Schools hit by sick-note culture

Friday, 10 June 2005 12:00 AM

A new report has suggested that the number of people taking time of school for illness has tripled in the past three years.

And researchers at Cambridge University have suggested that a 'sick-note culture' could be to blame for the increase.

They suggest that parents will pretend their children are ill or will take them on holiday during term time.

While the Government has warned that parents who take their children out of school for no good reason will face fines, the study suggests the threats have had little effect.

Truancy expert Ming Zhang, who led the research, said: "The main problem with the current system is that you can't really tell whether a child is genuinely ill or not."

He spoke to 92 teachers and educational welfare officers as part of the study and although most thought sick notes were genuine, 20 per cent believed they were fabricated.

"Children don't want to go to school so the family just give them a sick note or rings the school to say 'My child is not well'," Mr Zhang added.

He suggested that health and education authorities work together to find a solution to the growing trend.

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