My daughters psoriasis and school

[faithandnoah09]

My 7yr old has got quite severe psoriasis which at present is covering 95% of her scalp and 45% of her trunk and back, 15% of her face and is inside of her ears and has now spread to her genitals and legs.  We currently go to the dermo every 4 weeks and she has several creams that have to be applied twice a day.
We are currently experiencing a lot of problems with her school.  We are now having letters from the local education authority about her attendance and it is very distressing as they are being very unsympathetic towards her condition and her hospital appointments.  Her attendance is currently at 75% due to a bad flare up which caused her ear to split and become severely infected, she now has psoriasis quite bad on her genitals and is finding in extremely uncomfortable to wear underwear.  I have read that psoriasis can be classed as a disability now and that the school has to treat her though the disability guidelines that the school have.
The school have been aware of her condition for nearly 2 years and have been kept up to date about her appointments, flare ups and treatments and I have given them permission to access her medical records and yet they still continue to harass myself about her attendance, I do not want her to miss school but there are times she is crying cos of the pain and discomfort, am I wrong in keeping her off school.  I have spoke to her teacher and she isn't behind in any subjects and her education isn't being affected that much.
I really want to know what the next step is as and where I stand legally?
Thanks in advance   

[Luvvi]

Hi there.  I am so sorry to hear you and your daughter are going through such a distressing time.  Whilst I can offer no advice regarding the legalities of attendance etc I would imagine you have done all the right things to date with keeping them informed and offering access to notes.  Perhaps a report from your Dermatologist that you could share with a school counsellor would be helpful.  Other than meeting with the school representatives in person and going through that along with asking for assistance in "home schooling" during the periods she is absent could be pursued.  How would they deal with a child (God forbid) that had a condition which required hospitalisation for long periods of time?

I hope someone can offer you more practical advice in the meantime.  All I could find on the subject was the following and I am sure you have already accessed it yourself.

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It gives some information and guidleines.

Liz

[steelem]

im pleased mothers have come on the boards in desperation  - we all can help with our stories and experience ive sent you a mail ild like to see this girls diet

[Pieman]

hi f&n

my daughter too (although not p related) has required absence from school
on occasion which has led to contact and meetings with the school & an ewo (four times).
At times it can seem that we as parents are losing our right to enable our children
to be away from school on medical grounds/illness without a grilling as a parent we
obviously know our children! 

similar to luvvi's comments:i would request a meeting with the headteacher & a senior ewo responsible for your school with any other healthcare worker responsible for your daughter.
importantly obtain a medical letter from your consultant regarding your daughters psoriasis
or ask the EW to obtain this for you - as you have granted access to your daughters medical records. All parties need to work towards forming a care plan @ school and if provision may also be needed for home education...your school should have a plan for this and work with necessary agencies to ensure your daughters education needs are met, where education under social inclusion cannot always be met because of medical needs/illness.

check out:
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You are not allowed to view links. Register or Login  (pdf doc)

pie

[rinbag]

Steelem, you need to stop harrassing people about their diets. It's the individuals choice and it does't even work for everyone.

faithandnoah09 - I'm sorry I can't really offer any advice. I went through the same thing at school. My P started at 11 and I never wanted to be at school because of the amount I had visible. I also get it in my ears and I know how painful an ear infection can be. I feel really sorry for your poor daughter and the treatment you're getting from her school is disgusting. I hope they start to listen to you!

[terri24]

I really do sympathise with your situation! It must be extremely distressing for you and your daughter and I would imagine she wants to get back to school as much as they want her back.

I suffer with P so know the pain of flare ups! However, I am also a teacher and understand why the school are behaving in this way. My school are also currently having a big clamp down on persistent absentees (although they are focusing on students who do not have chronic medical problems). Schools are often under immense pressure to meet attendance targets and may have been advised by Ofsted that they need to improve their attendance figures. These could be possible reasons for their constant pressure on you and your daughter.

I would suggest that you need to meet with the EWO and other relevant staff to discuss your daughter's condition. Gather as much medical literature as possible i.e. doctors/dermo letters which document the current situation. Try to find out whether there is any way for your her to attend education elsewhere. For example, hospital schooling etc (this will depend on your local education authority).

I know it's frustrating for you but you just need to keep trying with them. Hopefully you will be able to come to a solution that will satisfy both your daughter and her school.

I hope this helps a bit!

[steelem]

rinbag   have you any advice to give ?? - so please stop commenting if you cant help - i reiterate my purpose on diet once again - people fail with diet because of this 1. they have no idea how to cut out the things they have been doing all there life 2. no i dea on diet 3. no idea on nutrition 4. no idea on hydration 5. no idea on exercise. 6. try things for a week or even a month or even a couple of months and think it doesnt work not actually giving it a chance to work..  i have fell into this categories myself for years and years until 2 years ago and guess what im clear today - so rinbag and you other sceptics out there - how did i do it - how did many others thru diet do it..because we knew how to defeat steps 1.2.3.4.5.6

[Ana]

sorry to hear what your daughter is going through. That must be awful for her. How are the school managing the situation when she is in school? My psoriasis came on when I was 6 and I was treated a bit like a leper when I was there so I hope your daughter's school are helping her when she attends and I hope they back off when she can't make it in.

[kerrieginge]

im pleased mothers have come on the boards in desperation  - we all can help with our stories and experience ive sent you a mail ild like to see this girls diet

Glad diet worked for you but you can't really just demand to see someome's diet. Especially when the post wasn't really about treating the poor girl's skin

I really hope you can sort things out with your daughter's school, faithandnoah. 

[steelem]

well i did see this girls diet - and to say the least its awful..