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Original poster

Schiol parents- Please keep your children at home if you suspect covid!

182 replies

TeenyQueen · 15/01/2022 21:41

Rant-
I'm a pregnant SEN teacher and I've just tested positive for covid, after spending the week in a small classroom with 3 children that tested positive on Thursday. Another child was sent to school, on a shared transport bus, even though the mum and a sibling both had covid. Another child was sent to school with symptoms and both the child and mum have now tested positive.

My class has two teachers, we've both tested positive today. Fortunately we're all double vaccinated and boosted, but I'm heavily pregnant and asthmatic and currently feeling very unwell.

I know for a fact that some parents send their children to school even when they display symptoms because keeping them at home is inconvenient. Well good luck sending them to school now because we will have no staff to teach them!

I also wish that parents were honest about testing their children. Many of mine have very challenging behaviours so I seriously doubt that they are being tested, even when the parents say they have done it.

I just hope that the baby and I will be ok. I also have to self isolate away from my DH and little toddler to protect them, which is breaking my heart 😢.

OP posts:
User2638483 · 15/01/2022 21:44

I’m very sorry for you, I hope that it’s mild and you don’t feel too unwell.

But the parent who sent their child in whilst there was covid in the home has not on the face of it done anything wrong - that is the official advice.

Obviously people should not be sending in without testing when there are symptoms, that must be very frustrating.

MissM2912 · 15/01/2022 21:45

So sorry to hear you are positive. I kept my daughter off for four days before she tested positive (sibling and parents tested positive and she was negative). I just didn’t think it was fair on teachers or other children to send her in even though it wasn’t breaking guidance.

MissM2912 · 15/01/2022 21:46

My feeling was obviously right as she inevitably tested positive.

whowhywhenwhat · 15/01/2022 21:48

Understand your predicament completely. (I've had cancer previously and was immunosuppressed with treatment) but guidance is guidance. What is 5he school policy on absences?

KiloWhat · 15/01/2022 21:48

Thing is the advice is that they don't have to isolate it others in the house have it? So the parents who put the kid on the bus did nothing wrong officially. They need to change the guidance if it's wrong.

MissM2912 · 15/01/2022 21:49

The guidance should be changed.

KiloWhat · 15/01/2022 21:50

@MissM2912

The guidance should be changed.
100% agree
forinborin · 15/01/2022 21:51

@MissM2912

So sorry to hear you are positive. I kept my daughter off for four days before she tested positive (sibling and parents tested positive and she was negative). I just didn’t think it was fair on teachers or other children to send her in even though it wasn’t breaking guidance.
I got a compulsory chat with the education welfare officer in the exact same situation as you - everyone but one child is positive and quite unwell. Should have brought the negative child to school anyway until she tested positive. Threatened with fines and prosecution in writing.

Honestly, learned my lesson, won't bother next time. Will let pregnant SEN teachers pick it up with their on management.

Nutrigrainygoodness · 15/01/2022 21:52

You hear it on here all the time about schools going mad as parents are keeping children off because there is covid at home.
So parents can't do right really.
If they send them in its a risk to others.
If they keep them off they aren't learning.

arethereanyleftatall · 15/01/2022 21:52

I'm very sorry for you op and hope you are your baby are ok.

But...many people can't do this any more, and by that I mean they can't financially do it any more. It's fine for those who still get paid regardless of whether they're in work or not, or can work from home if their dc has it/is isolating. But many many people only get paid if they go out of work outside the house. They can't just lose days of pay left right and centre because their perfectly well dc can't go to school.

Hb12 · 15/01/2022 21:54

Tbh I wouldn't isolate from the rest of my household. When my daughter had Covid the rest of us had to carry on as normal, working etc. None of the rest of us caught it.

Unless people are displaying symptoms they should carry on as normal. If a family member has it, test daily. But not be kept at home 'just in case'.

🤞 You're not too poorly.

CoronaKidd · 15/01/2022 21:57

I’m sorry you have Covid but in all honesty it’s everywhere at the moment. No one can really hide from it, especially teachers. Illness it par for the course.

