To think this child should have been kept off school (nits)?!!!

Nits are absolute fuckers but if your child missed school every time you suspected nits, their attendance would be shot to pieces. They seemed to love my DD when she was little. Every bathtime and hairwash I would carefully comb her (short) hair with a nit comb and a tonne of conditioner, regularly did treatments - chemical, herbal, you name it - but when others aren't taking the same care, they pick them up again.

You've clearly not done your safeguarding training, or paid no attention if you have.
Being nice people and "well to do" does not prevent you also neglecting your children! Neglect isn't exclusive to council house tenants you know, quite the opposite in fact.
As for staying off school with nits, get real.

Not neglect. The poster has been treating the nits and no professional treatment will help if they keep being re-infected at school. I had one of my daughters treated professionally and unfortunately it wasn't long before they were back. They can be very difficult to get rid of.

You’re not the only one. My head is itching now and I definitely don’t have nits!

What worked in the end?

I work in a school in Australia and we send kids home if they present with nits. We do have a very sensible approach to absences though.

I’m not sure that’s true. I haven’t had threadworms since 1998.

I’ve known children have it but have never, in 20+ years, seen a louse running about on a child’s head. For this I am lucky and thankful, I know. Of course I’ve known of children being treated for it, but it shows it’s possible for outbreaks to be minimal in schools where parents would be embarrassed to send their children in with live lice in their heads.

It’s dialect. I know it’s scratching, but I wouldn’t correct someone who said they were itching their head. There are worse things to worry about.

Suleo.

I boarded for two years as a teen and some girls got nits, they were given Suleo to treat it, plus nit combs. I remember the headmistress went berserk, as if the head lice indicated that the school was below par in some way. It was not a big deal and soon sorted.

Being ‘well to do’ and ‘nice people’ means nothing in terms of neglect.
I’ve had families over the years with loads of money, well spoken etc. who don’t give a toss about their children. As well as families who have hardly anything who would do anything for their children.

Head lice is not something that you need to stay off with. If it was you would be off a while as treatment needs to be repeated after a week to ensure everything has been killed off. Schools can’t send out letters these days warning of lice in a class, no ‘nit nurses’ now either.
Leave in conditioner, hair up, tea tree oil can help reduce the risk of Lice transfer.

I don't think this is neglect, this Mother tried her best using many products at great cost to herself.
You state two children died, I did not know this, but you said they were untreated, this Mothrr treated her children.

Years ago when my girls were small you got a lotion and left it on for 24 hours it stunk .You then had to comb through with a metal nit comb to remove the dead ones and sit there trying to remove the empty egg sacks which stick to the bloody hair .plus you had to keep them off school.

I’m sorry but this is neglect. You could’ve hired a professional nit treater or had a chat with your GP’s nurse as they can prescribe something for super nits.
There’s been two children who have died from untreated nits. If daily combing with conditioner genuinely wasn’t working then you should’ve shaved his/her head. Awful yes but better than what nits can do if untreated. Your poor child.

Yes, kids can and do get worms, round and thead. You are not likely to catch those though :). They often catch them from a pet, children are less careful than (most) adults about appropriate hand washing.

It's life!

I was watching an old episode of 'Outnumbered' a week or so ago and the mum (Sue I think), was going through her daughter's hair with fine comb. The daughter, Karen, asked if she could keep a pet nit, it could have babies and then there would be a little town on her head. It was so funny, kids are matter of fact about such things.

Yes

My child had nits 3 times during the great outbreak of 2024 and I kept DC off the first day (Nits were discovered that morning and was my first time trying to remove them so it took me all day to get to shop to buy stuff and then do it) 🙄 Soon learnt that mistake! The following time I kept DC off whilst I treated them and was back at school by 10:30am. Third time was midnight Xmas Eve!
I agree OP. I would never, ever send my child into school knowing they had nits. It’s selfish as fuck

Dude seriously crack a book. Nits can take time to get rid of due to their cycle. Adults can get nits (why do you think men in the war shaved their heads). It’s annoying, irritating and yucky but it isn’t a life threatening disease. Get a grip.

No idea how but with two girls now aged 7&11 we've managed to avoid nits.

I do think I added some tea tree oil to their shampoo when in reception and y1.

Nitty gritty comb and cheap conditioner is the best. Every Sunday night when I there was a wave.

I have never known anyone to be kept off for nits. they’re not sick?? The parents are treating it so I don’t see what the issue is. You are a teaching assistant, surely it is common and you know at least one child in class to have it at least once a year?

I’m an experienced TA and the idea of nits still give me the heebie jeebies. Thankfully I’ve never had to deal with them, even with my own dc, and I don’t think it’s one of those things that has to be inevitable when you work with young children. There’s a lot that parents can do to prevent and treat head lice and we generally appreciate parents who keep their children at home when they’re likely to infect or infest others. Even if the attendance policy does say otherwise.

Absolutely normal for schools. You don't get authorised sick days for nits or worms. If children were allowed to not attend or had to be kept off school for nits or worms some children would barely come to school. I taught one class where a child had nits pretty much year round. Usually a letter/ email is sent out to the parents saying there are nits in the class. Best thing you can do is tea tree shampoo, nit comb through regularly and stay vigilant to them.

My DD had nits for basically an 18 month period starting half way through year 2, and finishing at the end of year 3. So no, I wasn’t keeping her off that long! You would not believe how many products I tried and how much time and money was spent, I just couldn’t get rid of them. I finally found a different product which actually worked (none of the others had worked) and that sorted it. Might also have helped that it was just about the summer holidays by then so not in school to catch them again.

Of course you can't keep kids off school for nits, the class would be half empty every day