To think school parents won’t get themselves or their kids tested

[Sistery]

...and will probably send in kids who should be isolating?

I did a Covid test last week (negative). It wasn’t terrible but was a faff and uncomfortable.

I just think that if so many people won’t even wear a bit of fabric over their face to protect others then they definitely won’t miss work or stick a swab in their nose/throat. Especially bearing in mind that they’ll have to do it every single time anyone in their family has a cough or temperature or can’t smell anything (all winter... ) They just won’t. People send sick kids to school a lot anyway - it’s how sick bugs and viruses fly round so easily so they’re already inclined to do this, and given the government is pushing hard at the narrative that Covid is some magical virus that children conveniently don’t spread, parents will be even more likely to send them. Especially if it’s someone else in the household that’s got symptoms

We just don’t seem to live in a country with a strong sense of social responsibility but equally we don’t enforce any so no temperature checks or mandatory PPE or anything at school.

YABU = People will isolate for 10 days if they get any Covid symptoms and their household will isolate for 14, until a throat and nasal swab shows a negative result, and they’ll repeat this every time anyone in the household gets any symptoms all winter.
YANBU: No they won’t.

I’m very lucky to have a flexible employer but fully recognise that needing to work will be a big part of why unwell children will end up in school

5 days if you don't drive it a helluva time if money is very tight and you don't have flexibility with work. You make it sound like a minor inconvenience. You clearly haven't experienced hardship.

good on you that you have a good employer but many don't and many roles don't facilitate WFH. I have no idea what you are trying to achieve with this thread other than shitty virtue signalling.

I think most parents will try to do the responsible thing but there are definitely big grey areas that I'm not sure about. For example, if you have a child that's sneezing and has a runny nose, are you supposed to get a covid test and should you send them to school? Technically they don't have one of the major "covid symptoms" but I know there have been cases of covid that have presented with these symptoms. If we do start to extend the testing/isolating symptoms to include these kinds of things then I can imagine there will be a much lower level of compliance as they are so common over winter and everyone now knows that they are only linked to covid in the minority of cases.

Like pps, I think parents are more likely to test and get the results back asap than to not and then have to isolate. The school will notice a child who keeps coughing or has a fever. If they are asymptomatic, that's different, but then, nobody is getting tested if they are asymptomatic unless they have been contact traced I guess. And I suppose the school needs to be informed if that happens?

We had to test one of our dcs who was at school and we were very keen to do so asap, so we wouldn't have to isolate. It was negative btw.

5 days if you don't drive it a helluva time if money is very tight and you don't have flexibility with work. You make it sound like a minor inconvenience. You clearly haven't experienced hardship.

I think you’re completely misreading my post tbh. I think 5 days is a bloody long time - that was my point in highlighting it. I’m pointing out that testing isn’t so much better than isolating that it will convince people to do it rather than ignore symptoms.

good on you that you have a good employer but many don't and many roles don't facilitate WFH. I have no idea what you are trying to achieve with this thread other than shitty virtue signalling.

It’s not virtue signalling to point out the absolutely massive flaws in the plan to return our children to group settings during a global pandemic.

I'm going to tell my landlord, the power company, the gas company and my internet supplier that lives matter more than money so I won't be able to pay them and see how that goes.

Plenty of people don't get paid if they don't work, the cost of living is so high they had no capacity to save or have now exhausted their savings, UC takes 5 weeks to kick in, minimum, and might not cover all of your rent and none of your mortgage.

This is the great flaw in this plan to keep testing kids and keeping them off till the results are back and isolating.

Yanbu, but you're right there is very little sense of responsibility, just look how much litter is chucked around, fly tipping, theft etc.

People are selfish.

It’s not virtue signalling to point out the absolutely massive flaws in the plan to return our children to group settings during a global pandemic

What do you think is a better solution?

I don’t know if this is countrywide but our school have said they’ll have some postal kits available to hand out to families if they need to get tested, which will speed things up.

After five months at home, I can imagine many parents will be desperate for their child to be at school, whether or not it is to please their employers. They may also have less belief if a child says that they are not well.

When the head of test and tracing Dido Harding speaks, I think the process has been so poor that the singer Dido would have done better.

The trouble is when you pay for people to isolate whenever you have the opposite problem. A large group taking the opportunity.

Just to be clear for those parents reading, a negative test does not automatically mean a return to school. If your child is still displaying symptoms, they remain at home. This widespread idea that a negative test lifts all doubt concerns me.

We have all been told we will have these testing kits. Just like we were promised laptops... I have no idea how many we will get or when.

If one child in a bubble of 60 shows symptoms, tests and gets a negative, I know I'm not thinking straight here but does everyone else in that bubble go home the same day? Stay in unless there's a positive test?
Then 10 days later the child with symptoms goes back but they are the only child in because everyone else has to be off for 14 days+

@drspouse

If one child in a bubble of 60 shows symptoms, tests and gets a negative, I know I'm not thinking straight here but does everyone else in that bubble go home the same day? Stay in unless there's a positive test? Then 10 days later the child with symptoms goes back but they are the only child in because everyone else has to be off for 14 days+

No-nobody else in the ‘bubble’ would go home in that instance. The child with the negative result could also return to school if they no longer have symptoms.

We’ve got (primary) a few notable families who tend to dose their DC up on Calpol and send them in regardless of how ill they are, then not ‘catch’ any emails, calls or texts until after 3pm!

We wouldn’t mind if they were the families with nurse/doctor/firefighter etc parents doing hands on jobs, but one family has a SAHP and the other a mum who works in their study at home!

@Drivingdownthe101 Actually that’s true, come to think of it. In my entire teaching career I have only had one period of sick leave, when I was in bed with flu. All other illnesses - yes, including D&V bugs and yes I know that’s terrible - I have self medicated to the max and dragged myself. Partly it’s because of the huge cost to schools involved in using supply teachers, but mainly it’s because it’s actually much, much harder work replanning, explaining and resourcing work for a supply than actually teaching yourself while feeling bad.

That thought process really needs to stop now, though I’m not sure how that can be managed.

uglyface it’s going to take a huge culture change I think. A close friend of mine who is a teacher says the same as you... it’s easier to teach than it is to be off sick. I’ve often seen teachers on here say the same. And while there are parents who dose their kids up and send them in because they don’t want them at home or can’t take the time off work, there are also plenty of parents who send them in when ill because basically that’s what they’ve been told to do by the school, and there are repercussions if children have too much time off.
Additionally, I have often dragged myself into work with a heavy cold/temperature etc as it was expected.
Until Britain changes its culture of presenteeism and penalising people for taking time off ill, it will keep happening.
Maybe covid will change things 🤷🏻‍♀️

Test result here the next day, do no reason for long isolation period. I think there will be some element of head in the sand attitude though

Thanks @Appuskidu just got myself in a twist there!
So I know previously they were saying positive test = 7 days isolation but is it now 10? 14?

@Rinoachicken

turns around anybody who is coughing before they've entered the premises

How long before the kids turns up coughing deliberately so they can be sent home for a few days off school?!

They're really not that good at it.

I've already mentioned one who forgot they were supposed to be coughing when I wasn't in direct line of sight during the day. They'd be doing their usual talking, laughing, dancing and everything else they do in the mornings whilst waiting for the gate to open and only start coughing when there are 4-5 kids in front of them.