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?

At boarding schools when there is a bug it knocks everyone out very quickly and is quite unlike anything I’ve seen at day schools. The children are counted as present because they are on school site in sanitarium. Not sure how that would affect stats as it does state they aren’t in lessons, but it isn’t marked as absence.

Fewer.

Fewer kids not less kids.

Less traffic, fewer cars etc.

It is like eating with your mouth open.

Oh and just as good or bad hygiene in most social classes I’ve ever seen (from toffs to hoi polloi) if that helps your friend and his/her rather goady assumptions.

I attended private school and do have to agree (at the time, for me) the food was far above standard. We had a salad/ fruit bar, fresh meats and cheese, fresh pasta etc aswell as numerous 'hot' options, however that's about all I agree with.

I’d argue that most private schools provide fruit throughout the day and the food is often included in the fees so kids are eating decent meals. This helps enormously

Fruit makes no difference to whether someone catches D&V!, Calvin!!!

That's all down to good handwashing and good hand hygiene.

Fewer kids, smaller class sizes, better facilities? Possibly different home backgrounds/lifestyles?

Hi All - I don't know what data she is basing it on. I am assuming it is schools which have had to be closed due to d&v outbreak.

We had a salad/ fruit bar, fresh meats and cheese, fresh pasta etc aswell as numerous 'hot' options, however that's about all I agree with.

That's what dd's secondary school has, and ds's middle school . Not unusual these days. And not limited to private schools!

Not that this is the point of the thread but the food in my DD's private school (3-18) was apparently absolutely dreadful and used the same outside caterers as the local state schools. The main complaint was about slimy pasta which was the only thing most of the kids would touch. I didn't notice there being less sickness than when she was in a state school, there were a few days last year when only 8 out of 22 of her class were in school. And most of the parents were working not SAHM

I'd have thought it's fewer children= fewer people to carry viruses around or is that too obvious?

Which is why I said at the time - implying things may be different now - my son isn't secondary school age yet but his school dinners aren't what I'd call great!

My private school attending 4 year old has been chucking her guts up today

I wouldn't be prepared to discuss this at all without some sort of proven research. I'm afraid your mate's opinion, offered second hand on Mumsnet, just doesn't cut it with me.

In other words, are you maybe being a tiny bit goady?

State schools are not full of street urchins!

School budgets are being squeezed to such an extent that cleaning has taken a hit. I am sorry but the toilets are deep cleaned often and definitely not as often as they were 10 years ago.

Hand washing hygiene does leave something to be desired - I know that from being on girls loo monitoring duty. Sometimes it is lack of hand wash and sometimes it is just bloody cold.

I work for a large secondary school and we do have frequent vandalism and, lets just say, that toilet roll is not as plentiful as it used to me. (Some staff even bring in their own loo roll.)

I take in wipes to clean my class desks in the morning as I have seen the same cloth being used with the same water along the whole corridor. It is grim.

I also take my own anti bac hand gel

Please stop trying to make it out to be an elitist thing PPs
Private schools have smaller classes so fewer germs. Simple.

I work in a private school. There is quite a high level of absence although often because students travel during term-time and stay at home to revise for exams. rather than having days off for illness.

We also have a school nurse so students can go to her when they feel unwell at school - possibly this reduces the spreading of germs.

Our cleaners are also pretty thorough, but I don't have much experience of how state schools are cleaned so I couldn't say whether one is better than the other. I'd guess that quality of cleaning varies widely from one school to the next, be it state or private.

Well poor people are germ ridden. Obvs

Oh, also our students all eat the same food for lunch every day as school lunches are compulsory. So we've had some spectacular outbreaks of food poisoning that affect the students aged 2 to 18 and the staff (cleaners, maintenance, office staff, teachers - we all eat the same food from the same kitchens, plates, etc.) The school nurse actually puts down the quite frequent stomach bugs not to the food itself but to the cleaning of the plates and cutlery which is apparently only superficial as they have to ready for re-use again quickly during the lunch serving period.

I object to the comments about street urchins and poor people being germ ridden !

Oooh I love a bit of anecdotal bullshit

You can also get d&v no matter how careful you are with handwashing. I am absolutely scrupulous about it, to the extent that I wash hands in a restaurant before eating, as I am an emetophobe. Hasn't stopped me from succumbing occasionally.

Emma you can safely assume that those comments are sarcastic.

Our state school can not afford proper cleaners.

This^

Not appropriate comments to make about pupils thank you all very much.