Shielding & school return

[Littlemiss74]

I’ve been sent another shielding email so am wfh & DH is doing all food shopping or getting online where we can.

I was convinced with rates as high as they are, we are in Surrey tier 4, that return to school would be delayed. I’m getting more & more anxious now about my dd 9 returning to primary school next week. It just doesn’t make sense to me how they can send me a shielding letter which is alarming enough, only to then be told oh but you’re kids still need to go to school! DS is at secondary so not an immediate concern.

How are other shielders feeling about their dc’s going back? Also, are school staff who have shielding letters expected to return too? I realise I am lucky I can wfh. I’m finding my anxiety is increasing & I can’t think about anything else.

Well done! I emailed too and explained my reasining. I also said many would lie or declare "symptoms" but Id rather be up front and clear about our reasoning.

I think heads will definitely be seeing an increase of these type of emails on their return in January.

I selfishly hope Im not the only one in our school. They've already said that not all staff will return due to shielding and isolating...

I am CEV, as soon as it arrived in our primary school last term I caught it. Thankfully I coped ok but could have been a different story. I have very small kids and a pretty normal life expectancy, I work hard, contribute to society yada yada. If I’d died it would have been put down as pre-existing condition therefore expected/ok. I am waking up every day at the moment and thanking God I am still here with my children. If I had not had caught it and the numbers were as high as they are now, I would probably not be sending my child back. The vaccine is so close. Horrible decision to make though and I hope you are supported.

@anonymous1020

Hi, I wonder if you could help with my situation pls?

I live in one county and my child goes to school five miles away, across the county border.

I am a stage four cancer patient undergoing chemotherapy. I have all the letters stretching back months from the Gov telling me to shield. I am still classed as ECV and am on the list by my oncologist to get a vaccine.

I emailed the school last term to ask what would happen if I was to keep my child off due to my concerns that she would bring COVID back into the house. I reminded them of my diagnosis and that I am single parent (so cannot move out) and that my child catches public transport to get to and from school. I also said I was concerned that mask wearing in corridors was not being enforced : my child said she was one of only a few who bothered and I was therefore very concerned about her catching COVID at this large secondary school and bringing it home to me and I said I had been told it could prove fatal to me.

The school's response was to say that the "SLT say that if you keep your child off school for more than two weeks, she will lose her school place and will have to re-enrol at a later date."

There is a waiting list as it's a selective grammar with three times as many applicants as places - and she is year seven so the waiting list is significant. She got one of five out of catchment places, due to a good entrance exam result, but being out of catchment , she would be unlikely to get back into the school.

I've spoken to a few teacher friends (not working at that school), and they are horrified by the response I've had from the SLT. I've been sending DD to school all autumn term but now I feel it's just too risky and I want to keep her off til I get a vaccine...which should be weeks, not months.

I was thinking about waiting til the 18th as I think the Gov will delay the return again, but if not, saying she had been exposed to COVID and was self isolating to buy more time.

1. Should I contact the Head directly now instead and tell them I want to keep DD off school after she is due to go back in person on the 18th due to my concern about me catching COVID from her?
2. would school have to supply online teaching for DD in such a case, or would she just be left to do her own thing?
3. From your advice above, it looks like I might need to chat with the LA. Do I speak to the LA in which the school is located, or the LA in which we live? And who do I contact there? What job title of person do I ask for?

Thank you
Xx

@WhySoNoisy

Sorry to hear your situation is so difficult. It seems you have very good reason to be so concerned.

It isn't a very helpful response from your school no. Did this come directly from the Head?

Yes I would speak to the local authority in which the school is located. Even if the school is an academy they can advise you and may advocate on your behalf to the school. Ask for education welfare or education services and you should hopefully get to the right place.

They cannot remove her from roll for non attendance, even if they want to. I would discuss this with the LA. I explained on a previous thread that some schools try to remove pupils for 20 days non attendance, this is governed by strict statutory guidance and they can't just make rules up. This particular rule only
Applies if the school and the LA also cannot locate the pupil so in theory you could take legal action against them for this
(Harder in practice!).

As others have pointed out you can buy time by claiming to be isolating or non specific illness, at the end of the day we try to support parents where possible and have a tough job at the moment. I'd really prefer honesty in reasons for absence not least because it is so frustrating to chase found after people who just didn't tell the truth. but that isn't a luxury you get as an EWO! If the school already know your position and aren't supportive it may not change and although it's disappointing, I can imagine some schools I know taking this sort of view as well.

Finally if she lost her place or came off the school roll forwhatever reason I would absolutely appeal when you want her to go back; you would have a good case.

Good luck and wishing you all the best with this and your health as well.

@WhySoNoisy oh yes sorry - if you choose to keep her off no obligation on the school to provide home learning. They may choose to be helpful though.

@anonymous1020

Thank you for replying. Much appreciated.

The school compliance officer sent me the email and it says she has checked with the SLT and they say that if I keep her off for more than two weeks she'll lose her place and have to re-apply.

Do you think I should write directly to the Head? The Head is well known for being extremely old fashioned, and "it's my way or the highway", likes to keep parents in their place sort of thing.

