Illness

You can count isolated periods of illness as authorised absence if you're convinced the illness was genuine. Please ensure the students provide appropriate evidence. You have the right to turn down a request for authorisation if you suspect the reason was not genuine.

We recommend that you apply your Learning Centre's current procedures for illness absences for EMA purposes. This is in line with the general rule for authorised absences. For example, a student might self-certify an absence for up to 5 days, but it is at your discretion how many 5-day certifications you accept. Beyond this period, the student must produce evidence such as a medical certificate.

EMA is designed to help with the costs of attending a post-compulsory course at a school or further education college in Northern Ireland. For this reason, long-term illness is not an acceptable reason for authorising absences.

You must review any medical absence of 3 weeks or more and decide whether it should be categorised as long-term illness.