Sick notes

A schools has been clamping down on non-attendance due to minor illness. 6th formers (that is, children 16-18 years of age) have been told to come in if they have a minor infection or stomach complaint. The school was too diplomatic to mention hangovers and adverse effects from illegal drugs.

I'm with Norton Knatchbull school on this. A few years ago, schools demanded doctors' notes for absences, but that was hopeless as GPs were overwhelmed with trivial cases. So you have to rely on a parental certification. And it's a grammar school, selective, which means that generally parents' judgement can be trusted.

However 6th formers are beyond "mum writes a sick note" stage. So the school is stuck with self-certification. Most employers take a pretty intolerant line on staff who keep on pulling sickies, it depends on the business of course, but generally it's a nuisance to the business and unfair to other staff who have to cover. Schools should be similar. Non-attendance breaks the chain of lessons, it's damaging to education and needs to be clamped down upon.

But ultimately 6th form is meant to be voluntary education. So whilst sarcastic comments and demands to justify to head of 6th form are appropriate as a non-attendance problem develops, ultimately the non-attendees should be allowed to win. They fail their exams and don't get into a good university.

There's also the issue of stress due to excessive pressure to pass exams manifesting itself as psycho-somatic symptoms. Girls are particularly susceptible to this, often it presents as self-harming, or eating disorders. A robust approach to sick notes won't help here, but it won't harm either, except in the general context of being a contributor to the excessive pressure to succeed in exams. If a school has a sick note problem, it needs to look to itself as well as to the pupils. It's a sign that not all is well.