26.06.2026

 

Dear Parents and Carers,

Re: Water Safety During Hot Weather

 

As the hot weather continues across London, we would like to remind all families about the importance of water safety.

We have been made aware of incidents where the police have been called to waterways because young people have entered lakes, rivers or canals to cool down. While this may seem tempting in warm weather, open water can be extremely dangerous, even for strong swimmers.

 

We ask parents and carers to speak with their child about the risks of entering open water, including:

· Strong currents

· Submerged objects

· Vegetation and weeds

· Unexpected depth

· Uneven surfaces

· Cold water shock

 

Cold water shock can happen very quickly, even on a hot day. Jumping into cold water can cause someone to gasp uncontrollably, panic, and lose the ability to swim safely. This can put even strong swimmers in serious danger.

 

Young people can also be placed at risk due to peer pressure, showing off, poor awareness of hazards, overestimating swimming ability, or the influence of alcohol or drugs. We encourage all students to stop, think about the consequences, and protect themselves and their friends.

 

If someone is in difficulty in the water, please remember the following:

· Stop and think – do not enter the water if it may be dangerous.

· Call for help – dial 999 in an emergency.

· Encourage the person to float on their back.

· Keep the person in sight and throw them something that floats, if it is safe to do so.

 

If your child ever finds themselves in difficulty in water, they should try to stay calm, float on their back, and call for help.

Thank you for your support in reinforcing this important safety message with your child.

 

Yours sincerely,

Af Hannan

Head teacher

London East Alternative Provision

 

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NHS Guidance - Is my child too ill for school?

Coughs and colds

It's fine to send your child to school with a minor cough or common cold. But if they have a fever, keep them off school until the fever goes.

Encourage your child to throw away any used tissues and to wash their hands regularly.

High temperature

If your child has a high temperature, keep them off school until it goes away.

Chickenpox

If your child has chickenpox, keep them off school until all the spots have crusted over.

This is usually about 5 days after the spots first appeared.

Cold sores

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have a cold sore.

Encourage them not to touch the blister or kiss anyone while they have the cold sore, or to share things like cups and towels.

Conjunctivitis

You don't need to keep your child away from school if they have conjunctivitis.

Do get advice from your pharmacist. Encourage your child not to rub their eyes and to wash their hands regularly.

COVID-19

If your child has mild symptoms, such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, and feels well enough, they can go to school.

Your child should try to stay at home and avoid contact with other people if they have symptoms of COVID-19 and they either:

• have a high temperature
• do not feel well enough to go to school or do their normal activities

 

Ear infection

If your child has an ear infection and a high temperature or severe earache, keep them off school until they're feeling better or their high temperature goes away.

Head lice and nits

There's no need to keep your child off school if they have head lice.

You can treat head lice and nits without seeing a GP. Let us know if we can support with treatments, which are commonly available in supermarkets and pharmacies.

Ringworm

If your child has ringworm, see your pharmacist unless it's on their scalp, in which case you should see a GP.

It's fine for your child to go to school once they have started treatment.

Scarlet fever

If your child has scarlet fever, they'll need treatment with antibiotics from a GP. Otherwise they'll be infectious for 2 to 3 weeks.

Your child can go back to school 24 hours after starting antibiotics.

Sore throat

You can still send your child to school if they have a sore throat. But if they also have a high temperature, they should stay at home until it goes away.

A sore throat and a high temperature can be symptoms of tonsillitis.

 

 

Threadworms

You don't need to keep your child off school if they have threadworms.

Speak to your pharmacist, who can recommend a treatment.

Vomiting and diarrhoea

Children with diarrhoea or vomiting should stay away from school until they have not been sick or had diarrhoea for at least 2 days (48 hours).