Mum-of-10 left furious when she realized an EXTRA step to avoid getting school fines

A MUM-OF-10 is furious after realizing the extra, time-consuming step she has to take when her children are sick.

Vanessa explained that all her children have “coughs and colds”, which is when illnesses spread and make people feel “gross”.

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But under new government rules, any child kept home from school will have to hand in a GP letter consenting to the absence, to avoid a fine.

“How are we supposed to get a GP appointment for colds and coughs that don’t require a GP appointment?” she said.

“I mean, if you make an appointment with the doctor now for something that is not urgent, you are looking at about six weeks.

“So by the time you get a letter, you get an appointment with the GP for your letter, your child is no longer sick.

“I’m just really baffled by all of this. To be honest!”

To avoid being fined, parents feel forced to send their children to school if they are “not well”.

“And if the school decides they can’t go to school, they can send them home,” Vanessa continued.

‘And then the doctor’s note is not necessary.

“That just doesn’t make sense to me. So as parents, we can’t make the decision without jumping through a million hoops.”

While she eventually sent the children to school, Vanessa added that she would be furious if she got a call to pick them up because they were sick.

“Why are they allowed to make the decision, but we as parents or guardians are not?” she asked.

‘It just feels very, very backwards.

“I’m really concerned about it and it’s actually very frustrating that we as parents, as guardians, as people who send our children into a school environment, we all just go along with it and I’m a little bit baffled by it.”

Vanessa also said she feels the same way as parents who are fined for taking their children out of school to go on holiday.

“Vacations are so enriching to a child’s life,” she emphasized.

‘They really, really are.

School rules and laws in Great Britain

‘They provide more education than you can learn in a classroom.

“Whether you go to a sunbed in Spain or go to your local campsite, I feel like they’re gaining experiences, they’re learning skills, they’re learning about different areas.

“You know, social skills, meeting new people, trying different foods, different cultures.”

In conclusion, Vanessa admitted that she’s “really, really bewildered by the world right now,” calling it a “really sad place.”

“And not to mention the fact that our GP is already having a hard time, and the school now wants to send us for minor illnesses to get a letter!”

Individual schools determine their own policies regarding authorized or unauthorized absences, based on government guidelines.

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