Parents are in an uproar after students were told they will now need “medical proof” for period cramps to be considered a legitimate absence.
Neale-Wade Academy, a secondary school in Cambridgeshire, recently updated its absence policy to include a number of ailments that would now be considered unauthorized absences.
According to an email seen by the bbcthe school for 11- to 18-year-olds led by headteacher Graham Horn, also banned terms such as “bad”, “bad” and “sick” as acceptable reasons for missing a day of school.
“Menstrual pains” were also listed, along with the following parenthetical note: “unless we have medical information about it.”
The memo also said: ‘From now on we will not accept terms such as “unwell, unwell, ill” or similar as explanations related to students’ absence.
Parents of pupils at a school in Cambridgeshire are in uproar after a rule came into force requiring pupils to provide ‘evidence’ of painful periods as a reason for absence from school.
‘Communications made using these and similar terms will be recorded as unauthorized.’
People have adopted unknown To express their anger at the change, some labeled the school “draconian” and a “piece of shit,” while one person called it “backward and misogynistic.”
One person wrote: ‘Hello everyone. This crap school at Neale-Wade Academy is the one that requires testing for period pains.
Criticizing the school principal, one woman added: “What a misogynistic and backwards letter signed by Principal Graham Horn.” Pity about the female staff too.
“OFSTED is problematic, but Neale-Wade Academy “requires improvement” across the board, including leadership.
‘Sorry what? Are you deliberately trying to make teenage girls have an even worse time at school? How dare you? asked another.
Someone else stated that schools “do not own the children” and were rather built to “provide a service.”
Another woman lamented: ‘When women’s health is constantly undermined and things like endometriosis are under-diagnosed, what evidence can these young people give to a school or a town hall?’
“Some people experience the most debilitating pain and a variety of other symptoms, sometimes several times a month.”
However, taking the opposite stance, one person said: ‘Do people have time off because of period pain?’ If not, they shouldn’t have free time at school either. I have never had a day off because of menstrual pain, unfortunately we have to move on.”
People have taken to
The news comes as the government vows to clamp down on the “absenteeism epidemic” from the 2024/2025 school year.
Last month, Education Secretary Bridget Phillipson warned that parents who allowed their children to miss school were significantly diminishing their future earning potential.
Phillipson warned that he would not apologize for fining parents with frequently absent children and said many believe truancy is acceptable for the sake of “cheaper holidays,” to avoid “unpopular topics” or for “birthday presents or even to runny nose.” ‘.
Writing in the Sunday Times, Ms Phillipson said her first priority was to create a welcoming environment for pupils in a bid to improve attendance, but warned that “where it doesn’t work, I am prepared to be tough”.
It noted that 150,000 children were recorded as frequently absent from school between 2022 and 2023, the last year for which there is complete attendance data.
A report from the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS) published earlier this year claims that almost two in five (37%) pupils from disadvantaged backgrounds are “persistently absent”, meaning they miss at least one day of school every fortnight. days on average.
It noted an increase in absences compared to before the coronavirus pandemic, with students now missing school an average of 14 days per year.
Phillipson vowed to “act decisively” to curb what he described as an “epidemic of absenteeism” and called on parents, schools and local authorities to play their part.
In a bid to prevent truancy, the Conservatives previously announced that fines imposed on parents for unauthorized absences would rise from £60 to £80, rising to £160 if they are not paid within 21 days.
During the general election, the Labor Party promised to reduce almost half a million days of school absence as part of its plan to offer free breakfast clubs in primary schools in England.
In June, Ms Phillipson said breakfast clubs have been shown to “get those who regularly miss class back into school, giving them a great start to the day and preparing them to learn”.
The Commons has previously supported the School Attendance (Duties of Local Authorities and School Owners) Bill, which would require councils in England to promote regular attendance and reduce absences from schools.
But the bill did not reach the House of Lords before the general election and failed to become law.
At the time, former Conservative minister Vicky Ford, who sponsored the bill, expressed concern about the rise in absences after the pandemic, saying “more than a million children or young children are persistently absent or worse “.
