48 hour sickness exclusion - too long?

[julie w]

I printed off the official sickness exclusion list to give to parents. However our local primary school only states 24 hours exclusion for sickness and diarrhoea whereas the childminding one is 48 hours. Is there a medical reason to have 48 hours exclusion? It does seem quite a long time to be off, especially if a child has been fine for at least 24 hours. It also makes it difficult if the schools policy is different to mine. Any advice is most appreciated thank you.

[moggy]

I printed off the official sickness exclusion list to give to parents. However our local primary school only states 24 hours exclusion for sickness and diarrhoea whereas the childminding one is 48 hours. Is there a medical reason to have 48 hours exclusion? It does seem quite a long time to be off, especially if a child has been fine for at least 24 hours. It also makes it difficult if the schools policy is different to mine. Any advice is most appreciated thank you.

Health Protection Agency have this handy poster for us and schools to follow- I suggest you give a copy to the school ASAP and request a response from them. They are putting the children, including yours, and the staff at risk if they are not following the 48 hour rules:


www.hpa.org.uk/webc/hpawebfile/hpaweb_c/1194947358374

ETA: now see HPA is now Public Health England. I can not find an updated document on their website, anyone got any written evidence quoting the 48hr rule?
I am sure I have read it on NHS website too- OP could look there too.

[moggy]

Here it is:

Absence from school - Live Well - NHS Choices

again, 48hr rule.

Also, we are food handlers so covered by Food Standards Agency, link to document at the bottom of this page:

Food Standards Agency - Hygiene reminder following NI E.coli outbreak

So, basically, it IS 48hrs from last symptoms. School need to be told ASAP.

[FussyElmo]

Schools are ignoring the 48hour rule because they get marked down by ofsted for low attendances

48 hours is there to stop it spreading back and forth between children/adults.

[rickysmiths]

Not all school are I have an after school one at the moment and he was sick yesterday and mum said he was not at school(no pick up to day or tomorrow) and she would let me know if he was back at school by Friday.

[bunyip]

Schools are ignoring the 48hour rule because they get marked down by ofsted for low attendances

48 hours is there to stop it spreading back and forth between children/adults.

This is where 'performance-driven' policies have got us. School are more worried about missing attendance targets than they are by the idea of a few dead children.

[Mouse]

I was surprised when I phoned our senior school last year to say my son wouldn't be in as he'd been sick that morning. I said I knew it was 48 hours before he could be back, but was told that didn't count any more and to send him back as soon as possible

In a way I'm glad they don't stick to the 48 hour rule. My children all suffer from migraine, which make them sick. But they're sick once at the very end, then they're OK (just the same as I was at that age). I really wouldn't want to keep them off for 48 hours every time they had a migraine as they'd be missing too much school.

But I do know when it's a migraine making them ill and when it's something else. For anything else I keep them off, no matter what school says.

[Koala]

I'm not happy that the 48hr rule isn't followed at school and I agree it's to meet attendance performance.

My son was sent home from school sick (his stomach contents out of his mouth) - day one, I kept him home the next day and the school rang to ask why he wasn't in, yes they knew he was sick the previous day however they said if he felt better he could come in to school. And spread his bugs, puke and lurgy to all on sundry because they don't care about the welfare of the children or adults in the school just ticks on registers - ok they didn't say that but it's how I interpreted their phone call. UNBELEIVABLE!!

[blue bear]

It's 48 hours at the local primary, the senior school when I range to say he had been sick this morning, she said what time as if before 8.30 he could go in!
I went nuts, my middle child has a low immune system and they were putting him at risk, needless to say they changed it to 48 hours after I contacted lea.

[hectors house]

I thought that sickness was an authorised absence and didn't count against the school.

[samb]

I thought that sickness was an authorised absence and didn't count against the school.

unfortunately not, it still goes against the school.