isolation rules for school

[ArianaG]

Myself, dh and dd have all had positive lfts.
We are awaiting a PCR test but seems unlikely they will be negative.

If we get positive results, we have a 5 yr old dc who is not showing any symptoms, does she need to isolate and get a PCR too (really don't think she will tolerate this) or can she still go to school if she has no symptoms?
If so, how do we get her there if we are all isolating?!

The English NHS recommendation (and the sensible thing to do) will be to get her a PCR test. Nostrils only might work better for her?

In England, there’s no requirement to isolate, obviously if she can, that cuts risk of her infecting others. I think in Scotland it may be different and am not sure about Wales.

You are allowed to break isolation for medical reasons including testing, or you could order her a home test.

Hope you’re all OK.

Sorry, meant to add that she can go to school if she has no symptoms, in fact some schools would insist she did 🤷🏻‍♀️.

Yeah our school would expect her in, ideally get a pcr but they said if awaiting pcr and no symptoms they should be in school.

You are def allowed to break isolation to get tests. That said getting one sent to the house might be better for her (though obviously results take longer)

In Scotland and got email from school today saying that due to high numbers of Covid, any child with any symptom that could be related to Covid had to remain at home until after getting negative PCR. Likewise any child with cases in the household was to remain at home. It's the only sensible response and I'm hoping that it will start reducing the crazy numbers we have here just now.

Legally she can go to school if negative but if everyone else is positive and at home you may aswell keep her home too. My child is CEV and we hope children arent sent to school if household members are positive as it increases the risk.

If you are sending to school please ensure the school are aware of positive household and if possible share on social media so families like ours can make informed decision

This hasn't come up for us, but are you allowed to walk our child to school if you have a young child and both parents are positive? We wouldn't have a single person we could ask as ours are going to a new school and we have no family here or anyone who would be available to take them and collect them. I'm interested to know.

We are in this position . 3 of us all tested positive.

We are both still showing positive. Child (extremely diffiuclt doing tests) is negative.

Guidelines sate child should go to school. They also state we should both isolate.
How are we supposed to do the school drop off and collection when this is the case?
Insolation guidelines are placing entire schools and their communities at risk and once we do return , no bubbles or measures at all.
Hopeless situation. Ridiculous.

@AnnaSW1 no you cannot walk to school.

Good to know. So that means schools cannot insist they come in

She can go to school. But if both adults are positive neither of you can leave the house so she won't be able to get there.

@blameitonthecaffeine

She can go to school. But if both adults are positive neither of you can leave the house so she won't be able to get there.

you can ask someone else to take her.

And how irresponsible would that be?
@Frazzled2207

My 5 year old tested positive on pcr with no symptoms. We are on day 8 now since and he hasn't developed any symptoms. Testing him wasn't too bad he saw me and dh do ours. He sat on chair and I held him still he cried a bit but was soon ok. Children only have to have nostrils swabbed.

@DoubleShotEspresso

And how irresponsible would that be? *@Frazzled2207*

Our school have made it clear that any children in houses with covid should be at school after negative pcr. Otherwise it could go down as unauthorised absence. I don’t make the rules merely saying what they are.

Our school do as unauthorised absence of child negative and parents positive.
They also arrange for child to be collected if rest of huouse is isolating.

House

@Frazzled2207 that's inaccurate madness as guidelines state a PCR shouldn't be taken 90 days after a positive result.
Schools cannot demand attendance from a household of positive cases, purely on the logistics of safely getting children there and avoiding transmission

[quote DoubleShotEspresso]@Frazzled2207 that's inaccurate madness as guidelines state a PCR shouldn't be taken 90 days after a positive result.
Schools cannot demand attendance from a household of positive cases, purely on the logistics of safely getting children there and avoiding transmission [/quote]
the negative PCR isn't a demand it's a polite request. But asymptomatic children should apparently be in.

I never said I agreed with this.

I hadn’t realised the rules for isolating had changed

So if the parents are positive and the primary school DC negative, the DC must attend school as usual, even if the parents can’t legally leave the house to take them to school?

And if you’ve got 2 or more DC who are too young to be left home alone and too young to get themselves to school, and one of them’s positive and the other negative, how is a parent meant to manage the school run within the self isolation rules?

This seems like a badly thought out policy.
Quite aside from the logistics of managing self isolation and school runs, isn’t this massively increasing the odds of Covid running rampant through the schools?

It wouldn't bother me one iota if my dc absence was authorised or unauthorised tbh, it affects school stats not My personal household. If your child normally has good attendance, 8 days off school assuming 2 days for weekend should not equal fines or ewo visits, and even if they did if the rest of the household is covid positive and the child is to young to get themselves to school and back then surely they've no chance at all in court to enforce any legal proceedings or fines. Its highly unlikely that both parents will test positive again any time soon so this scenario shouldn't happen again this school year so attendance level should even out over the rest of the school year.

This is where the new rules fall down.

I imagine that most families fall into the category that one parent does the school run and if that parent isn't able to do so (either due to testing + themselves or having to stay home with a + child who can't be left) then what? The obvious answer is to suggest parent #2 assuming they are negative take annual leave or WFH but this solution works for the few not the many?

I have people who can help me on an ad hoc basis but nobody who can do pick ups and drop offs for two weeks? And throw Covid into the mix, I'm not sure how forthcoming that help would be?

• I do have a DP but he works out of the house, is self employed and can't be available at 9am and 3pm every day. Depending on stage of his project he may or may not be able to take last minute leave but not 2 weeks worth!

I have had this exact situation today, the advice is from 119 that I contact the school and they will advise how my DD can get to school. They will more than likely advise the school bus as it is the only bus that runs from our village to the school. It is ridiculous that I can't drive her when I do not leave the car but she could potentially be spreading covid to everyone one on the bus who will be from not only her school but several other schools in the town and the bus is packed every day. I cannot see another parent volunteering to give her a lift as I'm not sure anyone would want to go in a car with the sibling of a covid infected person! My DD will get the bus as she is at secondary school even though she doesn't know really know how to use buses, where to catch it etc and I cannot leave the house to show her. Fingers crossed for Monday morning, if she can't work it out, she'll probably end up coming home and not going in I'll call a taxi (£9 each way, will cost me a fortune!) Hopefully though she will not catch / spread it as she had covid at the end of July although to 119 a recent infection does not mean you won't catch it again which indicates 'they' do not think natural immunity exists.

Well there is the government’s totally crazy ‘hands off’ school policy.

And there is the right thing to do to minimise the spread of covid to other children and families. Which is not to send your child in and tell the school. And to continue to isolate yourselves which is not to go out with her.

Ignore the madness that are the ‘rules’ - keep her home. Say she’s sick if you must. But do what you know is best.

Also just to say I’m a health professional and there are several others who also think these new rules are bonkers -

They have very little to do with common sense and public health good practice.

They have everything to do with not wanting the chaos of 1000s of kids off of school - but I say make schools safer and keep close contact rules and there will be less kids off of school overall.

Badly thought out policy.

Most other countries in Europe and US are not only keeping close contact isolation for kids but most are also keeping mitigation measures within schools - France and Spain for example even primary aged children wear masks.

So we are really a bit of an outlier on this.

Common sense please

wear a mask and walk her to school quickly

or do a drive by

You are actually allowed out even with covid for many reasons - even to get food if theres noone else available - it states clearly on gov website in the exceptions.

school probably isnt an exception but its what 99% parents in real world will do