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Original poster

I told the school...

101 replies

WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 19:56

... Reason for absence is high temp, sweating , sore throat and dry cough. All true although I'm fairly confident it's a bug and not covid-19. But they haven't contacted me to at least find out if we have been abroad, in fact they haven't contacted me at all. I find this concerning, do you?

OP posts:
Tonz · 05/03/2020 21:15

If my kids went to school and there was a coronavirus outbreak and I found out the staff knew a kid had coronavirus symptoms but did nothing I would lose my shit. So would a lot of mums. I think I get where ur coming from op

Faybian · 05/03/2020 21:15

@WouldShouldCould Right first off, all those who feel now is a good time to have a dig at someone else for no reason, it really isn't, now is a good time to be responsible and supportive of others. Second, if you actually think it might possibly be the coronavirus, and it sounds like you do, then call 111 and if they say you need to get her tested for coronavirus you should alert the school that that is the case. Now would be a very good time for eveyone to be brave and pull together. Im sure both you and she will be fine.

WeAllHaveWings · 05/03/2020 21:16

You listed the exact CV symptoms to elicit a response from the school and to allow you to criticise when they failed your test.

Speak to a health professional if you have concerns.

eaglejulesk · 05/03/2020 21:17

No - there are plenty of coughs and colds around, the school can't be expected to check up on everyone who is away sick!

Bowerbird5 · 05/03/2020 21:21

Another case of the school parenting. When I was at school and my kids were at school the parents parented. Nowadays so many parents don’t and school have to do it for them. I have even heard a parent say “School will sort him out.” She was too lazy to parent her very badly behaved son.

Please don’t expect school to do this too. There have been enough guidelines to follow. Answering these calls and noting them down takes about an hour every morning.

itsallwrongisntit · 05/03/2020 21:24

I get where you're coming from but I understand it's not really their job to push you to get it confirmed etc.

Today I've had the opposite attitude from the school. My DS is ill with a cough/fever/sore throat. Highly unlikely to be CV as we haven't travelled however their response was that it would go down as "unauthorised" unless we get a sick note.

It is day 3. I was like are you being serious? GP will not give a sick note for 3 bloody days and no I'm not sending in him to sit in the "step up"'room aka naughty kids room....ffs...he isn't well enough and it's irresponsible to spread germs just so you can tick your boxes and hit your %targets.

I just told them to mark it as whatever they wished but I wasn't sending him in. Fools.

SpanishFly · 05/03/2020 21:24

Wow the op is getting a hard time. I think most people on here have completely misunderstood her point!
To me, the op is saying shes a bit confused as to why the school dont seem concerned for the other kids at the school, given that her child is off with warning symptoms. i.e. they should maybe be checking up to see how the child is, or suggesting that the child shouldn't return to school for x amount of time - or something along those lines.

She's not saying shes expecting them to parent her own child ffs

noblegiraffe · 05/03/2020 21:24

I found out the staff knew a kid had coronavirus symptoms

You need to contact the NHS. They’ve tested thousands of people and only a tiny minority have actually had coronavirus. Apparently a better method of detection would be asking school staff.

Obi73 · 05/03/2020 21:31

All settings and providers have received this guidance and have to follow it:
assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/869250/Coronavirus_advice_for_educational_settings_poster.pdf

Original poster
WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 21:37

Tonz and SpanishFly thank you. That's exactly what I am saying. No one at school knows if I have contacted 111, been abroad, listened to health advice. If my kid had it they could have infected half the school.

OP posts:
JudyCoolibar · 05/03/2020 21:45

OP, if you had been abroad or had reason to believe that coronavirus was a realistic possibility, once you've taken the trouble to phone the school why on earth wouldn't you volunteer that information without waiting to be asked?

Original poster
WouldShouldCould · 05/03/2020 21:47

JudyCoolibar I would have informed the school but do you really believe all parents would??

OP posts:
EwwSprouts · 05/03/2020 21:49

DS's school has sent all school email out asking to be informed of any overseas travel since half-term and going forward. School stated no current issues.

CheekyMango · 05/03/2020 21:52

@WouldShouldCould it's going to spread due to zero hour contract workers refusing to go sick unless they're bed bound and the crap sick pay entitlement for the lowest paid workers of the workforce which is probably why Boris just wants it to spread and get it over with.

CheekyMango · 05/03/2020 21:53

But ideally after the winter rush if that's OK with everyone 😉

OneTimePrepper · 05/03/2020 21:58

Why is everything the schools/teachers responsility these days?

LilQueenie · 05/03/2020 21:58

wake up and phone the doctors and tell them. if it is the virus then YOU tell the school. take responsibility and stop trying to pass blame for the care of your own child!

Needthesunshine · 05/03/2020 21:58

Where do you feel the responsibility for monitoring where people have been on holiday lies OP? I’m sure the school will assume that you know where your child has been and that you are able to seek medical assessment if appropriate. I suspect if you had been questioned by the school then this would have been a post regarding how dare the school question my abilities as a parent.

Tonz · 05/03/2020 21:59

I honestly would expect a school to react if someone is off with coronavirus symptoms same as I would expect my boss to if someone is of work with the symptoms.

TheFormidableMrsC · 05/03/2020 22:07

My DS has a productive cough currently, no temperature, bit snotty, perfectly happy, active, eating and not remotely lethargic. Mentioned to teacher who said "they've all got it, don't worry". I am absolutely 100% sure he has not got CV. He's got a cold.

However, I made the mistake of mentioning this on a FB thread and had people linking me to the Gov.uk website, telling me to phone 111 and saying it was not up to either me or the teacher whether he went to school. For fucks sake. The school would tell me if he became more unwell obviously, but nobody is immediately assuming that every splutter is CV.

Witchend · 05/03/2020 22:11

Why didn't you include that information when you told them?

Ds has been off with same symptoms. My phone call said "fever and a dry cough, and, no, we haven't been abroad nor in contact with anyone who might have been."

FlamingoAndJohn · 05/03/2020 22:13

So was this some kind of gotcha?
Are you trying to catch the school out?
Dick move.

theendoftheendoftheend · 05/03/2020 22:13

Why didn't you include that information when you told them?
This!!
But yes in my school they would ask

nellodee · 05/03/2020 22:16

We're being a little bit harsh on the OP. In an ideal world, it would have been good to have this picked up on.

In China, apparently the state was tracking down anyone who had bought paracetamol over the counter and checking if they needed to go into isolation.

I know it sounds drastic, but maybe this is the level we need to be at to get on top of this.

I am not saying China is an ideal world, or that monitoring paracetamol purchases is something to emulate, I'm just saying, maybe we do need to think about new ways of collating information about virus spread right now. Maybe data on illness is more important than maintaining an over 90% attendance rate for the foreseeable future.

If we put the responsibility on the parent, and they don't take that responsibility, we all suffer in this case.

indemMUND · 05/03/2020 22:16

More frothing. If you thought it was a real possibility you would have stated it. You've had no travel conflict to indicate that it is. Attention seeking expecting the school to investigate on your behalf. You are the parent, you are responsible for your child. Ridiculous thread.