School Health
The School Nurse is Ms Denise Flannery (RN), she based in the Health Centre at the Senior School during school hours. She is assisted by Mrs Judy Ramm (First Aid/Admin assistant). She is available to all parents/carers to discuss any matters that affect their children.
The key activities of the School Health Service are:
- Provision of First Aid and immediate assessment and treatment of students with injuries or acute illness.
- Care of students who become unwell in the course of the school day and are awaiting collection by their parent or carer.
- Screening – Health Checks, Vision and Audiology screening.
- Health Promotion and prevention of infectious diseases, Education –PSHCE.
- Counselling, Support and advice.
- Support for pupils with chronic illness, including disabilities.
We ask that you support our efforts to ensure Oxford High School is a safe place for you daughter to come to school by:
Keeping the school/school nurse informed of any issues that would affect your daughter’s health and safety whilst at school e.g. medical problems, allergies, food intolerances, diagnosis of a new illness etc.
First Aid
All school staff are expected to use their best endeavours at all times, particularly in emergencies, to secure the safety and welfare of pupils.
The aim of first aid is to save lives and to ensure that minor injuries and illnesses do not escalate into major ones.
Oxford High School recognizes its responsibility to provide first aid and will ensure that staff, pupils and any visitors while on site, have access to adequate facilities and materials at all times during the working day.
First aid provision will also be available when pupils and staff are attending activities off site.
Accidents
If your daughter has any accident which results in any injury that may require her to use crutches, a risk assessment must be completed by the School Nurse before her return to school. Please contact the School Nurse before sending your daughter to school so she can discuss a time for her return and arrange for the risk assessment to be completed.
If your daughter is unwell in School and needs to go home
If a student is unwell and wishes to go home they must see Ms Flannery first. This includes the Sixth Form. They will need to sign in/out in the crush hall.
If a student is too unwell to remain in school then the School Nurse, her deputy or Reception will contact parents so that she/he may be taken home, or inform the parents if the student needs to be taken to hospital.
Parents who are aware that their daughter is unwell are requested not to send her to school: germs spread quickly in a school environment affecting both pupils and staff.
Health Checks
Summary of School Health Programme
Reception/New Year 1 – Health Assessment with the SCHOOL NURSE.
Year 1 – Vision Screening with the Orthoptic Department.
Year 2-6 – (New Pupils Only) Health assessment with the SCHOOL NURSE.
Year 1 – Audiology (hearing) Screening by the Community Paediatric Audiology Service.
Year 3 – Distance Vision Check with the SCHOOL NURSE.
Year 7 - Health Assessment on entry with the SCHOOL NURSE.
Year 8-9 (New Pupils only) – Health Assessment with the SCHOOL NURSE.
Year 8 – HPV Immunisation with the City Immunisation Nurse Team (consent forms will be sent out for this and need to be returned to the school nurse).
Year 9-10 – Diphtheria, Tetanus & Polio Booster + MMR booster if required (consent forms will be sent out for this and need to be returned to the school nurse).
Year 10 – Health Assessment with the SCHOOL NURSE
Health Assessment = Height, weight, vision and a general chat about school and life. Parents will be informed of any areas of concern.
Guidance on Infection Control
Diarrhoea and /or vomiting
The recommended period to be away from school following diarrhoea/and or vomiting is 48 hours from the last episode of diarrhoea or vomiting. (48 hour rule applies). If your daughter has any of these symptoms while she is in school, parents will be contacted and prompt collection is requested.
Influenza
What is influenza?
Influenza or ‘flu’ is a viral infection that mainly affects the nose, throat and the lungs. There are two main types of flu that cause infection; influenza A and influenza B. Influenza A is usually a more severe infection than influenza B and although influenza B tends to occur most often in children it can affect any age. Flu symptoms include the abrupt onset of fever, shivering, headache, cough, sore throat, aching muscles and joints. There is a wide range of illness ranging from minor symptoms through to pneumonia. Flu symptoms are different from a cold as a cold is often limited to a runny nose, sneezing, watery eyes and throat irritation. The symptoms usually occur gradually and do not cause a fever or body aches. Usually what people call “gastric flu” is a gastrointestinal infection with another virus – usually norovirus or rotavirus.
Who catches influenza?
Anyone can catch flu; the highest rates of infection are usually in school age children.
Most influenza infections occur during the winter months.
How do you catch influenza?
Influenza is mostly caught by breathing in air containing the virus when an infected person coughs/sneezes or by touching a surface where the virus has landed and then touching your mouth or nose.
What is influenza like?
Influenza is worse than an ordinary cold. It usually starts suddenly with a high fever over 38.0°C which can last for 3-4 days. A dry cough, headaches and chills are common as are general muscle aches and pains. A stuffy nose, sneezing and a sore throat can also be present. The fever tends to decrease after the second day when a stuffy nose and a sore throat become more noticeable. Some children may also feel sick (nausea), or have diarrhoea. Tiredness can last 2-3 weeks.
