School exclusion periods: how long to keep kids home with common infections

Every parent knows the morning dilemma: your child has a runny nose, a rash or the beginnings of a vomit, and school or childcare starts in an hour. Send them in and risk making other kids sick — or keep them home and get told you need documentation? Australian schools and childcare centres follow formal exclusion periods for infectious illnesses, and they vary more than most parents realise. Here's what the current guidance says, condition by condition.

The Quick Answer

Exclusion periods at a glance

This table covers the infections schools and children's services deal with most often. "Excluded" means kept home from school, childcare or kindergarten — and the periods below are minimums, so a child who isn't recovering well may need longer.

The conditions parents ask about most

Gastro and vomiting

Gastro is the number one reason children get sent home — and the return rule trips more parents up than any other. The statutory minimum in Victoria is 24 hours symptom-free for a one-off case, rising to 48 hours during an outbreak, but because gastro spreads so easily through a classroom, most childcare centres and schools simply apply 48 hours from the last vomit or loose nappy in every case. Plan for the 48-hour rule and you'll never be caught out. A child who is still having episodes on day two isn't "nearly done" — the clock restarts at the last symptom.

Chickenpox, hand foot and mouth, and other blistering rashes

The rule for both is the same and easy to remember: until every blister has dried. For chickenpox in unvaccinated children that's usually at least 5 days from when the rash first appeared; previously vaccinated children often recover faster. Spots can stay visible long after they're infectious — a dried, crusted blister doesn't count against return.

Whooping cough

This is the longest exclusion on the table and it surprises parents every time: 21 days from the start of the cough if untreated. With a full course of appropriate antibiotics, a child can return after 5 days of treatment — which is one of the reasons a whooping-cough-sounding cough deserves a proper medical review rather than waiting it out. Household and classroom contacts who aren't fully vaccinated may also be asked to stay home or take antibiotics, so early diagnosis protects more than just your own child.

Measles

Measles is highly infectious and exclusion runs from symptom onset until at least 4 days after the rash appears. There's a second layer parents often miss: unvaccinated or non-immune classmates can be excluded for up to 14–18 days after exposure, unless they receive post-exposure protection. If measles is circulating at your school, you'll hear about it — and if your child's vaccination status is unclear, a GP can check and catch up missed doses.

Head lice, impetigo and ringworm

These cause huge anxiety and require surprisingly little time off. All three follow the same principle: treatment starts, child returns the next day. Head lice don't require a nit-free certificate; impetigo just needs sores on exposed skin covered with a watertight dressing; ringworm needs antifungal treatment underway. If you're unsure what a skin patch or scalp condition actually is, that's the part worth having looked at — a telehealth GP can assess most rashes visually and issue a prescription or referral if needed.

Colds, flu and COVID

Colds have no formal exclusion — the test is whether your child is well enough to take part in the day. Flu-like illness means home until fully well. COVID no longer carries a fixed exclusion period in most Australian jurisdictions, but the practical standard hasn't changed much: keep an unwell child home, and check your school's specific policy, which can be stricter than the state minimum.

"Can they go back?" — the checklist services actually use

When to see a doctor (and when it's an emergency)

Most of these illnesses are managed at home, but some situations need a medical review the same day — and a few are emergencies regardless of exclusion tables:

Why telehealth fits a sick-kid day so well

The practical reality of a sick child is that driving them to a clinic is the last thing anyone wants — you're managing the child, the siblings, and your own work. Telehealth solves the whole loop:

Frequently asked questions