But I don't want to Mark my card for years to come...am tempted to wait until the next inevitable delay and then claim she has a non specific illness / is self isolating until the vaccine finds it way into my arm.

The SLT might need help with the rules on deleting names from the school roll. That's a common misunderstanding but would actually be unlawful. Technically you could sue them for that and you would win. Or they may know perfectly well and bluffing. I would suggest you speak to your LA.

The education pupil registration regulations 2006 sets it out very clearly. This is statutory (non optional) guidance published by the DFE. You could refer them to it. Section 8 subsection H, all THREE of those criteria listed must be met. The final one refers to the fact that a child can only be removed from roll after a period of not attending for 20 days, if the school and local authority have searched for and failed to locate the pupil. They won't be able to satisfy this final part of criteria. However it is a common misconception and one we challenge frequently.

@anonymous1020 thank you for this, it's really helpful, and thank you to the OP for allowing me to jump on her thread.

No problem at all @WhySoNoisy I’m just sad that you got this response in the first place. A bit of kindness & understanding would be nice right now particularly for people who are vulnerable.
I still don’t understand how they can say on the shielding letter, you can still send your kids to school, it doesn’t make any logical sense.

I haven’t heard anything back from my head yet so just hopes she reads it before Monday!

Thank you. It makes no sense at all. The letter says it's Tom dangerous for me to leave the house, to go into a shop or a pharmacy and that everything must be brought to me. The PM said this week that a lot of infections are being brought into family homes by schoolchildren.

But the letter says my children should go to school and the school say she'll lose her place if she doesn't?

Complete contradiction.

I've just seen an 8 year old has sadly died of COVID, and there are wards full of kids with Covid for this strain; so I would imagine that millions of kids will now be kept at home by their parents.

I just read some interesting info on twitter which basically says the government will leave it up to the discretion of the head teacher in the case of vulnerable parents & attendance. It seems the absence can be authorised as covid related absence. Hope this link works...
twitter.com/lara_wong/status/1345127056976306176?s=20

I'm shielding in South Wales, my DCs have been off since March and aren't going back any time soon.

I de registered mine

I can’t risk it. We’ve absolutely loved it. It’s so good for us as a family. We have w tutor. We have met with hone schooling families. We go on courses. It’s been brilliant for us.

I phoned the head master. Who said he could cry. But he couldnt authorise it. He wasn’t able too

I rang our local LA. But they weren’t helpful at all. Both kept referring me back to each other.

My headmaster said if you can get me a letter from your consultant. I said of yes. He would totally write a letter

But when I asked him. He said do schools seriously expect me to start writing letters. I’m trying to keep people alive. We’re on our knees. He’s the most laid back guy and for him to speak like this. I was shocked. So I took them out. He must be on the edge.

So yeah. We’ve had help for our school to be fair. They’ve been great. But we haven’t needed it. Like I said. We’ve loved it.

I would not send my child into school if I was shielding.

I possibly wouldn't regardless in the SE until we know more about how the new strain impacts children.

Find an excuse to keep her off for the first week of term, at least!

@Bagelsandbrie

I have Addison’s too. I work for the pituitary foundation. So if you ever want a chat with crisis or whatever. Pm me. It’s so nice to meet someone who also has an 8 yr old and the same condition!

@Beautifulbonnie wow that sounds hard. When was it that you approached your head, back at the start or more recently?

Does anyone else feel really low about how this is all turning out? It suddenly seems to be causing divisions and conflict in all areas of society. People are turning against each other.

I’m not feeling well today, my dc’s are arguing & I haven’t heard from the head so I’m anxious. Also back to wfh on Monday and right now I really don’t know how I’m going to do it. I feel exhausted and not like I’ve had a Christmas break at all. Anyone else feeling the same? 🙁

Have people signed the petition started by Lara Wong? It's linked on Twitter if you scroll down from the link up thread.

@Littlemiss74 I felt a bit like that yesterday but I'm cheered today by the unions and other organisations making more noise about it. I really hope something will change in the next 26 hours.

Well I have heard back from the Head & she is fully in agreement with me keeping DD off this week and is going to arrange home learning. She did say however that she cannot authorise the absence although she would like to. @anonymous1020 what does this mean exactly? That we will have to pay a fine?
I have written back to thank her but also sent her my links above to the information where it says Head’s can authorise this as a covid related absence in these circumstances. Will she what she says to that.

@Littlemiss74

It was around October time?

My head wasn't bad. But at the time he's a new head and I think he feels he has to do everything right. So we had no give it take.

However for us. It's been the best decision. I can't put into words what it's done for us as a family. The first lockdown was horrrific. But this time we've relaxed. My kids were 2 years behind. Now they are ahead with 1-1 teaching from me.

The stress has just disappeared. I'd be tearing my hair out at the thought of sending them back on Monday

@Littlemiss74 the final decision over authorising or not authorising any absence lies with the head teacher so she can authorise as exceptional circumstances if she wants to. I am frustrated at the amount of head teachers who claim they "can't" authorise an absence. However in answer to your question if it's not authorised then a fine depends on the school and local authority usual (non covid) policy and practice on issuing fixed penalty notices, and whether and when they choose to apply this in light of the situation with covid - which ends up at the advice I've given before. Hope this helps.