to be thinking of sending DS back to pre-school next Wednesday when still spotty from chicken pox?

[WinlessChunder]

His first spots came out last Tuesday so it will have been 8 days from his initial break-out. They are all starting to scab over now so I'm confident that by Wednesday they will have well and truly scabbed with no new spots.

He doesn't go to pre-school on Tuesdays so next Wednesday would be his first day back. AIBU to consider him OK to go even though he will look unsightly? My understanding is that once the spots have scabbed over he's no longer contagious.

So long as they are all scabbed over it's fine.

as long as the spots have scabbed then he is fine to go back on wednesday

It's fine as long as the spots are scabby and he isn't getting any new ones. Dd3 went back at day 6 when scabby.

It's fine. Those scabs take a long time to go. The official advice these days is exclusion for 5 days after the spots first appear. You don't even have to wait for them to scab over.