Using the correct guidance when making decisions about your child...
Using appropriate advice for your child’s attendance at school
In order to support parents with making appropriate decisions about children’s attendance at school, we are sharing the following information.
On occasions, some parents are unsure about whether to send their children to school when they are showing certain symptoms, often related to the common cold.
As the NHS website/ guidance states:
‘It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold.’
Below is a screenshot from the NHS guidance for the symptoms for a common cold:
Remember- ‘It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold.’
There is little doubt that children will be affected by such symptoms but this is all part of growing up/ school life. The recent enforced restrictions of the school closures has meant that children have not been enabled to build up their immunity to such issues but now that schools have fully reopened it will allow children to work alongside each other again.
Parents also can report feeling a little guilty when they send their children into school with such symptoms but we hope the NHS information shared on this letter will clarify expectations. Headlice is also not a sufficient reason for keeping a child at home.
More information is available at:
https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-body/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
EVERY day truly matters in school and our aim for 97+% attendance is a fair expectation. This would mean that your children get the education they deserve as well as a number of days (in reserve) if they truly are not able to attend school.