Rashes can be the first sign of many infectious illnesses, such as chickenpox and measles. Children with these conditions shouldn't attend school. If your child has a rash, check with your GP or practice nurse before sending them to school.

A child with a minor headache doesn't usually need to be kept off school. If the headache is more severe or is accompanied by other symptoms, such as raised temperature or drowsiness, then keep the child off school and consult your GP

A sore throat alone doesn't have to keep a child from school. If it's accompanied by a raised temperature, the child should stay at home.

A child with a minor cough or cold may attend school. If the cold is accompanied by a raised temperature, shivers or drowsiness, the child should stay off school, visit the GP and return to school 24 hours after they start to feel better. If your child has a more severe and long-lasting cough, consult your GP. They can give guidance on whether the child should stay off school.

Head lice can usually be effectively treated with lotions or sprays designed to kill head lice, or by wet combing, using a specially designed head lice comb. Wet combing can be used without lotions or sprays, but it needs to be done regularly and can take a long time to do thoroughly. Lotions or sprays can be used as an alternative. However, to be totally effective they need to be applied correctly and thoroughly. Your pharmacist will be able to recommend an over-the-counter lotion or spray and give you advice about how to use it correctly.

Threadworm infections are most common in young children because they often forget to wash their hands regularly and they often share things like toys with other children. People who are in close contact with someone who has a threadworm infection, for instance living in the same house, are also at a high risk of infection. This is why all members of a household where someone has a threadworm infection need to be treated. The main medication used to treat threadworms is available from your local pharmacy without prescription, but make sure you follow the manufacturer’s instructions because it is not suitable for everyone.

If you or your child has a threadworm infection, it is not necessary to stay off work or school. However, it's important to inform your child's school or nursery so they can take steps to limit the spread of infection. The medication can cause diarrhoea, so in this case, it would be appropriate to keep your child off school.

Public Health England advises that you do not need to stay away from work or school if you or your child has conjunctivitis, unless you are feeling particularly unwell. If there are a number of cases of conjunctivitis at one school or nursery, you may be advised to keep your child away from the school until their infection has cleared up. Drops can be purchased from the pharmacist or on prescription from your child’s GP.

In an Emergency

Heart of England NHS Trust have provided a handout about where you should take children in a medical emergency in the Solihull area. The important point is that Solihull Hospital does not treat seriously ill or injured children, who should go instead to Birmingham Heartlands Hospital in an emergency as there is a dedicated Children's A&E at Heartlands Hospital. Please read the handout for full details.

 Where to take a child in a medical emergency

A message from our School Nurse Team

"I hope that a happy and healthy summer was enjoyed by everyone. As the children begin the new school year, I would recommend using this as an opportunity to check up on their general health. Are they up to date with their immunisations, have they been to the dentist recently, and what about the optician? It is recommended that all children have a regular vision check at the optician, which is a free service and invaluable in detecting vision difficulties and monitoring the health of the eyes.

Please remember that you can contact your school nurse at any time via the clinic base or through your child’s school if you would like any support or advice."

The School Nurse Team telephone number is 0121 746 4551.

We have been advised that South Warwickshire NHS Foundation Trust (SWFT) have been awarded the contract to deliver School Nursing and Health Visiting from 1 September 2017. They will continue to work closely with the current providers, Heart of England NHS Foundation Trust (HEFT), to guarantee a smooth transfer.

To ensure consistency for clients and families, all contact details for the School Nurse will remain the same. However, to enhance the visibility and accessibility of the service within schools, they will be making some changes. This will include the implementation of health focussed websites ‘Health for Kids’ and ‘Health for Teens’ and School Nurse texting service ‘ChatHealth’.

We will provide you with further details as they become available.

As gastroenteritis is easily spread, it's important to take steps to prevent it spreading from your child to other children by:

• encouraging your child to wash their hands properly after going to the toilet and before eating
• cleaning the potty or toilet thoroughly using disinfectant after each episode of diarrhoea and vomiting, making sure you clean the seat and handle
• washing your hands regularly, particularly after changing a nappy or cleaning a potty
• not sharing your child's towels, flannels, cutlery or eating utensils with other members of your household
• not allowing your child to return to nursery or school until at least 48 hours after their last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting