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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

What did your DC's school do if you couldn't get your DC to school as you are too unwell?

423 replies

UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 02:32

Just posting here for traffic.

If you are a single parent and have been in a situation that you were still ill to get your DC to school what did school do? I will probably be in this situation next week. This happened once prior to Covid and some of the pastoral care teachers came and picked my DD up. It happened once recently and they suggested she stay at home and do online learning. That was fine as I had twisted my ankle and couldn't put any weight on it but I could help with online learning. However this time I have Covid and will not be able to do online learning with her.

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RainbowPrincessPretty · 01/01/2022 19:16

@UndertheCedartree so sorry your 14yo can't help. Hopefully school can come up with a workable solution. If you were near to me I'd definitely help even if your daughter was in a different year group to mine.

spanieleyes · 01/01/2022 19:16

But no one can answer your question because it is so school and situation dependent. Even with the added information of social service and pastoral care involvement not all schools would be able to transport your child. Clearly your school has done so in the past, so there is a greater possibility that they can continue to do so than a school for which this would not be feasible in the first place. The ONLY people who can tell you whether it is possible in your specific circumstances are the pastoral team at your school.

Mocara · 01/01/2022 19:17

@DeepaBeesKit

As you have Covid, they'll probably as you to keep your DD at home

Except for that this is not allowed. Schools should NOT be excluding healthy children, the government has made it clear that contacts of Covid cases are not required to isolate.

This , you can not legaly keep your children at home if they are negative for covid even if parents /siblings are positive. If they have symtoms they can be kept at home for testing but return if test is negative . If they are positive but well enough to work our school will provide on line learning . It is a requirment that any child absent with any illness for more than 5 days must be provided with learning. Safeguarding is main issue here, even if you have the correct insurance you can not transport a child with out two members of staff. This is for the protection of both child and staff.
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:19

@Nogoodusername

I’m amazed that school helped you get your child to school - wouldn’t be a possibility here at all (south London). When I had Covid I had to call in mum friend favours/ ask in the class whatsapp if someone could pick up my child on their way to school
Yes, I'm very lucky. The pastoral care at my DD's school is excellent. Most people don't really know about it though if they aren't one of the vulnerable families. I do have one mum friend - I was planning to do her a favour by having her DD over for a playdate while the mum worked. But then we got Covid!! Unfortunately, they live in the opposite direction from school.
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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:20

@lunar1

If you can't get her to school for a few days, just get her reading while sat on your bed so you can help where needed. Set her up a tt rockstars account and have her watch something she's interested in on bbc bite size or a wildlife documentary. That's more than enough. Any longer than a week and SS need to significantly increase their input with taxis and sorting out young carer support.
Lovely, thank you. So useful.
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Bellsandsnow · 01/01/2022 19:20

To be honest, if you have covid then they may want you to keep her in case she gets it. We won't let any children into our primary school of any members of the family have tested positive.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:21

[quote RainbowPrincessPretty]@UndertheCedartree so sorry your 14yo can't help. Hopefully school can come up with a workable solution. If you were near to me I'd definitely help even if your daughter was in a different year group to mine.[/quote]
Aww, that's sweet, thank you. I'm hoping with some support next week I can take it from there the week after.

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RainbowPrincessPretty · 01/01/2022 19:21

@lunar1

If you can't get her to school for a few days, just get her reading while sat on your bed so you can help where needed. Set her up a tt rockstars account and have her watch something she's interested in on bbc bite size or a wildlife documentary. That's more than enough. Any longer than a week and SS need to significantly increase their input with taxis and sorting out young carer support.
@UndertheCedartree on this point, our primary has TT Rockstars, and also an app called Education City, all the children have accounts, and the EC ones are pretty self explanatory the kids just work through them.

My DDs only 6 so not used TTR yet, but I've heard it's quite good.

Bellsandsnow · 01/01/2022 19:22

I should say that the head won't. To be fair, parents have all obliged and kept siblings off etc.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:22

@Bellsandsnow

To be honest, if you have covid then they may want you to keep her in case she gets it. We won't let any children into our primary school of any members of the family have tested positive.
She already has Covid. I won't send her in unless she has a negative test.
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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:24

@RainbowPrincessPretty - yes, my DD has TTRS and it is good. They always set them work on Oak academy and my DD cannot follow that without constant support.

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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:26

@Mocara - yes, it is always 2 staff that have come and picked her up.

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CouldBeOuting · 01/01/2022 19:27

@OverTheRubicon

As I already said this is part of their work and I'm sure they are expert at managing their day!

With school budgets as they are, I cannot believe that there are regular state primaries anywhere in England with staff who have as part of their work picking up children from covid positive households to take to school, 'pastoral care' or not. Surely either they are very concerned about her/home and so you are getting special treatment (but also apparently unaware), or SS are heavily involved and you haven't mentioned, or it is a private/special school. In any of those cases, what happens in our regular primary schools is not going to be relevant.

