Medical Needs:
If your child has a significant medical need, parents/carers and school will need to complete an individual health care plan. This is to ensure that your child's safety is paramount. These plans can be updated as and when changes happen and reviewed annually with the class teacher and one of our designated first aiders.
It is important that parents keep the schools updated with all medical needs.
Where needed, the schools work very closely with our school nursing team - 01202 691520.
Risk assessments may need to be carried out for individuals, either for long term medical needs or a short term injury or need.
At the end of each term, long-term medicines are sent home so that parents/ carers can check expiry dates and order replenishments, where needed, in readiness for the start of term. If at this point there are changes to your child's prescription, and/or medical provision, the form must be updated and signed.
A blank copy of the individual health care plan is attached below for your reference.
Illness and Infectious Diseases
With kids getting back into the classroom, now is a good time for parents to familiarise themselves with some of the common illnesses that could disrupt children's studies or even cause more serious illness during the colder months.
This blog post covers some of the seasonal illnesses that tend to peak during winter, as well as steps you can take now and throughout the coming term to help protect your family, including from cold weather. We’ll explore available vaccinations, how to recognise symptoms of common illnesses, and how to make informed decisions on whether a sick student is well enough to attend school or college.
Illness and Infectious Diseasess - A Guide for Parents and Carers
Threadworms - Key Information for Parents
Threadworm (also known as pinworm) are common worm infections of the intestines (or gut) that often do not show symptoms. Humans are their only host and anyone can catch them. They are particularly common in children between the age of five and twelve years. Infection often occurs in more than one family member. Threadworms look like thin, white cotton threads.
Signs and Symptoms
In infections where there are symptoms, itching around the anus occurs, especially after a warm bath or a night causing sleep disturbance. A sticky fluid is sometimes felt which may also cause itchiness. Sometimes the worms can be seen in the stools.
Mode of Transmission
Transmission is by direct transfer of infective eggs by hand from anus to mouth of the same or another person, or indirectly through clothing, bedding, food or other contaminated equipment. Re-infection is common. The eggs are ingested and hatch in the small intestine. The worms then migrate to the large bowel.
Treatment
There are a variety of treatments available; advice should be sought from the GP. Treatment should be repeated after two weeks. It is also advisable to treat the whole family/household members at the same time in order to adequately eradicate the problem from the household.
Prevention of Spread
- Remove sources of infection by treating cases with anti-worm medication
- All close contacts should be treated with the same medication
- Encourage hand washing especially after going to the toilet and before eating
- Wear clean underwear at night
- Keep fingernails short and discourage nail biting
Children with threadworm do not need to be kept away from school as long as the child is treated and is aware of the hygiene measures required. However, could you please inform the school if you have a case of threadworm in the family home.
As parents and carers know, coughs and colds are a common part of childhood, especially during the winter. Most of these infections are caused by viruses and children recover quickly with a bit of rest and paracetamol.
Scarlett Fever and Strep A
Scarlett Fever is caused by a bacteria called group A streptococci, or 'Groups A strep'. It is very contagious for people who are in close contact with one another through infected droplets in coughs, sneezes, mucus and saliva. Like Covid hand hygiene, covering our mouths when coughing/sneezing and disposing of hankies etc can all help.
Typically, it causes a mild illness for most people however treatment with antibiotics is important to avoid complications.
Children with Scarlett Fever should stay home for 24 hours after starting antibiotics to avoid spreading infection to others.
Measles - October 2023
Uptake of the MMR vaccine is at its lowest in a decade. Measles cases are rising across the country, with over 102,000 children starting primary school in England being at risk of catching the disease. Measles is highly infectious and if left unvaccinated nine out of ten children in a classroom can catch the disease if just one child is infectious.
While measles can be mild for some children, one in five will require a hospital visit and the infection can lead to complications in one in 15, such as meningitis and sepsis. There is no specific treatment for measles, and vaccination gives the best protection from serious illness.
The MMR vaccine is given at one year old and again at around three years and four months in readiness for starting school. Two doses are enough to give lifelong protection from being seriously unwell with mumps, measles and rubella. The MMR vaccine is often given at the same time as the pre-school booster including protection against polio. Anyone who has missed any of the vaccinations can catch up at any time.
To check if your child is up to date with their vaccinations check their red book or ask at your GP practice. If any doses have been missed you can make an appointment at your GP practice to catch up and become protected.
Headlice
Headlice and nits are very common in young children and their families. They do not have anything to do with dirty hair and are picked up by head-to-head contact.
- Head lice are small insects, up to 3mm long
- They can be difficult to spot in hair
- Head lice eggs (nits) are brown or white (empty shells) and attached to the hair
Head lice can make your head feel itchy. You can check if your child has live lice in their hair by combing through with a special fine toothed detection comb. These can be purchased online or in pharmacies.
How to get rid of head lice
Treat head lice as soon as you see them.
- You can treat head lice without seeing your GP.
- You should check everyone in the house and start treatment on everyone on the same day
- There is no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.
Wet Combing
Lice and nits can be removed by wet combing:
Wash hair with ordinary shampoo
Apply lots of conditioner
Comb the whole head of hair, from the roots to the ends.
Repeat this process on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 to catch any newly hatched head lice. Check again that everyone's hair is free of lice on day 17.
