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Sick (Fit) Notes
Learn how to request a sickness certificate
Request a sick (fit) note
If you’ve been off sick for more than 7 days
If you've been off sick for 7 days or less
If you’re off work sick for 7 days or less, your employer should not ask for medical evidence that you’ve been ill. Instead, they can ask you to confirm that you’ve been ill. You can do this by filling in a form yourself when you return to work. We call this self-certification.
Child off school
When your child is off school or nursery with a sickness it can be extremely confusing knowing how long to keep your child off for.
The Health Protection Agency has produced guidelines to help you know when it is safe for you to let your child go back to school or nursery.
Guidance notes on infection control in schools and other childcare settings
Examinations and sickness certificates
- It should be noted that GPs do not provide sick notes for school children.
- When children are absent from school owing to illness, schools may request a letter from a parent or guardian, and this is no different during an exam period.
- However, children who have missed exams due to illness are frequently told by schools that a note from a doctor is required; but this cannot be provided by a GP.
- Aside from the fact that parents/guardians are responsible for excusing their children from school, GPs cannot provide retrospective sickness certification.
- When a child suffers from a long-term condition, any certification will be provided by the responsible specialist.
General Practitioners Committee (GPC) has sought and received confirmation from the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator that Awarding Organisations make no requirement for pupils to obtain a medical certificate in support of their application for special consideration. Students are asked for information in support of their application, but this may take the form of a statement by the school. The Joint Council for Qualifications has confirmed that as far as they are concerned, if a student was absent from an examination as a result of illness and has the support of the school or centre to be absent, special consideration will be granted on that basis. Awarding organisations do not insist that medical proof is provided.