Can my child go to school with a cold?

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Thousands of children are returning to schools for the new term this week, marking the first time some have been in classr oms for almost six months. But should children be kept off school if they hav a cold? Here’s what you need to know. GO TO SCHOOL

Typical symptoms of a cold, such as a runny nose or a sore throat, are not considered symptoms of coronavirus, and as such, children do not need to be kept off school.

STAY AT HOME

Parents have been advised to only take their children out of education if they are experiencing the three main symptoms of coronavirus. These include:

■ a high temperature

■ a new, continuous cough – this means coughing a lot, for more than an hour, or three or more coughing episodes in 24 hours

■ a loss or change to sense of smell or taste – this means they cannot smell or taste anything, or things smell or taste different to normal.

If a child is showing the symptoms of coronavirus then they will be asked to return home be tested. If that test proves positive, then the school will take advice from the local health protection teams and that will involve tracing all the children and adults that the child will have come across, and those people will then be asked to selfisolate.

Other family members in a household with a child who has suspected coronavirus do not need to have a test unless they are displaying symptoms. If you do not have symptoms, and are self-isolated as a close contact of someone with coronavirus, other people in your household will not be asked to isolate along with you, unless they have also been in close contact with a confirmed positive case. In this instance, they will be informed to self-isolate by the NHS.

A school is said to have a coronavirus outbreak if there are two or more confirmed cases within 14 days, or there is a rise in the number of children off with suspected Covid-19. If this happens, the school must work with local health protection teams. If an outbreak in a school is confirmed, a mobile testing unit may be sent. Testing will start with the infected pupil’s class, followed by their year group, then the whole school if necessary. In some cases, a larger number of pupils - for instance, a year group - may have to self-isolate at home as a precaution.

If there is a change in the number of coronavirus cases in an area of England, schools will use a four-stage tier system of extra measures.

■ Tier 1: Schools fully open to all pupils, face coverings required in corridors and communal areas for staff and students Year 7 and above.

■ Tier 2: A rota system - ideally two weeks on, two weeks off - will be used by secondary schools and colleges for most pupils, and primary schools stay open.

■ Tier 3 and 4: ‘’Wider groups of pupils’’ go back to remote learning at home, while vulnerable and key worker children continue to go to school.