For many, the start of the school term will mean mixing with
different groups of people, which is why the autumn term is also
known for its colds and bugs.
While it's usually safe for parents and carers to send their children to
school with mild illnesses, like a minor cough, runny nose or
sore throat, there are steps you can take to ensure your child is
better protected against illnesses, so they don't miss out on
vital time in school.
Here we take you through what you can do to reduce the chances of
your child getting ill.
Make sure your child is up to date with their
vaccinations
Childhood infections like measles and whooping
cough are rising, with outbreaks across the country.
These infections can have a huge impact on your child's life,
including missing out on school due to illness, being
hospitalised, and even experiencing life-long complications and
disability.
The best protection you can give your child is to get them
vaccinated. If your child isn't vaccinated, they're not
protected.
It is important for parents to take up the offer of the NHS' free
childhood immunisation programme as soon as they are offered
ensure your child has the best protection.
However, if you or your child have missed a vaccine, it's never
too late to find out if you can catch up.
Parents and guardians should check their child's Red Book to find
out if they have missed any vaccines or contact their GP if they
are unsure.
Remind your child of basic hygiene measures
Some basic hygiene practices go a long way in preventing
infections. Remind your child to:
- Wash their hands for at least 20 seconds using soap and
water.
- Use tissues for coughs and sneezes then throw them in the
bin.
- Avoid touching their face, particularly their eyes, nose and
mouth.
You can use the free e-Bug resources to explore
hygiene topics with your child.
Know when your child is too ill for school
It's usually safe for you to send your child to school with mild
illnesses, like a minor cough, runny nose or sore throat.
However, children should stay at home if they have a high
temperature of 38C or above.
The NHS has published guidance to help you
decide whether your child is well enough to attend school,
including information on a range of common childhood illnesses
and conditions, such as coughs, colds, chickenpox, measles and
headlice.
What can schools do to ensure they're prepared for
seasonal illness?
Basic hand, respiratory and cough hygiene measures have a big
impact on reducing the spread of illness. You can find more
detail on these in the guidance on preventing and controlling
infections.
This autumn term, all school children in England (from reception
to year 11) will be offered a flu vaccination in school.
This can help protect children against flu, reduce absence and
reduce transmission within the community – including the
likelihood of teachers catching flu from pupils.
Here's where you can find the updated flu guidance for primary and secondary schools.
Secondary pupils are also offered the HPV vaccine in year 8,
MenACWY vaccine in year 9, three in one teenage booster in year 9
and MMR for children who haven't already been vaccinated.
These vaccines help protect young people and the wider community
against serious illness at a time when we are seeing the return
of vaccine preventable illnesses circulating amongst
the unvaccinated.
Should I be worried about Mpox?
Mpox (previously known as monkeypox) is a rare infection most
commonly found in parts of west, central and east Africa. Like
many diseases caused by a virus, mpox has different types or
‘clades'. There are two major clades of mpox, known as clade I
and clade II.
Clade I mpox may be more serious and so far, has mainly been
found in countries across west, central and east Africa. There
has been one confirmed case of this type of mpox in the UK.
Clade II mpox is thought to be milder. There have been a small
number of patients with clade II mpox in the UK since 2022.
The infection doesn't spread easily between people unless there
is close person-to-person contact with someone who has the
infection or with infected animals and through contact with
contaminated materials.
The overall risk to the UK population of mpox remains low.
Unless your child has been to an affected region, or had contact
with someone with mpox, it's highly unlikely that they have the
disease. NHS 111 can tell you what to do if you have a rash.
There is existing guidance for dealing with mpox, including
UKHSA guidance for education
settings on managing mpox cases.
The NHS guidance on mpox
provides more information on symptoms, how it's spread and who's
at a higher risk of infection.
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