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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

sickness policy - a bit peeved

26 replies

ninah · 25/02/2012 20:32

dd was sick at school recently. When I collected her HT made sure she spoke to me to tell me not to bring her in the next day in line with policy - which was fine, and sensible, I agree. Dd was over it the same day but I kept her off as requested. Aibu to be annoyed that two other children who were also sick at school were allowed in the day after? it just seems unfair that policy is applied to some and not others and is fairly typical imo (used to work there). Should I mention it or just let it go ...can't help feeling it personally as HT is not keen on me and knows that as a lone p with no support I'd have to take a day off work, hence singling us out to enforce this rather patchwork 'policy' ...am I being over sensitive here?

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conorsrockers · 25/02/2012 20:42

No, not if your side of the story stacks up. Rules are there for all.
I would do some research as to why theirs were allowed back though and then ask the question, otherwise you could have egg on your face ...

Original poster

ninah · 25/02/2012 20:49

Well I don't know why they were allowed back but since this policy exists and all 3 were physically sick at school I can't think of a feasible exemption?

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submarine · 25/02/2012 20:53

seems odd doesnt it, id defintly bring it up, their policy is wrong anyway, its 48 hours after last vomiting episode, so two days off.

AChickenCalledKorma · 25/02/2012 21:01

No, you aren't being over sensitive. If they were physically sick, none of them should be in. I have heard our office staff on the phone to parents at 10 part 9, asking them to come back and take a child home, because they were sick the previous day.

Original poster

ninah · 25/02/2012 21:04

Well it all seems a bit inconsistent. Bearing in mind my cautious relationship with HT how should I go querying the policy? I rarely see her in person as I work full time.

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kilmuir · 26/02/2012 07:17

Think the lone parent bit i rather ott, BUT i would ask her exactly what the sickness policy was and does it apply to everyone

catsareevil · 26/02/2012 07:53

The policy should apply to all. Are you sure that the other two children actually vomited at school?

nmason · 26/02/2012 08:36

Some parents flout the 48hr rule and send them in, then it is the job of the class teacher to spot it and that's not always possible eg another teacher is covering. It is hardly the heads fault. Our office staff now generally Mark the child on the register away for two days if they get sent home or phone in, maybe you can suggest that. You do need to move away from sounding like it's a personal attack though, it's not the school's fault that other parents sent them in but they should have picked it up as soon as they were there (unless possibly the children hadn't been actually sick just felt it?).

snowball3 · 26/02/2012 08:41

We've had this and, on phoning, parents have refused to come and collect their child. There is very little we can do about it, we obviously can't send the child home to a possibly empty house! So it might be the parents rather than the school which is at fault!

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 09:02

I think there may well be something in what you say snowball.
It felt personal at the time but I don't have a great relationship with HT.
Yes they were all physically sick at school. Plenty of sickness around atm, lots off. I'll let it go I guess. Thanks for the feedback!

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mummytime · 26/02/2012 09:14

I would just put a polite question in, and maybe some advice printed from a NHS website about sickness bugs.
The only time I would think differently is if they had been on a coach trip (as I have children with travel sickness).

Lizcat · 26/02/2012 10:23

Well it depends if they were all sick for the same reason. My DD (8) vomits with migranes they ask me to collect her that day mainly so she can sleep the migrane off. However, they do not enforce their 48 hour vomiting rule as they know that this is migrane related. It probably seems to some other parents that they apply the rule inconsistently.
This may not be what has happened, but just gives an alternative view.

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 10:30

no, no migraines or other medical reasons

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hellhasnofury · 26/02/2012 10:31

It could depend why they are sick, we have children at school who some vomit for reasons other than illness other parents would not be privvy to the reasons why that child was sick but they could be back at school within 24 hours. And it would also depend on whether or not the parent had 'dropped and run' then refused to collect. If the child was left in the playground/made their own way to school/came in on the school bus the school can do very little but hold on to that child if the parent then refuses to come and collect them.

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 10:34

no, no other med reasons
drop and run could be a possibility though, as per snowball's post also

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DeWe · 26/02/2012 11:41

There are reasons that children vomit that aren't indicative of something infectious. Off the top of my head I can think of children who will vomit once due to: migraine, temperature rising quickly, ear infection, abdominal migraine, constipation, allergy, certain smells... and these are just what I'm aware of. However these are among children whose parents I know well (or mine), I wouldn't expect most people to know about these, not really something you go round talking about is it?

With these children they would generally be allowed back in the next day unless they had been sick more than once, or their was currently a nasty vomitting bug arround.

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 11:51

I do know the families, used to work there. My own dd was sick because she coughed, but y there is a nasty bug going around so I thought it only fair to follow policy. My experience of other schools is that the sickness policy is a standard 48 hours off. If the school is prepared to be flexible that's great - but in that case I should also have been able to take dd back in next day, since she was fine immediately after the sickness, ate a good dinner and got up full of beans next morning - it's just that HT made a point of mentioning I should not do so. Hence my feeling a bit

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mrz · 26/02/2012 15:35

Drop and run and don't answer your phone is the most likely answer IMHE.

upahill · 26/02/2012 15:45

I would leave it alone and not poke my nose in tbh. Not saying I wouldn't be peeved but I worry about my own stuff not others.
Let the HT deal with it. They will know what's going on and why.

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 15:53

yes on reflection I bet that is it - I'm over it! don't think I'd ever muster the nerve to drop and myself but I can see how it could arise

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BettyPerske · 26/02/2012 16:17

We have parents that drop and run looking very surreptitious...even when I know exactly what time and how many times their child was sick the previous day, they just laugh it off.

It makes me very cross because I always follow the policy and there's no excuse in some cases...not financial, not personal, just plain selfish laziness.

I am sorry for you, it sounds like your HT is not being fair for whatever reason. I'm not sure what you can do apart from approach her and ask her directly why the other children's parents were not spoken to in the same way you were. That would be the direct way to deal with it and might wrong foot her a bit.

mrz · 26/02/2012 16:25

Do you know the other parents weren't given the same message?
I had a "confrontation" before half term. A child from another class had been sent home after being sick but was brought in the next morning by his grandmother who was on her way shopping. She wasn't aware he had been sick and said his parents were in meetings (turned out dad was at the gym) and was determined to leave him. She eventually left with him, very unhappy only for dad to turn up with him a few hours later to try again.

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 19:36

I don't know if the other parents were spoken to in person or not but it would be quite a nerve to bring a child in if specifically asked not to the day before! The gym dad is something else - what happened when he tried again, was he turned away? however it has just reminded me of ringing a mum to collect a child and she said she was busy xmas shopping ....what can you do?
it's more that HT made a point of grabbing me as she knows I have work committments and a day off would be a pita - I don't know if she'd speak to others in same way, she tends to adjust her manner according to social standing iyswim. Fortunately my contact with her these days is minimal as I drop before she arrives and collect after she leaves

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mrz · 26/02/2012 19:40

He said "see you tomorrow" and was most put out when told 48 hours

Original poster

ninah · 26/02/2012 19:43

well good on you for having rules that are rules, everyone knows where they stand then.

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