A school has backtracked on its plans to refuse absence requests from pupils who were suffering from period pains after the policy was slammed by JK Rowling.
Neale-Wade Academy in March, Cambridgeshire, has been criticised for asking teenage girls to medically prove their period cramps hurt before authorising sick days.
The policy was condemned by charities, campaigners and Ms Rowling, who said on X: ‘Girls must prove that their uterine cramps are painful. Boys must be believed when they say ‘I’m a girl’.’
In response to the criticism, principal Graham Horn wrote in an email on Thursday that the school had consulted the Department for Education and parents would not need to supply a doctor’s note.
The email said: ‘We are aware of the pressures on local GPs and the resulting difficulties in getting appointments, as well as the challenges faced when trying to get a medical diagnosis for some conditions.
‘We have also consulted DfE for guidance and I can confirm we do not require doctor’s notes or other medical information to support reasons for absence, such as period pains.’
The school also acknowledge the ‘concerns from the community and beyond’.
Parents have welcomed the news with one claiming it was a ‘step in the right direction’.
In a letter sent to parents and guardians last week, Neal-Wade Academy run by The Active Learning Trust, said it would no longer authorise absences if they used terms such as ‘poorly’, ‘ill’ or ‘period pains (unless we have medical information relating)’.
The school said its policy was in line with statutory guidance on absences and would be put in place with immediate effect.
Charities such as Endometriosis UK criticised the policy and urged ‘all schools to improve their awareness of menstrual health conditions to ensure students are well supported’.
And campaigner Jen Moore said the policy meant teenagers would be ‘gaslighted’ into thinking they aren’t dealing with their symptoms correctly.
Endometriosis UK said: ‘Period pain that impacts day to day life, including causing absences from school, can be a symptom of endometriosis and other menstrual health conditions, and must be taken seriously.’
The gynaecological disease can cause severe period pain and heavy periods which can be debilitating. It takes an average of eight years to get a diagnosis.
Cambridgeshire County Council say on their website that an ‘unauthorised’ absence is when the school does not receive an explanation on why the child is not attending.
An ‘unauthorised’ absence can also be recorded if the school considers the explanation ‘unsatisfactory’.
All schools are required to consider a fine when a child has missed 10 or more sessions (five days) for unauthorised reasons.
As of August, this year, the fine for school absences is £80 if paid within 21 days and £160 if within 28 days.