What would you expect to happen if your child vomits at school

[JoeWicksHair]

Just after a quick feel if I'm BU.

DD (yr7) vomited at school on Friday motning. Teacher in break duty was told, evidence visible on the floor, DD told to go to the student support office. They kept her out of lessons for over 1 hr, told her she looked pale, quizzed her on what she'd eaten etc. DC felt rough but mustered through lunchtime until leaving on an early finish as is usual on a Friday.

When I saw her she was still ropey but also upset, believing school had contacted me and I'd left her there feeling ill. Obviously we cleared this up quickly but it left me really annoyed at the school. The person who took charge if her in student support was her year groups pastoral support staff member to boot!

I'm astounded a parent wouldn't be contacted if a child has vomited at school, at the very least to inform a parent out of courtesy even if not to come collect them. My DD potentially having a vomiting virus is relevant to our whole weekend, we were due to visit an eldery relative in a care home for starters which I had to cancel but didn’t have enough notice to let another family member know so they could switch their plans to visit meaning our relative had no one visit. If DD'd felt well at hometime there's also a real chance she wouldn't have mentioned it & I'd not have even known she'd been 🤮 then taken the virus into the care home.

So AIBU to think a parent should always be called / informed when a child vomits & is visibly unwell at school?
Or not?

Before I raise it with them tomorrow for clarity on what happened, why I wasn't contacted & schools sickness policy (which is not available on their website), to moderate my tone if I'm BU. Thanks!

That’s a totally different reaction to what we had once. DS got a bit of his sandwich stuck in his throat at lunchtime when in Reception - he gagged and coughed up a small amount of food. School were on the phone within seconds (I was told he was still in the hall when they called) insisting he’d ‘vomited’ and I needed to collect him and keep him off for 2 days. He finished his lunch in the car on the way home. I had a perfectly healthy child off for 48 hours, it was infuriating - he was able to articulate what had happened and the fact he’d spat up one mouthful of food with no other symptoms of a vomiting bug suggests they were a bit over-zealous.

Primary is very different to secondary

If you are sick you need 48hrs off FFS!! Norovirus doesn't magically disappear when you get to 11, she vomited on the floor! It's not a random rule schools make up, it's NHS guidance to have 48hrs off school/work I'd you've been sick to avoid the spread of viruses.

Its utter madness to send her back to class. No
teacher wants to clean up a child's vomit.

If I'd been sick at work, I would go home. Unless I was pregnant maybe, but no one wants to be being sick at school/work.

I know people like to pretend their children are fully formed adults at 6 on MN. But this is an 11yr old child who's been sick at school, of course her mum should be contacted. She's not a sixth former, she's an ill child

I’d expect to be called straight away and to collect my poorly child.

Id be furious if they didn’t contact me and left her at school after she’d been sick.

My daughters school also had a no phone policy for their students so she wouldn’t be able to contact me herself.

I’d hazard a guess that most cases of sickness aren’t related to Norovirus.

Its a bit weird to think as an adult being sick once means you need 48 hours off work.

My kids high school would definitely call if either of them were sick - even the y10. They aren’t allowed their phones out during the day - it would be the office that called. I’ve collected due to fainting or illness a few times.
There’s a chance they might call and say “do you want to get them, let them walk home, or stay in the medical room and see how they feel” but after (unexplained) vomiting I’m sure they’d be dispatched straight back.

My daughter is in Year 7, this luckily hasn't happened yet but i would 100% expect to be called and i would ask them to send her home or I'd collect her. I really hope they're not keeping puking kids in school 😕

At primary I was once asked to collect my son because he'd "been sick" turns out he had told them about an incident at the weekend when he spat out some water. He was completely fine. I'd rather they erred on the side of caution though.

I used to work in the medical room of a secondary school and vomit was always an immediate call home to see your view on the situation.

We did have to see the vomit though :D as we had a few that disappeared to the loo and came back announcing in a jolly fashion that they had been sick thinking it would get them home!

But yes, sight of sick, we would call home and 9/10 send the child home. Rare occasions like other posters have said period pains/migraines a child may have a rest and then stay but we would always call home first to check with parents.

YANBU, I would raise it!

It's really not. The majority of times I've been sick since about 5yo have been because of a virus. I would hazard a guess that the majority of vomits in secondary are viral (bearing in mind even food poisoning is transmissable)

I'm NHS so yes if I'm sick I have to have 48hrs off. It's policy. If I vomited because of alcohol then obviously not, but if I was so sick I'd vomited on the floor then I'd be off work, I'm not an idiot

Sent to isolation room in the medical centre, school nurse would be on the phone immediately insisting on collection ASAP (secondary school)

This is bizarre, as an adult if I’m sick ( unless pregnant) I would go home, and I would insist any other member of staff did too. Don’t understand why a child would be any different ? Staff and children follow the 48 hour rules in every primary school I have ever known? Why would secondaries be any different? Poor kid. I know it’s secondary but she is still very young.

Your experience isn’t universal though

to counter the majority of times I’ve been sick since 5yo haven’t been viral

I’d expect to get a call to pick them up!
YANBU.

Absolutely

But you are suggesting that a virus is not the most common case of commiting in children, when it is.

How many times have you vomited on the floor at work that have not been because you were ill? And on those numerous occasions were your work colleagues happy for you to stay in work?

Its not weird to think you should go home if you are sick. Unless there's an obvious reason like you are pregnant (not likely in an 11yo) then you should go home. Even if it's your period, if it's that severe in an 11yo it's better to be at home

It's ridiculously selfish to risk spreading a vomiting bug around, what do you think happens between Yr 6 and Yr 7 that magically stops your vomiting being likely a bug?

At work you’re an adult, with easier access to a toilet.

Trying to compare how an 11 year old in school vomits with an adult at work is a bit silly. Although I have been sick in my work bin once when I haven’t managed to make it to the toilet.

On that occasion I did go home as I shat myself a little whilst being sick, still wasn’t viral though.

Being sick once isn’t a big deal, repeatedly being sick yes, sickness once with other symptoms also yes. But sick once? With nothing else wrong with her?

I would expect to be called to come and immediately collect the child even if it’s secondary. And the child will be out of the classroom while waiting.

How often are you sick once, and then fine? Apart from when pregnant or hungover , I can’t think of any time that has happened to me. An 11 year old should not throw up and then be made to get on with it.

Yes, there is something wrong with her she has been sick! It's really not normal to just randomly be sick. You have nothing to say it isn't viral, and it probably is. If people were just a bit less selfish when it comes to illness we'd all be ill a lot less!

How many times have you been sick in work in a toilet?! Not counting pregnancy

Yes - this!

I think I'd hope for them to keep them somewhere comfortable and away from the other children, give them a glass of water, see if they start to feel better or worse over the course of an hour or so. Worse then call me and I'll collect. Better then keep them at school.

I have been sick at work once, I was only sick once. I had covid.

Now I'm not saying she has covid, but just because you are only sick once does not mean its not an illness and doesn't mean you are okay to be in school.

A couple of times a year on average. None were viral

I’m a secondary school 1st aider. I definitely send pupils home if they’ve vomited , frankly we don’t want them in school and have nowhere else to put them . Plus if they’ve genuinely been sick , not just “ a bit sick in my mouth” which I often get , no that’s just heartburn!
Two exceptions may have been one boy who ate a tea bag and another who was dared to drink a bottle of chilli sauce 🙄.
Actually come to think of it it might have been the same boy both times .

And the 48 hour rule definitely applies !