Head Lice Guidance

Head lice live on the head where the surface is warm. They are small, flat & wingless, measuring approximately 2mm – 3mm in length. 

 The female lays her eggs as close to the scalp as possible in order to incubate the eggs.  The eggs are glued to the hair strand and hatch within 7 – 10 days.  The empty egg cases are called nits and cannot be easily removed from the hair.

 Lice are only spread by head to head contact.  They do not jump, fly or hop.  When checking for lice within the family, examine the hair by combing damp hair with a fine-toothed comb, working in small sections until all the head has been covered.  Pay particular attention to the nape of the neck, behind the ears and all hair close to the scalp.  Get the person to hang their head down so you can do underneath the hair too.

 Check the entire family adults as well.

 Prevention of recurrence is based mainly on identifying and treating close contacts.  Relatives and other contacts of the family who may be unsuspecting carriers must be checked to prevent passing the infection back to the treated individuals.

 Children should have their heads checked for lice on a regular basis.

 Because children of this age play very close together with frequent physical contact, it is our policy at Groombridge Pre-school to send infected children home to be treated.  Once the child and their family have been treated they may return to pre-school.

This policy is known, agreed and implemented by all staff.

 This policy is known and made available to all parents.