School 'banning' pupils from being absent period pain

JK Rowling has slammed a secondary school for refusing to accept absence requests from pupils who were suffering from period pains.

Neale-Wade Academy in March, Cambridgeshire, has been criticised for asking teenage girls to medically prove their period cramps hurt before authorising sick days.

Campaigners such as Endometriosis UK's Jen Moore says the policy tells girls 'their word is not good enough' and 'plunges menstrual health backwards'.

Ms Rowling has now also decided to weigh in on the debate, taking to X to post: 'Girls must prove that their uterine cramps are painful. Boys must be believed when they say 'I'm a girl'.'

When asked by another X user how pupils were meant to prove that their pain was real, the Harry Potter author replied: 'God knows. Identify as being in pain?'

In a letter sent to parents and guardians last week, the school, 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)'.

Neal-Wade Academy said its policy was in line with statutory guidance on absences and would be put in place with immediate effect.

Charities and campaigners have criticised the policy, with Endometriosis UK urging 'all schools to improve their awareness of menstrual health conditions to ensure students are well supported'.

Ms Moore said the policy meant teenagers would be 'gaslighted' into thinking they aren't dealing with their symptoms correctly.

The Endometriosis campaigner and educator, from Papworth Everard in Cambridgeshire, was diagnosed in 2022 with endometriosis and adenomyosis and suffered heavy periods in her teens.

She said: 'It was like a red flag to a bull. It plunged me back into being in secondary school with these conditions that took 22 years to be diagnosed.

'I was vomiting, in pain and dosed up on codeine, with heat patches stuck to my body.

'It tells people that your pain isn't serious enough. People may say they're only asking for additional information but the school have said it has to come from a medicial professional.

'It took me 22 years to be diagnosed and for 22 years I told doctors I had painful periods and was told I had to get on with things.

'So many teenagers are gaslighted into thinking they aren't dealing with it properly and it is creating a toxic environment for discussion of menstrual health.'

Ms Moore, 35, reached out to the school to speak to them about menstrual health awareness and said they had accepted her offer.

She added: 'There is a lot more awareness of menstrual health and endometriosis but we're not necessarily seeing the action to back up this awareness.

'This is one of these policies that takes it backwards and it is not helpful.

'Patients and teenagers aren't seeing the effects of this awareness and at this infant stage of taking women's health seriously, policies like this aren't helpful.

'We should be believing the person whose telling you about their pain and believe the impact it is having on their life.

'There's a real stigmatisation that we're dramatising our symptoms but we're more likely to be downplaying them and brushing them aside to carry on living.

'We're not being believed as reliable narrators.'

The email sent by Neale-Wade academy also sparked anger amongst parents.

A parent who anonymously posted the email on Facebook said: 'You do not own my child. If they ill, they ill.... There is a bug going round at the moment.'

A parent who commented beneath the post said: 'Although I agree in principle - the few have ruined it for the many.

'However, as a sufferer of Endometriosis I take offence in the claim of period pains without medical info relating.

'I suffered dreadfully and still do with my periods but was not diagnosed until my 40's after many trips to the GP and hospital for various tests.'

Another added: 'Can a GP diagnose how subjective pain is? Or are they happy to accept 'has ovaries, therefore ovulates' as medical evidence enough?'

However one parent said: 'The way I understood the email is that they just wish to know why they are off rather than just being told they are ill.

'A simple explanation with a little detail and then it will be authorised.'

Cambridgeshire County Council say on their website that an 'unauthorised' absence is when the school either 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.

Principal Graham Horn said: 'At Neale-Wade Academy, we prioritise student well-being and recognise that regular attendance is crucial for academic success.

'In line with new statutory guidance from the Department for Education and Cambridgeshire Local Authority, effective August 19, we are implementing changes to our attendance policies including how student absence is reported to the school.

'These changes include increased support for students at risk of persistent absence and potential legal consequences for unauthorised absences.

'We appreciate the cooperation of parents and carers as we work together to ensure the best educational outcomes for all our students.'

Reasons provided by parents that would now result in an 'unauthorised absence' include: ill, unwell, poorly, period pains (unless we have medical information relating), has a cold and similar.