TrainspottingWelsh · 15/01/2022 21:57

I would, but dd is y13, and even if she was younger I could have arranged paid leave or if necessary absorbed the loss of income. Many people can't. Unless you're personally offering to cover the lost income I don't believe anyone has the right to tell people to stay at home.
Especially at a sen school where it's even less likely parents are combining well paid careers with their caring responsibilities, and even less likely they can rope in last minute childcare.

Nillynally · 15/01/2022 21:59

I feel you, pregnant and caught covid for the second time at the start of December. Covid positive parents were sending their children in still and my head wasn't allowing me to tell them I was pregnant.

itwasntaparty · 15/01/2022 21:59

I'm sorry you have covid and you and bandy are ok, but that's the guidance they haven't done anything wrong.

BitterTits · 15/01/2022 21:59

OP explicitly refers to symptoms / suspecting Covid in the child themselves. Not unreasonable to expect parents to keep the child off in that scenario.

MissM2912 · 15/01/2022 21:59

HB12- I completely disagree. There is now an outbreak in my daughters class (I am glad she hasn’t been there so hasn’t passed on).
While the vast majority will be ok- one of the child who has tested positive mum just has a new baby and is now extremely anxious.
Sending kids to school when there is Covid in the family home is utterly selfish, even if it doesn’t break the ‘guidelines’- which lets be honest are what they are to protect the economy!
This five day rule is another disaster waiting to happen too.

Bakewelltart987 · 15/01/2022 22:01

Everyone will catch it at some point and working in a school is a given that you will catch surprised you haven't had it sooner tbh.

LovelyMoans · 15/01/2022 22:02

Its really difficult when people are not testing/aren't honest about it.

However, you cannot judge the parents who sent a child in when others in the home had Covid.

This is expected/required by government and furthermore, it's not reasonable to expect a child to miss close to two weeks of school while family members isolate - especially as isolation periods can run back to back - a child could be perfectly well and forced off school for weeks.

Theyellowflamingo · 15/01/2022 22:03

If I’d kept my well child off school, even though their sibling had covid, I’d have had school after me about attendance and threatening all sorts. I know that because I spoke to school about it and they were adamant child should come in as normal. As it turns out well child didn’t catch it - until three weeks later. Not sure what you think I should have done?

Theluggage15 · 15/01/2022 22:04

They’ve done nothing wrong and not everybody gets paid when they’re not at work. You can catch it anywhere anyway.

arethereanyleftatall · 15/01/2022 22:04

@MissM2912
Can I ask - how would it affect your family financially if one of your children needs to self isolate for a week or so?

LovelyMoans · 15/01/2022 22:05

I kept my daughter off for four days before she tested positive (sibling and parents tested positive and she was negative). I just didn’t think it was fair on teachers or other children to send her in even though it wasn’t breaking guidance.

My husband and I got Covid back to back.

Our son was LFT daily plus 3 PCRs. He never caught it. Thank goodness we continued to send him to school or he would have missed 3 weeks for nothing.

Hb12 · 15/01/2022 22:06

That's ok, we can agree to disagree. When my daughter was off (I won't say ill, as she wasn't) my other two children both went to school, and my husband and I went to work. I went to work in part because I was covering a colleague's class because she had Covid. As did 8 of our pupils. If I had isolated who would have taught that class? If my sons had to stay home, so would I as they are younger.

People tend to want others to isolate when it doesn't effect them, but would get quite irate if their appointment were cancelled, class closed etc.

FawnFrenchieMum · 15/01/2022 22:08

So hard to know what’s symptoms and what’s not as well now. We’ve all have colds and coughs since before Christmas. We’ve tested loads of times and all negative. Suddenly DD was positive last Sunday and DH Monday morning. There symptoms haven’t changed at all. So anyone who saw them late last week could say they went out with symptoms and have now tested positive but they have had them literally since mid December.

DS also continued to go to college last week as that’s what the rules say. He’s tonight got a very faint positive test. That’s a week after DD & DH.

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