JLK AcademyCore Compliance · Bronze · Infection Control

🦠 Core Compliance Academy · Bronze · ~22 min · Annual refresh

Infection Control & Outbreak Response

A nursery group with three sites will hit norovirus, hand-foot-mouth, or a gastro outbreak 5–10 times a year. What makes JLK's response competent is that it's rehearsed — exclusion periods known, cleaning routines drilled, UKHSA notification triggered on the right day, parent messaging warm and factual.

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Module 1

Common outbreaks & exclusion periods

~8 min

Exclusion isn't punishment — it's the single most effective way to break transmission. JLK follows UKHSA (formerly PHE) guidance for children's settings. Know the top infections cold.

Diarrhoea & vomiting (norovirus, rotavirus, gastroenteritis).

  • Exclusion: 48 hours from the LAST episode of diarrhoea or vomiting. Not 24. Not "as long as they feel better." 48 hours minimum.
  • Highly contagious. Norovirus can spread on a single unwashed hand. Room deep-clean required after any case.

Hand, foot & mouth disease (HFMD).

  • Exclusion: child can return as soon as they feel well enough — UKHSA no longer requires strict exclusion. HOWEVER JLK asks that any child with fresh blisters or open sores stays home until sores are crusting over.
  • Common, uncomfortable, self-limiting. Not usually serious but very contagious. Notify all parents in the affected room.

Chickenpox.

  • Exclusion: 5 days from onset of rash OR until all lesions have crusted over (whichever is sooner).
  • High-risk families: immediately notify anyone in the affected room whose child has: a compromised immune system, is pregnant, is a newborn's sibling, or has never had chickenpox. Warn urgently.

Scarlet fever / Strep A.

  • Exclusion: until 24 hours after starting appropriate antibiotics.
  • Notifiable to UKHSA within 3 working days — manager handles.
  • Take Strep A seriously. Rare but can be severe. Any suspected case → parents told to see GP same day.

Impetigo.

  • Exclusion: until lesions are crusted & healed OR 48 hours after starting antibiotic treatment.

Conjunctivitis (pink eye).

  • Exclusion: none required by UKHSA. HOWEVER JLK asks children stay home for at least 24 hours from the start of symptoms to reduce spread.

Measles / mumps / rubella / whooping cough.

  • All notifiable to UKHSA — manager triggers same day.
  • Exclusion: measles — 4 days from rash onset. Whooping cough — 48 hours after starting antibiotics OR 21 days from cough onset.

COVID-19.

  • Current UKHSA guidance: child with symptoms and a high temperature — stay home until they're well and no temperature. No mandatory testing or fixed exclusion period.
  • Update on the current guidance annually — UKHSA is the authoritative source.

💡 JLK rule: if in doubt about exclusion, err longer. A day of unnecessary exclusion is a much smaller cost than a spreading outbreak.

Module 2

The JLK outbreak-response routine

~7 min

An “outbreak” at JLK is defined as 2 or more children in the same room with the same symptoms within 48 hours. Once that threshold hits, the response is structured, not improvised.

The JLK outbreak-response sequence:

  1. Manager alerted. Room leader tells the manager the moment threshold is met — not at end of shift.
  2. Cluster confirmed. Manager compares symptoms across the room and confirms it's the same thing.
  3. Room deep-clean triggered. Same-day — not overnight, not tomorrow. See Module 3 for the routine.
  4. Parent notification — same day. All families in the affected room get a warm, factual message. See Module 3.
  5. Symptomatic children excluded. Any child with symptoms sent home. Any child developing symptoms during the day — separated from the group in a supervised space, parent called immediately.
  6. Staff monitored. Any staff member with matching symptoms goes home. Working through a stomach bug is a firing offence for a reason — you spread it to every child.
  7. UKHSA/local authority notified if: the outbreak affects more than 20% of the room OR spreads to a second room OR involves a notifiable disease (Strep A, measles, mumps, rubella, whooping cough). Manager handles the call.
  8. Ofsted notified if the outbreak causes closure or significantly affects service. Manager handles — within 14 days.
  9. Debrief once resolved. How did it enter the setting? How was the response? What would we change?

Working while sick — the JLK rule for staff:

  • Diarrhoea or vomiting: 48 hours clear before returning. Same as children. No pushing through.
  • Fever: stay home until 24 hours fever-free without medication.
  • Suspected contagious skin condition: stay home until GP-cleared.
  • Feeling generally unwell: talk to the manager. Coming in and infecting the room is not loyalty — it's damage.
Module 3

Deep-clean routine & parent messaging

~6 min

The JLK deep-clean routine for a norovirus / gastro outbreak. Uses a chlorine-based disinfectant (0.1% sodium hypochlorite or higher — the household bleach dilution is on the store cupboard door).

