Are there more things to 'catch' at school these days?

[TinyGang]

We're always getting letters home about headlice, threadworms and today foot and mouth disease. Last year it was winter vomiting knocking out whole schools.

You can also take your choice currently at ours from the 'ghastly stomach upset' or the 'terrible throat virus' doing the rounds just now.

I was never off sick from school (mind you, I had to be dead before my mum would keep me home) and I don't remember a single letter about any ailments.

I think those things you have mentioned have always been around tbh, but schools and the public health authority are just more aware and cautious these days.

And also, when I was very young, playgroups, toddler groups, nurseries etc were nowhere near as common as they are today. Therefore the chances of catching something are no doubt higher for this generation of children at a younger age than before.

Actually, I'm always amazed at the number of threads about headlice. I don't think I'd even heard of them when I was a child (although I do remember the nit nurse coming to our school once in a while)

Bit worrying isn't it. And yes..how could I have forgotten Impetigo? I had no idea what it was until my dd caught it and a nurse had to tell me.

Mercy - you are right. I didn't mix with nearly as many children, nor from such a young age, as my own do now.

My own memory of the first year in school was hardly ever being there because of one illness or another.

2 week into the 1st term I got mumps.This is was followed by chicken pox and then just before Christmas I went down with measles (I do remember being very ill with this....in bed for weeks).
I was the eldest so took these illnesses home to my younger siblings. Poor mum it must have been a nightmare!
We had regular visits from the nit nurse.Mum always said we never had headlice as children. Must admit I do find this hard to believe. She did however wash our hair every few weeks with foul smelling shampoo which she said would stop us catching nits.
I do remember DB having impetigo.

With my own DC.
Numerous infestations of headlice.
Worms.I blame cub camps on both occations!
More sickness type bugs than I can remember.

I've often thought that kids get rushed back to school too early before they are fully recovered, or indeed sent to school when poorly.
I guess this is partly to do with pressure from schools reguarding attendance but also to do with so many mothers away at work. Taking time off work for your poorly kids would be difficult I imagine.

But i know what you mean, there is always something yuk going round.

But I think thankyoupoppet has a point (I am a working mum myself!!). There is another thread about this very thing on 'chat' at the mo. There are real pressures on parents to get back to work an dit has a knock on effect on the way bugs spread like wildfire, particularly in primary schools (where I teach).

In the past though we had school nurses and Nitty Noras and if a child had worms, nits impetigo, you name it, they were not allowed back until they were clear. Now is's discrimination apparently as they are not ill!! Explains why nits are so rife!!!

I was not having a dig at working mums at all!

More like I was having a dig at employers for not accepting that their working mothers may occassionally need to take time off to care for them when they are poorly, without making them feel guilty or making it difficult to do so.

Im 100% for mums to work when their kids are at school, make no mistake, it's the fact that they are not given any leyway on matters like poorly children that I have a problem with.

good point jingle, bring back the nit-nurse and name and shame-em!

I would be happy for ds to be sent home to get rid of some nasties, it shouldn't be embarrassing becauuse he would have caught them from someone else, and also it would mean that he would be less likely to have another 10 episodes of goodness knows what over the next term!

I expect they no longer exist because of money really, like everything from the good old days!

Sorry about the shoe thing, that is pretty pants

this is making my head itch like mad!

My sister was a teacher. DD1 has been ill, but today asked to go back to nursery, even though she is still quite pale and coughing. Asked my sister what she thought. She said, 'Please don't send her back! She'll pick up something else b/c she's not fully recovered, and she'll make the other students AND the teacher sick.'

Message withdrawn

I think we should send the children to school wrapped in clingfilm!

I'm itching too now. On another thread I said I feel like a mummy chimp prowling through their hair. I can't help it - I was even having a peer at them when they bent down to get in the car the other day!

It's awful when they get ill at the end of the week like that Mellowma because they get shortchanged out of their weekend and are often ok again by Monday morning

Mine seem to time being ill like that too, or over half term.

at ds1's school they send home an attendence sheet with a score, they name anyone in the newsletter who has achieved 100% and the kids that do recieve a mention and a 'stand up clap' in assembely.

ds1 has never had 100%, because being 7, he tends to swap snot a lot and get ill! but he is gutted about never getting a mention!

IMO it is a rediculous thing to do.

my ds loved me looking for nits..he used to ask me to do it and probably still would and he is 18

That's crazy TYP - it's no-one's fault if they become ill or catch something and enforces the idea that they should come back before they are completely well.

TYP - head does this at our school too - I agree it is pants. BUT pressure from authorities is to get attendance up up up! Bloody stupid imo! The issue is unauthorised absences (ie not illness or medical appt but something else). We had a big problem with holidays in term time and kids taking time off for siblings birthdays !! Ofsted knocked us for it big time so head is doing all she can. Not fair on kids who get ill though. If she did that with staff I would be at the bottom of the list!

typ - what about children who just get ill? That is so cruel.

There are definitely more bugs around now. I got three vomiting bugs in my childhood - now three a year is expected, if not more. And my mum never gave me Calpol, yet we get through gallons of the stuff. Nits were around, but not impetigo (currently in dd1's school). Atm there are two vomiting bugs and a really snotty cold going around. I think a lot of it is that parents send their kids back to soon (at dd1's school it's as likely because the mum doesn't want to miss her gym session as it is pressure from an employer) and also because we are in the centre for people to coommute to two cities plus Europe, so there is a big mix of bugs coming into a very small rural area.

Oh, and dd1's classroom is waaay to hot and stuffy.