One child self isolating, one child to go to school

[AIOR]

Can someone let me know how this works please?

DC2 is having to self isolate for 2 weeks after a child in the class tested positive. DC2 has no symptoms but I understand that they are to stay at home for 14 days, no walks, no bike rides, nothing.

DC1 still needs to go to school, which we walk to.

Both in the same primary school. I'm maybe overthinking this but the fine for breaking the self isolation rule does not appeal to me! Single parent and no nearby support to take DC1 to school and they're too young to go alone.

Does anyone have any experience of this please? What am I supposed to do?

Oh goodness, that’s difficult. I think I would ask the school what they want you to do - logically, the only response is to keep them both off so you don’t break the rules.

It maybe that a teacher or TA will pick up for you. Or, alternatively, you could go late so you don’t bump into anyone but I realise this is rule-breaking.

We are having to do the same right now. My children are 9 and 6, the 6yr old is the one needing to isolate.

I rang our school and got told by the head teacher to go with both children a little later so the main school rush is over. I then stand well away from the school on the other side of the road and watch my eldest go into the school. Not ideal and I'm not sure the government would agree with it as youngest is leaving the house (other than this he isnt, I make sure we stay well away from everyone) but its what the head teacher told me to do. Maybe ring the school and see what they suggest/offer.

Are you friendly with any school mums that could pick up the one still needs to go to school?

How old is dc1? Could they walk themselves? Are there any families nearby that could help?

Failing that definitely talk to the school. How tricky!

How old are the children? Is DC1 old enough to walk to school by themselves?

I have 1 off and 1 in at the moment luckily my eldest is y6 so can be left at home whilst I take the youngest to school, if it was the other way round my eldest would walk to school and back by himself.

Taking the isolating DC to school to drop of the other dc isnt an option at all. I'd speak to school they will probably authorise you to keep them both off

DC1 is 8 and definitely not able to walk to school alone.

No one nearby can help unfortunately.

I will phone the school in the morning as suggested and see what they advise.

No others walking past to same school? Maybe school could ask someone to do so next week, presumably half term is coming up anyway.

I was in the same situation the last week.
My 3 year old was a 'close contact' of a positive case in his Nursery (part of the Primary school).
As such, it meant he needed to isolate until this Wednesday.
I'm a single parent and obviously couldn't leave the 3 year old home alone to take sibling to school but also couldn't take the preschooler out with me either!

Ended up keeping his 6yo sibling home too. I did need to 'fight' with the school to get this down as authorised absence though as was initially told it would go down as unauthorised because DC2 was expected in school.

As it stands, both DC3 and DC2 go back on Wednesday. DC1 school has fully closed as of Friday!

I work in an infant school. We have noticed that parents in this situation tend to keep both children off school. It's just marked as SI afaik.

The child who is SI due to bubble closure should not be leaving their house or garden. That's the whole point of SI. Just like a parent often has to stay home from work too if a young child needs to SI, so might siblings.

That's really difficult.

I hope the school can offer some guidance for you.

This makes no sense to me at all, I currently have a year 11 isolating, due to a case in his Year ( he sits behind her in English), yet I, as a teacher can go to work, potentially infecting 30 plus families, my dd can go to uni on the bus and my Year 7 can attend as normal. My y11 can't so much as go out and stretch his legs, yet we are all in the same household!! Makes no sense.

They would surely both have to stay off

Our school accepted that in this situation siblings had to stay off too. DC1 was self-isolating due to a positive case in the year group, and DC2 couldn't go to school on days that I was at work because DH couldn't leave DC1 at home alone twice a day to take DC2 and collect her. I work 13hr shifts, so no going in late/ leaving early etc. DH called the school on the first day that DC2 would be absent and explained and they said they were aware of several others in the same situation and not to worry. Recently there was an EWO on a thread on here who said it isn't recorded as an absence in the usual way so won't go down as unauthorised absence or add up to make an unacceptable level of absence from school.

We have a parent support worker at our school. This hasn’t happened yet as no bubble has closed but she will pick up siblings if needed as long as they are local.

In our school both have stayed off. We are a four form entry primary so no way staff could pick up - it would snowball.
Some parents have collared a friends mum to help and one parent plonked her 7 year old in front of the tv in the lounge and asked her neighbour to watch him through the window while she dashed her daughter to school.

Are you certain you've exhausted anyone who could help OP? My eldest was in isolation two weeks ago and we managed to sort getting the siblings there between us all on the class Facebook page.

I was very fortunate as DH and I were both able to work at home whilst DC was isolating. That left me free to take my youngest and other people's DC. I had five children to take most mornings. I was very happy to be able to help those who weren't able to have two parents at home for whatever reason.

It is and has always been the case that only individuals who have had direct contact with a positive individual need to isolate. Second degree contacts do not need to.

Only your DS2 has to isolate- you and DS1 are not required to unless he develops symptoms.

We had the same situation with DC 1 isolating due to contact but DC 2, 3 & 4 having to stay home as no way of getting them there without breaking isolation, A week at home for all of us

My friend was in the same situation. She drove to school. Left her 8yr old in the car and walked her 6 yr old in, as it was the only option available. She also had to work full time so homeschooling 2 children was not possible.

My 8yr old is currently isolating. His younger brother can still go to nursery so we all go in the car, he stays in the car whilst I drop his younger brother off.

I had this last week. I drove and left dc2 in the car, and dropped dc1 at the gate with a staff member.

There was another mum also in the same position so if we could, we parked together and one would stay with the car and the other would see the elder dc over to the gate (older dcs in same class).

If extremely difficult. My older child was expected to go to school while the younger asked to self isolate by the same school. I was not allowed to take the self isolating child with me obviously. I was incredibly lucky that my friends volunteered to help with drop offs and pickups of the older child. Otherwise I would keep everyone home and face the risk of a fine (?) for non attendance? Don’t get me started about my job, when I had to explain that it can’t work for more than a week.

The school have been very understanding and have advised that if I cannot get DC1 to school each day then they will be permitted to remain at home.

Dd8 needed to stay home and isolate. I walked ds son to school and dd stayed at home. Only 5 mins. But I saw several pupils from her class joining the school run with their siblings. Nobody said anything.

Do you drive? You could pull into the school car park and watch your eldest go in. And at pick up time staff member could escort him back to the car. At least that way your youngest won’t have any contact with anyone else at all.