Exclusion period

**Helen Dempster** · 27-08-2012, 03:13 PM

Hi gang

I'm just updating my paperwork (like the rest of you I'm sure!) and I've reached my exclusion period page. I was just wondering how long you exclude for measles and chicken pox? I've got 7 days from onset of rash for both in my policy, but I was given a sheet from a school teacher friend of mine and theirs says 5 days from onset.

Could someone please clarify? Thank you

**singingcactus** · 27-08-2012, 03:50 PM

I don't have exclusion periods written down into any policy, I generally just inform parents verbally - this is just because I never know what kids I will have etc and what the impact on them would be, for example they all got chicken pox here at the same time this year so I didn't exclude at all, and I had one child with hand foot and mouth and no others in attendance that week so also didn't exclude, if I had it written into my policies that they must have been excluded for 5 days it would have been silly for these situations, or I would have had to break my own policies if I told parents they could still come.

But if I did have to exclude it would be around the 5 day period - unless the child in question was a particularly sickly child then I might suggest to parents that they keep their child home for a little longer. I prefer to be able to refer my parents to the current guidelines rather than have an unbreakable policy in place.

**sarah707** · 27-08-2012, 04:34 PM

http://www.hpa.org.uk/webc/HPAwebFil.../1194947358374

Hth

**cathtee** · 27-08-2012, 04:37 PM

I agree with singing cactus, i assess the affect on the others, ring parents and ask if the mind the chickenpox lo comes, normally the don't mind as they either want their lo to get it or they have already had it.