PETITIONRejectedPetition · petition.parliament.uk

Allow general illnesses to be a valid, authorised absence from school again.

Recently, ailments such as cold, flu and pain are not authorised by schools nearby as an authorised reason to be off sick. This isn’t good, as unauthorised absences can lead to parents being fined, when a child is unwell. Some illnesses are weakening enough to not go to school, this can be serious.

Last fetched 19 May 2026 · petition.parliament.uk

Signatures

signatures

Government response threshold (10,000) · 6/10,000

Debate threshold (100,000) · 6/100,000

Petition progress2 events · Apr – May 2025

22 MAY 2025
Petition rejected
local
We have to reject petitions that call for action at a local level. You could ask your MP to take action on your concerns about this issue, including by asking them to present a public (paper) petition about this. You can find contact details for your local MP here: https://members.parliament.uk/FindYourMP And you can find out how to ask your MP to present a public (paper) petition here: https://www.parliament.uk/get-involved/sign-a-petition/paper-petitions/ You could also raise your issue with a local councillor who represents you. You can use this page to find out who your local councillors are, and how to contact them: https://www.gov.uk/find-your-local-councillors
27 APR 2025
Petition created

Background

As of this school year, most schools in my area have made cold, flu, period pains etc unauthorised grounds for absence. This is unfair, as a child may not be able to concentrate in school, or physically be capable of working. They could be sickly, and unauthorised absences lead to legal action against parents, which is completely out of their control. This is unfair, as there was no warning to these changes before the school year in my area. Going into school while unwell can make you worse.

Allow general illnesses to be a valid, authorised absence from school again.