Head lice at school: a letter to parents and what the rules say
Head lice are common in young children and have nothing to do with dirty hair. In England the NHS is clear that there is no need to keep a child off school: find them, treat them, check the whole household. What a class usually needs is a short letter that tells other families to check — without naming anyone. There is one below to fill in, copy or print, and the rest of this page explains the rules behind it, including why they are far stricter in some other countries.
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What parents and schools should know about head lice
No need to stay off school
The NHS says there is no need to keep a child with head lice off school. Treatment can start at home the same day, without seeing a GP.
Not a hygiene problem
Head lice are not caused by dirty hair. They move from head to head during close contact, which is why they are so common among young children.
Check everyone at home
Check everyone you live with or are in close contact with, and start treating anyone who has lice on the same day. Treating one child alone invites the next round.
Never name the child
A class letter asks every family to check. It does not say who had lice, and nothing in it should let anyone guess. Health information about a child belongs to the family.
Head lice found: four steps
The NHS describes a short routine. These four steps follow it; for any product, the instructions on the pack come first.
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1
Look properly
The only way to be sure is to find live lice. Comb wet hair with lots of conditioner and a fine-toothed detection comb, from the roots to the ends.
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2
Treat
Wet combing removes lice and nits; medicated lotions and sprays from a pharmacy are the alternative. Some need a second application after a week.
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3
Keep checking
Wet comb on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 to catch newly hatched lice, and check again on day 17 that everyone is clear.
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4
Let the school know
Telling the class teacher helps the school send a letter, so other families check too. The letter names nobody.
Parent letters: digital vs. paper in the bag
Head lice at school in detail
What the NHS advises
The NHS page on head lice and nits, reviewed in April 2024, sets out the approach for England. Head lice are very common in young children and their families and are picked up by head-to-head contact. The only sure sign is a live louse, found with a detection comb. Treat as soon as you spot them — no GP appointment is needed — and check everyone you live with or are close to, treating anyone affected the same day. Wet combing on days 1, 5, 9 and 13 with a final check on day 17 catches lice that hatch later; medicated lotions and sprays are the alternative when combing has not worked. The NHS does not recommend products containing permethrin, head lice repellents, electric combs or plant-oil treatments such as tea tree oil. And it says plainly that there is no need to keep your child off school, or to wash laundry on a hot wash.
Why the rules differ between countries
The English position is not universal. In Germany, section 34 of the Infection Protection Act lists head lice alongside infectious diseases: a child with lice may not enter the school until a doctor's judgement says further spread is no longer to be feared, parents must tell the school, and the head must notify the local health office. German health offices can allow a child back after a correct first treatment, on the parents' signed confirmation. So a family moving between countries can meet opposite answers to the same question. Outside England, the rule to follow is the one your school and health service publish — ask before you assume either version.
Writing the class letter
A good head lice letter is short and calm. It says that head lice have been found in the class, that this is common and not about cleanliness, and asks every family to check with a detection comb over the next few days and to treat if they find live lice. It explains the checking routine, says whether the child can stay in school, and invites parents to talk to the class teacher. It never names a child or gives details that would let anyone work out who it was: Article 9 of the UK GDPR, like its EU counterpart, puts health data in a special category, and a class letter needs none. The template below follows exactly that structure.
How to structure any letter to parents — occasion, request, deadline and tone — is explained in How to write a parent letter.
How a letter like this reaches exactly one class digitally, with read receipts and replies, is shown in Digital parent letters.
Head lice letter to parents – fill in and send
Enter the class and the sender, then copy or print. The letter names no child. It runs entirely in your browser; nothing is stored or sent.
One letter to one class, no names, read receipts
With SchuleVernetzt a parent letter goes to exactly the class it concerns — without names, with read receipts and, if you want, a reply such as “We have checked”. Families who have not answered get at most one reminder a day. You do not need any child's health information to send it.
Frequently asked questions about head lice at school
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