A MUM shared the battle she’s been having with her daughter’s school over attendance.
The woman shared her frustration after the adminstration “harrassed” her when her child was out sick.
A parent shared the extreme action her daughter’s school took when she was out sick (stock image)[/caption]
In a post on Mumsnet, the unnamed parent explained the situation, including the school’s reaction to her daughter’s previous absence.
“This school is obsessed with attendance,” the annoyed poster wrote.
She revealed that when her daughter was four, which she pointed out is under the compulsory school age, she had to miss class as she was “really poorly” which led to her being hospitalised.
“The school were calling me every day asking when she would be back when they knew she was in the hospital,” the mum said.
When her daughter was discharged, she recalled how representatives of the school came to their house every day to “check on her progress.”
“[They were] basically harassing us in to sending her back to school,” she explained.
Her daughter, who is now five, recently had chickenpox and had been off school for two weeks.
“She was really poorly with it and ended up in A&E dehydrated from being sick constantly,” the mum shared.
“It took two weeks for her all of the scabs to scab over.
“We followed NHS and government guidelines about staying off until the scabs had healed.”
The NHS website specifically states these guidelines, advising parents to keep their child “off school until all the spots have crusted over.”
While they ackowledged an average recovery period of five days, the health professionals highlighted the importance of waiting longer if neccessary.
The Mumsnet user explained how her daughter also contracted tonsillitis while she was ill.
“She couldn’t even drink water and we ended up at the out-of-hours,” she recalled.
“He said to keep her off school to rest until she feels better.”
Is my child too ill for school? NHS advice
All schools have set rules and guidelines when it comes to a pupil’s illness. But the NHS shares the following advice…
High temperature – If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.
Coughs and colds – It’s fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes.
Chickenpox – If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over. This is usually about five days after the spots first appeared.
Cold sores – There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.
Conjunctivitis – You don’t need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis, unless they are feeling very unwell.
COVID-19 – If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school. Read more on what to do if your child has Covid here.
Ear infection – If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they’re feeling better or their high temperature goes away.
Head lice and nits – There’s no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice. You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP.
Measles – If your child has measles, they’ll need to see a GP. Call the GP surgery before you go in, as measles can spread to others easily.
Keep your child off school for at least four days from when the rash first appears.
Sore throat – You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away. A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.
Vomiting and diarrhoea – Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least two days (48 hours).
There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.
The woman revealed that her daughter had been out of school for another week, in which she had taken her to the GP a further two times “as she seemed to get worse.”
She explained that she had informed her daughter’s school about the entire situation.
“However, when she had chicken pox, they were calling me even on the second day of illness asking for an update on when she would be back,” she wrote.
“She was in the infectious period and it was actually impossible for her to be in school according to the rules.”
After this intial phone call, the mum shared that “two people from the school came round to our house to give us an attendance warning letter.”
“They then asked us to send her to school with chickenpox.”
The poster described the action be the school as ridiculous, revealing that it didn’t stop there.
“The GP told us that the school has contacted them about her absence.
“They have asked the GP for confirmation of illnesses and told them to encourage her back to school.”
The woman revealed that her daughter’s school had contacted her GP to confirm her illness (stock image)[/caption]
She shared that the school have now flagged the situation as a “safeguarding issue.”
The poster added that she has taken her daughter to two additonal doctors, both of whom confirmed the initial advice to keep her off school.
“I feel disgusted by the insinuation they are making here,” she said in relation to the safeguarding concern.
“I walked out of the GP’s room in tears I was that upset by it all.”
Other parents shared their thoughts on the situation in the comments section.
“Wow, just wow. You don’t deserve this at all, it’s stressful enough having a poorly child to the point they need hospitalisation or to see a GP,” pointed out one reader.
“I understand that schools are pressured to maintain certain attendance levels however, harassing you in these circumstances is just ludicrous,” agreed another person.
“I’ve never heard of a school contacting a GP before and I can understand why you are shaken,” commented a third parent.
“Gosh, I’m so sorry, that sounds incredibly stressful,” wrote another Mumsnet user.
