We are now entering the season when pupils are more likely to catch colds and other typical infections.

I firmly do not believe it is my job to second-guess parents and carers when making decisions about the fitness of their children to attend school, and we rarely ask for evidence of illness; however, it is my duty to urge exercising caution before reporting an absence. Poor attendance, missing more than 10 days in the course of a year, can have an exceptionally detrimental impact on learning, undermining progress, which can prove impossible to recover from, leaving pupils permanently playing catch-up, and harming both their confidence and future prospects as adults.

The NHS is clear you can send your child to school with a cold, cough, headache, sore throat or stomach ache if they do not have a fever; cold sore or head lice, but please let us know, so we can look after them. If you are not sure, send them to school anyway as they often improve following registration and we would contact you should their symptoms become more concerning.