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Original poster

+ve parents, -ve children, school

43 replies

breatheinskipthegym · 08/09/2021 17:39

In our house, the adults have tested positive for covid, and the children (primary school age) negative. Since the guidance is that children no longer have to self isolate, the school say the children should attend. But we can’t leave the house to take them. Our only support here is grandparents, who’ve also tested positive.

One daughter’s at special school and is taken by taxi. The other is a 20 minute drive away as local school oversubscribed. The taxi collection point is a 15 minute drive away, so it’s not as though they could join a passing family on the way to school. It seems my choices are either keep them off school and accept the school’s unauthorised absence stance and whatever consequences come, or drive them to school, hover at the gate in the car and let them directly out. Neither of these seem correct/fair/appropriate.

OP posts:
Remmy123 · 08/09/2021 17:52

Can you not drive them and drop outside the school?

DirtyBlonde · 08/09/2021 18:02

@Remmy123

Can you not drive them and drop outside the school?
When you are isolating, you should not leave the house. There isn't an exemption for the school,run.

Are you sure the school,will record an absence as unauthorised?

yellowdigsaur · 08/09/2021 18:03

You can't go out to take them to school though - that's not self isolation - so what do school want you to do?

Theunamedcat · 08/09/2021 18:04

We were told to take them and a staff member would collect from the car that does assume your well enough to drive though

yellowdigsaur · 08/09/2021 18:06

But self isolation means you have to stay at home - there's no rule for 'but you go out in the car to do drop offs and pick ups from places'

ThirtyCharacterUsernamesOnly30 · 08/09/2021 18:07

Tell the schools the children have started coughing and you're waiting for tests to be delivered to the house. That will give you an extra couple of days and by then they might actually have symptoms and you will have to keep them off anyway.

Bobholll · 08/09/2021 18:21

Just speak to the school, see what the best course of action is. No point flapping about it on mumsnet, we can’t give you the answer. The school will have considered this scenario & what parents need to do. Do you have a parents WhatsApp group? Do you know other parents at the school? A neighbour? Or even friends who don’t go to the school who could help you with drop off/pickup If I couldn’t ask family, I have several other options. I know other parents & id be happy for my DD to go to school with them. I have other relatives who’d probably do it in an emergency. I have friends locally who’d help out as well.

If you have literally none of that, ask the school what to do.

My DD left the house with covid. I had to drop baby sister off at nursery & had no other childcare. She just stayed in the car, it was fine 🤷🏼‍♀️

Original poster
breatheinskipthegym · 08/09/2021 18:24

All of the above, is my point! The schools feel their hands are tied over how the absence is recorded due to directions from above. Ultimately, I will keep them home as it’s the responsible thing to do in terms of spread, and I’m bound by the “do not leave home” rules. But it’s another glaring hole in policy, isn’t it? I just don’t see how people are supposed to navigate this stuff.

OP posts:
JaneExotic · 08/09/2021 19:12

Headteacher here. Please know that this attendance issue is a directive from the Department of Education. Our hands are tied.

itispersonal · 08/09/2021 19:20

We've had similar at my dd school. A child has tested positive, their siblings are still in school!

Household isolation should definitely still be in place to limit spread. As the sibling who could be infected but without symptoms is in the classroom, hall with the children in the school. Parents are going to work. The new variant seem to be spreading much more easily than before and this just seems mental.

Original poster
breatheinskipthegym · 08/09/2021 19:38

Hi @JaneExotic, yep, totally understand this. The head teachers in question are excellent, I’ve total respect for them and they’ve handled covid matters really well. Common sense would prevail, if only the heads were allowed a say!

I’ll probably take @ThirtyCharacterUsernamesOnly30‘s suggestion, for the sake of legitimising the absence. That should ride me out until the end of my isolation.

OP posts:
Ida3456 · 08/09/2021 19:41

OP

This is why the rules right now are so ridiculous! I’m so sorry you’re in this situation. I really don’t know what I’d do in this situation.

