When should my child stay at home?
If your child is unwell, please keep them at home.
When children are poorly, they need rest, comfort and time to recover. Being at nursery when they are unwell can also mean they are more likely to pass an illness on to their friends and the staff caring for them.
Our policy specifically asks families to keep children at home when they are unwell, as this is in the child's best interest and helps protect others.
We understand that children can have the odd cough, cold or runny nose, and not every symptom means they need to stay at home. The latest UKHSA guidance confirms that children with mild respiratory symptoms can generally attend if they are otherwise well and do not have a high temperature.
However, if your child is clearly unwell, has a high temperature, is unusually tired or is not themselves, please give them the day at home.
What happens if your child becomes unwell during the day?
If we notice that your child is becoming unwell, we will monitor them and consider how they are presenting as an individual.
If we feel they are not well enough to remain at nursery, we will contact you and ask you to collect them.
Our Nursery Manager makes the final decision about whether a child is suitable to remain at nursery or needs to go home, based on their individual condition and our Sickness and Illness Policy.
This isn't about being difficult or sending children home unnecessarily. We genuinely want children to be comfortable, well enough to enjoy their day and able to take part in nursery life.
48 hours – an important reminder
For sickness and diarrhoea, children must stay away from nursery until 48 hours after their last episode.
This is also the current UKHSA recommendation for diarrhoea and vomiting in children and young people's settings.
We know this can sometimes be frustrating, but these 48 hours are really important in helping to stop illnesses spreading around the nursery.
How we help reduce the spread of illness
There are lots of things happening behind the scenes every day to keep our environment clean and safe.
We have rigorous cleaning and handwashing routines, good ventilation, regular access to outdoor spaces and procedures for managing infection and bodily fluids safely.
The current UKHSA guidance also highlights hand hygiene, respiratory hygiene, cleaning, toileting and safe management of bodily fluids as important parts of infection prevention in early years settings.
Please keep us updated
If your child has been diagnosed with an infectious illness, please let us know.
This helps us monitor what is happening within the nursery and take any additional steps that may be needed.
Exclusion periods are different for different illnesses, so please don't rely on an old list you may have seen online. The UKHSA guidance is regularly updated.
You can check the latest guidance here:
Most importantly…
We are all working towards the same thing – keeping our children happy, healthy and safe.
We will always treat each child as an individual and make decisions based on their wellbeing. We also appreciate your support when your child needs to stay at home and recover.
Sometimes the best thing we can do for our little ones is a day of cuddles, cartoons and pyjamas!
Thank you for helping us keep our nursery community healthy.
