Child off sick
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Does anyone know about having to produce a certificate from GP for their child being off sick?
My son had a couple of weeks off before half term and I constantly kept in touch with the school. I also phoned my GP. At my surgery the GP calls you back and if they think you don't need to go to the surgery they diagnose on phone. I told the GP that the school are strict about attendance and she said not to worry just say I spoke to her. Today I got a letter (computer generated) from my sons head of house threatening me with legal action because I had not produced medical evidence and he was reporting me to EWO.
I did have something happen like this when he was in primary school and I did question my surgery about producing certificates for children and they said it was stupid and said they didnt do it. That was a couple of years ago though.
Anyone had similar experience.
My son had a couple of weeks off before half term and I constantly kept in touch with the school. I also phoned my GP. At my surgery the GP calls you back and if they think you don't need to go to the surgery they diagnose on phone. I told the GP that the school are strict about attendance and she said not to worry just say I spoke to her. Today I got a letter (computer generated) from my sons head of house threatening me with legal action because I had not produced medical evidence and he was reporting me to EWO.
I did have something happen like this when he was in primary school and I did question my surgery about producing certificates for children and they said it was stupid and said they didnt do it. That was a couple of years ago though.
Anyone had similar experience.
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I'd maybe try the Head as well and see if they are willing to be a tad more lenient than the letter suggests.
Two weeks is a long time for an child to be off school "sick"...without having had some kind of major accident/illness or having some long term previously diagnosed condition.
Was he actually seen by a doctor or other qualified medical practitioner at all? Diagnosed with a specific illness or sent for any investigative procedure or prescribed a course of treatment or advised by a medical professional NOT to attend school?
And given it's apparently happened before...and that would be in your child's school record why would you be in the least surprised they are following it up...the only person I ever knew who was off school for two weeks because of illness was a friend rushed to hospital with a burst appendix needed emergency surgery and powerful antibiotics to save her life!
What annoyed me was the letter wasn't even signed and nobody had the courtesy to speak to me first to discuss the situation.
I have written a letter to the school and I popped it in by hand this morning.
They also get funny when the attendance drops below 95% each term, they send you letters saying that if you continue to drop below this percent your child can fail in the future at school! I think they are under strict orders from the government to meet targets and one of them is attendance.
But I think I will pop into my surgery to discuss this with them anyway.
If the doctor said "sit it out" did they specify that meant on the sofa in front of the telly or would have a chair at school done just as well?
Well if the school wants such a letter for it's records (basically to cover it's arse for an OFSTED inspection) then I'm sure it would be willing to pay any such fee the doctor may charge.
Alternatively the OP could give the school a letter of authority to allow it to speak to the doctors surgery and get the information it wants.
£37.50 for a letter stating anyone is unfit, needing time off.
The knock on effect of this is that it forces parents to make unnecessary appointments for their children thus making it even harder for people that really need appointments to get them without a wait.
Well I can't see how they can make this a requirement for illnesses of less than 7 days, as you would be able to self-certify for that period if you are in employment. It would be a ridiculous state of affairs where the requirement for pupils is more onerous than that for school staff and teachers.
BTW having been a victim of 'real flu' as opposed to a heavy cold, I wouldn't put the flu into the same category as a cold, diarrhoea or a sickness bug. When I had the flu I was off work for close to 3 weeks.
I only meant that for most people flu doesnt require a doctors visit. For most otherwise healthy people its just fluids paracetamol and bed rest till it goes.
Some schools do wants parents to prove any incidence of sickness with either a letter, appointment card or a copy of any prescription given. In the first 2 cases it pushes parents into booking appointments they may not really need.
If a child is ill, the school generally don't want them in at all, they are usually very cautious and will send children home for the slightest thing. Why would you send a child to school ill? far too many people these days go into work if they are ill when really they shouldn't and spread things around. There is nothing to be ashamed about if you are ill.
My child was off school for two weeks last year through illness, she got a virus that was going around, then came down with chicken pox straight after which was also doing the rounds. Didn't get a letter from the school though, as for the virus Dr said it could last up to 5 - 7 days & they don't want you coming in to the practice if you have chicken pox.
most of those would not keep a child off school for two weeks, if they did I would expect said child to have seen a GP, in this instance having two weeks off for a cough sounds extreme and I can understand the school questioning it.
So to the person who decided he was sitting in front of the TV perfectly well, this did not happen and a very bad cough and cold can go up to two weeks oh what the hell why should I have to explain, I just wanted to know if someone else had experienced getting this kind of letter, I did not expect judgement about my decision to keep my child off.
You've been on DS for 10 years and you are surprised that people are judgemental
There is alot of colds and virus going around at the moment, this is with children and adults. Kids do get sick all the time, that's something we cant move around.
Schools are now under fire for having attendance issues, that is why schools do like something to pop into the child's file. You say you have written a note, to alot of schools that should be enough if you state the reason why, what the GP said, any medication taken and also the fact that you rang regualry to say that your child is still unwell.
Good luck
Maybe nor two weeks, though flu could well do without a Go being needed, but quite often parents are asked to prove sickness after a day or two.
I wonder if the teachers are as well?
As to some people saying that two weeks is a long time to be off school, I don't think that is true at all. A child could easily be off for two weeks if they had such a thing as bronchitis, tonsilitis, an operation, chickenpox, flu and many more things.
If I was the op, I would take my child out of that domineering school and find another one for your son. I would think that doctors must get tired of having to write certificates for children who are ill.
Don't let the people on here upset you, they are being judgemental without knowing the full circumstances.
What a strange question.
The curriculum moves so fast and when a child misses a couple of weeks the teacher and the pupil find it so hard to catch up with each other.
When my children were ill and absent from school I felt comfortable going into the school and requesting work sheets and asking for help.
Teachers are run of their feet now, I don't think they they have much say.
The doctor never saw the child so has no idea if they were off sick or sitting on a beach in Spain. So I doubt if he will write a letter confirming something that he has no proof of.