Can kids in households with Covid still go to school?

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When schools were last open, did you realise DC in households with Covid could still go to school without the school knowing?

Will this still be the case come 8th March, does anyone know?

I realised this before Christmas, when the mother of a child in DS's class tested positive for covid. DS's friend was kept home for two days then sent back to school to mix with all the other DC.

I asked the school what happens if a parent gets covid and they said that Track and Trace only gets in contact with direct contacts of the person with Covid, so if a child hadn't had a positive test, then they won't be informed.

At the time, you could only ask for a test if you had symptoms. The child had no symptoms and parents not prepared to lie to get one. So they sent the child into school, and did not inform the school there was covid at home.

School said nothing they could do as they had not been informed a child had covid. But surely he could have just been symptomless and still have it!

Is this how it works elsewhere? Does Track and Trace not advise to keep DC home if parents have it? Why don't they tell the schools if there's a child in a house with covid? Can we get tests without having to have symptoms now?

I am in a higher risk group (but haven't yet been called for a vaccine).

I'm desperate for the DC to get back to normality but I feel like I'm being asked to risk my life to facilitate this.

@Alfiemoon1

I used to work for test and trace the whole family should of isolated for 14 days the person with covid for 10 days. Unless the child tested positive no need for school to be contacted and no need other children in that class to isolate

It's 10 days for everyone now, not 14

@Kitcat122

This has happened numerous times. In fact I think it is the main entrance of Covid in schools. We have had families you would never dream would do something so selfish send their children in when a parent has symptoms and is waiting test results then opps quickly pick child up from school. Then opps child has tested positive, bubble bursts, multiple positives. There is no track and trace in schools. But hey "Schools are safe".

We didn't have too many cases in DD's (primary) school last term.. Possibly four year groups had to each isolate once?

But two of those burst bubbles was because the parents had sent siblings in whilst the parents were waiting test results because of symptoms. And the dad was a secondary school teacher.. Definitely an unlikely candidate for such appalling attitude.

He's my lobster - hope your dad is ok.

I don't really understand why you think a school should be a special place - why would they be informed that a child is a contact and so can't come in, but you wouldn't expect them to inform an employer, or a regular activity, or the members of their childcare bubble, or local shops, or anywhere else a person who should be self-isolating might illegally go to?

Hypothetical example:
I get a positive covid test. Test and trace ask for my contacts. So I tell them I'm in a support bubble with my mother, I share an office, and eat lunch with 3 other people, I went for a walk with my best mate, and I live with DH and 2 kids. That's 8 contacts (although debatable if my house hold need contacting separately). If each of those 8 contacts had to have their contacts contacted, you are upto 64 tracing events.
Multiply that by the 1000s of positive tests a day, and the system becomes swamped.

Your system is achievable when numbers are low.

BUT it should absolutely be on everyone to just follow the rules. You truly should be furious with the family who sent the "isolating" child in, not with school.

If you were planning to send your kids into school regardless, wouldn't you just lie to T&T?
I don't have kids/ they are homeschooled/ they go to X school instead of Y school etc.
Just the same as you could lie and say you work from home or haven't been in contact with anyone. The whole system relies on honesty.

Like PP’s I think it should be made a criminal offence or the LA’s given the power to permanently exclude pupils from school if the parents knowingly send them in whilst awaiting test results or have a positive test.

I actually think teachers and support staff should refuse to teach any child who was supposed to be isolating. The school has a duty of care to keep everyone safe, both staff and students. I think the unions should get onto this too.

Our experience when DH tested positive was that he had to give details of his household (DS and I) to T&T.

DS is 13 so his phone and email contact details were the same as mine and I received notifications for both of us.

These notifications (text and email) stated we had to isolate for 10 days from DH's positive test, and that it was illegal not to do so.

PHE contact the school if a child tests positive. We had this and a sibling was at school that day. We actually had to ring the family to collect the sibling!!! It's unf*ing believable.

We're not allowed to refuse to teach children though. Not even the ones who threaten us with physical violence in normal times

@Hardbackwriter

But surely if a child lives in a household with Covid every night, they should isolate, not go out into the community everyday and then home to expose themselves to covid every day?!

