought XD its because i had to have a couple in person appointments a week they thought i was taking the mick !!I just struggle to get some letter with dates to prove them as several were emergency ones and between 1 surgery and 2 hospitals. We had originally decided that i would take my exams the following year due to my due date being a week behind exams which wouldve allocated me another year for content time, only one subject i have is time dependant the others can all be done at any point.

I think you need to be realistic about your priorities. When is baby due? Are you likely to be able to sit the exams? Have you caught up with all the missed work from your absences? Clearly the college should be providing support but equally the staff will want to be sure that you are genuinely committed to your studies.

@Rummikub I've caught up on most work, my attendance is improving as I'm finally out of the first trimester of nausea for example I was at 100% for this week, I was meant to complete the exams a year later for my 2 exam based subjects and then my EPQ and course work I'd get done this year as they can be done before February so time wise for Biology and Psych, the exam ones, I'm well over a year ahead.

Ok so you’re doing you’re A levels over 3 years?

You could log into Badger notes and do a screen print as proof of appointments.

If you cannot go into college because your midwife or Doctor tells you to stay at home get them to give you a sick note. The college can't dispute a sick note and you would have to do this if you were employed. Otherwise it's just your word that you weren't in because you were sick.

You need to attend for a certain amount of time 1) to pass the course and 2) for the college to claim it's funding for you.

You need to make a proper appointment with the college and to explain what's happening so they can provide proper assistance.

It sounds like you might be better off taking a year off and repeating the year once baby is born. My niece did this but she had family happy to do the childcare for free, not every has that.

I don't know if they particularly care what what absences are for unfortunately. Some places have strict attendance policies.

I had some friends at university with chronic illnesses that meant they missed a lot of class and they weren't given much by way of allowances. They barely scraped through their degrees! I actually thought it was quite unfair, because clearly, you can't help having an illness / pregnancy complications.

[quote kElise1]@Rummikub I've caught up on most work, my attendance is improving as I'm finally out of the first trimester of nausea for example I was at 100% for this week, I was meant to complete the exams a year later for my 2 exam based subjects and then my EPQ and course work I'd get done this year as they can be done before February so time wise for Biology and Psych, the exam ones, I'm well over a year ahead.[/quote]
I’m a bit confused by this. Are you completing the work now with the intention of sitting the exams next year?

@MrsFin Oh yes i completely agree, I've always had low attendance even way into early childhood, but I would still manage everything on time, I'm up to date in most lessons and others i am spending a lunch in for example to do a required practical in biology. My attendance is improving which they are disregarding. I've had many appointments but because im 17 she doesnt believe i can be suffering from pregnancy illnesses. The other reason is the fact im working 20 hours a week, thats when im not stuck in bed XD, which is an unwritten rule that they will expel for if its over 8 hours - this is because most students come from wealthy backgrounds, but i am not and have bills to pay for.

By any chance are you the daughter of another poster who posted a very similar situation recently (their DD was pregnant, in grammar school, wasn't attending, school had suggested that DD might have more success and more tailored support by moving to an FE college than a school 6th form)?

[quote kElise1]@PensionPuzzle I couldnt tell, a lot were related to doctors and midwife appointments but since they no longer give an appointment card its been very difficult to prove without getting the hosptials themselves to phone - which for obvious privacy and busy reasons they wouldnt want to do. The absences on the cold and flu days were due to fainting and low iron which I was told by health practitioners was due to the pregnancy so i'd likely say 30% directly caused and 20% non, my attendance the prior year was 75% due to mental health and illness and they were okay with that.[/quote]
It depends on what you told the college. Did you day you were off due to a cold or as a result of pregnancy related anemia?

@Redburnett im due a week or so before my first exam so we agreed when i found out that id sit it a year later so I wouldnt have to worry about rushing to health while still raw from birth xD

@Rummikub yes :) so lots of extra time to get good grades