  1. Remove children from the room. Move to another room or garden.
  2. Ventilate. Open windows and doors before you start.
  3. PPE: gloves, apron, mask. Available in every store cupboard.
  4. Soft furnishings out. Cushions, rugs, dressing-up clothes, teddies — bagged for a hot wash (60°C+).
  5. Vomit / diarrhoea spillage: cover with paper towels first, apply disinfectant, let sit 5 minutes, then remove. Bag as clinical waste. Never sweep or vacuum — aerosolises the virus.
  6. Hard surfaces disinfect: tables, chairs, door handles, sinks, taps, toilet flushes, toy shelves. Wipe with disinfectant, let sit for contact time (usually 1 minute), rinse if food-contact.
  7. Toys disinfect: plastic toys through the dishwasher on hot cycle OR wiped down with disinfectant. Fabric toys hot-washed. Books can be left for 72 hours to allow virus to die naturally.
  8. Floor: mop with disinfectant. Change mop head after — don't reuse in a clean room.
  9. Bathrooms: full deep-clean — toilets, sinks, floors, nappy-change mats.
  10. Refresh: ventilate for at least 30 minutes after clean. Return children only when surfaces are dry.

Additional daily-during-outbreak measures:

  • Enhanced handwashing routine — every child, every hour, always before food and after any bathroom use.
  • Adult handwashing between rooms.
  • Increased ventilation.
  • Snack/lunch served individually rather than shared bowls or serving spoons.
  • Continue deep-clean daily until 48 hours after the last symptomatic case.

The JLK parent-notification message — template for a diarrhoea/vomiting outbreak:

Hi [family],

Just to let you know that we've had two children in [room name] with sickness and diarrhoea this week, which meets our threshold to flag it as a small outbreak. Both children have been sent home.

We've done a full deep-clean of the room today, and we'll be running enhanced handwashing and daily deep-cleans until 48 hours after the last symptomatic case.

What we're asking:
— If [child] shows any sickness or diarrhoea, please keep them at home for at least 48 hours from their last symptom. This applies whether or not it's related to this cluster.
— Please let us know if they do develop symptoms so we can track the picture.
— If [child] is otherwise well, they can attend as normal.

Nothing to worry about — this is a normal thing in nursery life and our routines are designed for it. If you have any questions at all, please just ask.

Warmly, [manager name]

Tone rules: warm, factual, not panicky, not dismissive. Doesn't over-promise ("this will be over quickly"). Doesn't under-communicate.

Scenario

Tuesday morning — 3 sick calls

~3 min

It's Tuesday. Three families from the toddler room have called in this morning to say their child is home with vomiting. All three started yesterday evening.

Reveal JLK response

Threshold met. 3 children, same room, same symptoms, within 48 hours — outbreak. Structured response starts now, not at end of shift.

Same day:

  1. Room leader tells manager immediately.
  2. Manager confirms cluster (all vomiting, all Monday-evening onset).
  3. Manager sends the JLK parent-notification message to every family in the toddler room by 11am.
  4. Deep-clean triggered for the toddler room this afternoon — children moved to garden and other space while it happens.
  5. Any toddler-room child showing symptoms during the day — separated, parent called, sent home.
  6. Enhanced handwashing every hour. Individual portion snacks. Toys through the dishwasher.
  7. Staff monitor themselves — anyone with symptoms goes home.

By end of day:

  • Log the outbreak in the outbreak register.
  • Watch for spread to other rooms.
  • Continue daily deep-clean until 48 hours after last symptomatic case.

UKHSA / Ofsted notification?

  • 3 children in a room of ~15 = 20%. On the threshold. Manager makes the judgement call — erring toward calling UKHSA if any doubt.
  • Ofsted only needed if the setting has to close or service is significantly affected.

What you don't do: quietly hope it goes away. Tell parents "it's fine" without the formal notification. Send a symptomatic child home at end of day rather than the moment symptoms show. Skip the deep-clean because it's inconvenient.

Knowledge check

End-of-course quiz · 5 questions

Pass 80%

You need 4 out of 5 to pass.

  1. The JLK exclusion period for diarrhoea and vomiting is:

  2. The JLK outbreak threshold is:

  3. Which of these is NOT a notifiable disease to UKHSA?

  4. Cleaning up a vomit spillage during an outbreak — correct method:

  5. A staff member with mild diarrhoea says they'll “push through” the shift. Correct response:

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