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Original poster

would you send child to school with temp of 37.9?

31 replies

wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 20:48

My dd6 has missed a lot of school lately due to bug after bug so her attendance isn’t great ☹️We’ve had strep A, a uti, norovirus, some bad coughs from November - now so she’s missed a fair bit.
she’s now down with latest cold and cough - I’m not worried about her, she’s sneezing, feeling a bit shivery and wanting cuddled up, but eating fine and doesn’t need a Gp trip.
but, she’s hovering around 37.8-9 on thermometer. would you send her to school with this? If she hadn’t missed a lot I’d let her stay home and have a couple of days rest but given her attendance is low of late I’m nervous to keep her home if that’s me over-reacting.
i have health anxiety and struggle to know when to keep home and when to send in so thank you in advance 🌻

OP posts:
Hibiscusroses · 26/02/2023 20:49

Yes I would send her in. 38 is usually my limit.

WithOneLook · 26/02/2023 20:50

The bit that would make me keep her home is the 'feeling shivery and wanting to be cuddled up'. She's feeling rough so I'd keep her home regardless of what the thermometer says.

Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 20:50

Thank you so much!
i really struggle to know what to do and tend to panic and keep home (too easily) so really appreciate this x

OP posts:
IwasToldThereWouldBeCake · 26/02/2023 20:51

It's a no from me, she is running a temp, I ld test her again in the morning, and if still highish, above 37.5 I ld keep her home.

IDontWantToBeAPie · 26/02/2023 20:52

No. I'd keep her home if she feels shit. She won't learn much if she feels rubbish

hellodarknessmyoldfriend22 · 26/02/2023 20:53

I'd be partly guided by how she is. Running around ok but slight fever then maybe send in.
But shivery and wanting to be cuddled up then stay off

TheChosenTwo · 26/02/2023 20:53

We don’t have a thermometer, I just go by how they’re feeling. She’s shivery and obviously feeling under the weather, I’d see how she is in the morning because they can change quickly at this age, she might be seeming much brighter. In which case I’d send her in and let them know at the office or wherever is most appropriate for your set up that she was a little under the weather yesterday but you’ve sent her in as she’s picked up a bit since.

BooCrew · 26/02/2023 20:53

Personally no, that's a higher than normal temperature and if she's feeling grotty as well she'll be miserable.

If she's fine tomorrow but tired then she can go in, but it is correct and normal to keep your child off school when they're ill. I wish more people would do it.

Mamansparkles · 26/02/2023 20:54

Of course you keep her home. She has a temperature (37.6 and higher is a temp). Don't spread it to the other children and staff, guidance is stay home for 24 hours after temp goes down to prevent the spread of infections.
And I know there's a lot of controversy about 'schools aren't childcare' because although they are primarily education they do in practice also provide childcare so parents can work. But they REALLY aren't childcare for unwell kids.

EdithWeston · 26/02/2023 20:55

I wouldn't

Even though it's only a slight temperature, running any temperature at all is a sign that they've got something, and I'd keep home until it had been normal for 24 hours unmedicated

YorkshireIndie · 26/02/2023 21:00

I would wait and see how she is feeling tomorrow. You never know her temperature resolve itself overnight

Xrays · 26/02/2023 21:01

If she’s no different tomorrow I’d keep her home.

Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 21:07

Thank you all soooo much, my instinct is to keep her home if still running a bit warm tomorrow, and I hate I’m second guessing that as already been pulled in about what’s she’s missed so far (as I said, all genuine illness that she’s had to be off for). It’s stressful as means me working from home and that’s never well received by my boss but it’s just me and the kids so if one is off I have to be home with them. Thank you all x

OP posts:
Remaker · 26/02/2023 21:11

For school age kids I only take their temperature if they say they’re not feeling well. So if they’re not feeling well (and shivery isn’t well IMO) And they have a fever then they stay home.

