School now saying you need to keep isolating if a test comes back negative?

[cansomebodyputthetreeupplease]

I've contacted them to clarify and ask why they have stated this. Has anyone else's school had the same rule?

It goes against NHS advice (assuming the child isn't SI because of a household member testing positive in which case a negative test result is meaningless). I am not happy about the prospect of my DC's losing more time in school because of a random temp or a typical winter cough. My employer won't be happy either!

It the school insists is it worth challenging?

@NothingIsWrong A child with their normal asthma cough is not the same as my child who never coughs having a cough, so clearly what I said doesn't apply to you.

[quote BefuddledPerson]@NothingIsWrong A child with their normal asthma cough is not the same as my child who never coughs having a cough, so clearly what I said doesn't apply to you.[/quote]
Coughs in children are very persistent though. My eldest caught a cough once. Six weeks later she still had it. GP entirely uninterested as "that's just what children do". I accept that her sister is different with a normal continuous cough, but if there is a negative test and the child is well in themselves they should be in school.

This is confusing. Dd is self isolating at the moment, no symptoms and irritatingly well
I thought there was no point in getting a test because she would still need to isolate for 12 days. I’ve just found this, which is a complete contradiction.

She’s 18, and at sixth form, she had lunch at the same table as someone with the virus.

not in the uk but here all sick children, including mild cold symptoms, are required to stay home and to only return when symptom free for 24 hours.
school offers blended learning when dc are home with mild symptoms.

@CoronaBollox

My local secondary school is doing this too. My sibling has just gone back after self isolating due to contact with a positive case. Our DF asked if after a negative test can she return they said no, once her results came back negative he rang to tell them and asked again, they said she must complete her isolation period.

That’s right - if self isolating due to contact with a confirmed case then you need to see out the 14 days regardless of any negative tests. If self isolating because you have symptoms yourself then you can return after a negative test (assuming the symptoms have gone)

OP - the nhs website has the info in there, send a link to the school as they obviously have their info wrong.
I had this by the other way round with my boss - my ds was self isolating because there was a positive case in his nursery room. We subsequently got him tested because he started showing symptoms, but he was negative. My boss thought that meant I could send ds back to nursery but I couldn’t and still needed time off to care for him. I sent him the link, he realised his mistake, all was well.

If she's isolating as a contact she must complete the 14 days. If she had symptoms with no known contact with a positive case, she could return with a negative test immediately if she was well in herself and would normally be in school.

As pp have said, if your child tests negative during a period of self isolation due to being a close contact, they must stay off until the self isolation period ends.

If your child tested due to symptoms and their test is negative they can return to school. However if you rang the school and said they were still unwell, we would probably advise that they stay off until they feel better, as it's not a good time to be in school with low immunity. If they are well then they can come in. If a parent rings in on a Thursday or Friday with a negative result and says child still a bit under the weather, then we'd advise they stay off and recuperate and return on the Monday. This is only advisory as we have an overall picture of what's happening in the school community.

@NothingIsWrong

The OP is only talking about the standard isolation period though, so again I'm not sure your example of six weeks applies.

Schools are a mess, driving transmission and risking the long term health of kids, parents and teachers. I would have preferred a more precautionary approach.

@BefuddledPerson

And yes, if the cough remains the child should be off still.

By this argument, my DS would have been off nursery for half of the time he's been back at nursery since June. He's been sent home 7 times with a "continuous cough" and always had a (negative) test to be allowed to return. DH and I wouldn't still have jobs if we'd had to take time off to look after him even though his tests were negative. If your argument is that testing isn't accurate enough and there are too many false negatives, blame the government and their testing programme, not parents. People are just living within the guidance we've all been given.

[quote BefuddledPerson]@NothingIsWrong

The OP is only talking about the standard isolation period though, so again I'm not sure your example of six weeks applies.

Schools are a mess, driving transmission and risking the long term health of kids, parents and teachers. I would have preferred a more precautionary approach.[/quote]
You said if the cough remains, the child should still be off. How long for?

I blame the government plenty. But parents send their kids back too early and spread germs.

I have already said - standard isolation length would be good. But we have people getting an unreliable test and returning with clear covid symptoms. Its not brilliant really.

@Nellee

Some schools are starting to take the piss. Not sure why - but we’ll soon be at this point too, I reckon.

It’s not OK OP. I’d take it to the press. Certainly contact your LA and ask them.

Take it to the press?! Please don’t.

Also schools can not demand the test result - and some parents lie and say they've had a test when they haven't.

The whole thing is a total mess.

In a sane country we'd have medical staff involved to give clarity and oversight. Not leave everything to random parents.

@RickOShay

That applies if you are isolating for your own symptoms.

If your dd is isolating because they are a contact they need to isolate for the full time because you don't know if they will get it on day 1 / day 12 / not at all.

@BefuddledPerson yes absolutely, why don't we have medical staff doing this like in other countries?

@BefuddledPerson

I blame the government plenty. But parents send their kids back too early and spread germs.

I have already said - standard isolation length would be good. But we have people getting an unreliable test and returning with clear covid symptoms. Its not brilliant really.

But they're not "clear" covid symptoms are they because there's no such thing. Covid presents similarly to many other minor childhood illnesses, the same illnesses which before this pandemic were accepted as part and parcel of life. If a child has had a negative test, it has to be taken at face value. There's never going to be a perfect system but nor is it practical to keep a child home for two weeks every time they have a slight cough or fever, which is what some schools and nurseries would definitely push for.

They've probably been talking to the guy on the covid test helpline I did. He was absolutely adamant this was the case too. Ended up in an argument and hanging up on him in a fury. Appealing that someone who's job this is is getting the basic and simple guidelines wrong.

My DC sat next to someone at school who was positive -but whole year group sent home. For two weeks. Any negative test in that time means nothing -they still had to isolate for 14 days.

@RickOShay the isolating even in in the event of a negative test is if there had been direct contact with a positive case, the other example of returning once you're feeling better if test is negative is for if you've tested due to symptoms but no known contact with a case

And yes, if the cough remains the child should be off still.

Dd coughs all winter every winter. Should i leave work and keep her home indefinitely? Lots of coughs remain long after the illness that caused them has gone (in our case 7.5 years)

Exactly the same rule in our school. I have had two children sent home to isolate as a contact of a case. The letter clearly states the date on which your child can return to school, and says that a negative test makes no difference to that return date. Two weeks. No exceptions.

@RaspberryCoulis yes that is correct information. What is not correct information is that you have to continue to isolate when you have tested due to one or more covid symptoms when you've had no contact with a positive case.

Negative tests following a covid symptom, child should be back in school. Lots of children and adults develop coughs following colds that go on for weeks sometimes, parents cant stay off work for weeks on end because of this. Whats the point in the test if we cant believe a negative test means you are negative of covid. Yes the lateral flow test has 50/60 % false negative but that shouldnt bd the one you are having for symptom testing. Check with school and then LA .

Dd coughs all winter every winter. Should i leave work and keep her home indefinitely?

At the first sign of the continuous cough, you would self isolate for 14 days. After that you would go back to school, even if cough still there, because you have done full isolation period.