Is my child too ill for school?
It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they’re unwell.
There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn’t.
If you do keep your child at home, it’s important to phone the school as soon as possible and always on the first day to let us know that your child won’t be in and to provide the reason.
If your child is well enough to go to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, let their teacher know.
Infectious Diseases
Children suffering from infectious diseases are not allowed to attend school for certain periods. We ask that you please keep to these time scales to ensure that the school can run effectively and with the least disruption to other pupils. You can find information about specific infectious diseases and their exclusion periods at the link below.
Managing specific infectious diseases: A to Z – GOV.UK
We have created the below table for ease. If you are looking for something not listed, please follow the link above or visit Is my child too ill for school? – NHS
| Illness | Recommended period to be kept away from school |
|---|---|
| Chicken Pox | If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over. This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared. |
| Conjunctivitis | You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis, unless they are feeling very unwell. Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly. |
| Diarrhoea | Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours). |
| German Measles | 4 days from onset of rash |
| Hand, foot and mouth disease | If your child has hand, foot and mouth disease but seems well enough to go to school, there's no need to keep them off. Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues straight away and to wash their hands regularly. |
| Head lice | There's no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice. You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP. |
| High Temperature | If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away and for a minimum of 24 hours after they last recorded a temperature without the use of medication. |
| Impetigo | If your child has impetigo, they'll need treatment from a pharmacist or GP, often with antibiotics. Keep them off school until all the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after they start antibiotic treatment. Encourage your child to wash their hands regularly and not to share things like towels and cups with other children at school. |
| Measles | If your child has measles, they'll need to see a GP. Call the GP surgery before you go in, as measles can spread to others easily. Keep your child off school for at least 4 days from when the rash first appears. They should also avoid close contact with babies and anyone who is pregnant or has a weakened immune system. |
| Mumps | Until swelling has subsided (at least 5 days) |
| Ringworm | If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it's on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP. It's fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment. |
| Scarlet Fever | If your child has scarlet fever, they'll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they'll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks. |
| Slapped Cheek | You don't need to keep your child off school if they have slapped cheek syndrome because, once the rash appears, they're no longer infectious. But let the school or teacher know if you think your child has slapped cheek syndrome. |
| Vomiting | Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours). |
| Whooping Cough | 21 days from the onset of cough, 5 days after antibiotics treatment |
Medication in school
It is the school’s policy that medicines or tablets are not brought into school, but we can administer prescribed medications (at school discretion). Medical forms have to be filled in and are available here.
Children with asthma, allergies and other conditions requiring medication to be kept in school should speak to the school office in the first instance.
All medicines must be brought to the school office, please do not hand medicines to your child’s teacher.
Emergencies
Minor cuts and grazes requiring First Aid are dealt with in school, logged on Arbor and a notification email will be sent; parents will be called in the event of more serious incidents. It is vital that we have the correct contact telephone number for parents and relatives in the case of an emergency.
Please let us know immediately if there are any changes to your contact details.
In the event of a serious accident the school would request an ambulance and while the parent is being contacted and a member of staff would accompany the child to hospital.
If your child has a bump to the head this will result in a phone call home to advise. This will then be logged on Arbor and you will receive a notification by email.