chronic illness - what happens at school?

[morocco]

ds1 has a chronic illness that means he will probably have a fair bit of time off school, he might be ill but also he might have a weak immune system and I might keep him off school because of that. But I can't really predict how or when he will need time off. Right now we're looking at schools and I don't know where to start. Should he have a statement of special educational needs (but he is doing ok at nursery, it's just that he misses half of it), do I just tell the head and that's it? will he get 'bullied' by teachers for letting their attendance figures slip? will he get a tutor at home when he is sick?
how do I find out about all of this?
I asked the head at the local school and he looked quite dismissive and just said that ds had a right to full time ed and that is what the school would provide. Not very reassuring!

bumping for you

I would contact the schools office and bring this up with them ASAP they will probably refer you to the special needs office in your area and you can discuss your child's needs with them. In the borough where I work there is a school for children with physical disabilities and medical needs, ewhere they have lots of nursing support but I also know a colleague in another borough who is a SENCO whose mainstream school takes children who are ill. You may want to talk to your consultant/ nursing support about nursing care which is avaliable in schools.
It is likely that if your chld is at home for a prolonged period of time then some sort of home tutoring would be provided.
HTH

I would have a word with your LEA as, as far as I know, they would be the ones responsible for providing a home tutor if it came to that. They may also be able to discuss other schools in your area that might be more suitable than your local one. Don't dismiss schools because you are not in the catchment area for them; if your child has demonstrable health issues that mean school x is more suitable than school y you will get priority.

thanks everyone
sorry for not replying earlier,my internet access is almost zero right now.
so, I'll contact the lea for now and see what they say. fio fio, it's encouraging to hear your story about your sister. I kind of envisaged that for ds1 then thought it might be expecting too much as I do read about problems people on here have getting statements, home tutors etc.
hope you don't mind if I post again if the lea are not much use

Sympthies morocco will be watching repleis too as dd is 50 -75%% absent from nursery and will always be susceptible to gettign minor illnesses, mor seriously, more easily and for longer than anyone else.
If he is to be statemented that might well help the schools figures re absences I think
But you will not get a statement just for regular illnesses.

fio well done your sister, what a little go getter!

it sounds like your sister did fantastically academically, fiofio - I hope ds1 is able to fulfill his academic potential so well.

what upsets me more than anything (when I am in a 'navel gazing' mood) is thinking that the teachers or students might pick on him for being off so much. A school near here posts all the attendances on the classroom door and best class gets a prize. In my weepier moments, I get quite worked up imagining ds1 being picked on for losing them the prize, yet again! Hopefully I won't be so self pitying when he is actually at school, poor child!

morocco you will find (hopefully) such a school would also be very supportive of students who achieve and try through adversity also.

morocco have a look at \link{http://www.dfes.gov.uk/sickchildren/\this link}to the DFES website. There's some downloadable info about children with medical needs.

My dd is often off from school - not for particularly long periods - but they are quite frequent. Sometimes she just does mornings or afternoons. The school have always been pretty easy-going about it - sometimes too much so and they don't always provide work for her. That said she is bright and quite proactive -so will read, write stories, do stuff on the BBC Bitesize website. We've never had a statement for her although she is on the register at school probably at School Action + level if they still use those (I'm a bit lax too!). She's in Secondary now.