Should your child be ill please inform the class teacher or school secretary on the first day of absence. All families will be contacted by phone if no reason has been received for your child to be absent from school. If your child suffers sickness or diarrhea please ensure they have been clear of illness for 48 hours before they return to school.
In the Health Protection Agency document, “Guidelines for the Control of Infection and Communicable Disease in School and Early Years Settings”, the guidance is:
Diarrhoea and/or vomiting commonly affects children and staff and can be caused by a number of different germs, including viruses, parasites and bacteria. Infections can be easily spread from person to person (by unwashed hands), especially in children. In general, it is recommended that any staff member or child with diarrhoea and/or vomiting symptoms must stay away from the school or early years setting until they have been free of symptoms for 48 hours (the ‘48 hour rule’) and feel well. Personal hygiene whilst ill must be very strict.
If your child is sick at school, we will ask you or your emergency contact to take your child home. They should not return for 48 hours. We appreciate that this is inconvenient in many cases, and you may not believe your child is ill, but you will appreciate that we do this in all cases and it should reduce the risk of infection for all children in school. As an example, if your child is sick at lunchtime on a Tuesday, they should not return to school until after lunch on Thursday, provided there have not been any further episodes of vomiting.
Thank you for your understanding with this. Further guidance on infection control may be found on the Public Health England Website.
Children who arrive late for school, after the register has been completed the children are recorded as having an absence.
Illness, dental and medical appointments are legitimate reasons for absence. If you plan for your child to take a day, or more, off school you must fill in a holiday request form before the event. Parents may request up to 10 school days, but it is at the headteacher’s discretion that they are granted. The beginning of terms and during SATs should be avoided.
Please remember time out of school does affect your child’s progress and it is not always possible to provide work at home.