Dd has a bit of a cold - send to school or not?

[Besom]

Dd has a mild sniffly cold. No cough, temp or anything. Normally would just send her but at the moment - what are we supposed to do?

[guilttripjourno]

Just keep at home. You don't want others in the class to get it.

[tootyfruitypickle]

She’s not back for Yonks, so we’ll be on to the next lergy by then! I have had loads, I’m starting to question how much I must touch my face as I’m barely going out!

[RhubarbAndMustard]

I think the problem is that there is no clear guidance on what to do in these circumstances. Obviously if a child exhibited the 3 main symptoms you'd keep them off and get a test. But if they just have a runny nose, sore throat, what do the schools want us to do?

I checked our school website today and it still has old guidance which states to send them in with runny nose, minor sore throat or even a cough. So some schools do want them in usually with a minor cold. But is this still the case?

Schools need to just communicate with parents about what they want to happen in these circumstances. And if they do want kids to stay off and get tested without the 3 main symptoms the Government have got to make the tests more widely available. I phoned the helpline last week to ask for one with a sore throat and was refused.

[combatbarbie]

I am fairly sure that what we received earlier..... Posted the email above, will be getting filtered to schools. I can't imagine our LA has taken this upon themselves when they have been in constant contact with parents over lockdown about their frustration on the whole situation 🤔

[DrCoconut]

DS2 has asthma and winter is coming up. If I have to keep him at home every time he coughs then I may as well just quit my job now and resign myself to another 6 months of home education. I get the need for caution about coronavirus but there has to be some sense applied too.

[WouldBeGood]

@DrCoconut

DS2 has asthma and winter is coming up. If I have to keep him at home every time he coughs then I may as well just quit my job now and resign myself to another 6 months of home education. I get the need for caution about coronavirus but there has to be some sense applied too.

I agree, but it appears sense is out the window just now.

[Yellowbutterfly1]

DrCoconut
I agree, there should be common sense used but unfortunately I fear there won’t be.

[canigooutyet]

Yup I can also foresee a lot of common sense become a bit of a rarity when schools back.
Those parents who damn well know their kids should be at home will still send them in.
Not all of course, some will have woken up to why we don't do this.

We really need a fine for viral infection control. Base it on what the nhs state that's infectious. Deliberately send your kid in with x, y or z face a fine. Dose them with calpol it's a higher fine. If it's proper policy, schools cannot issue fines for when the child is sick (although not sure any parent hasn't challenged this)

[latticechaos]

We really need a fine for viral infection control. Base it on what the nhs state that's infectious. Deliberately send your kid in with x, y or z face a fine. Dose them with calpol it's a higher fine.

How will you prove a) they had the symptom or b) the child had Calpol??

You can't be taking blood tests checking for Calpol

[WouldBeGood]

@canigooutyet

Yup I can also foresee a lot of common sense become a bit of a rarity when schools back.
Those parents who damn well know their kids should be at home will still send them in.
Not all of course, some will have woken up to why we don't do this.

We really need a fine for viral infection control. Base it on what the nhs state that's infectious. Deliberately send your kid in with x, y or z face a fine. Dose them with calpol it's a higher fine. If it's proper policy, schools cannot issue fines for when the child is sick (although not sure any parent hasn't challenged this)

Total insanity.

I think we need a fine for OTT reactions to illness.

[PumbaasCucumbas]

Our nursery has been open throughout for kw kids, our youngest going in since June. There was a spell when nearly every todder had some form of runny nose... quite a few were initially tested, all negative, no one got coughs etc. Nursery took pragmatic view in the end that only snot in otherwise completely well children was ok to come. But we were in a really low incidence area even at the peak.

[Msmcc1212]

I wouldn’t send in. We don’t need teachers off unnecessarily because they’ve caught a cold. Better for DC to rest too rather than feeling crappy at school all day.

[montventoux]

And amid all this uncertainty about symptoms is the study that found that approximately 75% of cases are completely asymptomatic anyway (and if that's total population then it could be higher among children?).

[ohthegoats]

How do you know if a small child with a cold has lost their sense of taste or smell?

Sending ill kids to school will ultimately close schools. This thread is a perfect example of why teachers are worried about going back to full classes. Irresponsible parents like people in this thread will fuck it up for everyone.

[InsaneInTheViralMembrane]

@ohthegoats

How do you know if a small child with a cold has lost their sense of taste or smell?

Sending ill kids to school will ultimately close schools. This thread is a perfect example of why teachers are worried about going back to full classes. Irresponsible parents like people in this thread will fuck it up for everyone.

You feed them chilli for lunch and then they say “did [X] come from heather’s house?” Yes, how did you know? “It smells like heather’s house”

How’s that for youz?

[PumbaasCucumbas]

We had colds early in the summer hols - kids just vague runny noses but dh full blown cold and I had sore throat which was tickly... difficult to say if genuinely a cough. We got tested and results within 24h (neg)

Sometimes cold symptoms (blowing noses and hoarse voice for example) can last over a week after you feel fine, if you are wearing your mask, catch it, bin it, killing it in tissues and doing the rigorous hand washing and social distancing we shouldn’t really be passing on colds either. It’s good to be able to assure colleagues that you have been tested and it is just a cold. But I do also see the point that kids may not be as rigorous keeping it to themselves as an adult. It’s a difficult judgement call. I’d definitely say if ill keep off, sniffles only, that’s just a british winter isn’t it?

[WouldBeGood]

Greater Glasgow and Clyde now issued guidance that they do not need to be off with colds, just main symptoms of Covid.

[combatbarbie]

@WouldBeGood how strange we are getting different direction, we are just south of you

[WouldBeGood]

Lothian is different too apparently!

[LouiseNW]

Vinoonasunnyday

Yes I would as would all my colleagues because having a cold doesn’t mean I can’t work“

Unfortunately it’s not all about you. If you passed your cold to me at work and I passed it to my asthmatic son he may well end up in hospital.

Would you not find that embarrassing?

[BottomOfMyPencilCase]

@WouldBeGood do you have a link to that guidance? I couldn't find it. Thanks.

[WouldBeGood]

Yeah, it’s on the Glasgow live page today. Just popped up.

[Vinoonasunnyday]

Louise


That’s a massive over reaction

You can pick colds up anywhere!

Not all kids with asthma develop complications from a common cold.

That’s some serious health anxiety going on there.

Most workplaces would not accept staff staying off work for having a cold. Even in nhs that’d be frowned upon. Temp/being unwell of course, but a common cold?!

It’s an extra concern if your child has asthma but that’s ridiculous expecting the country to stay at home for a cold just in case you get it, and just in case you pass it on, and further just in case your child gets complications!

[PumbaasCucumbas]

Well if there’s any good news to come out of the whole sorry covid thing, is that hygiene and biosecurity in public spaces and workplaces may improve generally - if people are following Covid precautions at work, they shouldn’t be passing on colds either. Likewise norovirus and other things.

Even if you could make every colleague stay home for a tiny cold, any public facing job is going to risk exposure to colds and things. Maybe the Perspex screen will be here to stay.

[PumbaasCucumbas]

I work in a public facing roll and you wouldn’t believe how many people come in snorting and coughing and say “I’m off work ill today so I thought I’d take the chance to come here..” thanks for that