School incorrectly advising isolation

[321Backintheroom]

So late last night an email to say my child needs to isolate for 14 days as someone in the class has a member of their household that’s tested positive and they have closed the whole class down .
I have tried contacting the school and because it’s half term nobody is responding to emails or picking up the phone but this isn’t the right process is it ?
The child who has a family member that’s positive needs to isolate but not the whole class ??
We were due to go on a uk break today but now we can’t go because nobody at the school can clarify the position .
So potentially 14 day isolation that’s too early because the child in the class isn’t actually positive the family member is .

That’s not right of the school. I would carry on as normal.

Unless the member of the household who has tested positive is your daughters classmate then no you're right she doesn't need to isolate.

That’s not right. Even if it was somebody in your daughter’s class that tested positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the whole class will have to isolate. A child in my DS’ class tested positive. The whole class was told to isolate for 24 hours while “close contacts” were established. Once they were identified, the others (including My DS) were free to leave isolation and go back to school.

So frustrating that the schools Email or phones aren’t being monitored over half term for someone to clarify who is actually positive ( the child or the household member) and who monitors the advice the schools are giving is it the local authority ??

No that’s not correct information and I wouldn’t cancel your break.

Yes it works both ways, they need to provide you with the correct information. If they are unable to do this and follow the correct procedures then you don’t need your child to isolate.

If they definitely said it was the family member id ignore. Although I suppose the child could also have had symptoms (but been on school which I know is wrong) and then the test came back positive? Something like that?

Yes that must be it. They're not going to say these idiots ignored the rules are they, but if the boys parent had symptoms in Wednesday, boy in school Wednesday and Thursday, starts feeling ill Thursday night, positive test for parent arrives on Friday morning... For example. It clearly makes sense to treat that child as a case.

Is very annoying that school are incommunicado over half term. But it might be that that one of the children is poorly and they suspect that he has Covid even though he is not yet positive. But the message should be clearer esp as it’s HT.

Ps in your situation I’d be going on the break.

My dh tested positive so me and the kids have to isolate but that doesn’t affect any of their classes

I can only think they are asking your child to isolate, so they have a 14 circuit break and hope that the majority do, but no your child does not have to isolate.

A request to isolate from the school does not have the same legal force as a notification from T&T.

I's only a request anyway.

@NikeDeLaSwoosh
There is another thread on this and apparently that is not the case IF the letter comes from NHS test and trace. It sounds in this case however that the school has not (yet) had proper advice on the matter.

But who governs what guidelines the school gives out . They can’t just go by the beat of their own drum surely ?
I am on leave this week and next week can work from home but this could have a huge impact on families that cannot work from home and potentially have to take unpaid leave every time the school decides they want to go against the government guidelines and randomly isolate a whole class .

[quote Frazzled2207]@NikeDeLaSwoosh
There is another thread on this and apparently that is not the case IF the letter comes from NHS test and trace. It sounds in this case however that the school has not (yet) had proper advice on the matter.[/quote]
No, the law is quite clear on this point. There are only 2 instances in which you are legally required to SI.

1. You are contacted by T&T or
2. You return from a country without an air corridor.

Schools simply don't have the authority to detain you in your home.

The might well report you, which would trigger scenario 1 above, but the request from the school has no force of law in and of itself.

But who governs what guidelines the school gives out . They can’t just go by the beat of their own drum surely?

Hit the nail on the head here OP - this is precisely the reason schools do not have this authority.

A Tory government would be mad to devolve this much power to such a heavily unionised, left wing bunch as the teaching profession

I don’t know what happeneing

We had siblings (2 schools had a case each. Both same day). But neither had to close bubbles of any sort

The infant school told us that the child wasn’t in my child’s bubble anyway

The junior school told me that the infant school had lied to us and they wouldn’t of been able to tell us any info.

He then told me he’s taken a hone test. INTO the house of the child and thought all was ok?

I’m very vulnerable and was shielding. Yet someone has to do the school run

@BunsyGirl

That’s not right. Even if it was somebody in your daughter’s class that tested positive, it doesn’t necessarily mean that the whole class will have to isolate. A child in my DS’ class tested positive. The whole class was told to isolate for 24 hours while “close contacts” were established. Once they were identified, the others (including My DS) were free to leave isolation and go back to school.

This is the sort of nonsense that will close schools and risk the health of all adults connected to the children. The idea that’s some pupils in a class are closer contacts than others is utter, utter crap. They move about and in and out of the room. They share (generally poorly ventilated) air for hours at a time. It asking all of them - and in secondary, the whole year group - is irresponsible stupidity.

I can't comment on your school op. But schools are supposed to contact phe immediately and follow what is said so you won't get a track and trace, the school will advise what Public Health England have said.

@NikeDeLaSwoosh

A request to isolate from the school does not have the same legal force as a notification from T&T.

I's only a request anyway.

That's not true. The school are given the template to send from public health. The school inform publuc health and it saves somebody being contacted twice. So it's not just guidelines.

In your case OP if its a child's parent that is positive then your child does not have to isolate.

Do you have a source for that please @Torvean32?

The .gov website doesn’t confirm your view, but I’m happy to be proved wrong if I have missed something.

In your case OP if its a child's parent that is positive then your child does not have to isolate

It's correct because Child Covid Parent is not a close contact of the OP's child. It's not contacts of contacts.

Sometimes a school will ask a class to isolate if a pupil’s family member has tested positive and that child has symptoms (and either can’t be tested or is still awaiting test result).
Schools are advised by Public Health on who needs to isolate.

If the contact is through school then track and trace works differently. School advise phe hotline who work with school to work out who, if anyone, should isolate. They give school template letters to send out, which of course school may transfer to school headed paper or email. This is what should be happening. In the situation op describes, either they are being unnecessarily cautious or there is more to the situation than what is being shared. Someone's positive result is still confidential medical information and schools should still try to maintain that.