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Covid

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Original poster

To remove DD from school?

96 replies

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 12:10

DD is 7, in the last 4 weeks she’s been a close contact for +ive cases of covid 4 times, today an hour after dropping her at school I got a call to pick her up as a close contact to go for a test. School will not let her back until she has a negative pcr, I’ve tried it they turn us round at the gates. School have warned that they’re expecting another 2-3 positive cases from DDs class and due to the way groupings work DD is likely to be a close contact. And that’s before any of today’s people have tests.

Her dad won’t have her if she’s a close contact until she’s negative, my mum won’t isolate if she helps me with childcare she’d just take DD out for the day and I won’t be complicit in that. I’m a single parent no-one else to help. I currently isolate DD until test results come in and my mum won't do that at all.

I already only work school hours due to childcare, my work are getting increasingly upset that I’m halfway to work and having to ring to say “DDs a close contact again so I can’t come in”

l can work from home on all but 1 day a week but can’t easily work with DD here. If I pulled her from school between me, ExH and my mum I could still work my hours.

I can homeschool for a year or so.

I can’t lose my job, as I’ll lose the roof over mine and DDs head, ExH won’t have her in the week but gets the same texts and emails as me so will not have her for his weekends and I can’t hide it - I make up my work hours on his weekends so I can keep my head above water with work load.

So do I do it? I’m not a teacher but I just can’t carry on like this. 2 of her friends have had covid twice in 12 months so it could easily carry on like this all winter.

WWYD?

For added context both ExH and I are double vaccinated - ExH has to test for work twice per week and I'm testing myself once per week as a precaution, my mum refuses to get the vaccine or even test or isolate which is her choice but if I am seen as doing something illegal I could lose my job hence not letting DD go to her when she's supposed to be isolating/can;t go to school.

OP posts:

TheYearOfSmallThings · 18/11/2021 12:15

Her DF and your DM won't be looking after her for a year while she could be in school, and they won't be teaching her either. I think it's a crazy idea tbh.

SmellyOldOwls · 18/11/2021 12:17

How are you planning to homeschool if you're working?

anothernamechange224466 · 18/11/2021 12:19

She doesn't need to isolate whilst she waits for her results as long as she hasn't got symptoms, so maybe just let your mum have her

CannotDrop · 18/11/2021 12:22

As pp said - you don’t have to isolate whilst waiting for the PCR test result unless you have symptoms.

ILookAtTheFloor · 18/11/2021 12:23

The school are being ridiculous.

They can only ask you to test, not force you! Unless you're not in England as why is she being sent home as a close contact? My daughter was this week and she's been in school throughout?

Original poster

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 12:24

She never has symptoms and has always tested negative despite what seems like most of her friends testing positive.

School won’t let her back without the negative and I always feel bad taking her out when she’s unknown status

OP posts:

Calee03 · 18/11/2021 12:25

I think the school are being ott. Whilst caution is good and schools can set their own rules, official guidance say children can go in shcool as close contacts whilst waiting for a pcr as long as they aren't displaying symptoms. She needs to be in school. This is the whole point of the new rules.

I've had the opposite issue. Not being told when Dd is a close contact. Her ta (she has sen) has tested positive. I've not been officially told. I think the school my kids go to might be quite relaxed as it's only the second case they've had throughout the whole damn pandemic, we haven't had any outbreaks but the area we live in is quite high. I would have liked to be told about her ta. I only know as her ta has a Ds my sons age and it's been on Facebook.

Original poster

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 12:26

@ILookAtTheFloor

The school are being ridiculous.

They can only ask you to test, not force you! Unless you're not in England as why is she being sent home as a close contact? My daughter was this week and she's been in school throughout?

In England but school won’t take her back without the negative, parents complained when they were letting children back in without a negative test so they’re now not allowed in.

OP posts:

Calee03 · 18/11/2021 12:26

also, I don't have much advice regarding home school, sorry. For us it would be unrealistic but you know best in your own situation 💕

EvilPea · 18/11/2021 12:31

If the thread on here earlier in the week is to be believed the plan is to remove everything come April.

So no more tests. No more isolations. We just exist with Covid as if it’s a cold.

If you break that down in school weeks, that’s not a huge number. Or the alternative if you took her out the school could you get her back in, in April? Or is the school over subscribed.

Lipsandlashes · 18/11/2021 12:33

The school don’t have any choice in this. Contact the LEA and Ofsted. They are going against government guidelines, now designed for minimal disruption to the education system

EvilPea · 18/11/2021 12:38

The school / LEA are caught between a rock and a hard place. They won’t get it right for every family which ever policy they adopt.

For every family struggling like the op there’s another family who has a vulnerable person at home who are scared.

