School absence in children with fractures: Is it unnecessary school regulations that keep children away from school?

SummaryWe retrospectively reviewed school absence in 142 consecutive children aged 5–16 years who attended our clinic following upper or lower limb fractures that required hospital admission. A questionnaire was sent to all parents and the head teachers of the involved schools requesting details of their return to school policy following trauma.One hundred and forty-two children had fractures in the study period. One hundred and four parent questionnaires were completed. All 29 head teachers’ responded.Children lost an average of 4 and 21 school days, respectively as a result of upper and lower limb fractures. Parents 92 or child 7 made the decision to return to school, this totals 95%.We concluded that school regulations rarely delay a child's return to school after a fracture.