Nursery/Pre-school temperature - illness policy?

[Porgs2]

Not really an AIBU. Do the ones you use specify a temperature at which the child will be sent home? Children aged two to four. Thanks 🙏

We will give one dose of calpol as long as they've not already had some at home and see how they go but if it's above 39 then they're sent home. If there's other signs of illness then we'd send them home with a lower temperature.

I think they would give calpol and probably call to let us know, so we could collect if we wanted. They would specifically ask that they are collected if the calpol doesn’t bring it down. I think anything over 38c would be classed as a fever.

We aren’t allowed to give any medication in our setting unless it has been prescribed. I’m curious to know how others work and if we should have a particular threshold on our policy.

Ours will send home for any fever, so over 38, and says stay home until temperature is normal and that they must be well enough to participate in all activities including sports on their return.

Oh and they will give prescription medicine e.g. antibiotics for an ear infection but won’t give calpol to mask a fever or anything like that

Ours will give a dose of calpol with parental permission but you have to come and collect them if they do that. No seeing how they are afterwards or anything like that.

Our thermometer is amber from 37.5…at a previous place of work anyone over 37.8 was sent home but that was during the pandemic

All you can do is smash some calpol and nurofen into them just before drop off and hope you might be able to do some work before they call you just after lunch to pick up your little one if the temp spikes.

They'd never call you as low as that! Would have to be at least 39 before my nursery would call as long as they were well in themselves.

Mine does this. And if they do get sent home they have to stay off for 48hrs.

I work in one… don’t have a little one!

Are you saying that you would send a child in who already has a temperature?

We only ever check temps if the child is acting unwell. We cannot leave it until 39 as we can’t give calpol and that’s verging on dangerously high.

Then if they can't get hold of you call an ambulance child gets blue lighter etc there is incomplete medical history and your child won't be given the correct treatment and could be overdosed. Your child spreads their bugs to others including staff and if found out you could be given immediate termination. Great plan.

They are and as a practitioner this is something that really annoys us. It’s not fair on the child, the other kids or us!

We are a community pre-school not a private nursery so it isn’t a money making business

Tell me about it!
I’m a childminder and it’s in my contract that the arrangement is immediately terminated if a parent sends in a child knowing full well that he/she should be kept at home.
I’ve implemented it a few times!

Yeah course I would. Kids get temps with a cold even, whats the issue? Have you had/got little kids? A temperature is not always a bad thing - it's your bodys way of fighting stuff off - its a good thing sometimes particularly if they're well in themselves.

Why wouldn't they be able to get hold of us? My phone is either in my hand or on my desk in front of me on loud all day long,, same with my husband whose number they also have? Why would they 'blue light' a child to hospital with just a temperature 😄 mumsnet is so hysterical sometimes.

Yes! Four children, seven grandchildren and forty years working in childcare and early years… is that enough?

Give them repeated newsletters then crack on with testing temperatures at the door if it persists.

Because there is such a thing as febrile convulsions.

Then you must understand that a temperature isn't the end of the world 99% of the time in kids.

Yep which my kids don't/have never had. Even twice when my daughter had a UTI and had a temp of 45 degrees. She was fine 🙂 so I guess it depends on the kid. A temp of 38/39 is barely a temp and not one I'd worry about febrile convulsions with (they are also rare anyway).