Information for teaching professionals

Anyone can catch head lice but primary school children are most affected. Head lice are transmitted by prolonged head-to-head contact, which is characteristic of the interaction between young children, and often between members of the family.

Managing these troublesome infestations is primarily the responsibility of parents and carers, however schools can play an important role by providing useful information.

Giving information to parents and carers

Head lice 'alert' letters are generally discouraged since they tend to cause panic and can blow a relatively small problem out of all proportion. There are more effective ways of imparting information about head lice:

  • As part of a health promotion 'package' covering a range of common infections e.g. impetigo and verrucas, enclosing appropriate leaflets sent out at the beginning of each academic year or term
  • As part of a school newsletter in the context of other infections
  • As a leaflet given privately to parents of infected children

Whatever your preferred method of communication, the key messages should be:

  • At any one time, most schools will have a few children with a range of childhood infections and head louse infection is one of them.
  • Head lice are not a threat to health and are easily treatable provided guidelines are followed correctly.
  • Weekly detection combing and prompt treatment help to keep head lice under control in the community.
  • Encourage parents to seek advice from the school nurse or other healthcare professional.
  • Give an information leaflet on head lice if you have one. Download here.

Other things the school can do to help

One of the most common reasons for treatment failure is that the second application of a treatment is often forgotten. NHS guidelines recommend a second application of all treatments seven days after the first one in order to deal with eggs that have hatched since the first treatment. You can advise parents they can request an e-mail reminder to put on the second application.

Schools Poster

Since the early detection and treatment of head lice is paramount in keeping them under control, schools may like to display this eye-catching poster where parents entering the school are likely to see it.