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St Mary's Catholic Primary Schools Trust

What to do if your child is ill

When your child is ill it can be distressing for him or her, and also difficult for you as parents if you have important commitments.

Please telephone the school office as soon as you know that your child will not be in school. You will need to give a specific symptom so that it can be recorded.

When your child returns to school, please write a note for the office explaining the nature of the illness. This will be kept for our records.

Most illnesses only last for a day or two. If your child is ill for longer, a visit to the doctors may be necessary. It is important to bring us an appointment card, which we will photocopy.

In some cases, it will be necessary to keep your child off school for longer, even if he or she appears to be well. This is especially important if he or she has vomitted. The school follows the NHS advice that a child must not have vomitted for forty-eight hours prior to returning to school. Whilst this may be inconvenient and seem illogical, especially if your child makes a rapid recovery, it is vital to limit the spread of infection.  The NHS Direct page has lots of advice related to this, and in particular norovirus (winter vomitting disease).

Click HERE to explore the NHS pages,  which give plenty of background about how to keep your child safe, and prevention.