Help me square the circle.

[ItsOnlyACold]

So, DS (age 11) has a stinking cold. Extremely runny nose, cough (has had temperature but that came back down.

School doesn't want children with what could be possible covid symptoms. Including cough.

School do want a medical note.

Clearly can't take DS to the GP as he can hardly sit in the waiting room in his current condition.

GP won't give sick notes without seeing the child physically.

No covid tests available in our area.

It's all beginning to feel a bit Kafka-esque. What have other people done in these circs? Do I just resign myself to paying the fine for unauthorised absence to the school?

I'd just call the school and say what you've said here.

He has a cough and has had a temperature so he needs a test.
Tell school he will be off until you get one and it’s negative. It’s not an unauthorised absence.

My dd has a temperature. I kept her off school and spent 36 hours on and off trying to get a test. We already had a confirmed case at the school and half of DD's year were self isolating anyway.
If she hadn't had a temperature i would have treated it as a normal cold.

Yay, the nearest test site is... Wales.

200 mile round trip!

Keep trying with the test booking, have heard some say they have tried a few minutes later and been given a closer testing site.

Just tell the school he will be staying at home until he has a negative test, you don’t need to prove it with a doctors note, you can show them the test results when you have them.

Kids are being sent home left right and centre, dd has just got home and said half her English class (6 form) are at home self isolating, none have had test results, another local school has had a year group sent home today.

Test site is fully booked for the next 5 days.

Doctor's surgery have just said "tell the school you're self-isolating in accordance with government guidelines." (Which is fair enough and absolutely what I expected them to say).

Thanks for the replies.

Now to contact the school.

When I phoned 119 they said that if the child was sneezing and snotty then it was not Covid and they couldn’t have a test, even if they had a cough/temperature as well.

Is this school trying to ensure they end up with a load of Covid positive pupils in school?
Unless a pattern develops it makes no sense to put in hoops to jump through to enable self isolation related absences.

Would school accept the self cert isolation note?

111.nhs.uk/isolation-note/

Meant for employers I think but could be worth a try

Contact your MP

Just emailed to say (a) doctor (understandably) doesn't do sick notes for this, (b) doctor says draw their attention to government guidelines on self isolation, (c) can't get a test (have offered them screenshots of the "no tests available on this date" messages).

We'll see what they say next.

They've already had one confirmed covid case in the school - you'd think they'd want to avoid another.

(Where's the head-desk emoji when you need it?)