Keeping track of staff sickness absence is no mean feat. There’s always the chance that an absence or two can slip through the net, which might not seem that important in isolation – but if every member of staff took a day’s sickness without it being recorded, there would certainly be a long-term impact.
Schools tend to have different procedures when it comes to managing sickness absence, but whatever measures you have in place, it’s always worth putting together a robust policy and procedures document and ensuring that it’s communicated to all staff.
It’s important that there be a single point of contact for staff to inform of any absences, who could be the headteacher or a cover supervisor. Schools can certainly benefit from being able to call on the latter, since he or she will possess knowledge of appropriate staffing arrangements and likely be able to organise cover without delay.
Every member of staff should be informed of the procedure you follow and given contact numbers for their immediate colleagues. Your staff absence policy should specify what time staff members ought to be contacted by, and what to do in the event that absent staff can’t be reached.
Your main point of contact should be given clear guidance on what to do once they’ve been informed of an unexplained staff absence, how it should be recorded and what follow-up action ought to be undertaken. Absences should be noted in a record book or via some other means that can be accessed by the headteacher and any other members of staff the absence concerns.
Schools also have a duty of care to their staff, of course. In cases of likely longterm absence, the headteacher should contact the staff in question and enquire about their health. Note that this shouldn’t be used as an opportunity to question the individual about when he or she is likely to return – doing so could add undue pressure to a person who is already in ill health.
The conversation should instead simply look to establish how the person is feeling, and inform him or her of any important school information and dates that they might need to know about.
When a member of staff returns from absence, whether that be after a day, five days or a prolonged period, a ‘return to work’ interview should be conducted with the headteacher. In cases of short term absence, the staff member must complete a self-certification form that’s passed on to the school business manager, who will then use it to update the school’s management information system accordingly.
The SBM should then aim to produce a monthly report showing how many absences each staff member has had, which the headteacher can use to check whether any stage 1 actions might need to be carried out.
Caroline Collins is head of school business strategy and resources at Miles Coverdale Primary School. Follow her on Twitter at @caroline_261.
