At The Tots' Clubhouse we aim to take positive steps to prevent the spread of infection.  The Nursery School Director reserves the right to refuse children, parents, staff and visitors who are deemed contagious and may impact upon the welfare of others.

Stocks of cleaning products, Personal Protective Equipment (PPE), tissues, hand washing equipment and sterilising fluids will be maintained to ensure all children, staff and visitors have what they require to maintain their good hygiene.

Records are kept of all incidents relating to viruses and infections.  Letters/notifications will be sent to parents/carers immediately upon notification of potential viruses and infections.

Child Illness

Please inform the Nursery School as soon as possible of any absences due to illness.

Please do not allow your child to attend the Nursery School until they are well enough to do so.  Under no circumstances should a child attend the Nursery School with a temperature over 38C.  

If non-prescription medicines has been given, please do not send the child to the Nursery School until the temperature is below 38C without paracetamol.

For more information about temperatures visit:

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/fever-in-children/

If a child develops a temperature whilst attending the Nursery School, a member of staff will contact a parent to make arrangements for them to be collected.  All children with a temperature of 38C will be sent home.

A member of staff may administer non-prescription liquid paracetamol to control the temperature whilst the child is awaiting collection.  This will be administered in accordance with our medicine administration procedure.

Where an emergency occurs, an ambulance will be called and a parent will be notified.  The child will be accompanied by a member of staff to the nearest available hospital for emergency treatment. The staff member will be in contact with the parent at each stage.

We follow NHS guidelines for childhood illnesses.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/

Where siblings attend the Nursery School and if one should become ill, both children should stay off until both are clear of illness and transmission.  This relates to Norovirus (vomiting and diarrhoea) and conditions recognised by the NHS as contagious or where the NHS advice is that a child should not attend nursery e.g. Hand Foot and Mouth, Scarlet Fever, Chickenpox.

There maybe exceptions to this where we have a staff member who is pregnant, or immunosuppressed and should not be exposed to such illnesses.  We will inform parents on a case by case basis if their child's illness will impact upon staff and we will make the request for the child to be off.

If we ask a sibling to go home also, who is well at the time, we will not charge our fees from the time the parent is notified for collection of the sibling.

Norovirus

Please read our Norovirus Policy.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/norovirus/

Please do not allow your child to attend the nursery school until 48 hours after their last bout of sickness or diarrhoea.

In the event that a child has a bout of sickness, a parent will be contacted to collect the child.  The child will be kept comfortable until they are collected.  In the event that multiple children have a bout of sickness, the Nursery Director will make a decision to close for 48 to 72 hours. Please read our Payment Terms and Conditions for information on refunds due to closure.

In the event that a child has a bout of diarrhoea, after three (3) episodes, a parent will be contacted to collect the child.  The child will be kept comfortable until they are collected. In the event that multiple children have a bout of diarrhoea, the Nursery Director will make a decision to close for 48 to 72 hours. Please read our Payment Terms and Conditions for information on refunds due to closure.

The best ways to prevent a virus or infection from spreading is to:

• Look out for symptoms and keep your child at home to rest and recover when they are unwell.
• Maintain clean hand hygiene by washing and sanitising.
• Clean facilities and resources on a regular basis.
• Wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) when handling bodily fluids.
• Keep up-to-date with Council/government guidance on infection control for specified viruses e.g. COVID19.

Consult 111, a Pharmacist and/or your GP if your child becomes ill.  

Consult the NHS website for current guidance on childhood illnesses.

https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/is-my-child-too-ill-for-school/

We work to the NHS guidelines, however, where there are multiple cases of an illness or a child is uncomfortable, we may recommend keeping the child home for additional time.  For example,  conjunctivitis can cause blurring of sight, the discharge from the eye can be uncomfortable and it can be easily spread if the child can't stop touching their eyes because of the discomfort.

Additional viruses and infections can occur in children that are not listed on the common illness list.

Molluscum contagiosum information is here.

https://www.nhs.uk/conditions/molluscum-contagiosum/

Caring for Children

• Infection Control Policy should be followed.
• Ensure all children use tissues when coughing and sneezing to catch and remove any germs.
• Ensure all children wipe their noses and mouths as necessary.  Staff to support children where they are not able to do this themselves.
• All tissues/wipes are disposed of in a hygienic way.  Children and staff wash hands after using tissues/wipes.
• Items of clothing are changed in bodily fluid incidents, where necessary.
• Ensure all children wash hands before eating and after eating, after visiting the toilet, playing outside or being in contact with animals, soil and sand etc.
• Pacifiers, comforters and other personal equipment will need to be labelled and stored in appropriate manner to prevent cross-contamination with other children's items.  Items will be cleaned and sterilised where necessary before use.

Administering Medicines

Any qualified childcare Level 6, Level 3 and Level 2 staff member can administer medicine to a child in the presence of another qualified childcare Level 6, Level 3 and Level 2 member of staff.  The staff member observing acts as a witness and counter signs our medicine administration form.  Parental permission is gained for the administration of prescription and non-prescription medicines.  Records are kept for medicine administration.

Where a child is required to take prescribed medicines, this should only be administered from the original box with the GP prescription label attached and will only be administered in accordance with this this information.

Staff Practices

• Infection Control Policy should be followed.
• Staff to dispose of items in the appropriate manner and wash hands.
• All potties and changing mats are cleaned and sterilised before and after each use.
• Staff wash hands before and after eating, after visiting the toilet, supervising outside or being in contact with animals, soil and sand etc.
• Staff wear appropriate Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) to manage any bodily fluid incidents.
• Items of clothing are changed in bodily fluid incidents, where necessary.

Parents Practices

• Ensure their child is well enough to attend the Nursery School and that NHS/government guidance is followed.
• Parents remove all outdoor footwear or use shoe covers when entering rooms/spaces where children may be crawling or sitting on the floor.
• Parents provide clean equipment, labelled boxes, clothes and equipment necessary for their care.

Cleaning

We use Council and manufacturer recommended cleaning products for use within childcare settings.  We employ a cleaner to clean all learning spaces, communal areas and staff spaces each evening.  A deep clean of all spaces will occur once per month or as required upon any concerns over the spread of viruses and infections.

The Nursery School Director reserves the right to close the Nursery School for cleaning where it is deemed necessary to control the spread of viruses and infections.  

Resources for daily use are cleaned after use.  Specialist resources that are used as and when are swapped in and out after use to quarantine resources for 72 hours.  Soft furnishings are washed regularly and spot checked after sessions to ensure that they are clean for sharing.  A cleaning rota for specified resources will operate where they are quarantined and cleaned after periods of 72 hours.

A COVID19 Risk Assessment will be activated, if required.  

Dated: 12 September 2024 Review date: December 2025