What happens if your child is off school for more than a week?

[FiveHoursSleep]

DD2 is in Y8 and has developed a nasty infection that is probably going to require up to a month off school after surgery.
She has her Y8 exams next week so if we can get through those I guess it's not a complete disaster, but it sounds like she's going to have daily dressing changes and won't be able to sit down for long periods because of the wound location.
DD has ASD and has had a difficult school year organisation-wise. She has just started to get on top of things, so this is going to disrupt the routine she has got into but there is no real alternative.
She also has quite a poor attendance this year so far as she had two weeks off at the start of the year after a non specific vomiting bug.
I need to talk to the school on Monday and see what they can do to help, does anyone know what I can expect? I will be able to get a Dr's letter to show that she's not just avoiding school although we have had problems in that area before.
Luckily I work for myself part time, so can work around her but I also have three other children who need wrangling as well.
Can you tell I'm a little bit stressed?

My dd is in third year and has only gone back after four and a half weeks , shes had a strep infection. We thought it was glandular fever at first. I phoned the school office, weekly, and said why she was off.
She went back yesterday, 9-12, and will do that the rest of the week.
Her school has been fine, her HoH said to let him know tomorrow if she needs reduced hours next week , she has exams so will try to go in.
I hope your DD recovers well

definitely don't worry about year 8 exams - her teachers are quite capable of making a judgement on what level she's working at without exam results, and she's got plenty of time left in school to practice exams before GCSEs. Just keep in touch with the school to let them know what's happening and it will all be fine.

Definitely don't worry about exams. My DS missed most of his fir a different reason, including school sending him on a Maths Challenge for a day. At recent parents evening the missing results mattered not one little bit.

My son had a really bad fracture this time last year. He ended up of missing 6 weeks of Year 9. We kept Matron informed, sent in copies of hospital letters etc. They were ok. I contacted each of his teachers to ask for details of what he would be missing. Poor boy spent the summer holidays catching up.

The school must tell the LA as soon as it seems likely that a child will miss at least 15 days/year of school through illness, whether continuously or not. Where this can be anticipated, as in your daughter's case, they should be proactive rather than waiting for the 15-day mark to pass before taking action. The LA should then support your child to ensure her illness does not prevent her from getting an education. This might not require direct LA support, if the school can do the job adequately, but the LA should at least keep an eye on the situation and consider whether additional measures such as home tuition are appropriate. The council must have a named contact for you so you can discuss your child's educational needs with that person.

www.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/269469/health_needs_guidance__-_revised_may_2013_final.pdf

I've heard many parents say that the above hasn't happened in practice and that their child has simply been left with no education for months on end. Given your concerns, it may be wise to get onto the school/LA from day one to remind them of their obligations. For example, you could start off by telling the school that you understand they need to inform the LA about your daughter's expected absences, and then chase up to find out who your named contact is and what their plan is for her.