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Original poster

Would you like the nit nurse back in school?

67 replies

georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 15:02

Just read a study that said if parents knew that a nit nurse was chcking their lo's hair they would make more of a conscious effort to check hair .

I am fed up of them ATM I have 4 DD's with long hair and the minute I get rid of them they come back in again .

It seem to be with DD2 mainly I send her to school with a clean head and then she will come home with at least two walkers but no obvious eggs so I am assuming someone in her class isn't bug busting .

Would just like to be able to have a Nit free term GRR {angry}

So would you be happy with a nit nurse or not ,I definatley would .

OP posts:
Troutpout · 31/01/2008 18:34

No

southeastastra · 31/01/2008 18:36

yes, schools don't have a nurse though do they? think they're shared

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 18:58

yes, got fed up at seeing notices at school last year about ANOTHER outbreak of nits.

I work at a playgroup where we have had a outbreak but we aren't even allowed to check the kids hair ! Howver we are expected to changes their nappies , clothes when they wet themselves and wipe their noses !

World gone mad !

Wisteria · 31/01/2008 18:59

Why trout?

Saggarmakersbottomknocker · 31/01/2008 19:18

Yes, bring back the nit nurse.

I don't see an issue with it. Schools write to parents to ask permission for nurse to do visual screening or height/weight, why not permission to do a nit check?

Original poster
georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 19:35

I don't see an issue at all especially when they have a nurse at our school who regulary weighs the lo's

OP posts:
nooka · 31/01/2008 19:45

No. It's a waste of resources. Although nits are unpleasant they pose no health hazard. The reason why children are not excluded is because nits pose no health hazard, and the children cannot help having them if their parents don't take action. So you are punishing children for something that is no fault of theirs. The children who have persistent nits are likely to be fairly disadvantaged in other ways (for example children who are abused or neglected are more likely to have nits) and depriving them of school is likely to have a very negative impact.

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 19:50

'The children who have persistent nits are likely to be fairly disadvantaged in other ways (for example children who are abused or neglected are more likely to have nits) and depriving them of school is likely to have a very negative impact. '

All the more reason to have a nit nurse ?
I dont think pople are saying that children should be excluded just that the school nurse should be able to look at their hair .

Original poster
georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 19:51

Nits can be a health hazard if left including open sores and abscesses also children can become allergic to the lice's salivia , and overtime can become rundown from constant lice infestation .

So if parents are just leaving it to get as bad as this isn't that another form of abuse?

OP posts:
Dabbles · 31/01/2008 19:55

Is there actually soemthing we could do? Can mumsnet HQ start a politican campaign we coudl all get behind???

Original poster
georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 19:57

I was thinking the same thing Dabbles. I suppose we could all contact our local HA and see what they say about policy on NIT nurses .

I don't actually see why we don't have one as we have school nurses and the dentists come in every few months .

Seems a bit silly to me TBH

OP posts:
oxocube · 31/01/2008 20:00

At our school, we have a team of 2 or 3 mums per class who have met with a local health visitor and know exactly what to look for. They check all the kids in the class about once a fortnight and let the Head Teacher know if anyone has lice/nits. The Head phones the parents immediately and they are asked to treat their child before bringing them back to school.

Its quite a new initiative but it seems to be working and all the parents (inc the ones whose kids have had headlice recently) are very pro checking in school.

Blandmum · 31/01/2008 20:01

Wheras I'm not sure about excluding children who have lice (for the reasons outlined) I do think that intervention by a trained nurse could educate those families who are not looking after the problem.

I know that the resourses are not there to allow this to happen. But I think that they should be.

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 20:04

Here's a petition that already been started

sign here

twelveyeargap · 31/01/2008 20:05

Did they have to get permission from the parents of all the children to be allowed to do that Oxo?

MAMAZON · 31/01/2008 20:06

there does not need to be any resources spent though.

im a proffessional with full CRB clearance. i would gladly give up a few hours a term to check teh kids hair.

but im not allowed

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 20:06

that a really good idea Oxo , whereabouts in the country are you , is it a state or private school ?

twelveyeargap · 31/01/2008 20:08

I'd do it as well. I was plagued with the effing things when DD was in primary school. Thought we'd finally seen the back of the buggers when she went to secondary, but she ended up with them AGAIN in year 8, ffs.

That said, think that might have been from sleeping over at a friend's house who had siblings in primary... Even so, ARRGGHH.

Original poster
georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 20:08

Thats a really good idea OXO.

OP posts:
southeastastra · 31/01/2008 20:09

i don't think i'd like the idea of other mums looking at my son's head. rather it was done by someone neutral.

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 20:12

I dont see the problem of other mums looking at my DC hair , if they have been trained as to what to look for they will know that it is not a 'dirty' thing to have nits etc . They will also have had to sign no doubt a confidentialilty form and have been CRB checked.

maybe just the same as helping out in class and seein which little ones misbehave and play up !

nooka · 31/01/2008 20:24

As there are huge shortages of school nurses and far higher health priorities than nits I think the liklihood of that petition succeeding is pretty much zilch. Not sure about the mums approach, and unless there was some sort of intervention, like actually washing the children's hair then what would these mums do about the parents who can't be bothered?

twelveyeargap · 31/01/2008 20:28

TBH, you don't even need the nit nurse to spot the poor little buggers whose parents never bother to check/ treat. They're the ones who are scratching themselves raw on a day to day basis.

CaptainUnderpants · 31/01/2008 20:29

The school would deal with the matter of the parents that cant be bothered , the inspecting mums have no 'powers' as such other than to inform the school .

Original poster
georgedontdothat · 31/01/2008 20:36

If a child had impetigo which is highly infectious a child would be sent home from school . Same with conjunctivitis. Neither are dangerous but spread like wildfire I think both of these are on a level with lice.
So why are parents who can not be bothered to treat their DC allowed to constantly reinfect other classmates without a word been said?

As I said before I consider parents who constantly do nothing about their lo's infestation and leave then to suffer are subjecting their lo's to a form of neglect

If they went to their GP they would get it on a script ,it is not hard .

Maybe a nit nurse can reeducate families and maybe they could give out free nit combs like our gp does .

OP posts: