To think that fascist school attendance policies are responsible for the spread of TB locally

[leftkneeonbackwards]

Well, the policies, and those stupid enough to follow them. and probably measles too, although thankfully, most children make a full recovery from measles. TB leaves many people with life long disabilities though, and I know two young girls who are likely to now be infertile, and a boy with other disabilities. I am sure that TB would not be so widespread if people ignored stupid pointless school threats, were sensible about keeping sick children out of school.

Why is it the schools fault though?
If a child is 'long term under the weather' then why have the parents not persued the matter further with medical professionals? As you say they're from affluent families, why is the parent not responsible but the school is?
How long an absence is acceptable for 'long term under the weather' illnesses if you were writing the rules?
And who defines 'long term under the weather?'
One of my dds has a constant blocked nose, she has dark circles under her eyes and is constantly under the weather
She is also under the care of a Peads consultant and ENT specialist, she still goes to school though, not because of the policy on attendance but because she fells well enough to and doesn't want to be completely isolated from friends.
Long term under the weather doesn't always result in absence from school.

This thread is now ridiculous.

I don’t think you actually work in a school because that’s simply bullshit.

@PiHanLot you aren't fined if off unwell thankfully!

But they insist on unwell children coming in to school. This is the third time this has happened in 7 years, a good law abiding child, who constantly feels under the weather, and should reasonably be at home, is in lessons, struggling on, unknowingly passing TB on for weeks before diagnosis.

What dont you understand? it is perfectly normal practice for tutors to take their children down to the hall for vaccination - how do you think school vaccinations are organised? What is it you are unclear about?

@leftkneeonbackwards But they insist on unwell children coming in to school. This is the third time this has happened in 7 years, a good law abiding child, who constantly feels under the weather, and should reasonably be at home, is in lessons, struggling on, unknowingly passing TB on for weeks before diagnosis.

No, they don't insist on it because they cannot insist on it. Parents still have a choice to they send their child in or not. You seem very angry that TB seems to be rife in your area. I don't think it's the school you should be blaming.

Or parents should stop being Conspiracy theorists and make sure their kids have their vaccinations!!!!

yes, I am very angry, because 3 of my students are now in serious danger, and for two of them it was totally unnecessary - they were put at risk by the school attendance policy

TB vaccination isn't common at all. Our child was only offered it because we live near Lambeth and there is a high rate of infection there. If there are frequent serious outbreaks then I hope they will offer it to all children.

You personally know of 2 children diagnosed with genitourinary TB and likely to be infertile because of it?

Sounds very unusual.

Quite. Given that extrapulmonary TB accounts for c. 30% cases in UK born people, and of those c. 20-40% are expected to be genitourinary, and in women would typically be secondary to pulmonary TB, and yet these girls have been diagnosed through contact screening rather than symptoms...seems quite remarkably unusual.

I'm amazed they don't routinely vaccinate against TB in the UK. In Japan, kids get jabbed with the "tough" strain of BCG (apparently). It does leave a slight scar, but there is some evidence it may lower the risk of some autoimmune conditions, so I was happy for my kids to have it.

Are you teaching today OP - maybe time to leave MN and get into class.

I know that the OP is real, but still the opening post feels just like the output of an outrage-meme generator:

AIBU
To think that fascist/cultural Marxist* [insert state-related policy] is responsible for [insert wholly distorted social phenomenon]?

*Delete according to your general vague sense of yourself as either left-wing or right-wing

no, wont be back in school until my screening results

@leftkneeonbackwards yes, I am very angry, because 3 of my students are now in serious danger, and for two of them it was totally unnecessary - they were put at risk by the school attendance policy

Does the policy state that parents must send children to school if they are unwell?

Are you a Tory? Why can't you accept that the policy reflects government guidelines and Ofsted expectations and stop blaming the school, your school that you work at?

one boy has been left disabled and his parents were suing the education authority when I left.

Suing for what? They’re not going to get a cash settlement for their child catching an illness. You can’t prove where it was caught either.

PP’s have hit the nail on the head as to why it’s on the rise in certain areas. That’s not the school’s fault.

TB rates are higher in London that other parts of the the UK, but do seem to be coming down.

Non-UK born individuals accounted for 79.1% of new TB diagnoses in 2022, which I assume means a lot of cases were contracted overseas rather than in the UK.

I am not sure that you do understand what fascism is; and how it describes totalitarian regimes. I assume that you think the headteacher is acting in a 'dictatorial' way? The Headteacher is accountable to the school's governors; and will be following guidance set by the Department for Education, which is overseen by ministers and a Secretary of State from the political party that has the largest number of seats (drawn from a general election). There are many things wrong in Britain; but we are a democracy and there are mechanisms to lobby and change policies if you don't like them.

It also sounds like your biggest concern is that public health monitoring to identify and treat emerging TB cases is not good enough?

this - we lived in London in Battersea when our children were small and our friend lived across the river in Chelsea with her daughter - her area fell into some sort of border and her daughter was offered a BCG vaccination - my children were not.

Schools getting blamed for everything?
Well they are far worse than the school I was attending 35 years ago, in a Communist country.
Just a thought 😂

Facist schools? Don’t be silly.

No, I think unvaccinated children (and adults) are to blame for the spread of TB and measles actually

No it's not but children are routinely screened for whether they need to be vaccinated or not, most children don't at the current time.