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Original poster

Getting siblings to school when one child has to self isolate

50 replies

ShakespearesSisters · 15/11/2020 22:06

So, had the dreaded text this evening. My year 2 child has to self isolate as a positive case is in her bubble. My year 4 child can still go. How is everyone managing to do the school run when there is only 1 parent at home and one child can't leave the house?

OP posts:
puppygalore · 15/11/2020 22:07

We were told unless another adult could bring the child, sibling could not attend. At first school tried to say it was ok for the isolating child to go on the school run, but then official advice overruled that.

Possums4evr · 15/11/2020 22:09

Do you drive? I would drive with both dc and the older one could run in on their own surely? Or I would drop off a bit later.
Is there another parent elsewhere who could help?
Or if all else fails I'd keep them both home.

Jozilla · 15/11/2020 22:10

My youngest is isolating, in a morning I take all my kids to school but me and my DD sit in the car and my two older ones (YR5 & YR4) walk in together, I sit and watch them walk in. Pickups grandparents have been doing luckily.

TrashKitten10 · 15/11/2020 22:12

How far are you from school? Do you have any friends or family able to help? Know any parents from school who would be willing to take or pick up your Year 4?

katienana · 15/11/2020 22:14

I drove and eldest who was isolating waited in the car while I saw reception age child to the gate. I would ask around if anyone can walk your child.

Lemons1571 · 15/11/2020 22:16

I’d like to know the legality around this circumstance. It seems to be a grey area tbh.

Original poster
ShakespearesSisters · 15/11/2020 22:30

Yes, I was living in my own little bubble of ignorance on this question until I faced having to answer it.
20 min walk, 5 min drive but no where close or safe enough to let the year 4 child walk in by herself if I stay in the car, not going leave the year 2 child in the car while I walk the year 4 in. My parent friends are mainly in the year 2 childs class and don't live near by and a lot have the same sibling issues.
As the text came after their bedtime I'm going to have 2 disappointed girls tomorrow, the younger as she can't go to school and the elder because she has to.

OP posts:
Possums4evr · 15/11/2020 22:35

If you go later to the school can you park closer? I wouldn't have a problem leaving a year 2 child alone just for a few minutes - I wonder would the school send anyone out to meet her at the gate? Probably not enough staff for that. Worth calling to explain the issue.

sandragreen · 15/11/2020 22:35

I would keep them both off in your situation.

Hardbackwriter · 15/11/2020 22:38

I don't think technically the isolating child should be going out in a car, even if they stay in it, should they?

beela · 15/11/2020 22:41

Phone the school in the morning and discuss. You surely won't be the only person with another child in a different class.

EasttoWest · 15/11/2020 22:41

Parents have done drive by drop offs and a teacher gone to car to help child out

Original poster
ShakespearesSisters · 15/11/2020 22:43

Also, they share a room. Should I have the other one sleep in our room? They have spent the weekend either cuddling up or fighting so lots of close contact if she has caught it from school.

OP posts:
tryingtocatchthewind · 15/11/2020 22:45

If there are a few of you in the same situation can one parent walk the children up to the school whilst another watches a group of cars. That’s what I’m doing with a group of parents at the moment

Rollercoaster1920 · 15/11/2020 22:45

Can another parent pick up from your home and do the school run? "The rulz" seem to allow it.

Someonesayroadtrip · 15/11/2020 22:49

I'm in this situation, I wrote a thread a few weeks ago. Mine are all home.

We are in Wales, we had half term and during that we were told my youngest needed to isolate which,I have three other children but two of those children has additional needs. It would be 4 days of missed school and I spoke to the head who understood why I was keeping team off.

Problem for us is that they went back on the Friday and Friday evening I had another text for my eldest to isolate, he has additional needs so I can't leave him. It says not to leave the house on our message and my usual childcare is my extremely vulnerable parents so that's not an option. So they have just finished their first week and due back next Friday.

Our school were prepared to offer options and I have friends I could have asked but with additional needs mixed in it because more difficult.

Cupcakegirl13 · 15/11/2020 22:51

In our school parents with one isolating child have been driving the child to school and another parent has walked the child in.

SnowmanDrinkingSnowballs · 15/11/2020 22:51

Do you have a Facebook or WhatsApp group for the class parents of the child who will be still going in. In a situation like this I would be happy to pick up your child so might be worth asking.

myhobbyisouting · 15/11/2020 22:54

You can't drive up to the school gates? Or within sight of them?

Original poster
ShakespearesSisters · 15/11/2020 23:10

I'm going to ask tomorrow if they will open the staff car park for parents with a sibling of affected class. They need to make allowances in these situations. Fingers crossed they say yes.

OP posts:
Original poster
ShakespearesSisters · 15/11/2020 23:12

Then parents can stand by their cars and child can be sent to us rather than having to go to the gate.

OP posts:
Sewsosew · 15/11/2020 23:14

I was just going to say to see if school would allow you to use the car park slightly out of school drop off times.

WheresMyAlex · 15/11/2020 23:18

We’ve just been through this and luckily one very kind mum agreed to walk my eldest to and from school for me. I checked with the school first that this would be allowed before asking.

bubblebubblebubbletrouble · 15/11/2020 23:20

I drove & left my yr1 child in the car.
I walked yr5 dd halfway to breakfast club door so that I could see car & entrance.
Not ideal - but then neither was leaving them in the car to shop during lockdown1.
As a single parent I just do my best and make situational risk assessments 🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️🤷‍♀️

diddlediddle · 16/11/2020 06:23

Lol at the pp who says the isolating child shouldn't go out in a car even if they are only with people the live with, they don't leave the car, no one else gets in the car, and they return straight home. I'm not aware that the virus can escape through metal walls...

Aside from that, this whole situation is completely bonkers. Siblings sharing a room and one being allowed into school and the other not being allowed outside the house because of possible contact... It makes no logical or practical sense. sympathies OP