Medical Certificates (Sick Notes)
Where students are absent from classes as a result of illness (including injury or surgery/ hospitalisation), a Special Circumstances Form should be completed by the student concerned and returned to their personal tutor or other appropriate staff in their academic department.
Please note the Special Circumstances Form replaces the use of both the Student Medical Self-Certificate and the Student Sickness/Absence Report Form.
The Special Circumstances Form can be used to report:
- Short-term absences due to illness of up to 7 days
- Absences due to illness involving a period of more than 7 days
- Absences due to illness which have affected examination/assessment
Students should also read the explanatory notes accompanying the form, which explains when a doctor's note/certificate may also be required to be submitted with the form. In general, short-term absences due to illness of up to 7 days do not require a doctor's note/certificate. However, for absences due to illness for periods of more than 7 days or where examinations/assessment is affected, an academic department may require a doctor's note/certificate as well.
The Special Circumstances Form can also be used to report non-medical personal circumstances which may result in absence and/or affect a student's performance or examinations/assessment, for example:
- Personal/family problems
- Difficult events, e.g. bereavement
- Serious incidents, e.g. being affected by crime