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Exclusion Periods &
Infection Control Policy
Banbridge Nursery School
Exclusion Periods & Infection Control Policy
Excluding children who have certain infectious diseases helps
to prevent other children from becoming infected.
If your child is unwell, please do not send him/her to school.
It is up to you, not your child, to determine whether he/she is well enough
to attend school or not. Experience has shown that children, who are unwell
but say they want to come to school, are often overwhelmed when they
arrive there. This can undermine the valuable work done in the early days
and weeks to settle the child into the school routine. A child who is unwell
will not learn effectively and will require an undue amount of attention from
the staff which is unfair to the other children. If your child is unable to
come to school, please try to ring us early in the morning to let us know.
In the event of a child becoming unwell or having an accident in school, you
will be contacted immediately. For this reason it is imperative that the
school has up-to-date contact details – your home address and at least 3
contact telephone numbers should be provided at or before enrolment in
August/September. The school should be informed immediately of any
changes to these details.
Please note that we do not administer medicines to children.
The exception to this is the use of an inhaler which may be necessary to
control asthma or an Epi-pen in the case of a child having an allergic
reaction. (Please refer to our policy on the administration of medication.) A
normal antibiotic, which has to be taken 4 times daily, can be taken in the
morning, at 1.15-1.30pm when your child is collected, at teatime and
bedtime. If you wish the medicine to be administered during school time
you are welcome to come and give the medicine to your child yourself.
However, if your child has a long term or chronic illness which requires
frequent medication in order to maintain regular attendance at school, you
should discuss this with the Principal.
The following table provides guidance on appropriate exclusion periods for some common
infections.
Disease / illness
Diarrhea and/or vomiting
Chickenpox
Disease / illness
Conjunctivitis
Hand, foot and mouth
disease
Impetigo
Measles
Mumps
Ringworm
Rubella (German measles)
Scarlet fever
Threadworms
Whooping cough
Flu (influenza)
Cold sores
Slapped cheek/fifth
disease/parvovirus
Shingles
Exclusion period
48 hours from last episode
of diarrhea or vomiting
For 5 days after rash
appears
Exclusion period
None
None
Until lesions are crusted or
healed
For 5 days after rash
appears
For 5 days after onset of
swollen glands
Until treatment has started
For 5 days after the onset
of the rash
For 5 days after
commencing antibiotics
None
For 5 days after
commencing antibiotics or
21 days from onset of
illness if no antibiotic
treatment
Until recovered
None
None
Exclude only if rash is
weeping and cannot be
covered
Additional comment
Additional comment
Keeping children off school
may be necessary
Keeping children off school
may be necessary
Avoid contact with the
sores
Keeping children off school
may be necessary
Can cause chickenpox in
those who are not immune
i.e. Have not had
chickenpox. It is spread by
very close contact and
touch
Warts
None
Glandular fever
None
Disease / illness
Head lice
Exclusion period
None
Tonsillitis
None
Treatment/removal is
preferable
Keeping children off school
may be necessary
Additional comment
Treatment in cases where
live lice have been found.
Close contacts should be
checked and treated if live
lice are found. Regular
detection (combing) should
be carried out by parents.
Keeping children off school
may be necessary
Good hygiene is promoted at all times in the school.
The children are encouraged to:
wash their hands at the appropriate times
cover their mouth when coughing / sneezing
use paper tissues and dispose of these in the appropriate bins
Sources used in the preparation of this policy
www.hpa.org.uk – Health Protection Agency and Department of Health (2006) Guidance
on infection control in schools and nurseries
www.hpa.org.uk – Health Protection Agency and Department of Health (2006) Control of
communicable diseases in schools and nurseries
Other policies to refer to –
Policy for the administration of medication in school
Health and Safety Policy
Health and Well being Policy