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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

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Original poster

Primary school seems obsessed with covid

259 replies

Lightswitch123 · 02/11/2021 10:27

My children's primary seem obsessed with covid.

We had a few cases in school before half term (??20 positive tests in the whole of the school?)

Now we are back, because 2 parents emailed the head over half term to say their child had a also had a positive result, the school have cancelled all in person events, after school clubs, parents not allowed in playground, reintroduced bubbles, staggering drop offs, minimising lunch and play times, kids not allowed to use class pens or pencils, no water provided etc

We get at least 1 parentmail a day "updating" us on the situation.

This is in spite of no one actually being unwell- just positive lateral flow / pcr results off the back of being named contacts. And we've all been off for ages for half term as well.

It all seems so bloody punative and OTT.

I'm beginning to think I'd rather the kids went elsewhere or just stayed at home away from this crazy.

Aibu?

YABU - School response sounds reasonable

YANBU - School is OTT

Also any advice as to how to tackle this with the school? It's doing my head in.

OP posts:

Original poster

Lightswitch123 · 02/11/2021 11:51

@RuggerHug

Have you access to home flu tests during an outbreak? That might help you figure that one out OP.

No. Because the response to a flu outbreak is more proportional and rational. Unlike covid. Which is my point..

OP posts:

JustLyra · 02/11/2021 11:52

[quote Nevermindthesquirrels]@JustLyra that's interesting. Our ASC, and the schools I've worked in before cannot take on kids who haven't turned 5 because the insurance is extortionate. Means generally reception kids are not invited.
Our ASC is 'educational' but it doesn't go much further than some puzzles, crafts and the like. All child led in a big hall attached to a small kitchen. This is how its looked in pretty much every school ive been in.[/quote]
It’s a very slight, but distinct difference. In the schools I’ve worked in clubs generally exclude Reception (or infants generally), but after school care has been about 50/50.
We’ve always included them in the one I run (and summer playscheme), but it is more expensive to insure. Although easier now to get “primary school age” than it used to be.

That’s just reminded me of one time when looking for a new insurance company who in their quote said we could have one under 5. Totally unhelpful!

mumsneedwine · 02/11/2021 11:52

@Nevermindthesquirrels yes.

mibbelucieachwell · 02/11/2021 11:52

I'm with you OP and I don't even have school aged children. Not only is it not a proportionate response to try to stop children getting covid now by it's just kicking the can down the road. We can't suppress covid out of all existence (unfortunately). Better more covid cases now than in the depths of winter when general immunity at a population level is at its lowest.

mumsneedwine · 02/11/2021 11:53

@gamerchick hope he feels better v soon. I know lots of kids who have been v poorly. But all have got better 🥰. Few still no taste or smell though.
Covid is 💩

PurpleDaisies · 02/11/2021 11:55

Everyone who wants to be is vaccinated.

Which doesn’t stop you catching Covid and having to be off school for ten days. Round here schools are so desperately short of staff that bubbles snd year groups are getting closed.

RuggerHug · 02/11/2021 11:56

No. So it's a bit of a stupid comparison isn't it?

Grumpster21 · 02/11/2021 11:58

@Lightswitch123 'Fed up with the covid worshiping'

For the 140,672 families who have lost a family member to Covid in this country don't be so disrespectful and dismissive

All i can say is thank goodness we have scientists who delivered a vaccine so quickly, if not our children would likely be in complete lockdown again right now. Why not be thankful for where we are compared to where we were? We're nearly out of the woods but not quite!

coffeerevelsrock · 02/11/2021 11:59

OP, it's disgusting the way you are bandying about probably spurious suicide stats. How many children have committed suicide due to not having an after school club running or water not being provided (they can bring it from home? Awful attitude. The measures your school has taken could PREVENT CLOSURE, which does negatively impact some children.

Stela40 · 02/11/2021 12:00

Lightswitch123
No, I haven't had to test a healthy five year old everyday and to be honest, I think daily testing is excessive. I agree that it is distressing for children and there is really no easy answer to this. As for testing for flu, that has never been a "thing". Covid is a largely unknown situation that is having a far more devastating consequence worldwide than flu currently is. There are also, as far as I am aware, no nationwide reported cases of schools having to close because of a flu epidemic. Sure, schools get bugs, especially at this time of year, but when we are looking at Covid related deaths running into tens of thousands in our country alone, shouldn't we all be trying to do our bit to stop it? 🤷‍♀️

Beautiful3 · 02/11/2021 12:01

Our school has never gone back to normal. There's still stagged start and finish times and no parent's allowed into school. So all drop off and collections happen at the car park gate, where all children cross a busy road to get to parent's the other side. This upsets me deeply, as its extremely unsafe. I've mentioned it to the head and they've placed a few cones outside, so no cars can park opposite their entrance/exit. I think there's more chance of a child being knocked down by a car than being killed by covid.

gamerchick · 02/11/2021 12:02

[quote mumsneedwine]@gamerchick hope he feels better v soon. I know lots of kids who have been v poorly. But all have got better 🥰. Few still no taste or smell though.
Covid is 💩 [/quote]
Thankyou it looks quite frightening to watch.

