Health protection within school is important to help keep pupils, staff, and the wider school community safe and well. It is one of the core components of public health and mainly centres around protecting people from external and environmental hazards and infectious diseases. At school, it involves embedding some simple principles. behaviours, and policy into the everyday to minimise the risk of illness and the resulting operational and logistical challenges that may arise for both school and families. From developing good hygiene awareness and practices, to being informed of the benefits of immunisation, schools are an ideal setting to support children and young people to establish positive habits and access the information and guidance they need.
The Chief Medical Officer and leading health professionals have written to schools to provide a clinical and public health perspective on mild illnesses and school attendance.
They have shared useful information for schools to pass onto parents including when is it appropriate for parents and carers to send their children to school with a mild illness.