My Y7 DS1's attendance is abysmal this year, due to having had flu in December, he was off for two full weeks with it - I got a written warning for that from the EWO as it pushed his attendance below 90%, and my GP refused to write a medical note without me paying £25 that I can't afford, as I'm on benefits and am already paying £40 a week to get my oldest two DC's to school.
My 3yo DS3 brought a particularly nasty tummy bug home from preschool, which has lasted a week for each of us that have had it - vomiting for 4 days, every time you eat, and then diarrhoea for 3 days after. You are in no fit state to leave the house tbh!
DS1 has been off all last week with it, and on the first day, when he threw up, he was so anxious that he was arguing that he needed
to attend school even as he was vomiting.
It turned out that he had been given a 'stern talking to' about his attendance from his HoY, and he was so concerned that he was tearful.
I contacted the school, and told them that they were making my DS1 anxious about his attendance, and that it is unfair to put so much pressure on DC's that have been genuinely ill. I have insisted that any further issues to do with attendance should be directed to me, as I am the person deciding whether he is well enough for school or not, and the level of anxiety they are causing my DS1 is unreasonable.
I then told them that he would be in when he had been 48 hours from the last incidence of D&V. They the. Told me, in no uncertain terms, that they do NOT want children away from school for 48 hours, and he should be sent to school as soon as he has stopped vomiting, EVEN if he still feels sick.
And they have said that if he is off for ANYTHING else this school year, I will be expected to provide a doctor's note.
But the GP refused to SEE DS1 for the D&V, as he was keeping water down, and diyoralyte, so therefore wasn't dehydrated, he just couldn't keep food down (or in...)
The school said to send him in, even if he feels like he will be sick, and if he's sick, they will send him home. The issue with that is that I cannot drive, and DS1 travels quite a long journey to school (moved right across the large town AFTER secondary allocations, no choice where I was moved to as Social Housing). He would have a 10 minute walk from the school to the bus stop, a 45 minute bus ride, and then a 15 minute walk to get home. How can he manage that if he has vomited at school?!
I DON'T keep my DC's off school for spurious reasons, for Y7, Y8 and Y9 my DD had 100% attendance. DS1 had lower attendance last year too - but that was because he had acute appendicitis and had an appendectomy, and had to recover from the surgery.
If I can't get a GP's appointment, I can't afford £25 for a doctors note, and the school keep saying to send him in even if he is likely to vomit, they will just 'send him home', what do I do about the EWO?
Why are the school (Now an Academy) allowed to tell parents to ignore the basic H&S requirement of 48 hours off after the last incidence of D&V?!
And why also are they allowed to insist upon doctors notes for every period of illness, when the doctor's note will cost £25?
Neither of these things are pointed out on their website or in their prospectus, and as I have a DC in Y11 at the same school, I can assure you that these policies have NOT been in place until the start of this school year. We weren't told of the change in policy, either as prospective parents of pupils joining Y7 OR as parents of existing pupils in higher year groups.