The call from school when you have no one to call

Key rules

• Pickup speed: Expect to collect a sick child usually within an hour or so of the call.
• Authorised people: Only parents, guardians and people you named in advance can collect a younger child.
• Contacts: Give the school at least two working phone numbers.
• Medicine: Schools usually give no medicine without a prescription and your signed authorisation.

What happens when your child falls ill at school

Staff phone you or the emergency contacts on the enrolment form, and they expect a fast pickup, usually within an hour or so. For fever, vomiting or diarrhoea, the child is expected to go home. If it is serious, staff call 112 and your child goes to hospital while the school informs you.

Schools need at least two working phone numbers, plus allergy and medical information and a list of authorised contacts. If you have no local network, this is the gap to fix first. Details vary by school and region, so ask your school for its own rules.

Who can collect your child

Parents or legal guardians can always collect. Anyone else must be named by you in advance, usually on a form at enrolment or in a signed pickup authorisation (autorización de recogida) kept by the school. The person normally shows photo ID, and staff may check it against the list.

Younger children in infantil and primaria are not handed to unlisted people, or to minors, without explicit permission. If there is a court order after a separation, the school follows it. Older primary pupils may leave alone only with written parental authorisation. Secondary pupils usually leave on their own. The documents list below shows what to prepare.

How long your child stays home

Regional health departments publish guidance, and the usual pattern is:

• Fever: stay home, and return after about 24 hours without fever and without medication.
• Vomiting or diarrhoea: stay home until symptom-free for 24 to 48 hours.
• Contagious illnesses such as chickenpox, scarlet fever, conjunctivitis with discharge, impetigo, head lice (until treated), flu or COVID with symptoms: exclusion or treatment is needed. Some require a doctor's note or a minimum course of antibiotics, for example 24 hours for scarlet fever.

Exact criteria differ by region and school.

Schools usually do not give medicine without a doctor's prescription and your signed authorisation. Ask what form they want.

Line up backup cover before the first call

You need people who can arrive within the hour, and also care for a sick child at home for a day or more.

1. Find two or three people. Neighbours, other parents in the class and friends from the school gate are the realistic choices. Ask them early, while your child is well.
2. Put them on the school's list. Sign the pickup authorisation for each one and give them their photo ID details, so they are not turned away at the door.
3. Add a paid option. A private babysitter (canguro) can be found through word of mouth, local noticeboards, childcare apps or agencies. Some will look after mildly ill children, so ask when you book. Rates are higher in Madrid, Barcelona and tourist areas, and agencies cost more than independent sitters.
4. Register paid help properly. If you employ someone at home, you are responsible for registering them with Social Security.
5. Write it all down. The emergency plan template below helps you record who covers what.

Try your backup once before you need it, for example with a short pickup from an activity, so you know it works.

Documents you need

• Signed pickup authorisation (autorización de recogida) naming each person other than the parents who may collect your child. It is usually a form from the school at enrolment.

• Photo ID for each authorised person: a DNI, NIE or passport. Staff may check it against the list.

• Written parental authorisation if an older primary pupil is allowed to leave alone.

Emergency contacts and who-covers-what plan for your family

Fill this in once, print it, and keep a copy on the fridge and one in each parent's phone. Share it with anyone who might cover for you.

Emergencies

Call 112 for any emergency. It is free, works 24 hours a day and connects you to ambulance, fire and police. Say what happened, the exact address (town, street, landmarks), how many people are hurt and how they are, then stay on the line. Operators usually speak Spanish and English.

Other numbers that also work: 091 (national police), 062 (Guardia Civil), 061 (health line in some regions).

• Our home address, to read out to 112: ______________________
• Nearest landmark or cross street: ______________________
• Languages someone in the house can speak on the phone: ______________________
• Neighbour who can come quickly: ______________ Phone: ______________

Family contacts

Who covers if we cannot

If a parent is ill, stuck at work or away, this person steps in.

• First backup: ______________ Phone: ______________
• Second backup: ______________ Phone: ______________
• Can they stay overnight with the children? Yes / No
• Do they have a key? Yes / No
• Where we keep medicines, documents and spare keys: ______________________

School and pickup

Schools only hand children to the parents or legal guardians, or to people the parents have named in advance. Ask the school for its pickup form (autorización de recogida) and list your backups on it. A backup will normally need to show photo ID (DNI, NIE or passport). Younger children are not handed to people who are not on the list, or to other children, without explicit permission. If a court order applies to your family, give the school a copy.

• School name: ______________________
• Class teacher: ______________ Phone or email: ______________
• School office phone: ______________
• Pickup time: ______________ Place: ______________
• People named on the school's pickup form:
  1. ______________ (relationship: __________)
  2. ______________ (relationship: __________)
  3. ______________ (relationship: __________)
• Form handed in on (date): ______________
• Does your child leave school alone? Only with written parental permission in older primary. Secondary pupils usually do. Agreed: Yes / No

Doctors and health

Emergency care is open to everyone in public hospitals and health centres, with or without the health card (tarjeta sanitaria). To get the card, first register at your town hall (empadronamiento). Then take your passport or NIE/TIE and the registration certificate to your local centro de salud. Add proof of Social Security or family cover if you have it. Steps and waiting times differ by region, so ask your centro de salud. Until the card arrives, a private paediatrician or insurance works, and an EHIC or S1 form can be used for a while if you have one.

• Our centro de salud: ______________________
• Address and phone: ______________________
• Assigned paediatrician or family doctor: ______________________
• Tarjeta sanitaria status: Applied / Received (card number: ______________)
• Nearest hospital with emergency department (urgencias): ______________________
• Private doctor or insurance, if any: ______________ Policy number: ______________
• EHIC or S1 details, if used: ______________________

Medical details for each child

• Child's name and date of birth: ______________________
• Allergies: ______________________
• Regular medication and dose: ______________________
• Conditions the doctor or paramedics should know: ______________________
• Blood group, if known: ______________

If something happens: steps

1. Call 112 if there is danger to life, a serious injury or a fire.
2. Give your address and stay on the line until the operator ends the call.
3. Send someone to the door to meet the ambulance, if you can.
4. Call the first backup to look after the other children.
5. Tell the school if a pickup or an absence is affected.
6. Take the child's health card or passport, and this sheet, to the hospital.

Review this plan at the start of each school year and whenever a phone number or a backup changes.

Frequently asked questions

How long can a child with a fever be kept out of school?

A child with a fever usually stays home until about 24 hours without fever and without medication. Fever often means around 37.5 to 38 °C or more. For vomiting or diarrhoea, expect 24 to 48 hours symptom-free before going back.

Will the school give my child medicine?

No, schools usually do not give medicine without a doctor's prescription and a signed parental authorisation. If your child needs regular medication, ask the teacher what form to bring. Some contagious illnesses also need a doctor's note before return.

Can a babysitter look after my child when they are mildly ill?

Yes, some paid sitters will care for mildly ill children, but ask before booking. Rates are higher in Madrid, Barcelona and tourist areas, and agencies charge more than independent sitters. If you employ a sitter directly, you must register them with Social Security.