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Is My Child Too Ill for School? Stay-Off Times for 20 Common Illnesses

Is my child too ill for school? Most mornings the answer comes down to one test: a high temperature means they stay at home, while a cough, a cold or a sore throat on their own usually do not. For infections, the UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) publishes exact "exclusion periods" that schools in England follow, last updated on 7 September 2026. This page sets out those periods for the illnesses parents meet most often, where the NHS advice differs, and how illness absence works with the attendance rules.

The quick test: temperature first

The NHS advice on whether a child is too ill for school starts with temperature. If your child has a high temperature, keep them off until it goes away. If they have a slight cough, a runny nose or a sore throat but no temperature and feel well enough, it is fine to send them in. UKHSA takes the same line on coughs, colds, COVID-19, RSV and other respiratory infections: stay away if the symptoms are more than mild, for example a high temperature, and go in if they are not.

A useful second test is whether your child could take part in a normal school day. A child who is too tired to sit through lessons, or who needs you nearby, is better at home even without a named illness. Call the school on the first morning of any absence; most have an absence line or an app message, and they need to hear from you before registration closes.

Exclusion periods for common illnesses

These are the periods in the UKHSA table Public health exclusion periods in children and young people's settings. Where the table says no exclusion is required, the child can go to school as usual if they feel well enough.

Where the NHS and UKHSA wording differs

Two illnesses are worded differently by the two bodies, and parents notice.

• Chickenpox. UKHSA tells schools 5 days after the rash appears. The NHS page tells parents to keep children off until all the spots have crusted over, which it says is usually about 5 days. In most cases these land on the same day; if spots are still weeping on day five, keep your child home another day.
• Impetigo. UKHSA says until all blisters have formed scabs or 2 days after starting antibiotics. The NHS says until the sores have crusted over and healed, or for 48 hours after antibiotic treatment. In practice, start antibiotics if prescribed and count 48 hours.

Schools follow the UKHSA table, so if there is a disagreement about a return date, that is the document to quote.

Sickness bugs: why 48 hours matters

The 48-hour rule after vomiting or diarrhoea is the one parents push against most, because a child often seems fine by the next morning. The reason for it is that norovirus and similar bugs spread easily for a while after symptoms stop, and one case in a class can turn into a dozen. Count from the last episode, not the first: a child last sick at 8pm on Monday can go back on Thursday morning.

Illness and the attendance rules

Absence because a child is genuinely ill is an authorised absence, and the term-time penalty notices that apply to unauthorised holidays do not apply to illness. Under the Department for Education's statutory guidance Working together to improve school attendance, schools should not routinely ask for medical evidence; they can ask where they have a genuine concern. If your child has a long-term condition that causes repeated absence, talk to the school early about a support plan rather than waiting for a letter about attendance. Our pages on school attendance rules and term-time holiday fines cover the wider system.

Anxiety is different. The NHS notes that avoiding school can make a child's anxiety about school worse, so a worried child is usually better supported in school, with the school's help, than kept at home.

When to get medical advice

This page is about school attendance, not diagnosis. Call NHS 111 or your GP if you are unsure what your child has, and get urgent help if they have signs of serious illness, such as a rash that does not fade when you press a glass against it, difficulty breathing, or unusual drowsiness. For notifiable illnesses such as measles, the school may also be in touch with its local health protection team.

Sources

• UKHSA, public health exclusion periods in children and young people's settings (updated 7 September 2026): gov.uk
• NHS, is my child too ill for school?: nhs.uk
• Department for Education, working together to improve school attendance: gov.uk

Checked on 3 October 2026.