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Primary education

Join our Primary Education forum to discuss starting school and helping your child get the most out of it.

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Original poster

Keeping them off when ill

25 replies

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 11:24

We're in Scotland, so just into the 3rd week at P1, half days until the start of this week.

My younger ds (2) has had a cold for a week or so which I have caught and so has my child who has just started P1. He was up most of the night with a relatively high temp, coughing & saying he's got a sore throat. I gave him calpol around 5am, which he vomited back up.

I've kept him off today because he was just so miserable in the night, but he has (of course!) perked up a little, although his chest sounds terribly wheezy & he's not eaten anything so far.

I suppose my question is, is it ok to keep him off if he's ill, or does he have to be really really poorly? The secretary sounded a little unconvinced when I called this morning to let them know...

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SoupDragon · 28/08/2013 11:25

Of course it's Ok to keep them off when they're ill :0

SoupDragon · 28/08/2013 11:25

Original poster

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 11:30

:-) its obvious to me, but I hear lots of mothers saying that they send their kids in even if they seem ill. It's a tricky line I think? Especially as its so new...

OP posts:

SoupDragon · 28/08/2013 11:33

I send mine in on a dose of ibuprofen if they claim to be ill but have no visible symptoms. However, this is has been learnt through experience as I'm now on my third school child and far less gullible/kind!

Original poster

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 11:51

Visible symptoms sounds like a good idea. And tbh that's what I've tended to do with nursery in the past - dose them up on the way in & let them be the judge depending on how they go over the day. But school seems like a different kettle of fish! I don't want the teacher to tell me off ;-)

OP posts:

NoComet · 28/08/2013 11:51

DCs who don't want breakfast, because of coughs and sore throats are not sent to school if they are little. Far too likely to cough, look miserable, be sick if made to eat lunch and be sent home.

Senior school DDs who can take paracetamol themselves, judge whether eating is wise and beetle along to matron if they need to come home are another matter.

NoComet · 28/08/2013 12:07

Also OP you may as well develop a thick skin as to schools attitude to absences, because they are totally contrary.

They give you filthy looks and a snide tone of voice for keeping your child off, but if a DC looks the faintest bit pale or hints at feeling sick they are straight on the phone.

They also insist on 48 hrs if a child is sick, even if the child has just coughed themselves sick and hasn't got a vomiting bug or when 70% of the school has D&V and it doesn't matter at all,

The schools don't want to behave like this, they are forced to by Ofsted's insane, accept no excuses, attitude to attendance figures.

This also why schools close for 2 flakes of snow. Ofsted refuse to accept 50% attendance because town children can get to school, bus DCs can't. They just lower the whole years percentage. Like wise a massive flu or D&V outbreak is treated the same as letting children truant. It's utterly nuts.

I know a secondary that got grief because the fifth form, on mass added a day to their study leave. For complex reasons involving many of them being off watching the Olympic torch relay, this didn't matter at all. Because of long travel times involved in getting to school, our fifth form would often be better revising at home than dragging in for odd revision lessons. But you can't tell Ofsted that.

SoupDragon · 28/08/2013 12:27

They also insist on 48 hrs if a child is sick, even if the child has just coughed themselves sick and hasn't got a vomiting bug or when 70% of the school has D&V and it doesn't matter at all,

It matters to the 30% who don't have it.

Lonecatwithkitten · 28/08/2013 13:33

He had a temperature and vomited - yes he should be off school. Cold, runny nose, but no temperature off to school.

Steamedcabbage · 28/08/2013 14:30

Agree with LoneCat. The rule at our school is temp = stay at home! (Same with vom.)

Feenie · 28/08/2013 17:24

This also why schools close for 2 flakes of snow.

It isn't - the whole school has a day's absence then, which looks awful on the figures.

Feenie · 28/08/2013 17:33

Also, children who do not attend on a snow day are coded as 'Y', which doesn't impact on our figures.

noisytoys · 28/08/2013 17:33

I'm just about to go back to full time work, I'll probably be flamed but unless the DCs can't stand up they are going to school. Most people don't take a day off work for a runny nose, I can't see why DCs can

AnneUulmelmahay · 28/08/2013 17:36

Noisytoys even if they barfed less than 48 hours ago?

noisytoys · 28/08/2013 17:40

I would use common sense. If they had a bug I would keep them off, if they ate a whole box of doughnuts and were sick they would go to school. Not everyone who is sick is ill.

Original poster

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 17:43

After being off with him today it was def the right decision - he has spent most of the day with a temperature asleep. Hoping this will have helped & he can go in tomorrow. He would have been miserable & I'm not sure how effective any learning would have been. I had to take the day off work

OP posts:

AbbyR1973 · 28/08/2013 17:48

My view is certain illnesses they definitely CAN'T go:

Chicken pox, measles, rubella
Conjunctivitis
Gastroenteritis

If mine had a fever with an infection I wouldn't send them. If it was just cold / cough I would. If they complain of headache/ tummy ache etc with no other sign of being unwell I jolly them along and send them in.

With your child if they are very wheezy, particularly if breathing fast, drawing in muscles around the chest when they breathe or not able to hold conversation then they not only need to stay off school, they need an urgent visit to the GP.

Original poster

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 17:53

Abby - he is breathing fast, at least 50- 60 breaths a minute, although this reduces in the first couple of hours after calpol / ibuprofen. Am assuming its a virus (which I can 99% guarantee that's what my GP would say), so just encouraging him to drink lots of watery fluids & rest. Will review overnight / morning, my younger son improved after about 48 hours so will keep an eye on him. Do you think that's ok?

OP posts:

runchickenrun · 28/08/2013 18:06

Any wheezing/fast breathing does need a trip to the doctor's, Pumpydumpy. I would see if you can get an urgent appointment or take him to the walk-in centre.

Let us know how you get on.

AbbyR1973 · 28/08/2013 18:08

I'm assuming he is 4/ 5 years old if in p1 therefore breathing rate of 50-60/ minute is well over normal limits for age. It could be due to the temperature but wouldn't usually go that high with just fever (what does it settle to when temp comes down?). A very fast breathing rate associated with a high fever is makes a bacterial chest infection more likely.... Or it could be reflecting the severity of his wheeze.
I definitely think you should be popping him into the doctors.
Glad your younger DS improved, quickly and hopefully he will do the same, but a child with breathing rate that high needs to be seen. :-)

AbbyR1973 · 28/08/2013 18:11

My feeling is he is likely to need either inhalers or antibiotics depending on how his chest sounds and a more thorough look over.

runchickenrun · 28/08/2013 18:11

Agreed, AbbyR :)

Original poster

Pumpydumpy · 28/08/2013 18:20

Ok, thanks both. He's 4. I'm waiting for dh to come home, I can't drive just now, I'll see what his impression of ds is when he comes back & make a decision whether to call ooh now, later if he is still the same, or wait to see how he is in the morning.

Thanks again

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Periwinkle007 · 28/08/2013 19:38

definitely right to keep him off. And a child who has only been sick once isn't necessarily not suffering from some sort of gastric bug, we have been on the receiving end of that from preschool before 'oh he was sick once but was then fine so we have brought him in today' next day half the kids are off sick, some only sick once or twice, some very unwell....

so when you feel they should be off then keep them off but PLEASE everyone keep kids off when they have been sick. It really isn't fair to other families who may have very serious problems if someone in the family gets a stomach upset.

runchickenrun · 28/08/2013 23:17

Wondered how you were getting on, Pumpy?

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