fewer d&v outbreaks in private schools...

[actuallyfromholbycity]

My friend works in statistics and research where she covers infection control and disease outbreaks. She told me from where she's sitting, there are fewer d&v outbreaks in private schools.

(This is not official research, just something she has observed.)

She thinks it's because parents don't think twice about keeping their children off an extra day if they are ill because they don't get penalised and because private schools generally have more money to do a regular deep clean and educate and enforce kids to wash hands after toilet and before eating.

Does this sound like bullshit to you?

We've just been told to ensure we take the full 48 hours off for D&V and stay clear if our kids are ill as there is s child with a compromised immune system. Our school is quite relaxed on that front.

Interesting question. Fewer pupils and les crowded spaces?
Blimey, some touchy people around here reading a lot into some stats

it would be interesting to know what percentage of private school parents are sahp, or work in flexible roles compared to state school parents.

No, this sounds about right. People who aren't under the threat of unfair letters and fines, and who can afford emergency childcare, are less likely to send their kids in ill/still ill.

I have blessed my lucky stars before when both kids threw up on Friday night - because it meant if they stopped vomming by morning, they missed no school. That's not right, is it?

The state of toilets in state schools is pretty poor. I reckon that has a lot to do with how quickly bugs spread.

Smaller classes, so fewer children using the toilets.

People who can afford private school fees are probably more likely to be able to afford childcare or to take time off work/work from home at short notice so can observe the recommended time off after D&V.

There’s no money thanks to austerity. Fucking Tories.

Fucking Labour that put us in the shit

Fining parents for having ill kids isn't safeguarding, it's bullying.

Mine is at an independent and we got a letter home just this week to say there have been more outbreaks than usual -reminding parents to keep kids off.

I think it's because the schools are less crowded, there are more outbreaks generally in winter as everyone is trapped indoors together.

well my niece is in a class with 12 people
my son in a room with 37
working in a school I know children do vomit during class time, often over the person sat in front of them in the classroom.
I reckon 37 people are exposed in my sons class in a vomit situation, v 12 in nieces class.

@cdtaylornats

Our 2DC moved from state to private this year (top end of primary). We've had both D&V and nits this term, but never had either while in state sector.

I don't have any point to add!

Isn't it to do with short terms, longer holidays in private schools? So proportionally it's the same.

Schools don't gather this information in any formal sense. What data is she basing this 'observation' on?

Two reasons spring to mind:
1.) Fewer children, so fewer infections.
2.) more Parents can afford to keep their children off school for 48 hours after the last episode.

Backed with no data whatsoever, just my own thoughts ; I would have thought more parents of private school dc would send their dc to school ill over state school because they've already paid for it.

Smaller classes less crowded and the food (which is balanced and very good) is provided (not allowed to take in packed lunches) all helps

Ds school doesn’t follow the 48hr rule it’s 24hr and you are not called to pick them up unless they are really poorly they have an attitude of children need to toughen up

Yes, to a degree that makes sense (I work in health research). People who are more privileged and have more resources, get sick less often. It's the case across all sorts of illnesses. If you live in less crowded accommodation (detached house rather than block of flats, etc.), you're exposed to let germs on doors, hallways, lifts, etc. Likewise, diets may be better because richer people can afford safer, better quality food or may shop in different places with safer suppliers. I imagine that's mostly what explains the difference. It's probably less behaviour than environment and circumstances. But it's quite possible that children with a stay at home parent, or a nanny who is readily available or parents who are salaried are more likely to be kept home compared to parents who work in lower wage work that isn't salaried. My dd is in state school, but my dh runs his own business and I'm in a fairly prestigious professional salaried position where I have a lot of freedom and flexibility (if I just don't turn up one day, no one asks any questions, they assume I'm just working from home and I don't have to justify it). So that makes it easy to take off (I don't even report it or count it as leave). Someone in lower skilled work on hourly or zero hours contract is in a much more precarious position and may have fewer choices unless they want to lose their job.

Small classes
Better funding, deeper cleaning
Fewer penalties and less attendance pressure from school- different culture
Cleaner loos
Possibly better standards at home - compared to some children who attend state schools- so better health/immunity levels in children
Less poverty at home. DH teaches in a school where almost 70% of children are PP and there is some horrendous poverty and living standards.

Could be partly due to those attending boarding schools having less opportunity to mix with sick people in the wider society, or less likely to visit places where they could pick up food-borne pathogens e.g. restaurants, fast food outlets on the whole?

I had a child at a private school. When there was an outbreak they were v strict about the 48 hr rule and I’m addition shut the nursery and got in a company to deep clean everything and replaced a few items.
At the state school my other dc was at things just carried on as normal. Rugs that had been vomited in were spot cleaned and then48 he rule not enforced as rigidly.
Private schools have the funds and resources to do more and the parents are as far as it it’s in my experience more able to take time off

Would it not just be to do with the quality of the cleaning service a private school can afford? So cleaners who are wiping door handles properly, that sort of thing. State school cleaning always seems pretty cursory at best which is presumably to do with cost.

School size critical too I should think. A four form entry primary ( common in london) with thirty kids in each class has nearly three times as many grubby fingers than a two form entry pre prep/ prep with 18 kids in a class.

Your -made up person for a bit of trolling- friend, needs to think a bit deeper before deciding the causation, there are dozens of other confounding factors that could be the reason, there's no reason (even if there was the data) that it was down to haranguing parents on taking days off.