School/Nursery Guidance

Infection Control in Schools and other childcare settings

Infection Prevention and Control (IPC) in schools and other healthcare settings is important for a number of reasons.

Children are particularly susceptible to infectious diseases and schools and childcare settings are common sites for the spread of infection.

IPC is everyone’s responsibility and we all have an important role to play. Although infections can be spread easily in schools and childcare settings, the good news is that effective IPC measures can substantially reduce the risk of infection and the transmission of infection.

By following simple IPC procedures, the transmission of infection and the incidence of infectious disease outbreaks can be prevented or reduced in these settings where they can unfortunately be very common where groups of children are in close proximity. 

‘Guidance on infection control in schools and other childcare settings in Northern Ireland’ (Download here) outlines a list of common infections in these settings and what the recommended exclusion periods are. It also highlights some good IPC advice to be followed as well as listing the routine childhood immunisation programme.

‘Infection prevention and control – best practice advice for nurseries and childcare settings’ (Download here) has been developed by the Public Health Agency (PHA) to provide nurseries and other childcare settings with IPC best practice advice. It will provide staff with simple, practical advice on day to day implementation of good IPC practices, as well as specific actions to take in the event of an outbreak of infection.