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Original poster

schools list of symptoms not to send kids in with

105 replies

jupitermars1345 · 06/03/2021 17:54

During the autumn term we was told not to send in with a continuous cough
High temperature
Loss of taste or smell or both
Stay home and test.

For the return to school this has increased to also include
Runny nose
Headache
Fatigue
Muscle or body aches
Head cold symptoms .
I think there is a couple more to but I can't remember them from memory

Aibu to worry about how much more education will be missed if we can't send with a runny nose ?

We've been asked to test for any of these symptom's to. Nightmare for working parents if your kids have allergies to

OP posts:
manicinsomniac · 07/03/2021 09:38

I'm sure there will be common sense exceptions applied to children with known hayfever etc. But the rule needs to be in place for exception discussions to happen.

Same as the normal 48 hour sickness rule. My middle child is often physically sick whenever she is excited or nervous about something. If I followed the 48 hour rule she would have missed an awful lot of parties, exams, productions and events when she was perfectly healthy - just emotional! But that doesn't mean I disagree with the rule being there for most.

supersonicginandtonic · 07/03/2021 09:54

@Sirzy yes they do but they still send them home. I had to pick my daughter up 3 times in 2 weeks last term due to her feeling tired. That is despite them knowing. All I get told is we can't be too careful.

HazeyJaneII · 07/03/2021 10:00

@supersonicginandtonic
what arrangement do you have with school? Is it a case to send home and test each time or do you have a set up where you can assess whether it is within her 'normal' range of fatigue?
I have 2 vomiters (one due to reflux...combined with near constant reflux/asthma cough and one due to anxiety) - it's a real balance to get it right with the 2 schools, especially in Covid times!

DoubleDeckerSwimmer · 07/03/2021 13:31

I cough a lot: "cough variant asthma". At the moment, it is on my school record and I have discussed with SLT (and my team) that I know what is normal coughing for me and what is different.

If your child has a condition that leads to these symptoms, chat to the school and make a reasonable agreement about when the rules should apply to them.

Everyone else, please just comply. Remember that we have vulnerable children / families / staff and a commitment to keep schools as safe as possible.

One or two days at home for a cold will be a lot less disruptive than a whole popped bubble.

0gfhty · 07/03/2021 13:56

Oh no My kids have permanent runny noses! All year. So if the test comes back negative, how would you know when to retest?

DoubleDeckerSwimmer · 07/03/2021 14:00

@0gfhty

Oh no My kids have permanent runny noses! All year. So if the test comes back negative, how would you know when to retest?
They would retest for a change of symptoms.

I would say that in all my years working in school, it has only been a tiny handful with permanently runny noses. I am sure that schools can work around this small handful.

If this is you, talk to the school and come to an arrangement. Otherwise, please listen to the school.

0gfhty · 07/03/2021 14:06

Yes I always think it's unusual too but the numerous GPs consulted assure me it's completely normal which is confusing

DoubleDeckerSwimmer · 07/03/2021 14:09

@0gfhty

Yes I always think it's unusual too but the numerous GPs consulted assure me it's completely normal which is confusing
I don't think it is necessarily abnormal but I do think it doesn't occur in high numbers so schools will be able to work around it.
SpnBaby1967 · 07/03/2021 15:20

My 11 year old gets horrific hayfever so hopefully her school will use some common sense or she'll be off school from May till September Confused

KettleWentBang · 07/03/2021 15:24

Ds school have said if unwell in ANY way whatsoever they're not to go in..
Not even a symptom list just any illness

IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 15:30

Well it’s only going to be until tested surely so would only be a day or two at most. Better to be over cautious than gave lots of classes being sent home

Exactly. Not keeping your child off when ill is going to be the biggest case of cutting off your nose to spite your face. If it IS covid, the whole school could be shut down for weeks and if their teacher gets it supply teachers for however long until they're better. If you test and it's not, it's probably 2 days lost maximum.

And as for fatigue, it's obvious it means much more fatigued than they'd usually be, surely? Something different than normal. If my kid was coming home and falling asleep that would be unusual, being tired in the morning is not.

IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 15:33

Even if I didn't think it was the right thing to do to keep sick kids off (I do), I'd be doing it anyway because the fear of being the parent that sends their kid into school when sick (reported home by all the other kids), causes the entire school to have an outbreak and shut down, and is ostracised forever more, would be too great.

beckypv · 07/03/2021 15:40

This is the list of symptoms used at our local children’s hospital which is similar to your schools list. With the availability of lft for all school families, it is surely prudent to keep them at home, use a lateral flow test for one of the extra symptoms, or a pcr test for the big three. Nobody wants their bubbles to close, everyone must take responsibility for this.

schools list of symptoms not to send kids in with
IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 16:29

The problem with the lft is that they have a very high rate of false negatives. They even say if you have symptoms, having a negative lft should not stop you isolating. But I bet they'll be used for this. Which is dangerous.

The point of them is to pick up asymptomatic positives, they're not supposed to be used for symptomatic people at all according to the government (but then they were developed for symptomatic people IIRC so it all seems a big mess to be honest).

This is what the BMJ thinks.

www.bmj.com/content/372/bmj.n238

Original poster
jupitermars1345 · 07/03/2021 16:37

I'm surprised they haven't put dirrohea on the list tbh
Obviously you would ordinarily stay off anyway for that but they haven't asked us to test for that

OP posts:
phlebasconsidered · 07/03/2021 17:02

Ffs people, do you want the class to stay open? If your kid is snotty, wheezy, squitty, achey, rashy, headachey or any of the above, keep them home!

If you want it to shut again, carry on like the parents of my bubble all this lockdown and send them in with runny noses saying "but they always have cold this time of year" or "oh it's just somethingbhe ate". So we have to shut again (twice this lockdown) once the covid has spread to enough relatives for you to test your primary child. Too late for my TA, who now has long covid.

IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 17:19

Ffs people, do you want the class to stay open? If your kid is snotty, wheezy, squitty, achey, rashy, headachey or any of the above, keep them home!

Well said. I'd also wager that teachers won't look kindly on families who directly put them and their colleagues at risk through sheer selfishness and not wanting to have their kids off for a couple of days while they arrange a test.

All the little extra things above and beyond that teachers do and which are taken for granted might just stop overnight.

brizzling · 07/03/2021 17:20

If a runny nose is a criteria on its own and not in conjunction with the others then I might as well tell school now that Dd won't be in until September.

IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 17:27

It seems really obvious to me it's any new symptoms.

If your child has been off school for 3 months and has had a snotty nose all that time it's obvs not covid. And as PP have said, talk to the school about how to manage it rather than just throwing teachers and school staff and all your kids friends and family under the bus without any kind of dialogue whatsoever. Maybe they'll say one test showing negative and then only test for a CHANGE in symptoms. It's not bloody rocket science.

If they DON'T have a snotty nose and then they GET a snotty nose, you test and then you don't need to test again until they get any new symptoms or the snotty nose significantly changes beyond what would be normal in the aftermath of a bug.

If they normally get hayfever, talk to the school.

Really, really not rocket science.

brizzling · 07/03/2021 17:37

I'm more concerned that when mine go back they are not making any effort to socially distance, they will in groups again with square tables of six per child instead of rows facing forwards and there will be no bubbles.
It certainly is not going to look like the pictures online which I don't believe will resemble any schools.

IloveJKRowling · 07/03/2021 17:39

Yes the lack of social distancing is crap, but it will be even worse if kids are coming in ill.

We all need to do everything we can to keep schools open IMO.

BungleandGeorge · 07/03/2021 18:16

I agree it’s irresponsible to send an ill child in to school. However, I do think we’ve been forced into a culture of doing this. My kid has had 100% attendance for all but 2 years of school. Both those years I got a snotty attendance letter despite only being off a couple of days in the first half of term. I have attendance booklets from school saying you must send your child in unless they have a temperature or obvious infectious disease or it will be terribly detrimental to their schooling and you will get a visit from the attendance officer.

YouAreYourBestThing · 07/03/2021 18:33

Gosh I'd be off from round about now, right through until around September then if that was the list in my school...my hay fever has kicked in already and my nose is in a permanent state of run! And I'm a teacher 🤷‍♀️🤣

YouAreYourBestThing · 07/03/2021 18:34

And I'm permanently exhausted and have cluster migraines...I may as well just stay home 👍🤷‍♀️

sherrystrull · 07/03/2021 18:39

@brizzling

I'm more concerned that when mine go back they are not making any effort to socially distance, they will in groups again with square tables of six per child instead of rows facing forwards and there will be no bubbles. It certainly is not going to look like the pictures online which I don't believe will resemble any schools.
How can you social distance in a class of 30 in a small classroom?

How can you create bubbles when there is not enough staff to go around and each child has siblings/ goes to childminders etc.

Direct your displeasure at the government for not supporting schools in making them safer.