Threat of Social services and solicitor from school

[nitsandwormsdodger]

School has threatened us with SS and school solicitor
Back ground: Just had to take a few days off work unpaid due to covid at DD Nursery ( he is fine) , older DD sent home from school yesterday due to temp 37.5 ( taken on the wrist remotely )and cough. We took temp with good quality thermometer under Tonge and it was 36 we have taken temp repeatedly and it has stayed 36 for two days and night. There is a chest cough and snotty nose but cough is a couple of times today

School rang and said she can't come back till negative covid test , we told school we can't get a test as she does not have symptoms ie no temp and it's not a continuous dry cough

Lastly and not insignificantly I can't do another 10 days at home as this would amount to loss of a month wages, we have had a whole year of scary finances pre covid and I'm interviewing for my job this month ,

Yes we must all follow guidelines and isolate I'm a rule follower and socially responsible, can't get test, DD is now well but tad snotty still no temp , have done two weeks isolation with robustly healthy son if I take her to school without negative test they will "embarrass us at work by calling social services" ( we work in jobs that can't be done from home and are safeguarding sensitive) and they threatened to release their solicitor on us

Other than suck it up and isolate Any helpful advice please

You can get tested as she has a cough YABU. Our school dinner lady has been diognosed as positive she kept going to work with symptoms as she said they dont pay pay sick pay. Now the elderly cleaners wife is unwell its so sad. Not worth the risk. You need to keep checking the website they do go on there check every hour.

@ItIsEnola

It's parents like the posters on this thread that worry me. You have no way of knowing if your DC has Covid. For her sake, your family's and everyone else at the school, put as much energy into getting a test as you're putting in to complaining about it.

But that applies to every parent of every child. We none of us know at any given moment whether our children have Covid. Should we therefore get them tested every day?

I appreciate any sign of symptoms should mean isolation and a test but our capacity for testing is very limited. We’re just starting winter and if every adult and child who has a cough needs a test over the next 4 months we will be facing major problems across the country.

I feel for you . We have had similar . if a child has a cough or a temp then they are sent home until a negative Covid result is sent by us to the school. I have an asthmatic child who as you can probably guess coughs all the time, This has resulted in me working Only 5 days in September .

It is a nightmare! and it is leading people to think, Nope I'm not declaring every sniffle as I need to work to put food on the table.
But when you take a deep breath you know you have to isolate and glue yourself your laptop trying to obtain a test.
There is a one off government payment of £300 for any family that loses money due to Isolating because of test and trace, which may be worth a look.
Hope your DD gets a negative and can get back to school soon .

At 17.44 you said you couldn't get in anywhere.
At 18.24 you're on the way back from the test centre.

Yeah right.

Just book a test. Why all the drama, schools can’t win!

gosh aren't ss going to be busy! I imagine that many of them are going to be going through the same issue with their families & their case loads are bad enough normally but they have been stretched through covid & this kind of thing on top
By the time they get round to calling you I would have thought your isolation would be over

They have overreacted with the ss/ solicitor bullshit.

maybe when all this has calmed down send a really measured email to the head op, you'll be helping out parents in future who may have to go through this at your school in the coming winter. if not the head (as maybe thats who you may have been talking to in the first place sorry I cant remember) then maybe the county council who usually have oversight if schools.

of not if, schools

All this drama would easily be avoided if kids sent home with symptoms were also given a postal test to take home with them -why it doesn’t happen I cannot fathom!

If you can’t book a test, ask the school for one. They should have a small supply for parents who urgently need them.

Temp is 37.8 or above so why mnetters are saying it’s 37.5 is baffling and infuriating. No wonder test centres are at capacity.

@m0therofdragons

Temp is 37.8 or above so why mnetters are saying it’s 37.5 is baffling and infuriating. No wonder test centres are at capacity.

Because we've actually read the guidance?

School claimed her temp

School claimed her temp 37.4
But we had 36 since Tuesday

For all those weirdly claiming I haven't had test here is the receipt

@MitziK where in the guidance does it say 37.5? I thought it didn't give a temp?

Many hospital trusts give 37.8 as the guidance however.

I thought 37.5 was normal body temperature.

Not read the full thread yet, but to qualify for a test the temp has to be 37.8. we rang 119 for advise on this as the nursery where saying that we had to go one but his was on 37.4

My upset was at the threat of and I quote " embarrassing when ss ring your { insert place of work } which they know lack of safeguarding would have me suspended and would be massively stressful especially as I'm trying to re interview for my job
All because I said I would send her back to school as she had no Symptoms, was acting v well all but a snotty nose , if all four of us in this family have to isolate or scramble around for a test every time we get a cold we will never leave the house... until we are made homeless

Schools have been given home test kits to give to pupils who need a test and can't get one. You do it at home and post it back ask them to give you the test to perform and wait for the result.

38 is a temperature. 37.5 degrees isn’t. Totally unacceptable behaviour by the school. Anxiety makes people react in bizarre ways though.

I would call your local social services and discuss it with them. I’m a Social Worker and and Social Services would likely not do anything in regards to this. It is not a safeguarding concern.

Thanks for all the kind and helpful responses, even though I guessed ss would not have time for a healthy well cared for child " abandoned" at school , it was more the heavy threat and bringing my new work place into it who barely know me and I'm trying to get my contract renewed.. not sure what the solicitor was going to do, again it was just all very stressful

Thanks all for helpful feedback need gin and chocolate now