Schools telling kids to come in while waiting for household results?

[borageforager]

Is this happening anywhere else?

My colleague was told by school to continue sending his two kids in while he waited for test results for himself. I thought this was wrong & alarming but an isolated error, but yesterday I rang our primary school to let them know DC1 has symptoms & we are self isolating waiting for test results, & the headteacher told me I could send DC2 in to school regardless as he doesn’t have symptoms. I said we would stick to the guidelines & keep the family at home but I am so surprised to have two examples of this (at two different schools in the same town) this week. Is this happening commonly?!

Are you a teacher ER4321?

The guidelines we were sent as a school make it VERY clear that if someone in a household has symptoms then the ENTIRE household must isolate. IF the symptomatic person gets a negative test result then all can go back to normal.

If someone in the household is told to isolate due to contact (but no symptoms) then the rest of the household can carry on as normal.

Yes that's exactly as it should be

@ER4321

Also you'll be interested to know that if somebody in a member's of staff household has tested positive but they themselves dont have symptoms they're to continue to go to work until they do have symptoms. Giving it a good 14 days to spread around the building. Oh and obviously no masks to be worn in primaries whilst all this goes on.

Absolutely NOT true! We currently have a member of staff staying home. At first because her partner had symptoms and then carried on because the partner had a positive test. She will be allowed back to work 14 days from the time she started isolating unless she develops symptoms herself.

@BuggerOffAndGoodDayToYou has summarised it accurately. Those are the guidelines that every school should follow. OP your school and your colleague's school are wrong.

A local friend was told the same - to send her DC in whilst awaiting a test result. Which came back positive.

(I have posted this on a few threads so don't use this as proof of lots of schools)

I am appalled that schools seem to be ignoring the VERY clear rules and guidance.

There is no excuse. There is a special code to be used for Covid related absences so it doesn’t affect attendance figures.

Our school has had to send a reminder to parents - to keel siblings off school if one of them has symptoms, and awaiting results of test. One family allowed one child to attend school until the results came in - which obviously was a risk. And it was positive.

Does this explain why some schools are badly affected and others not?

Our school sent out email emphasising that if someone in the household has symptoms and is waiting for the test results everyone should stay at home.

Er4321

That's bit not what we are telling our families. aFAIK those guidelines haven't changed.

Someone in a household/suooort bubble has symptoms then everyone has to start self isolation immediately. If the person with symptoms tests positive the. They continue to isolate. If it's negative they return to work abd school, si stops.

For other test scenarios it's different. So if it's a research test m, an asymptotic test or regularly testing for specific progressions then no one needs to isolate unless a positive result is returned.

Its amazing how many people still have no understanding of this, when this part of the guidelines has been in place for months!

OP, you are right in both of your examples.

Our primary school emailed everyone this week to remind them that if a household member has symptoms they should get tested ASAP, and all family members should isolate until negative result.