Twinedpeaks · 26/02/2023 21:29

What's her normal baseline temp? For me this would be a fever as I run at a cool 36.3 normally! But for someone warmer it would be fine

Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 21:32

Her baseline is 36.4 so as soon as she hits around 37.2 I know she has something…and her nose is steaming and she says her throat is itchy so I’m thinking it’s a horrid cold. I just have felt lately like school thinks I hold them home too quickly sometimes so I’ve started to doubt my judgement over it ☹️

OP posts:
JustAnotherManicNameChange · 26/02/2023 21:37

As a rule I judge by how well she slept and how she actually is in the morning. If she's eating and full of beans , calpol and off she goes. If she's lethargic, in pain , miserable etc. she stays home.

As an aside, are you giving her vitamins or anything to boost her immune system a bit?

LolaSmiles · 26/02/2023 21:39

If she has a temperature and isn't well then you should keep her off school. Staff and students don't want whatever she has and most parents don't want to be taking time off due to other parents sending unwell children to school to infect everyone.

The thing that jumps out at me is that if her attendance wasn't already low you'd decide to keep her off for a few days. That, combined with you saying you have health anxiety, makes me wonder if at times you have lept them off longer than needed or been quick to keep her off previously though.

In general school's aren't concerned if a child has had a couple of nasty bugs as that can be unlucky, but if they're off regularly for random days here and there then they might question the absences.

Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 21:40

Yes - she’s on vitaminis and generally eats pretty well so I’ve no idea why she seems to run from one virus to the next ☹️She’s had bloods done to check nothing underlying but they said it all looked ok 🤷‍♀️I’m pretty tired balancing my full time job with looking after her so regularly and her brother rarely gets sick but has been the last week so I just feel pretty at the end of my rope ☹️

OP posts:
Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 21:42

Yes I think that’s very astute. Definitely guilty of keeping them home for a day or 2 longer to let them fully recover once they’ve had something. So her absence record isn’t great due to mix of that + the bigger illnesses she’s had over winter.

OP posts:
LolaSmiles · 26/02/2023 21:49

I thought that might be the case OP.
If you're worried you could contact the school and ask for a copy of their attendance policy if it would help you, or it might be on their website. You might be able to see if you could get some support with your health anxiety through your GP as well.

Generally speaking minor coughs/colds, feeling a bit tired or under the weather is fine to go to school.

Temperatures, bad colds, flu, chest infections that need antibiotics, vomiting etc are illness that would mean staying at home, at least until any antibiotics to treat infections have started to work.

If a child has had a nasty bug and they've been off for 4 days, giving them Friday and the weekend to fully recover is probably better than sending them in at 75/80% better on Friday and then feeling worse at the end of the day.

Keeping a child off for a day or two extra when they've already had one day off with a bit of a cold or feeling a bit tired is overkill.

lemonmama · 26/02/2023 21:51

Depends how she is in the morning. My 4 year old has had a temp around 37.6/7 this weekend and has got a cough and cold but has been fine in himself running around and out on his scooter etc. I tend to read the child not the thermometer in cases like this as it's likely they're just fighting something off and it sometimes doesn't fully knock them down.

lemonmama · 26/02/2023 21:56

I also tend to go by if they're needing calpol to get through the day then they need to stay home

WhoSaidWhat123 · 26/02/2023 21:58

To me it would entirely depend on how they’re feeling in the morning. If she has a temp above 38, keep her off, even if she feels and looks ok. Or if she feels like crap, but temp is fine, I would still keep her off just because it would be awful
to feel like crap and be in school all day. Hope she feels better soon x

Original poster
wobblymum1 · 26/02/2023 22:02

thank you 💞
think am also scarred from sending her in last year a bit unwell but not too bad, when I picked her yo she had a fever of 40* no one had noticed and she’d eaten nothing, spent her break times sitting down with sore legs and ended up with awful tonsillitis. Teacher had told her to have a drink and that she was ok 🙄think it’s made me over cautious at thought of sending her and her spending all day feeling awful but waiting for end of the day.
but flip side is I know her attendance is low and I hate being on edge about that so wondering what to do with a raised but not high temp. Ugh.
thank you all xx

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