St Andrew's C of E Primary School

It can be tricky deciding whether or not to keep your child off school when they're unwell.

There are government guidelines for schools and nurseries about health protection and managing specific infectious diseases at GOV.UK. These say when children should be kept off school and when they shouldn't.

If you do keep your child at home, it's important to phone the school on the first day of absence to us know that your child won't be in and give a reason.

If your child is well enough to come to school but has an infection that could be passed on, such as a cold sore or head lice, please let their class teacher know.

Below is a Child Health and Illness Procedure for information.

Procedures for Sick Children in School

If a child becomes ill in school the following procedures will be followed:

• If a child informs a member of staff that they feel unwell the member of staff will monitor the child and rule out any common reasons by ensuring that they have been to the toilet, that they are hydrated and that they are warm/cool enough. The member of staff will check that there is nothing worrying the child. Staff will also check that there is no known condition on medical lists for this child. Following initial checks, the member of staff will liaise with a member of the Senior Leadership Team and decide whether symptoms may require a call home. If this is the case they will contact the office and a call will be made home.
• If symptoms suggest that they do not require a call home then the teacher will continue to monitor in class or request that they are monitored (as they feel sick) by admin in the first aid area. The child will be monitored and should the symptoms worsen a call home will be made. If in any doubt a call will be made to parents to discuss the pupil.
• If contact cannot be made with parents then staff will contact the emergency contacts provided by the parents on the admissions form.
• If parents/ emergency contacts cannot be reached the child will be made comfortable and monitored and staff will continue to try to make contact.
• If necessary a first aider will be consulted for advice on an illness.
• If a child has sickness or diarrhoea in school they will be sent home immediately; children should not return to school for 48 hours after their last case of sickness/diarrhoea (as per advice from NHS https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/
• In the case of an emergency when the child’s health is at risk an ambulance will be called and a member of staff will accompany the child to hospital. Parents/ authorised adult will be contacted. As soon as possible a senior member of staff will be informed.

The use of Adrenaline Auto-Injector (AAI) Pens (e.g. EpiPen)

St Andrew’s Primary School has the following emergency Adrenaline Auto-Injector pens in school:

Adrenaline auto-injectors (AAI) are prescribed to those at risk of a severe allergic reactions (anaphylaxis) and school will administer the child’s own AAI in the first instance if readily available. The emergency (“spare”) AAI device will be used (if needed) on a child where:

• the school has a care plan confirming that the child is at risk of anaphylaxis
• the child has been prescribed AAI or a healthcare professional has authorised use of a spare AAI in that child
• the child’s parent/guardian has also provided consent.

​In addition to the above (under Regulation 238 of the Human Medicines Regulations 2012) we will use the school’s spare adrenaline auto-injector(s) for any pupil or other person not known by the school to be at risk of anaphylaxis in an emergency. Written permission is not required; however, this is for exceptional circumstances only where the reaction could not have been foreseen.

The use of Asthma Inhalers

Inhalers are prescribed to those children diagnosed with asthma, or who have been prescribed an inhaler as reliever medication. It is our policy in school to ensure that children who have been diagnosed with asthma have ready access to inhalers at all times.   If for any reason a child does not have their inhaler in school and there is an emergency where they need asthma medication, we have a school Salbutamol Inhaler - but this is intended for use as an EMERGENCY ONLY and we require parental consent before this can be used.