Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. Protection built in.

Meet the Other Phone.
Protection built in.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Chat

Join the discussion and chat with other Mumsnetters about everyday life, relationships and parenting.

Original poster

Negative sibling being told to stay off school

44 replies

MuggedByTheSleepThief · 27/09/2021 18:10

Hi everyone, I am a bit flummoxed by this. COVID outbreak at primary school so all were recommended to get a pcr. We did and our yr 6 tested pos (asymptomatic). Younger yr 4 sibling tested negative,

School have just emailed to tell us to keep the negative (and no symptoms) yr 4 off for 10 days as well. I thought this is contrary to the approach to keep kids in school. Has anyone else had this? More school missed……

OP posts:
Fallagain · 27/09/2021 18:13

I would ask them who is advising this. If there is an outbreak at the school then they may have been advised to do this my PHE. Realistically not many children, especially those in primary school will be isolating properly within the house and not socialising and eating with other members of the household.

trumpisagit · 27/09/2021 18:36

Are they providing a full home learning timetable?

Original poster
MuggedByTheSleepThief · 27/09/2021 18:41

trump hi - On the timetable front - no. So it’s a while since we last home schooled and the support was really poor then. Only 1 day down this time round and there was some online free oak academy stuff and one worksheet saved in a folder.

Hopes are not high!

OP posts:

Interested in this thread?

Then you might like threads about these subjects:

Covid-19 General education Primary education
Original poster
MuggedByTheSleepThief · 27/09/2021 18:47

fall yes I will ask. Fair point re the isolating. My view would have been LFT every day/every other but if that kind of advice is being dispensed from PHE then ok, we will suck it up and go back to the 5 am starts to crack through work. I will take a short break now to bang my head hard against the table.

OP posts:
Blahdyblahbla · 27/09/2021 18:51

Our school tried this. One of the mothers just deposited the negative sibling at the door and walked off, she's our hero Grin. The school did precisely nothing about it, it was their "preference" that siblings staid away, but absolutely not a requirement.

Fatbottomed · 27/09/2021 18:51

The guidance is that children attend school, I think it’s very unlikely to have come from PHE.

Suddenlyfamily5 · 27/09/2021 18:53

One of the mothers just deposited the negative sibling at the door and walked off, she's our hero grin

I’m guessing you’ve got healthy DC with no underlying conditions?

DanglingMod · 27/09/2021 18:54

I think PHE have the power to implement this on a cases by case basis still. We have a local school where 28/60 children in one year tested positive in two days. The remaining 32 had to isolate for ten days as did siblings of the 28. Classed as an outbreak obviously with numbers that high.

toomuchlaundry · 27/09/2021 18:58

If there is an outbreak they could ask for this, if PHE advise.

Schools have to have an outbreak policy (per Government guidance). Interestingly the Government don’t mention this much!

SillyBub · 27/09/2021 19:03

If your local Public Health have declared this as an outbreak they can tighten up the isolation for close contacts as has been previously said. The school should have clearly communicated both the outbreak situation and the isolation and testing rules/recommendations. (I do this job in a school).

RudestLittleMadam · 27/09/2021 19:13

My son’s school has sent the same message out. It’s a special school setting and there are vulnerable children. I don’t blame the school at all tbh but I work part time my OH works mostly from home so between us we can juggle his care between us. I do understand that other parents often can’t do this.

1940s · 27/09/2021 19:18

If your number one priority was to stop the spread of Covid then keeping the whole house isolated makes the most sense. Siblings will be in high contact and there's a high risk of currently unaffected sibling carrying the virus to their class.

Skysblue · 27/09/2021 19:18

It’s almost like the teachers don’t want to catch covid from your family.

They’re doing the sensible thing and it might save someone else’s life. Yes it is a little different to the official government advice but as it is overwhelmingly clear that the government are unethical morons who care more about money than lives I think the school are doing the right thing.

Bumpsadaisie · 27/09/2021 19:21

This has been local authority requirements in our county since about a week ago. We were notified by both our schools that if a child tests positive siblings should also isolate even if testing negative.

This followed several cases where one sibling was positive, another tested neg for three or four days and attended, only to turn positive on day four/five, during which time they will have been infectious.

Bumpsadaisie · 27/09/2021 19:23

The difficulty is that LFT only picks up 40% of positive cases.

If one of your kids has it it is really very likely that your other will get it.

Original poster
MuggedByTheSleepThief · 27/09/2021 19:24

Thanks for the added background, it has been phrased as ‘very strong advice’ vs absolute direction re sibling. I should say ‘outbreak’ was my word rather than a formal declaration/threshold reached. I will keep alert for this now as I think the school is teetering so wouldn’t be surprised if that happens.

OP posts:
twinkletoesimnot · 27/09/2021 19:25

@Blahdyblahbla

Our school tried this. One of the mothers just deposited the negative sibling at the door and walked off, she's our hero Grin. The school did precisely nothing about it, it was their "preference" that siblings staid away, but absolutely not a requirement.
That's truly disgusting.

It's insane that anyone would think it's a good idea to send them in tbh

IamJuliaJohnson · 27/09/2021 19:27

I am a school governor. My understanding of the current situation is that siblings don’t need to isolate from a positive case at home, however, if the number of cases is high enough (I think 10% is the threshold we discussed) PHE can issue different guidance to the school.

Theunamedcat · 27/09/2021 19:29

We are implementing our outbreak policy at primary school which means one class is its own bubble because they have so far lost one teacher three ta and numerous children to covid quite frankly it's more disruptive than sending them home

JayDot500 · 27/09/2021 19:32

@Blahdyblahbla

Our school tried this. One of the mothers just deposited the negative sibling at the door and walked off, she's our hero Grin. The school did precisely nothing about it, it was their "preference" that siblings staid away, but absolutely not a requirement.
Imagine being the child in this scenario Confused
MrsHamlet · 27/09/2021 19:35

We have implemented this on the advice of the LA at the behest of PHE. Most parents thought it was a good idea, since they could see it travelling round the school.

MsAwesomeDragon · 27/09/2021 19:36

That's a county wide policy now up here in Cumbria, as directed by PHE. Although the negative sibling is allowed back in school after a PCR on day 3-5 after the first one tests positive. There are an awful lot of school pupils getting it, and passing it on to siblings, who then pass it on to their friends, etc.

My school are back to all assemblies being remote, masks in corridors as well, due to the sheer number of pupils and staff who are ill with covid.

lawofdistraction · 27/09/2021 19:38

Your school sounds very sensible OP.

Dolphinnoises · 27/09/2021 19:40

Good for them. We’re not in the U.K. but this is our school’s policy too

rainraingogo · 27/09/2021 19:56

I've asked this before but is there no exception for kids who've HAD Covid? Mine both have (confirmed by PCR), as have many of their class mates. Not all, but lots of them.

Would PHE advice really mean those kids being sent off again after they've recovered? It could just be never ending until the last group get it!