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Note explaining your child's sickness absence from school (Great Britain)
England, Scotland and Wales · in English · for parents
€2.00This document is sold blank, to print and complete by hand.
Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
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This document is sold blank, to print and complete by hand.
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For a parent in England, Wales or Scotland whose child has been off school ill and whose school asks for a note. A short letter to the school giving the dates of the absence and the day you first told the school, and asking for it to be recorded as authorised absence for illness. It does not describe the illness. In England statutory guidance says schools should not routinely ask for medical evidence. Handed in or emailed. Sold blank, to complete by hand, as it holds health data DocMuse does not collect.
- Made for use in England, Scotland and Wales
- Last updated October 29, 2026
- Document in English
Where a UK document reproduces the words of legislation or of a government publication — UK, Scottish or Northern Irish — it contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0.
Published byDocMuse
When to use this document
- Your child was off school ill in England and the school wants a note from you.
- The school in Wales has asked you to confirm in writing the days your child missed through illness.
- You rang the school in Scotland on the first morning but the teacher still wants a written note.
- You want your child's sickness absence recorded as authorised.
What you fill in
The details the document asks for.
- Sender
- Sender's address
- Town or city
- Sender's postcode
- Date
- School
- School's address
- Recipient's postcode
- Child's name
- Class teacher
- Absent from
- Absent until
- Date the school was told of the absence
- Phone
Common questions
- Does the school need a doctor's note when my child is off sick?
- Usually not. In England the Department for Education's statutory attendance guidance says schools should not routinely ask parents for medical evidence of an illness absence, and should ask only where they have genuine and reasonable doubt; GPs do not normally write notes for short illnesses. In Wales and Scotland, follow the school's attendance policy. If evidence is asked for, a prescription, an appointment card or a hospital letter can serve.
- How do I tell the school that my child is ill?
- Use the school's own procedure, usually a phone call, an app message or an email on the first morning of the absence; schools follow up children whose absence is not explained. A written note like this one confirms the dates afterwards, when the school asks for one or when your child has been away for several days.
- Can a school record an illness absence as unauthorised?
- The school decides how each absence is recorded. If it doubts that a child was ill, it can ask for evidence and may record the absence as unauthorised, which then counts towards the thresholds councils in England and Wales use for penalty notices. Ask the school to tell you if it does not accept the reason, and use its complaints procedure if you disagree.
How you can sign this document
- Print it and sign by hand. The signature lines in the document are left blank on purpose — sign on them in ink.
- Sign it yourself with a qualified electronic signature. If you already hold a QES — Evrotrust, B-Trust, StampIT, ZealiD or any qualified provider on the EU Trusted List, on a card, a USB token, in a mobile app or in the cloud — our signing guide explains step by step how to sign this exact file without invalidating it. Step-by-step help, and a way to check it worked
DocMuse sells documents, not legal advice. Acceptance always depends on the recipient's rules and your local law.
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