Illness & Medicine
Ilness
| Disease | Normal incubation period | Minimum period of exclusion (provided child is well enough to be in school) |
|---|---|---|
| Athletes Foot | Exclusion from barefoot activities unnecessary by hygiene advice essential. | |
| Chickenpox/ Shingles | 14-21 days | 5 days from onset of rash (not necessary for all scabs to be gone). |
| Conjunctivitis | bacterial 1-3 days viral 2-7 days | Until improvement begins with medication if recommended by GP. Hygiene advice essential. |
| Food Poisoning/ Sickness/ Diarrhoea | variable according to cause | Until well and diarrhoea/vomiting has stopped for 48 hours. |
| Hand, Foot & Mouth | clears within 7-10 days | No need to keep your child off school unless they feel unwell. Good hygiene essential. |
| Head lice | Please check your child regularly. Exclusion is not necessary but should be treated promptly. Please use preventative measures. Click here for NHS advice. | |
| Impetigo | Until dry and healing or 48 hours after antibiotic treatment started (unless lesions can be covered). Hygiene advice is essential. | |
| Measles | 10-15 days | 5 days from onset of rash. |
| Meningitis | 2-10 days (commonly 2-5 days) | Until recovered. |
| Mumps | 16-20 days | 5 days from onset of swelling. |
| Ringworm | Cream can be obtained from the chemist. Your child can come to school once they have started treatment but please let us know. Click here for NHS advice. | |
| Rubella (German Measles) | 14-21 days | 5 days from onset to rash. |
| Scarlet Fever | Children should remain at home for 24 hours after the commencement of appropriate antibiotic treatment. Please advise the school office. | |
| Slapped Cheek | 21 days | No need for exclusion unless unwell e.g. high temperature. Please advise school office. |
| Threadworm | 14-42 days | No need for exclusion but should be treated promptly. Hygiene advice essential. Click here for NHS advice. |
| Verrucas | Exclusion from barefoot exercises unnecessary provided warts remain covered by an occlusive plaster. | |
| Whooping cough | 7-10 days | 5 days from commencing antibiotic treatment. |
Accidents and First Aid
You will be contacted if your child is unwell or has been hurt, especially if he/she has bumped their head. If you are unobtainable, further medical advice may be obtained. The local authority’s recommended procedure for first aid is to simply wash and if necessary cover cuts and grazes. Creams, antiseptic lotions or sting creams are not used. We ask you to check dressings and even minor injuries at home.
School Medical
Your child may be offered a selective medical when they start school, usually during their first year, or by special request at other times. You will be asked to fill in a health questionnaire for your child, and if your child is selected for a medical you will be asked to attend the appointment. The school nurse, carries out health checks, which involve measurement of height and weight, vision and hearing. Whilst you are not invited to attend you are notified at the beginning of the year and are promptly informed of any recommended treatment or action. The school nurse can be contacted via school or directly through School Health (tel: 01727 829454) for advice on health problems.
Medicines
It is essential for us to know any relevant medical facts about your child. Is he/she allergic to sticking plaster or bee stings for example? Does your child suffer from diabetes, epilepsy, asthma or other conditions of which we should be aware? If medicine is to be administered in school (at our discretion) then you as parent or carer for your child must bring the medicine to the School Office at the start of the day to complete a consent slip.
Main points of note:
- Medicines should only be brought to school when prescribed by a doctor and in the original packaging from the pharmacy.
- Children prescribed antibiotics should remain at home for 24hrs following administration of the first dose.
- In the case of antibiotics, only those prescribed four times a day may be administered at school. Please note we will only administer 1 dose during the school day.
- Medicines must be clearly marked with: your child’s name, the correct dosage, when they should be given.
The school offers no other tablets or medicines. As throat lozenges can be confused with sweets; children who require these must seek permission from their teacher first. Please ensure medicines are within expiry date. You will receive a note from school when medicines expire. Please see the Medicine Policy on the Policy page for further information.
Head Lice
Children at school are commonly affected by head lice because they have a lot of close contact with each other. Please check regularly for head lice. There is no need for your child to be kept off school if they have head lice. If you suspect your child has head lice be sure to treat your child as soon as possible. It is also useful to inform the class teacher so that other parents can also check and treat their child as necessary. For more information on how to detect and treat head lice, visit the NHS website: www.nhs.uk
Jewellery, Long Hair and General Appearance
Your child will not be allowed to wear jewellery to school (except for stud type ‘sleeper’ earrings or certain religious items). Jewellery is a safety hazard in PE and finding mislaid items can cause considerable loss of teacher time and be distressing to your child. Children will be required to remove or tape over “sleeper” earrings for PE sessions in accordance with Health and Safety regulations. Likewise long hair should be tied back securely and the general appearance of your child should be in keeping with the ethos of the school. Inappropriate appearance could result in your child being sent home. Analogue watches may be worn by junior children to aid their learning to tell the time. These are worn at the owner’s risk of loss or damage.