Illness  

This is a sensitive area. Shepton Mallet Infants’ School does have a right to challenge parents as to whether their child is genuinely ill. It is the school which authorises absence for illness not the parent or carer. Pupils are sometimes absent due to minor illnesses, such as headaches or minor colds, which should not be a reason for absence from school; consequently, it is necessary to be asked for evidence of ill health such as copy of your child’s prescription or a medical appointment card if a child incurs three or more days of absence due to illness. A parent whose child is genuinely ill should not be concerned as their child will have medical advice and this medical advice can be presented to the School.  

If your child is feeling ‘under the weather’ but not sick enough to attend the doctor they should be encouraged to attend school. Attendance for part of the day is far better than no attendance at all. Naturally, pupils who are genuinely ill will be sent home, following consultation with yourself. 

Please see here for a link to the NHS page ' Is my Child too ill for school."

Medical & Dental Appointments 

Medical and dental appointments rarely last more than 1 hour but many parents allow their child to be absent from school for the whole session or day. This is unacceptable.

Parents are advised, where possible, to make medical and dental appointments outside of the school day. Where this is not possible, children should attend the school for part of the day. The loss of a single day will reduce your child’s attendance in any single week by 20%.