Nevermindthesquirrels · 02/11/2021 12:03

@mumsneedwine oh goodness, you're a saint. I can't imagine doing all day in a secondary and then running a club for them. I always find it funny when secondaries are so out there about how many clubs they offer but they're actually run by overworked teachers.
It happens in primaries but no where near as often. Parents pay and we get people to come in and run them.

MintJulia · 02/11/2021 12:04

We have all of that plus masks in class rooms.

We didn't have any known cases at all last year, but 15 in September so the measures were reimposed after a week of the new term.
Now we're back to zero cases. It seems to work. Plus Most over 12s have been vaccinated, and flu jabs are next week.

Original poster

Lightswitch123 · 02/11/2021 12:07

@RuggerHug

No. So it's a bit of a stupid comparison isn't it?

But it's not a stupid comparison:

Flu is just as serious an illness as covid is for the vulnerable. Its just a communicable. Its spread in exactly the same way as covid.

Yet we don't religiously enforce daily testing on the well population for it, because we we accept that potential exposure to flu is part of life. To the extent that home testing for flu is not offeres or even avaliable.

Vs covid - where parents are expected to hold thier well childreb down for a daily test "just in case" while they cry and become upset and distressed and increasingly health anxious.

My point is- we are not in March 2020 when these measures were necessary.

2 years later we need to rememver that from conception to death life is one long series of risks. Its time we put covid in its rightful place on the spectrum and the covid response needs to be re-adjusted accordingly looking at ALL the impacts- mental health, education, socialisation of children.

Not just death stats from 2 years ago.

OP posts:

bumbleymummy · 02/11/2021 12:09

@Lightswitch123

Fair enough if this was still 2020.

But it's not.

Kids don't get ill from covid.

This obsessive testing and disrupting does not happen for the flu or rsv or other communicable illnesses that actually make children and adults of parental age unwell.

We are almost 2 years down the line.

Everyone who wants to be is vaccinated.

At what point does this madness end?

This^

Original poster

Lightswitch123 · 02/11/2021 12:09

@coffeerevelsrock

I linked the article. Feel free to read it.

OP posts:

Justgettingbye · 02/11/2021 12:09

I work in a school and cases are rising, staff are catching every illness going and covid, in person events have been cancelled and a requirement to wear a mask.

I don't wanna get ill right before Christmas so I am happy with the measures. Kids do get ill from COVID

stayathomer · 02/11/2021 12:12

There is a middle ground between you, op and the school. Kids aren't all vaccinated and everyone I know at the moment knows someone who has been positive recently but they don't do the tracing now because it's a free for all. You say nobody is sick- my kids keep randomly saying oh X had covid. Nobody tells anyone anymore, they act like children are out with a cold and you get the full story after when it's too late to take precautions. So they're being ott but you're being ott in the other way, covid isn't gone

JustLyra · 02/11/2021 12:12

Flu is just as serious an illness as covid is for the vulnerable. Its just a communicable. Its spread in exactly the same way as covid.

It’s almost as if there’s a big difference between flu and covid. Can’t imagine what that would be…

FallonBeesley · 02/11/2021 12:14

I agree with you OP, the vaccine was our way out, we just need to live with it now. The things my DS has missed out on are ridiculous, I want a normal happy life for him not this awful half life that our children are experiencing right now. It’s not fair on them and will be affecting them mentally far more than this virus.

bumbleymummy · 02/11/2021 12:14

Good post @Lightswitch123

stayathomer · 02/11/2021 12:15

This obsessive testing and disrupting does not happen for the flu or rsv or other communicable illnesses that actually make children and adults of parental age unwell.
They have years of data and studies on these viruses that used to (and stillcan) kill people.covid is new and they don't know the long term effects of it

boobearandme · 02/11/2021 12:27

Lightswitch 123
“Kids don’t get ill with covid”

Did you want to come and tell that to my 10 year old who is currently very poorly with Covid? She still has a raging temperature, sore throat, pounding headache, D&V, sleeping all day, not eating and loss of taste and smell and this is day 9!

PurpleDaisies · 02/11/2021 12:28

@FallonBeesley

Dh snd I are both double vaccinated teachers who cannot go to work because we are too ill with covid, even if we were allowed to. The schools can’t open if all their staff are unwell,

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