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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To have to keep children off school with cold symptoms

50 replies

wondering1 · 15/01/2013 10:07

I'm interested in your thoughts. A child in DD's reception class has recently been diagnosed with asthma. Been very ill in hospital but now back at school. Being winter there are loads of coughs and colds going round. The mother and teacher have asked that any child with any cold symptoms (even if well in themselves I get the impression) be kept at home until fully recovered to minimse risk to child with asthma.

Thoughts?

OP posts:
backwardpossom · 15/01/2013 10:10

I think not going to school because of a wee sniffle is a bit of a nonsense, really. What if the teacher has a cold, would s/he be told not to go in to work - I doubt it!

But maybe IABU Wink

WorraLiberty · 15/01/2013 10:11

My thoughts are OFSTED would have a fucking field day if they heard that.

NumericalMum · 15/01/2013 10:11

Hmmm. I can see why the mother asks but last year my DC would have been off nursery for about 5 months without any cold symptoms?!

dreamingbohemian · 15/01/2013 10:12

I think given it can be so difficult for people to rearrange things when their children are sick, they are asking for a bit too much. But maybe it's something people can keep in mind when their children are borderline?

Maybe they can use this as an opportunity to teach the kids about germs and hygiene and such?

Tailtwister · 15/01/2013 10:12

This is tricky. My DC seem to spend most of the winter months with some cold symptom or other. If I kept them off for everything they would never be at nursery!

I can understand them wanting to minimise the risk to the child with asthma though.

Gumby · 15/01/2013 10:12

God this time of year they're all coughing & sneezing

Yanbu

MolotovCocktail · 15/01/2013 10:14

Erm ... It's not a clear-cut decision, isn't it?

On the one hand, the poor child who has asthma doesn't want to become infected with bacteria/viruses that could lead to chest infections.

On the other hand, a cold is a cold. I keep my eldest daughter off when she's feeling ill with a cold, but the is usually no more than 1-2 days. She might still have a runny nose when she returns to school. This is normal at my DDs (very lovely) school.

My personal feeling is that if the child with asthma isn't well enough i.e. that his/her immune system is still compromised, then it is THAT child who should not be in school. I really feel for the kid, but why should your child miss days of their education when you wouldn't
ordinarily keep them off?

I'd be inclined to get impressions from a few trusted Mums from your DCs class. If they feel like me, then you need to flag this as an issue with relevant staff at school.

MolotovCocktail · 15/01/2013 10:16

Some type-o's in my post there, sorry.

PolkadotCircus · 15/01/2013 10:16

Blimey my DS wouldn't have been at school for months and is one would presume entitled to an education,I'd love to see how said school could enforce excluding children from school for no good reason. Does that extend to kids in the dinner hall,assembly hall,playground?

Our school are quite rightly the opposite- you go whatever unless there is d and v.Just packed DS off yet again with a pack of tissues just this morning.

Picturesinthefirelight · 15/01/2013 10:29

As a child I had bad asthma and during the winter months silent weeks at a time off school.

My mum would never have dreamed if asking other children to stay off school with a common cold in order to protect me.

PolkadotCircus · 15/01/2013 10:33

Hmmm shame they don't take the same stance with nits Grin

Seriously though I simply don't see how they can enforce it. I quite simply would have sent my DS today and if he was sent home would be on the phone to county and Ofsted pdq-what about parents that work?

No objections to collecting dc if they need to be at home but if everybody stayed at home every time they had a sniffle the country would grind to a halt.

Flobbadobs · 15/01/2013 11:46

any cold symptoms? Christ I'd have to home educate from September till March...

valiumredhead · 15/01/2013 11:47

I think if the child is that bad than they should be kept at home - all kids have a sniffle/cold.

I have never heard such a ridiculous thing and as someone else said, I bet OFSTED would have something to say! Grin

ubik · 15/01/2013 11:50

that is utterly ridiculous.

a cold is not a reason to keep your child off school. it sounds as if asthmatic child is not well enough to attend.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 15/01/2013 11:54

It is a tricky one but I'd say MolotovCocktail's analysis is right. If the child with asthma is too ill to be in the normal school environment, germs and all, they should be the one who is either off sick or being taught away from the class. You can't keep your children out of school every time they have a sniffle.

Mumsyblouse · 15/01/2013 11:55

Whether right or wrong, the pressure to have very high attendance (95% plus) is strong now, I'd be very surprised if the headteacher sanctioned this as their OFSTED results depend on attendance.

Minor colds I would not keep a child home, a sore throat is often gone by the evening. Sniffles can last for days when the child is fine.

I often feel sorry for children going in when they are really ill, but I don't count the end of a cold as really ill, I think it's inpractical to stay off at the first hint of a cold, nor do I think it will help the child with asthma unless they are confined to the classroom and don't mix with the rest of the school. With 30 children, some will be sickening for a cold without symptoms at any one time anyway.

Sugarice · 15/01/2013 11:56

The Mum has the best intentions but it's totally unreasonable to expect children to stay off with a runny nose, cough just to prevent her child becoming ill.

By all means stress the importance of hand washing and supply tissues to cough and sneeze into but that's about as much as should be expected.

Original poster
wondering1 · 15/01/2013 11:58

Private school so not constrained by OFSTED and presumably can make own policies on exclusion? It's not come "officially" from head teacher or anything - just a "friendly email" from the class teacher and reiterated verbally by mother.

OP posts:
everlong · 15/01/2013 11:58

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Wheresmycaffeinedrip · 15/01/2013 11:59

I can understand the mum not wanting their asthma child to be infected with a cold but if the child is that run down and ill then they are the ones that should be home. Let's face it kids aren't going to miss important homework and tests for a sniffle are they. It's winter kids have a permanent runny nose.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 15/01/2013 12:00

Is it temporary for the next few weeks or is it an ongoing request, OP?

backwardpossom · 15/01/2013 12:01

I asked earlier about what if the teacher has a cold, are they expected to stay off? I ask as a teacher who is just getting over a cold I had for 12 weeks (could not shift it at all - am pregnant so felt doubly rotten, would have days where I thought it felt better and was going away, then next day I'd be back to square one). Would I have been given the three months off work?!

everlong · 15/01/2013 12:02

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

GhoulWithADragonTattoo · 15/01/2013 12:04

As it's a private school I think I'd be telling the head you'll be forced to move the children to a new school if this situation is going to last more than a few weeks. You're paying for the education therefore you should receive it as long as your child is well enough to attend.

Original poster
wondering1 · 15/01/2013 12:05

Ghoul - I don't know - this is part of my concern. A lot of children could potentially miss a lot of school. The child has only just been diagnosed and has been VERY ill so understandably parents are in panic mode. And the child is well enough to be at school now - they are just worried about a cold causing another flare up. It all may calm down if the asthma is kept under control over the coming months. I do appreciate how scary it must be but just am not sure this approach is realistic.

OP posts:
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