I don’t know of any primary around here that would have the spare staff. OP has previously referred to “non teaching staff” doing this…. In my last school the only non teaching staff were me, the school admin officer, the premises manager, two cleaners and some midday supervisors. I’m not insured to use my car for business purposes and i have key tasks to perform at the start of the school day. My office colleague didn’t drive. The premises manager needed to be on site and the midday supervisors start work at 11:30. The only time I have experienced “staff” collecting a child to bring them to school was a case where social services did it in a serious situation.
Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:27

@Fenelladepompom

It's against the DfE Code of Conduct for school staff to drive pupils anywhere. No school staff ahould be doing this.
It seems a regular part of the pastoral care team's work from what I gather.
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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:28

@Metalhead

DD2 had to stay at home as her primary school said they can’t help with emergency transport and we don’t know any other parents who live close enough to ask for a lift without it being a bit of an inconvenience for them. It was shit for DD, but nothing we could do about it.
Sorry to hear that.
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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:29

@esloquehay

OP, you had long CoVid this time last year. So, this is your second bout of CoVid? Who's taking care of your daughter whilst you are 'bed bound'? Her older brother?
Yes, her brother. She's pretty good at looking after herself too, tbf
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5thHelena · 01/01/2022 19:29

@UndertheCedartree but how are we supposed to know? Your situation sounds extremely specific and every school has completely different guidance at the moment..!

QuillBill · 01/01/2022 19:30

@spanieleyes

But no one can answer your question because it is so school and situation dependent. Even with the added information of social service and pastoral care involvement not all schools would be able to transport your child. Clearly your school has done so in the past, so there is a greater possibility that they can continue to do so than a school for which this would not be feasible in the first place. The ONLY people who can tell you whether it is possible in your specific circumstances are the pastoral team at your school.

Confused But her question is If you are a single parent and have been in a situation that you were still ill to get your DC to school what did school do?

She was asking what other schools did do. So of course people can answer her question. And lots of people have answered it.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:34

@TequilaBlaze

Are you actually bedbound (i.e. can't physically get out of bed at all, even to wee) or are you just feeling rough and don't want to get up? If it's the former then presumably you have someone coming in to prepare your kids' meals etc, could they help with transport? If it's the latter then you could perhaps sit on the sofa and help with online learning.
Yes, I can crawl to the toilet. My 14 yo can cook, though. I could lie on the sofa, just my head is not clear enough to help with Oak academy. She could do some other things people have suggested.
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spanieleyes · 01/01/2022 19:35

I think the OP has moved on since her original post, it has now become a " will they still be able to continue to collect my child if I can't get her to school?" Which we don't know. It sounds as if the school has procedures in place, hopefully they will be able to continue them.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:37

@Dillidalli

You could just arrange a taxi?
I could perhaps afford one taxi but couldn't afford it after that.
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likeafishneedsabike · 01/01/2022 19:40

I know this shouldn’t come as a surprise…. but some posters on here really are thick. We are all aware of what a ferocious virus Covid can be. Yet so many people giving OP a hard time that she can’t walk for 90 mins or teach her daughter online learning.
I generally enjoy good health but Covid put me in bed unable to operate for the best part of a fortnight. And yes, my DC (younger than the OP’s fourteen year old son) had to fend for themselves when DH was at work.
If you were lucky enough to have mild/no symptoms, then count your blessings. Many people have suffered to the extent that school run and family meals are impossible. There is a reason why this virus has killed so many.

Ki0612 · 01/01/2022 19:43

People just can't answer this as its very very unusual that a school would ever transport a child pre covid. In Scotland school staff are required to still be 2 metres from children which obviously wouldn't work in a car. So my answer would be no they won't but in your very specific circumstances where you live maybe they will but you'll need to ask school not mn. I think working on child walking themselves when you can is best idea.

Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:44

@whitedahlias

Ask your child which classmates live nearby then get their contact details from the WhatsApp or class rep and ask for help.

I was contacted by the family of a child new to the school to help with drop offs/pick ups for a few days when parents had Covid and was happy to help, the one day I couldn't they went with another school mum.

I've got to know them and I wouldn't otherwise have (and they left a v nice bottle of wine on our doorstep to say thank you)!

Unfortunately, we don't have a watsapp or class rep. It would be useful. But as far as we know none of her classmates live this end of town. Most live some way from us where they don't walk past our street (our street isn't one anyone walks past anyway) or even a short detour away.
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Original poster
UndertheCedartree · 01/01/2022 19:48

[quote 5thHelena]@UndertheCedartree but how are we supposed to know? Your situation sounds extremely specific and every school has completely different guidance at the moment..! [/quote]
If you don't know - no need to post! Those that have got useful information it has been really informative what they have posted and helped me a lot.

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