It’s important to inform the school if your child is going to be absent. On the first day of your child's illness, telephone the school to tell them that your child will be staying at home. The school may ask about the nature of the illness and how long you expect the absence to last.

If it becomes clear that your child will be away for longer than expected, phone the school as soon as possible to explain this.

It is really important that you keep the school informed and up to date with your correct contact details in case we need to contact you in an emergency. If you change your phone number or address please inform the office immediately.

Please see our 'Administration of medicines policy' for information about which medicines the school is able to administer and the procedures which must be put in place and agreed with the Headteacher. You must complete a medicine consent form to give permission to enable your child to take it and the packaging must be clearly labelled with the chemists name, child's name, dose and instructions for use. Forms are available from the office and can be e-mailed to you.

If your child has sickness or diarrhoea they must be off at least 48 hours after the last episode. It is very important you do not allow your child to come back before this time; even though they may appear to be better, they can still be carrying the virus which can cause other children to catch the sickness.

When your child is unwell, it can be hard deciding whether to keep them off school. A few simple guidelines can help.

Not every illness needs to keep your child 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 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.
• Would you take a day off work if you had this condition? If so, keep your child at home.

Common conditions

If your child is ill, it's likely to be due to one of a few minor health conditions.

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 and the guide below from Derbyshire: 'Should my child go to school?'

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

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

You can read more about medicines for children's common health problems in Medicines for children.

You can get help identifying common childhood illnesses by using the Childhood illness slideshow.

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

Transmission of infections

What are infections, how they are transmitted and those at higher risk of infections