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?

Has your child been sent home as a 'close contact' to someone who tested positive?

If they're a close contact they have to isolate regardless of a test being negative

Sent too soon...

Also do they have any symptoms of a cold etc? One of my dc's schools has asked any dc who is unwell to stay home, even if it's a cold

@LangClegsInSpace yes that would make much more sense

if it's positive you must isolate for 10 days.

Or if, like me they just don't bother to return your test results

Self-isolation: If you have symptoms, isolate straight away and get a test asap. If it's negative you can go back to work/school, if it's positive you must isolate for 10 days.

Do note that the government guidance only says you’ve can go back to work/school after a negative test if you are well/the symptoms have gone.

I posted the same thing yesterday.

One of our colleagues was apparently told the same thing (nhs). I queried it too as knew it was wrong (unless the guidance had changed recently and no one was told).

The problem is I think people get confused with isolating because of contact with a confirmed positive?

Do note that the government guidance only says you’ve can go back to work/school after a negative test if you are well/the symptoms have gone.

No, they say as long as it's been 48 hours from having a fever. They fully expect a covid cough to last far longer.

@Namechangeforthis111 no, certain NHS call staff are actually saying this. There was no confusion on my call i repeated over and over that I had tested due to symptoms and that those rules were different to if I had been in contact with with a positive case - which I had not, but the guy on the phone was absolutely adamant I'd still have to isolate for the full 10 days even if I had a negative test. (I've had to anyway as never did get my results). It's absolutely appalling that these staff members are giving our false advice. I hope it was the same guy she spoke to and there aren't more out there saying it. It's very frustrating when you have to tell people their job (and they still don't believe you or accept they got it wrong) - or that my work place has been left without a key worker for a full ten days due to their crap testing system. Sorry for the rant, as you can tell I'm still annoyed and it's annoyed me further that others are getting the same poor advice

@midnightstar66

Do note that the government guidance only says you’ve can go back to work/school after a negative test if you are well/the symptoms have gone.

No, they say as long as it's been 48 hours from having a fever. They fully expect a covid cough to last far longer.

I posted the exact part of the guidance earlier in the thread. It’s there in black me white...

*and

I posted the exact part of the guidance earlier in the thread. It’s there in black me white...

Yes - the tiny snippet you posted in black and white are for if you self isolate because you had symptoms and either tested positive or did NOT test at all. (Therefore assume you are positive).

You conveniently left out the part that details what symptoms you should still remain home with most of which you'd need to stay home with anyway (fever, diarrhoea and sickness)

It mentions sneezing but again this is for if you have been covid positive.

It very clearly states that you do not have to stay home with a cough as you earlier claimed even if you have been positive for covid so of course you don't have to stay home with that if you are negative

That is not where my screen shot came from.

My screen shot came from the government guidance. Here’s the wider screen shot for transparency to show that I didn’t ‘conveniently’ do anything...

www.gov.uk/government/publications/covid-19-stay-at-home-guidance/stay-at-home-guidance-for-households-with-possible-coronavirus-covid-19-infection

@ChloeDecker from your link:

You can return to your normal routine and stop self-isolating after 10 days if your symptoms have gone or if you continue to have just a cough or anosmia. This is because a cough or anosmia can last for several weeks once the infection has gone

If you still have a high temperature after 10 days, stay at home and seek medical advice.

Thank you dementedpixie. That still doesn’t say you can go straight back after a negative test though. In addition, that’s still longer than the 48hrs claimed above. In context of the OP, they state they still have a cough and some unspecified symptoms. Unless the OP updates, their child is still technically not classed as ‘well’, so the school isn’t necessarily wrong.

In that context well just means feeling fine in ones self. You can have a cough and a blocked nose or a sore throat but feel fine in general . And again you stated you cannot go back with a cough whereas it clearly says you can!

@NothingIsWrong

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.

This basically tells you all you need to know.

+And again you stated you cannot go back with a cough whereas it clearly says you can!*
Genuinely happy to have misunderstood. Could you point to where it states you can return after a negative test with a cough and other symptoms (as I wrote) and not have to do 14 days?

Simply click on the picture I posted a few comments below and see the bit I circled in red!

So the only one of the 3 main symptoms you shouldn't return with is a fever - nobody should be going to school with a fever anyway.

So that didn’t come from the government guidance I posted then. Problem is, schools will follow the government guidance provided to them. Hence, the OP’s issue.

It's from the NHS website which is exactly the same as government guidance - they aren't giving conflicting advice ffs.

[quote midnightstar66]@Namechangeforthis111 no, certain NHS call staff are actually saying this. There was no confusion on my call i repeated over and over that I had tested due to symptoms and that those rules were different to if I had been in contact with with a positive case - which I had not, but the guy on the phone was absolutely adamant I'd still have to isolate for the full 10 days even if I had a negative test. (I've had to anyway as never did get my results). It's absolutely appalling that these staff members are giving our false advice. I hope it was the same guy she spoke to and there aren't more out there saying it. It's very frustrating when you have to tell people their job (and they still don't believe you or accept they got it wrong) - or that my work place has been left without a key worker for a full ten days due to their crap testing system. Sorry for the rant, as you can tell I'm still annoyed and it's annoyed me further that others are getting the same poor advice [/quote]
It’s ridiculous isn’t it?

The problem is it confuses other people too, so half our workplace yesterday said that it was right and the other half said it wasn’t. The colleague is now off for 2 weeks even if her partner’s test comes back as negative.

I said it wasn’t right but was shouted down by people saying I didn’t know what I was talking about and what if it was a false negative!

I'm a teacher and had a negative result last week after being a close contact of a pupil who was positive. I'm not allowed back yet

@Namechangeforthis111 the flu kept telling me to check the NHS website - I've checked the NHS website A THOUSAND TIMES in the last 2 weeks (plus we send dc home daily at work so we are well aware of the procedure and that they can come back as soon as they get a negative result. Then he told me to take it up with the government which I pointed out I did not need to do because the government are giving me the correct advice, it's just him that is not. Their training must be terrible to have misunderstood something so basic but so crucial!

@maddy68

I'm a teacher and had a negative result last week after being a close contact of a pupil who was positive. I'm not allowed back yet

Of course you're not allowed back yet as you're in the incubation period.

@maddy68 that's normal procedure if you've had contact with a positive case but if it was just a test due to symptoms and no contact with anyone positive, you can go back on receipt of a negative result.