There are few things quite so embarrassing as being phoned by the school to be informed that your child, whom you saw just a few minutes earlier, is too ill to be at school.

Then there is also the issue of the semi-miraculous recovery whereby a child claims severe symptoms in the morning, requiring room service, extra pillows, continuous supply of warm drinks, etc, but then ends up feeling well enough to rollerskate to the school gate later in the day to collect siblings.

I can only be certain that here my medical degree does not help.