Class bubble closed. Need advise asap

[Yellowskies1988]

Son is 9 and goes to special school. His class bubble had to close today due to a child testing positive for covid19.

Our other son is 6 and goes to a sep eras mainstream school. Do they need to be informed of this? Also me and my wife both have to work in the building where we are based we cannot work from home in our line of work (care home and food factory)
What do we need to do and what are we meant to do about childcare?

Nope, no need to inform your 6 year old's school unless either of them develop symptoms.

As for childcare, I'm afraid it's down to one of you. It sucks, but there's no real alternative unless you have a single grandparent in your bubble. But you might not want to risk their health.

@saraclara thanks for the quick reply. Only person we have around us is my nan and I cannot risk that.

So your other son should not need to isolate nor does the school need to be informed unless your son has symptoms and then you’ll all need to isolate. Re work, you’ll need to speak with them to arrange time off to care for your son. If this is unpaid, then I believe there is government support for this but your workplace will probably have a better idea of this.

You can have a childcare bubble separately from a support bubble, so if you have a friend or another relative who could have him, that would be okay. Otherwise you'll have to take time off.

Unless your son develops symptoms then it's only him who needs to isolate - your other child and continue to go to school and you can both go to work but you will have to sort childcare within your household/bubble hard as it is. Employers should hopefully be understanding about this but you might need to take unpaid parental leave.

If your 9 year old develops symptoms then your whole household would need to isolate.

If you have children, you should be able to negotiate carers leave with your employers:

www.gov.uk/time-off-for-dependants

Carers leave actually applies to any dependents. I'd contact both your workplaces and explain the situation.

Dependents leave is usually unpaid. Just FYI

@lanthanum

You can have a childcare bubble separately from a support bubble, so if you have a friend or another relative who could have him, that would be okay. Otherwise you'll have to take time off.

This is not correct if the child is isolating so far as I'm aware.

If he has been told to self isolate because someone in his school has tested positive, he must not go to someone else's house, even if it's in your bubble. He needs to stay home for 14 days. Surely that's the whole point of isolation?

Unfortunately you or your husband will need to arrange the time with your work.

Sorry If this is a double post but he isn't allowed to leave the house then? This will make the 500 ard walk to my sons school very difficult to arrange

@Yellowskies1988

Sorry If this is a double post but he isn't allowed to leave the house then? This will make the 500 ard walk to my sons school very difficult to arrange

No, he can’t leave the house. Self isolate.

The other parent will have to take him.

If you cannot manage the school run of your other son between you, ask other parents who may walk past yours if they would accompany him but obviously explain the circumstances. Failing that contact the School. This won't be their first experience of managing something like this and may have guidelines in place.

Other parent (me) works out of town and works 5am-1pm

What do you think self-isolation means?

It's hard to juggle I completely agree. But no, he needs to isolate which means staying at home. He can't go to someone else's house for childcare or pop out on the school run.

Then you will either have to ask another parent.

Leave the other dc at home while you do the school run.

Other dc also stays home for 2 weeks.

Or you will have to change your hours to do the school run/stay home too.

You could ask a parent from the other class if they could walk the child not isolating to school with them.

The child that has to isolate shouldn’t leave the house.

You only have to isolate as a household if any of you start to show symptoms, in which case you’ll need to test that person. Only inform the other school of that person is the child who attends.

We’ve just been through the same thing. It’s a pain.

I think your 9 yr old would be fine being left alone for the short time it would take to drop your other DC at school, it's 500 yards right? So 10 mins max, I'd do that under the circumstances. Obviously he's too young to be left for long periods whilst you/DH work which sounds like it will make life difficult OP, I'm so sorry.

@edwinbear

I think your 9 yr old would be fine being left alone for the short time it would take to drop your other DC at school, it's 500 yards right? So 10 mins max, I'd do that under the circumstances. Obviously he's too young to be left for long periods whilst you/DH work which sounds like it will make life difficult OP, I'm so sorry.

Op's 9 year old attends a special needs school so I would assume cannot be left alone.

OP, you can either keep your other child off for two weeks and stay home with them both or work out a way to get 6 year old DS to school. Best option would be to ask another school parent to collect him from your front door on their way past or something

You can team up with another household for informal childcare. Do you have anybody that would team up with you?

CliveIsAlive - I am not sure if that exemption would be applicable in the case of self isolation, where the child cannot leave the home.

@CliveIsAlive

You can team up with another household for informal childcare. Do you have anybody that would team up with you?

No you can't. Not when you are isolating.

Why do people not understand what isolating means.

He cannot go to someone else's house (or someone to yours) for childcare during isolation.

@Aragog

CliveIsAlive - I am not sure if that exemption would be applicable in the case of self isolation, where the child cannot leave the home.

I'm not sure? Perhaps a question for Public Health. A bubble is a bubble I suppose could be one argument but I understand your point that a family would be being brought in after a member of the household is isolating. Worth the ask I would say.

CrabbyHector- So another family could not be part of the childcare bubble and help with the other child? Picking up and dropping off to school for example? The other child is not isolating. Does not help with both parents being able to work but certainly would with being able to get the child to and from school.

Your employer can furlough you for the duration of the isolation period if you have no childcare.