Spikeyball · 08/09/2021 19:44

Ds is at special school. If we test positive and he is negative he is staying off. The school can record it however they want. He cannot avoid very close contact with us and is difficult to test accurately and we won't be the ones to spread it around the school.

careerchangeperhaps · 08/09/2021 20:07

If you're isolating, you're isolating. You shouldn't leave the house AT ALL (unless to get urgent medical attention). Dropping the kids off on the car is not ok as that is leaving the house. Presumably you could still be fined for breaching your isolation?
I'd ask the school to come up with a solution.

Nojobforoldmums · 08/09/2021 20:16

Being pragmatic, maybe you thought you heard your kids coughing?

Original poster
breatheinskipthegym · 08/09/2021 20:18

Yes, @Spikeyball, exactly the same here. The children will stay home. I’m really just lamenting that doing the right thing, ie self isolating like I must, puts me foul of the ‘send a close contact child to school regardless’ rule. These govt policies just can’t coexist.

I can see merit in a PP’s argument that if I was going to send them to school, there’d be no real additional risk to me driving them there and not getting out of the car, but that is explicitly against the rules and, even though it could be argued that it’s technically immaterial puts me at risk of a fine. And is yet another thing to add to the list of reasons that this government are a shitshow.

OP posts:
BoomChicka · 08/09/2021 20:38

@JaneExotic

Headteacher here. Please know that this attendance issue is a directive from the Department of Education. Our hands are tied.
What would happen if you put a child down as sick, or authorised absence, in this scenario?
Original poster
breatheinskipthegym · 08/09/2021 20:48

@Nojobforoldmums They definitely felt very hot earlier. And I can’t see anything that says I’m obliged to provide the context that they’d been belting around the garden in 28degree sunny weather when I noticed that.

OP posts:
Nojobforoldmums · 08/09/2021 21:08

Indeed OP. I think it's the kindest option for the school, saving them having to log unauthorised absence. I don't think much of the Government’s inability to think through this scenario though. They seem to think parents want their kids at home.

Nojobforoldmums · 08/09/2021 21:10

Actually OP maybe they are feeling unwell without a temperature, cough or loss of sense of taste/smell or anything that triggers a PCR test. If they are like mine have you mistaken felt tip pen for a rash?

Remmy123 · 08/09/2021 21:30

Common sense tells me that if you stay in the car and do not leave the car it is fine.

Who can you spread it to in the car?

It's ridiculous!!!

Hcolhcsra · 08/09/2021 21:31

It's madness - we're heading towards 5% of the school currently out with Covid but we still have siblings of positive cases in school and spreading it. To be honest we can see exactly how it's spreading but public health don't seem to care.

I'd much rather you kept your kids at home but I think the government policy, although they'll never say it, is to let Covid rip through schools. They know that herd immunity will be much more effective than vaccines and so that's what they are trying to achieve. Unfortunately, whilst most cases will be mild some won't be but heh ho - teachers don't get Covid according to all these government surveys.

suredsun · 08/09/2021 21:48

I have several other options. I know other parents & id be happy for my DD to go to school with them. I have other relatives who’d probably do it in an emergency. I have friends locally who’d help out as well

Do you really though? I wouldn't be mad keen to pick up and drive a child from a Covid-y house for 20 minutes twice a day! Maybe different if I was walking in the fresh air with them but.....
Quite apart from personal risk to me and my family, my view is that the government has got this particular thing very wrong and I don't really want to be complicit in their madness.

Crunchymum · 08/09/2021 21:51

Hope you're not feeling too poorly OP.

It's a dreadful situation and one that is going to be felt up and down the country soon.

I don't drive, live about a 7 minute walk from the school but if myself or one of my 3 young primary age children need to self isolate due to testing +, then how do I get the others to school?

Yes I could probably get some help for drop off and pick ups but not everyday for 10 days?

  • yes I do have a DP but he is self employed and usually works a fair distance away so isn't available at 9am and 3pm.

Understandably some people won't want to help out people with known cases of Covid in the immediate family? So this help from neighbours and family and other school parents may not be so forthcoming.

It's a shit policy.

Aliwali77 · 08/09/2021 21:58

I’m a teacher, we are being told that we have to provide remote learning for any one at home because parents can’t get them to school due to COVID. I’ve no idea if this is correct but perhaps the school could provide online learning for your child.

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