Common Illness

When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school.

Not every illness needs to keep your child away from school. If you keep your child away from school, be sure to inform the school on the first day of their absence.

Use common sense when deciding whether or not your child is too ill to attend school. Ask yourself the following questions:

Is your child well enough to do the activities of the school day? If not, keep your child at home.
Does your child have a condition that could be passed on to other children or school staff? If so, keep your child at home.

Whether you send your child to school will depend on how severe you think the illness is. This guidance can help you make that judgement.

Remember: if you are concerned about your child’s health, consult a health professional.

If you aren't sure, or have concerns, please read the NHS guidance:

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

Guidance_on_infection_control_in schools_poster.pdf

Public Health England Guidance

Common Illnesses for Children of School Age

Below are some of the common conditions for children of school age. This list does not include every illness or ailment, please do seek medical advice if you are concerned about the health of your child.

Click on the titles to go straight to the NHS webpage for further information.

Minor Coughs and Colds – A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school. If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school, visit the GP and return to school 24 hours after they start to feel better. If your child has a more severe and long-lasting cough, consult your GP. They can give guidance on whether the child should stay off school.

Raised temperature – If your child has a raised temperature, they shouldn’t attend school. They can return 24 hours after they start to feel better.

Rash – Rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn’t attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.

Headache – A child with a minor headache doesn’t usually need to be kept off school. If the headache is more severe or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as raised temperature or drowsiness, then keep the child off school and consult your GP.

Vomiting and diarrhoea – Children with these conditions should be kept off school. They can return 48 hours after their symptoms disappear. Most cases of vomiting or diarrhoea get better without treatment, but if symptoms persist, consult your GP.

Sore throat – A child who complains of a slight sore throat and has no other symptoms is fit to go to school. A sore throat with a high temperature is an indication that the child should stay at home

Conjunctivitis – Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school or from childcare if they have infective conjunctivitis, unless there is an outbreak of several cases.

Tonsillitis – Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school or from childcare. There are many causes, but most cases are due to viruses and do not need an antibiotic.

Head-lice – Guidance from Public Health England (PHE) (the Health Protection Agency) states that it is not necessary to exclude a child from school however treatment is recommended where live lice have been seen to prevent an outbreak in school.

Impetigo – Your child cannot attend school until lesions are crusted and healed, or 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment. Antibiotic treatment speeds healing and reduces the infectious period.

Coldsores - Your child can attend school unless they have an accompanying high temperature or are unable to practice good hygiene. Your healthcare provider will give you more information, do encourage your child not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Scarlett Fever - This is highly contagious and your child cannot attend school 24 hours from taking their first dose of antibiotics.

Chickenpox - Your child cannot attend school until all the spots have formed a scab, this is usually 5 days after the spots appeared.

Please remember to inform the school of your Childs absence: Reporting Absences