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School sent DS home

69 replies

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 06:21

Yesterday DS had a slight cough and a temp of 36.6 and the school sent him home and ordered him to get a PCR test. We did this but had to do the test ourselves as he's under 12. We are awaiting the results. We are 100% sure its hayfever as we get it every year. Our weekend is now ruined and I had no idea that even if he's negative (which he will be), he has to self isolate for 10 days! This imo is madness. We did a lateral flow test and it was negative. Told the school and they said it's not accurate as they only show asymptomatic cases!
Can I complain to the school and ask them to reconsider his exclusion? He has no symptoms and hasn't coughed for hours. Can we get the gp to confirm it's hay fever?
Thanks in advance for any advice.

OP posts:
BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 07:41

Why won't they do the PCR tests for under 12s?? This was the reason we went to a drive thru as I wanted them to do the test so i could see it was done properly. Confused

OP posts:
covetingthepreciousthings · 03/07/2021 07:41

@marsepile

As pp said you can stop isolation as soon as you receive a negative PCR result. The school are correct in asking for a test if he was coughing and are also correct to say that a lateral flow test is not for symptoms or for under 12s.
I also thought LFT were not for under 12s but our primary school has changed the symptom list and is asking anyone with these to do a LFT Confused
covetingthepreciousthings · 03/07/2021 07:41

@BooseysMom

Why won't they do the PCR tests for under 12s?? This was the reason we went to a drive thru as I wanted them to do the test so i could see it was done properly. Confused
PCR tests are ok for under 12s, you just have to administer it yourself on them.
EasterIssland · 03/07/2021 07:45

@BooseysMom

Can you imagine another 10 days of online home learning?! I most definitely don’t want too. We all want children in school. Hope your sons results come back soon

Thank you. Still no result. I'm fretting now as we have advanced booked tickets for a festival.

Thanks everyone. Smile

The thing as well is that I dropped the test on the floor trying to snap the stick to put it in the tube! Also DS wouldn't let me do it very thoroughly. His throat was ok ..I got a good swab there...but he hated me putting it in his nose!!

Hope it doesn’t can back as inconclusive as otherwise you’ll have to repeat it and continue isolating … you should have asked for a new stick
Overthebow · 03/07/2021 07:55

The thing as well is that I dropped the test on the floor trying to snap the stick to put it in the tube!

Didn’t you ask to re-do it? That could be a problem if you got any dirt on the swab.

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 08:14

Didn’t you ask to re-do it? That could be a problem if you got any dirt on the swab.

Omg! I just picked it up and saw it wasn't dirty.
It was bad enough getting DS to have it the first time.

We did the test at 1pm yesterday..still no result.

Bloody nightmare!

OP posts:
EasterIssland · 03/07/2021 08:15

The sample could be contaminated
hope it comes back soon

Nootkah · 03/07/2021 08:23

Is that a new rjing, havung to do home oxr for under 12s? Or just an England thing? Hwre in Wales under 12s can (unless its changed) get pcr at the drive through testing stations. We even get a certificate of being amazingly brave etc.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 03/07/2021 08:34

Im fretting now as we have advanced booked tickets for a festival

Maybe others have plans too, maybe not all the staff are vaccinated, maybe there are known CEV pupils etc. The school were right to insist on a test as it could be hayfever or covid and no one knows without a test.

MegaCityOne · 03/07/2021 09:43

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Im fretting now as we have advanced booked tickets for a festival

Maybe others have plans too, maybe not all the staff are vaccinated, maybe there are known CEV pupils etc. The school were right to insist on a test as it could be hayfever or covid and no one knows without a test.

Exactly this. Both my children’s bubble has burst and they have had to have time off school, costing me money in missed classes and clubs that I have paid for. It is frustrating, but as others have said, that is what the PCR test is for.

Also, “exclusion” in relation to school means a very different thing from this situation. Your son has not been excluded.

Hophop26 · 03/07/2021 09:49

Frustrating yes but the school have acted correctly and test results are quick so you will know within a day or so and if negative it’s then only been a couple of days inconvenience. I’ve got things booked and paid for over the next weeks etc and would be annoyed if had to cancel but I am also well aware that i am trying to do “normal” things whilst we still have restrictions and hence big risk that we could be isolating as close contact or have tested positive ourselves and not be able to go. If the weekend plans were the main priority the only way to ensure that was not send your child to school this week

girlmom21 · 03/07/2021 09:49

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss @MegaCityOne reign it in a bit. She's allowed to be a bit annoyed that they're going to lose out on family time and money they've already spent while also respecting the rules. It's disappointing that they're having to miss out because the results haven't come through yet. That's all she's said.

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 10:14

@girlmom21 Thank you. Smile

Sorry, yes, exclusion is the wrong word.

All I know is that I'll be kicking myself if it comes back inconclusive Hmm

OP posts:
NeverDropYourMoonCup · 03/07/2021 10:25

He had a cough. Doesn't matter if it's due to hayfever; the school, the GP and Mrs Evans down the street can't know that without the negative PCR to confirm it.

There may be twenty two other children throughout the school who have also been kept at home due to being 'unwell', three in the same class as him who are already awaiting results or had to be sent home with raised temperatures or they know of an outbreak in the nearest other school where older siblings of children in your school attend.

