SEND, medical absence and education when a child cannot attend school
What to ask when illness or health needs prevent a child with SEND from attending school regularly.
Rules and local procedures can change. Check the current official guidance and the procedure for your school, authority, province, state or territory before acting.
Start with the written record
Collect the current plan or support document, relevant assessments, school correspondence, meeting notes and a short chronology. Focus on concrete examples: what was agreed, what happened, when it happened and how it affected access to education or progress.
Questions to ask
- What rule, policy or plan is the school using for this decision?
- What support or adjustment has been considered, delivered and reviewed?
- Who is responsible for the next action, and by what date?
- If we disagree, what review, complaint, mediation, appeal or tribunal route applies here?
Before escalating
Different routes resolve different problems. A complaint about service delivery may not be the same as an appeal about identification, placement or the contents of a statutory plan. Check the scope and deadline of the route you intend to use. Where the issue is urgent or complex, consider independent advice from an appropriate local support or legal service.
What medical evidence is needed for school absence in England?
DfE attendance guidance says schools are not expected routinely to request medical evidence for illness absence. Where there is genuine and reasonable doubt about the illness, the school may request evidence and should be flexible about its form. Ask what concern the evidence needs to resolve and what existing information can be used, rather than assuming a paid GP letter is always required.
Keep attendance coding separate from the question of education for a child who cannot attend. Ask the school and local authority what learning and support will be arranged and what evidence that decision requires. An attendance record does not answer every question about suitable education.
Official source: DfE: Working together to improve school attendance.
Returning after a long absence
Ask which school records, current support plan and learning information the receiving or returning school needs. Agree support for reintegration and review progress from a current starting point. There is no single international rule that a particular set of grades or an IEP is always required for admission. Follow the local admissions process and ask for any disputed requirement in writing.