The health and well-being of our entire school community are our top priority. To prevent the spread of illness, we must strictly enforce our guidance following a child experiencing an episode of vomiting or diarrhoea.

We are writing to clarify the "48-Hour Rule," as correct adherence is essential for both public health and accurate attendance records.

The Mandatory 48-Hour Stay at Home Period

If your child experiences vomiting, they must be kept at home for a full 48 hours.

Crucially, this 48-hour period must be calculated from the moment of the last instance of vomiting.

For example, if your child vomits at 8:00 AM on Monday, but then again at 1:00 PM on Monday, the 48-hour countdown begins from 1:00 PM on Monday, meaning they cannot return until 1:00 PM on Wednesday.

Returning to School After the 48-Hour Stay at Home Period

If your child completes the full 48-hour period during the school day, they are welcome to return under the following terms:

  • If the 48-hour window elapses during the morning session, the child should return after lunch for the start of the afternoon session. This allows for a necessary recovery and transition period without interrupting morning learning time.

Attendance Marking Policy

We ask you to please respect the 48-hour period and the return schedule outlined above. This is vital because of strict attendance marking regulations:

  • If your child's mandatory 'stay at home' period means they miss the official start of a session (e.g., they return mid-morning or mid-afternoon), we will use the following process:

    • The register will be marked with Code I (Illness) for the session, as the absence is a legitimate illness-related directive given by the school.

    • We will then record the specific time of your child's arrival in the register's comments section. This ensures their absence remains authorised while accurately recording their attendance time.

Thank you for your cooperation in protecting the health of all children and staff by adhering to this policy. For further guidance on when a child should stay home, please consult the NHS website https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/