I don’t envy them in trying to navigate a best practice. It’s shit whichever side of the fence your on.

Original poster

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 12:42

@EvilPea

If the thread on here earlier in the week is to be believed the plan is to remove everything come April.

So no more tests. No more isolations. We just exist with Covid as if it’s a cold.

If you break that down in school weeks, that’s not a huge number. Or the alternative if you took her out the school could you get her back in, in April? Or is the school over subscribed.

Not over subscribed at all, there’s 26 in her class and 28 in the other class PAN of 62 in KS2 (60 for KS1)

OP posts:

MarshaBradyo · 18/11/2021 12:45

@Lipsandlashes

The school don’t have any choice in this. Contact the LEA and Ofsted. They are going against government guidelines, now designed for minimal disruption to the education system

Is this right? If so I agree.

BlippityHiggut · 18/11/2021 12:48

I'm confused about how you will work and homeschool?
Or is it you're hoping that it will work out your mother and her father can look after her whilst they're at work, meaning no need to self-isolate because of school close contact cases. Will this work with their schedules? If this is something you want to do, make sure everyone is on board.

Or alternatively, can you enquire with other schools to see if they have places and more sensible policies?

siestalady · 18/11/2021 12:50

The school are being ridiculous and as others have said, there is no obligation anymore to test children when they're close contacts. Are other parents not complaining about this? presumably the entire class is sent home and not allowed to return until they've got negative tests?! so disruptive.

Rather than homeschool i'd be inclined to move her to another primary that has a better understanding of the rules.

Original poster

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 12:50

@BlippityHiggut

I'm confused about how you will work and homeschool? Or is it you're hoping that it will work out your mother and her father can look after her whilst they're at work, meaning no need to self-isolate because of school close contact cases. Will this work with their schedules? If this is something you want to do, make sure everyone is on board.

Or alternatively, can you enquire with other schools to see if they have places and more sensible policies?

My plan was home education around my work while her dad and my mum provide childcare around ExHs work so I can also work, thus avoiding close contacts from school.

Will look into other schools as well that’s a good idea.

OP posts:

Lion1618 · 18/11/2021 13:03

LolaSmiles · 18/11/2021 13:10

Why are the school behaving in this way? Children no longer have to isolate if identified as a close contact, for the very reasons that it is disastrous for their wellbeing, education, parent's ability to go out to work...amongst many other reasons.
People identified as close contacts are advised to get a PCR test on the grounds that it's better to find out if people have Covid rather than letting it go through the whole class/year group/school.
A close contact doesn't need to self-isolate if they're under 18 and the government guidance is that they 'should' attend school as usual. In the guidance to schools 'must' is the legal requirement and 'should' is advisory but doesn't have to be followed if there's good reason not to.

It might be that school have been given advice from public health or another body regarding their specific circumstances and risk assessments.

sirfredfredgeorge · 18/11/2021 13:16

School won’t let her back without the negative and I always feel bad taking her out when she’s unknown status

This is an illegal exclusion, even if the school has been given specific advice, as the school does not have the power to exclude here, public health England and local authorities in some situations do, but it needs to be them, not the school.

Original poster

IsolateAndTestAgain · 18/11/2021 13:17

@Lion1618

I've been told that people complained about untested children with unknown status being in school and parents where keeping their none close contact children off until the status of the others was known.

I can see the headteacher is caught between a rock and a hard place and the last thing I want is to make her life more difficult than it is. In general DD is happy at school, is making progress and seems to have friends so I don't really want to remove her unless I have to. It's just the constant in and out which is frustrating me and making me wonder if I'd be better to home school her for a few months to a year then put her back in this school.

OP posts:

MarshaBradyo · 18/11/2021 13:18

It might be that school have been given advice from public health or another body

I’d go back to this op as if they haven’t it’s very wrong to do this.

If they have well hopefully it will pass soon and be rescinded. Ask them if there is a release point and general timeframe.

MarshaBradyo · 18/11/2021 13:18

They cannot do it just because parents have complained.

Smartiepants79 · 18/11/2021 13:20

@ILookAtTheFloor

The school are being ridiculous.

They can only ask you to test, not force you! Unless you're not in England as why is she being sent home as a close contact? My daughter was this week and she's been in school throughout?

The guidance for schools at the moment is that close contact children do not return to school unless they have a negative pcr test. School is not being difficult on purpose. All the schools local to me are doing the same thing.

Theunamedcat · 18/11/2021 13:21

My son has been identified as a close contact he is still in school ive pcr tested him but he must be in school unless and until it turns positive

English primary school too

I'm surprised your school isn't following guidelines because of a vocal minority how are they reporting the absence?

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