Yes, that's exactly what they should do, and are required by law to do. I think you're not quite understanding that the parents in your OP broke the law by sending the child in, no one at all told them it was ok or allowed. Your position seems to be akin to 'I heard that someone stole a car, how is this allowed?!' - it isn't 'allowed', someone antisocially broke the law and it wasn't possible to stop them.

If someone stole a car, you'd report them.

Op you know what to do.

The child attending school is doing something illegal - report them to the police. The schools cannot police COVID law breaches.

But the school or the government could change the way the system works to mitigate the risks posed by them.
You can't honestly think the school has powers in all this?
The government, well that's another matter.

We're not allowed to refuse to teach children though. Not even the ones who threaten us with physical violence in normal times

Maybe not in normal circumstances. This is a pandemic, with the law very clear on what should happen in a household positive case. Children get sent home perectlu legally in normal times when they put other children at risk of harm - I don’t see why this is any different whatsoever from a child running riot in a classroom trying to physically attack other children.

We're not allowed to refuse to teach children though. Not even the ones who threaten us with physical violence in normal times

Maybe not in normal circumstances. This is a pandemic, with the law very clear on what should happen in a household positive case. Children get sent home perectlu legally in normal times when they put other children at risk of harm - I don’t see why this is any different whatsoever from a child running riot in a classroom trying to physically attack other children or staff.

The argument about not being allowed to refuse to teach such a child is moot when the teaching is being done remotely for any other child that has to isolate.

The parent can’t claim that they need the place because they’re a key worker etc if they are ALSO supposed to be isolating and at home to supervise their child.

It makes me absolutely fucking rage, it really does. How dare they put others at risk? How DARE they?

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Haven’t RTFT.

Back in October or November, I’ve forgotten when, a friend had a feverish illness & took a Covid test. Our secondary school told her to send her children in to school while she waited for the result, which confused us both!

The same week we had to get a test for one of our DC. I rang our primary school & they said I could send my other children in to school while we waited for the results.

So...

Schools/teachers are not police officers. If you know a family is wrong OP why don't YOU deal with it? Why don't YOU tell the parents to keep the child at home?

Give teachers and TAs the vaccine for just this sort of reason.

As a classroom teacher I wouldn't know if little Joe was meant to be isolating unless he's coded as such on the register. If his parents haven't told us, we're none the wiser.
On a related point, we tried to permanently exclude a child who brought a weapon into school twice. It was overturned. It's not that easy to do.

Wait til you hear about schools doing T&T for positive students in place of actual T&T.

I'm surprised OP is surprised!

We had at least 20 students attend while awaiting the result of a covid test, or when a parent was positive. Most of them went home without issue when reminded of the law.

@TierFourTears

Hypothetical example: I get a positive covid test. Test and trace ask for my contacts. So I tell them I'm in a support bubble with my mother, I share an office, and eat lunch with 3 other people, I went for a walk with my best mate, and I live with DH and 2 kids. That's 8 contacts (although debatable if my house hold need contacting separately). If each of those 8 contacts had to have their contacts contacted, you are upto 64 tracing events. Multiply that by the 1000s of positive tests a day, and the system becomes swamped.

Your system is achievable when numbers are low.

BUT it should absolutely be on everyone to just follow the rules. You truly should be furious with the family who sent the "isolating" child in, not with school.

But once you isolate, you are not living with those contacts, are you? But you are, presumably living with your DC.

Nowhere have I suggested T&T get in touch with contacts of contacts. I'm suggesting they inform the school of children LIVING WITH people with active covid cases.

T&T have never done that, once someone tests positive, the household should isolate.

You're annoyed at the wrong people. The parents sending the kids in are the idiots here.

The parents would of been told that household members had to
Isolate , maybe someone should of told track and trace
And our school would of sent pupil home if they found this out and always were telling and reminding if the rules .

The rules are clear, if someone in your household/bubble tests positive, everyone isolates for 2 weeks

No as a parent and responsible person you tell the school and keep your child home!!!
I had symptoms and had to have a test , I kept mine home from school and college until I had the result which was luckily negative, i then informed the school and sent a copy of my result so they knew that was the truth etc, because thats is what a responsible person does .