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Can my child go to school today?

During the Coronavirus pandemic, children and young people should isolate if they are displaying symptoms.

COVID symptoms are:

  • A high temperature – this means you feel hot to touch on your chest or back (you do not need to measure your temperature)
  • A new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot for more than an hour, or 3 or more coughing episodes in 24 hours (if you usually have a cough, it may be worse than usual)
  • A loss or change to your sense of smell or taste – this means you have noticed you cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal

How is your child feeling today?

Select the relevant statement for advice

Self-isolate and book a COVID test or call 119

  • Do not go to a GP, hospital or pharmacy for a test
  • All members of the household should stay at home until the test result is known.
  • Your child should not attend any out of school provision, childcare, activity groups or clubs during this time.

Visit nhs.uk for advice on when to stop isolating and return to school after a positive or negative test.

Keep at home
  • Remain off school until at least 48 hours after the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting.
  • Remain off school until they feel well enough to return. Seek medical help from a GP if needed (if your surgery is closed, use NHS 111 online and only call 111 if you cannot get help online).
A COVID test is not required for diarrhoea and vomiting without the other symptoms above.

Keep at home

  • Remain off school until they feel well enough to return. Seek medical help from a GP if needed (if your surgery is closed, use NHS 111 online and only call 111 if you cannot get help online).

A COVID test is not required for diarrhoea and vomiting without the other symptoms above.

So long as your child feels well, has not been told to self-isolate and there are no other household members with COVID symptoms, it is OK for them to attend school.