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Original poster

Bit pissed off with ds's school

61 replies

thelastgoldeneagle · 20/09/2021 21:17

Ds tested positive for Covid on Saturday. I reported the LFT to school and booked a PCR. That was positive. Emailed ds's form teacher to tell her, and rang the school to tell them.

And nothing. None of ds's close contacts have been informed, school hasn't contacted me to ask how ds is, firm teacher hasn't replied to my email.

AIBU to think this is rude and concerning? Ds caught bloody Covid from school - we hadn't been told about any cases at all - and now it looks like his close contacts aren't being told either. Bonkers.

OP posts:
seven201 · 20/09/2021 22:25

There's more than 10% of the kids off with covid in the school I work in. I can't keep up with who is in, who is at home but symptom free (and should be joining streamed lessons) and who is at home ill. More and more staff off ill each day too. We are not involved in contact tracing anymore. Maybe his form teacher is off ill, has the day off to attend a funeral or something. I'm a main form tutor but only work 4 days a week, but I doubt the parents know that. Throw in an open evening or parents' evening and sometimes emails get missed or put to the bottom of the to-do list.

holidaynearlyover · 20/09/2021 22:27

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

I checked my emails today for the first time, at 4.45pm - just before I left for the day. I had no time to ring the parent who had emailed me.

Just for context.

I have just finished replying to parents, no time during the school day and meeting after school. Please give the form teacher time 🙄
Houseplantmad · 20/09/2021 22:28

It’s not the school’s fault! As others have said they don’t track and trace now. I work at one and we have had 8 cases. Test and trace are aware of all but not one student or staff member has been contacted. The first positive was 8 days ago. We have notified staff involved so they are aware and can do a LFT more regularly. It’s a shit system.

And as far as an email response goes, I’m about two days behind my emails as it’s been so ridiculously busy.

Timeforachangetoday12 · 20/09/2021 22:31

One of my daughters friends has tested positive on Saturday to. The Mum contacted the main close contacts. We all been testing daily LFT and arranged a PCR for our children - we knew the school wouldn’t do it as we had an email detailing that they no longer do that it’s collated by TT.
Same as the information given to us from the school as a close contact children don’t need to isolate and can attend school if they have no symptoms.
Bit not sure what else the busy schools can do but follow the guidance given to them.

toomuchlaundry · 20/09/2021 22:31

Why are you blaming school for your DS for catching COVID? What are you expecting the school to do to stop COVID spreading?

Kattekit · 20/09/2021 22:32

Maybe the form tutor is also off?

Autumngoldleaf · 20/09/2021 22:33

Please don't blame the school they are in an incredibly difficult place. Do you think any staff in school are happy about how things are done now?

My dd had it and no email went out!
I don't think people realise what's going on now.

I was told to work before I had my pcr back! Older dd told to go into school...

We did lat flows evry day and wore masks. But it's all around us now it really is.
On a slightly positive note, I didn't catch it from dd.

But this is what's happening now.

Autumngoldleaf · 20/09/2021 22:34

School can't force dc to wear masks they can only give guidance, many didn't do lateral flows even when they went back.
They have been given no power at all except the power to open windows!

Ttbhappy · 20/09/2021 22:34

Could of caught it anywhere

Original poster
thelastgoldeneagle · 20/09/2021 22:41

Thanks to teachers who have replied. I hadn't thought properly about how this term must be for them and how busy they must be.

I also hadn't realised the full extent of the changes to close contact tracing. No wonder Covid is spreading so fast in schools.

OP posts:
toomuchlaundry · 20/09/2021 22:46

50% of the staff are off in one of my local schools, it is a nightmare. They wouldn't have time to check up on all their pupils as well as covering everything else

unfortunateevents · 20/09/2021 22:47

It's Monday evening - the teacher has been at work for one day since you emailed her! She has presumably been teaching and/or in a staff meeting/new parents' evening/drama club rehearsal or whatever since then. Yes it might be nice for her to email and enquire about your son but she's probably got a ton of other emails which are time-critical or really require some action before she gets around to the "nice but not necessary" ones.

Wheelz46 · 20/09/2021 22:49

Sorry OP but sounds like the school are following the correct process. No need for track and trace anymore, school bubbles are no longer.

You have spoke to school to let them know of your son's positive result, there really is no need for a teacher to reply to such an email which really wasn't meant for them. As far as I am aware, the usual protocol for student absence in most school's is reported to office staff who then may inform the form teacher.

Autumngoldleaf · 20/09/2021 22:49

It's a bloody nightmare op. I imagine the teacher wrote an email she can't send and deleted it..

It's frightening.. We are in a huge experiment.
Thanks to what's app groups etc is the only way any one will know now.

We used to get emailed as staff and now nothing expect the other day we were told to be aware cases had shot through the roof Confused that ways the first any staff were told of any cases at all.

fourminutestosavetheworld · 20/09/2021 22:52

As pp have said, if you emailed over the weekend then the teacher has only had today to reply.

I have been teaching all day, rolled straight into a staff meeting and then had a scheduled Teams meeting with a parent. I did manage to look at my emails but I had about twenty so I only opened the first 4-5. Please just give the teacher some time, if your email warrants a response at all - I don't always reply to parents just reporting absences, I just forward them to the office.

stoneysongs · 21/09/2021 07:39

DD had a positive PCR on Friday - I managed to miss two calls from t+t that day and haven't heard anything from them since. Do they just give up if they don't get you in two tries?

MisgenderedSwan · 21/09/2021 08:03

There was a positive case in dd's class last week - school sent an email the same day detailing exactly what the procedure was - very clear and accurate. They have been in touch with the positive child to ask how they are, check they know how to access class work if they feel up to it and the teacher emails daily little notes to check in. I couldn't be more impressed with them.

flumposie · 21/09/2021 09:00

I only know what's happening in the school I teach at and my daughter attends due to the parent WhatsApp group. It's rife in my school and teachers don't know the extent of it. Yesterday 4 forms hit the threshold for the advice from PHE that everyone has a pcr test. Staff absence is sky high. So teacher's time is massively being used on cover.

Comefromaway · 21/09/2021 09:06

Unless there are any unvaccinated teachers who were in close contact with your so. then none of his friends will be contacted anyway.

toomuchlaundry · 21/09/2021 13:44

I thought close contacts were contacted and advised to take PCR test

TheGrumpyGoat · 21/09/2021 13:47

@toomuchlaundry

I thought close contacts were contacted and advised to take PCR test
They are, by Test and Trace (supposedly).
TheGrumpyGoat · 21/09/2021 13:48

But just sitting together in school wouldn’t make them a ‘close contact’ according to the new rules.

Megistotherium · 21/09/2021 14:10

It was to be expected. No more mitigation, no more isolation with close contact, virus to rip through school.

borntobequiet · 21/09/2021 14:27

Why would the tutor respond to your email? Did you ask any question that would warrant a response?

borntobequiet · 21/09/2021 14:33

Sorry, didn’t mean to sound brusque. In normal times, and if not too busy, as a form tutor I might send “Thanks, hope he’s not feeling too bad”. But now? I doubt I’d have time to read emails, let alone respond to them. Glad I’m retired.