What happens at your school if your child is sent home sick?

[AgentProvocateur]

DS (17) was ill at school today. DH and I both work about 30 minutes away, and DS leaves for school after we've gone to work, and gets home before us, so he has a key and he's a really responsible boy.

So far, in 5 years of secondary school, he's had 1 day off sick, so he's not a skiver. Also, it's about a 5-10 minute walk to our house from the school.

DS called me at work to say he wasn't well. I told him to tell a teacher that he was going home. School then called me to say that he had to be collected (he's 17, remember!)

I got a friend to pick him up and drop him off at home, but really - does a 17 year old need collected from school?

Depends on illness rather than age, I would say. I've rung husbands of my staff before now to come to collect because I've not thought them safe to walk home on their own due to symptoms.

Good point. I hadn't thought of that .

They did tell me that it was the school's policy though.

At our school (11-16) we only allow students to go home if they are extremely ill. In those cases we phone home and require that they are picked up.

roisin, what happens if a student is sick? Surely they shouldn't be in school (and infecting others), but a 16/17 year old would be perfectly capable of walking a short distance home.

I would have expected it to be the same as if you were sick at work - you'd take yourself off sharpish before spreading your germs around your colleagues . . .

DCs school is strict on pupils not phoning parents themselves. I have all but once collected my kids; that once DS was ill but the car was in the garage, he was given a pass to walk home. However at 17 he would be in sixth form and could sign out to go home anyway.

mummytime, that's what I feel - he's 17 and old enough to decide that he's ill enough to need to go home. It's the first time he's called me from school, and because he's never fallen ill at school before, he didn't know what the procedure was. I think he thought he could just come home.

Obviously, if it was an emergency DH or I would rush home, but I can't see the point of keeping a vomiting 17 year old in school for an extra 30-40 minutes, when he could have walked and been in his bed in 10 minutes.

I'm just glad he's not ill very often!

I think I'd want to pick up, because if he was vomiting a lot it wouldn't be nice to be on your own and chundering in public en route.

When DD was at VIIth Form college all students under 18 had to have a parent contacted by the college before they were authorised to leave if they were taken ill during the college day.

Torn on this. At 17 they are " adult" and in fact not in compulsory education (yet!) . But equally they are also my children. I'm very aware, especially with mine always behaving in a very mature manner that we, even as parents can assume more than they can really cope with.

It's bad enough getting about by bus ( which is what mine do) as a fully grown up adult when you feel I'll. I think a tough 17yr old that has only ever had 1 day sick in his school career warrants a bit if mothering, and fetching him by car is fair enough.

I think illness and teens is a learning experience as lots of things are. Particularly if they " aren't ever I'll" they have somehow to learn to turn their " radar" about being poorly- how poorly is too poorly to be at school/ work, how poorly to see a GP etc.

I know when I'm I'll judging " how I'll " is something I find really hard when i am ill, so the kids must ind it really tricky They really really don't want to miss school so will power on even if they shouldn't at times ( we have a 10 min walk to the bus stop which is a fair guide- if you are too I'll to walk that then you don't go eg with an ear infection/ sore that/ cold type thing ).

I was asked to collect dd recently when I was at work (and dh unavailable). I'm also a teacher, so it was going to be bloody awkward to leave. The school matron said as she's "only" Year 9 she was unable to allow her to make her own way home, even with my permission, but also she was too unwell.
I took the Year 9 reference to mean that had she been older (and not too unwell to walk home) they would have allowed it.

At the school where I teach sixth formers are allowed to sign out ill after getting permission from the school nurse, but it has been hugely abused and I would very much in favour of something more formal. I suspect that while your DS can be trusted, others can't (even at 17).

At dd1 school if you have spoken with the school nurse/receptionist and given your verbal permission they will allow a 16 year old to go home (niece lived with us for 1 1/2 years so I experienced it when I had no car to collect her)

dd2 wouldn't know as we live to far for her to manage on her own.