How soon should a child be back at school after influenza?
- Influenza is most infectious when symptoms start until about 3-5 days later. There are no recommended times of exclusion for an infected child: a child should return once they are well enough.
Chicken pox
The recommended period to be kept away from school is 5 days from the onset of rash. Any ‘spots’ need to be dry and scabbed over and the child in good health on return to school.
*Please notify the school if your child develops chicken pox as there are other students and staff members who due to medical conditions are more vulnerable to infections that would rarely be serious in most other people.
German Measles(rubella)
The recommended period to be kept away from school is 5 days from the onset of rash. Preventable by immunisation (MMR x2 doses). *Please notify the school.
Measles
The recommended period to be kept away from school is 5 days from the onset of rash. Preventable by vaccination (MMR x2 doses). * Please notify the school.
Impetigo
Recommended period to be kept away from school – until lesions are crusted or healed.
Glandular Fever
No recommended period of exclusion from school. Return to school when student is strong enough.
Head Lice
Treatment is recommended only in cases where live lice have been seen. Close contacts should be checked and treated if live lice are found. Regular detection (combing) should be carried out by parents/carers.
Medication in School
Prescribed Medicines
Medicines should only be taken to school when essential: that is where it would be detrimental to the child’s health if the medicine were not administered during the school day.
We will only accept medicines that have been prescribed by a doctor, dentist, nurse or pharmacist prescriber and accompanied by a signed parent request form, these forms are available from the School Nurse, Reception (Jnr / Snr) and are also available download here. Medicines should always be provided in the original container as dispensed by the pharmacist and include the prescriber’s instructions for administration. The school nurse or deputy will not accept medicines that have been taken out of the container as originally dispensed nor make changes to dosages on parental instructions.
Parents please note that medicines that need to be taken three times a day could be taken in the morning, after school and at bedtime.
Self-management for Emergency Medicines
Students should not carry medicines whilst at school. However, students who have been prescribed medication such as an asthma inhaler or epipen will be encouraged to carry and be responsible for their own emergency medicines in school. These may be kept with the child, provided he/she is deemed to be responsible in the way he/she uses and handles the medication.
Students should keep a spare inhaler in the cupboard, and for pupils prescribed Epipens -they must keep a spare in school, located in the reception area of the School Health Centre(Senior School) this cupboard is unlocked and can be accessed during school hours, and on the shelf in the Medical Room at Bardwell/Woodstock Road. Inhalers should be clearly labelled and Epipens should be in their original packaging with the dispensing label visible.
Non-Prescription medicines
Parents/ carers are able to consent for their daughter to have paracetamol and/or piriton as simple emergency measures within school or for trips. (GDST medical information form/Annual medical form).
Parental Responsibilities – Inhalers
Parents/Carers have a responsibility to:
Inform the school if their child has asthma
Ensure the school has a complete and up to date school asthma card for their child
Inform the school about the medicines that their child requires during school hours
Inform the school of any medicines their child requires while taking part in visits, outings or field trips and any other out of school activities such as school team sports
Tell the school about any changes to their child’s medicines, what they take and how much
Tell the school about any changes to their child’s asthma (for example, if their symptoms are getting worse or they are sleeping badly due to their asthma)
Ensure their child’s reliever inhaler (and spacer where relevant) are labelled with their name
Provide the child with a spare reliever inhaler again labelled with their child’s name
Ensure that the child’s reliever inhaler and the spare are within its expiry date
Keep their child at home if they are not well enough to attend school
Ensure their child has regular asthma reviews with their doctor or asthma nurse (every 6-12 months or as directed)
If your child does not have an inhaler with them and is due to go on a school trip she/he will not be allowed to attend as we do not always know what will trigger an asthma attack. This applies to all.
Parental Responsibilities – Epipen
An “Epipen” is an easy to use, pre-filled syringe containing adrenaline that is administered by intramuscular injection, and is prescribed to people who have had severe allergic/anaphylactic reactions. Such reactions can be fatal if not treated immediately. Common allergens causing these symptoms are nuts, eggs, rubber, kiwi and strawberries.
It is the parents responsibility to ensure all Epipens kept at school are the correct dosage and within their expiry dates.
The parents must inform the school/ SCHOOL NURSE of any relevant changes in their child’s recommended use of Epipen.
Find out about carrier /protection tubes for Auto Injector Pens which allow safe carrying of medication if your child is older. (www.yellowcross.co.uk, www.kidsaware.co.uk or The Anaphylaxis Campaign www.anaphylaxis.org.uk ).
Downloads
Junior School – First Aid Policy – click here (PDF)
Senior School – First Aid Policy – click here (PDF)
Administration of Medicines in School Form – click here (PDF)