Right now, if a bubble bursts, it screws up the last two weeks of term for kids and staff alike. Which will be shit for them. But if somebody's hayfever turns out to be Covid in another week when they've been in class as normal, that could mean a mass outbreak, people's holidays screwed up, losing summer childcare money, greater financial pressures just when summer holiday poverty is a thing and cause another spike in risks to vulnerable kids, staff and the wider community.

LFTs are utterly crap. Everybody who has had a positive in the last six months that I know (including somebody who ended up in hospital just a few hours after doing a negative LFT) has only tested positive on PCR. Having even 'maybe it is maybe it isn't' symptoms is a good enough reason to have to insist upon a PCR.

The result will come in soon. Nothing anybody else can say will change the school's minds because they're following the correct procedure.

It'll most probably be negative - but nobody knows that until the negative is in.

Hophop26 · 03/07/2021 10:42

Fingers crossed not for an inconclusive, I’ve not been convinced I’ve done pcrs correctly on my children, both times I was expecting them to come back inconclusive but they came back negative.

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 10:53

Still no result..should I order another one thru the post? We are resigned to the fact we won't be going to any festival. It's just DS is climbing the walls and it's worse than lock down as we can't even go out for exercise can we?

OP posts:
Fiddliestofsticks · 03/07/2021 11:00

You dropped it on the floor and you still put it in the tube and sent it off!?!?! And your explanation is that it didnt look dirty.

If we can all see contamination and microbes then we wouldnt be bloody testing would we?! We'd just open our mouths and look to see if covid is crawling around our throats.

It didnt look dirty. That's the most stupid thing I've read on here. It'll be covered in other germs and bacteria now. You cant see those and there doesnt need to be any dirt on it for those to transfer. The test is very very clear that you do not let it touch any other surface or any other part of your body.

You might still be able to gat a result, but you've massively increased your chances of an inconclusive due to contamination. I'm open mouthed at the "it didnt look dirty". Omg.

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 11:45

@Fiddliestofsticks.. look I'm already in a state after not sleeping due to severe menopausal symptoms. Yesterday was a nightmare..we were stuck in traffic getting to the centre, a car nearly hit us head on when it was going over the bridge on the wrong side of the road, I was sick and shook up,. When we got there it was boiling hot and I wasn't thinking straight. Just please cut me some slack Sad

OP posts:
ForeverSausages · 03/07/2021 12:31

People are so horrible sometimes. When you're stressed you make mistakes. These things happen. If it were me I'd order a home PCR test. They normally take 1-2 days to come through the post. I'd be surprised if his result isn't inconclusive so at least that way you're prepared! I hope you're okay Flowers.

BooseysMom · 03/07/2021 13:36

@ForeverSausages.. thank you Smile. Yeah it was one hell of a day. We left for the centre with loads of time to spare, there was a 5 car accident on the M5 and we nearly got smashed up in the process of trying to get there in time so yeah, I wasn't thinking clearly. I knew I should have asked for another one but it wasn't easy getting DS to do it the first time round.
I'll order another one now..it's bound to be contaminated.

OP posts:
ForeverSausages · 03/07/2021 13:39

My son absolutely hates them especially at the test centre. It's much easier doing them at home without feeling all their eyes on you Wink. Honestly the things we do when we're stressed, don't give yourself a hard time! Smile.

Frazzled2207 · 03/07/2021 13:43

@BooseysMom

You only have to isolate for 10 days after a negative PCR if you had a positive lateral flow test first

This. This could be what I read!

no. because LFTs can be false positives. You have to self isolate for 10 days after a positive LFT UNLESS you then get a negative PCR test.

If positive LFT becomes negative PCR, the PCR cancels out the LFT and he goes back to school.

Anyway it seems very unlikely yours will be positive PCR so he will be back at school on monday.

espresso14 · 03/07/2021 13:44

This is what is happening. A positive case in bubble, children in bubble encouraged to get a PCR test, but even if PCR negative, they still have to isolate. Even if multiple PCR tests are negative.

Frazzled2207 · 03/07/2021 13:47

@espresso14

This is what is happening. A positive case in bubble, children in bubble encouraged to get a PCR test, but even if PCR negative, they still have to isolate. Even if multiple PCR tests are negative.
that's true, that's different though as you're talking about close contacts here not the poorly child.

OP is talking about her own symptomatic son.

Close contacts is different - I don't agree with all of them being sent home but theoretically they could develop symptoms several days after being exposed (and having a negative test)

Soontobe60 · 03/07/2021 13:49

@BooseysMom

They are right about the lateral flow tests not to be used for symptoms but if the pcr is negative, of course he doesn’t have to isolate… did school say he did?

It's on the gov.uk website. It says 10 days I'm sure

This is what it says:

When you need to keep self-isolating
You still need to self-isolate for 10 full days if you get a negative test result and:
someone you live with has tested positive
someone you live with has symptoms and has not had a test
you've been told to self-isolate because you've been in close contact with someone who tested positive
you had a PCR test (a test that is sent to a lab) because you had a positive rapid lateral flow test, and there were more than 2 days between the tests (England only)