Just a moan about DS school

[Twounderfive83]

DH has tested positive. DS (age 5) and I are negative.

His school has asked not to send children in when there’s a positive case in the house. So no school for 10 days for DS.

I understand the caution, he’s more likely to catch it from a member of the household and pass it round than anywhere else.

But it’s not the guidance. School have just created this policy.

Well it’s completely against government advice. I would go above the school and speak to the council or MP. It’s excluding children which they are not supposed to be doing. Healthy kids shouldn’t be excluded from school for long periods at a time with no access to decent education. They’ve missed enough.

Our school’s policy is if a member of household is positive then child goes for PCR. So we had to miss one day of school (which was a bit annoying) and daily LFT after that.

We had a parent pick up a child after school had started for the day because the child's test had come back positive! This is the world we are living in now! It seems so far away from the one positive case bursting the bubbles!

Whether it's the right thing to do or not, it's not government guidance is it? They get to make the covid rules when it comes to state education. It would surely be an illegal exclusion?

Interesting argument about illegal exclusion! I will make that point too when I call tomorrow.

In response to how can I think it’s wrong but disagree, I mean I disagree with the policy, but I think it’s wrong to go against it. My other DC is allowed to go to nursery, I have checked their policy. So I can send them with a clear conscience, knowing I’ve got nothing to hide. Whereas to send DS to school, knowing they have asked us not to, is wrong.

Whether the policy itself is wrong - that’s a really interesting point! I will definitely press them on it. As if they say actually no, it’s just something we ask parents not to do but can’t actually stop you, then that’s another matter altogether.

My workplace has the same policy.

I’m currently off work as Ds caught Covid at college.

I think it’s very sensible.

My son had to attend school when dh and dd were positive.

I was told he would not get authorised absence if I kept him off.

My son and I never caught it from dh and dd, we didn't isolate away from one another either.

How selfish can people be?! There is a strong chance your child could have it yet you are considering sending them in to potential spread it?!
You need to consider the wider community you may affect.
Say your child passes it on and that child is high risk (as they can go to school) or their parent is and they end you seriously ill..all because you wanted to stick two fingers up to the school policy and send your child to school...!!

I'm sorry to rant but this kind of mentality infuriates me. I am that parent who is high risk and ended up seriously ill ( and still recovering) after catching it from my daughter via her school.

Please think twice

We are in an area where cases are high. Both staff and students to isolate if family members positive.

@hattiesmith have you read any of my posts? I’ve said I’m not sending him in, BECAUSE the school have said not to. I’m still allowed to disagree with their rule, seeing as it’s against the current government guidelines. He has had a PCR test, as have I, as per the government guidelines.

If the school didn’t have this policy, then yes I would be sending him to school, as per the CURRENT government guidelines.

The school is going against the guidance, I'd just send him in.

This I think. I'd lft and if negative send him in. Schools shouldn't be able to just make the rules up. And DC have missed out on so much already.

Well my DS is merrily popping off to school tomorrow despite his brother being positive. Not selfish at all. This is what the government guidelines are. If I kept him off it would be an unauthorised absence. He’s been PCRd.
I’ll test daily.

This is where we are now. We cannot disrupt any more of our children’s education over a virus which is largely mild for them. Thank god there are no more bubbles bursting and children isolating (with no fresh air and exercise) for multiple periods of time. Over and over again. Poor kids.

And yes parents/teachers may pick it up but with a double vaccination then it shouldn’t be serious. All this hysteria needs to stop.

@Delatron having lots of teachers off is quite disruptive of children's education though. Our local secondary has recently had to go back to virtual learning for a couple of weeks because they ran out of staff (not enough to stay open safely). So that's 2,000 kids having their educations disrupted for the want of a little care.

@Porcupineintherough

I don’t doubt the next few weeks before Christmas will be tough. But then it should all settle down. Rather than dragging out bubbles bursting for months and months. Kids being off for multiple periods of 10 days. Nope sorry that is far worse. And we’ve been through that for nearly two years now. Kids have missed enough.

Regardless of whether you agree or not this is the government strategy at the moment. Children will get noted as unauthorised absence if they miss school due to a positive case in their household.

I agree with this. I say this with a DS off school with Covid (and half the school is off). He’ll do his 10 days, his brother doesn’t miss school and that should be the end of it. Short sharp periods of absence rather than endless bubbles bursting.

Then he’ll have hopefully some lovely antibodies and no more isolation periods.

But then it should all settle down hmm, where have I heard that before!?

@Delatron

Well my DS is merrily popping off to school tomorrow despite his brother being positive. Not selfish at all. This is what the government guidelines are. If I kept him off it would be an unauthorised absence. He’s been PCRd. I’ll test daily.

This is where we are now. We cannot disrupt any more of our children’s education over a virus which is largely mild for them. Thank god there are no more bubbles bursting and children isolating (with no fresh air and exercise) for multiple periods of time. Over and over again. Poor kids.

And yes parents/teachers may pick it up but with a double vaccination then it shouldn’t be serious. All this hysteria needs to stop.

Hysteria? Do you work in a school?

Maybe last year when nobody was vaccinated @rrhuth

To be honest it’s a numbers game.
If 80% of a school population have had Covid then it will run out of people to infect.

I guess it will be different everywhere. I fully expect cases to calm down in DSs school since they are having a major outbreak at the moment.

No I don’t work in a school. Yes it’s shit for you, no I couldn’t do what you do..but this is the government policy. Sorry. We have moved on.

Back to the OP. You should go higher. The school can’t implement its own policy here unless initiated by the council so double check with them.

@Delatron Hysteria?
You know that the NHS is struggling for staff because a lot, and a huge amount of GPs are off with long covid. So everything is backed up. If your kid needs treatment it’s delayed because if the amount of covid cases in hospital and lack of staff generally. Keep cases down keeps schools open and life ticking on.

Our school has said the same. They have so many outbreaks that if more teachers get it they will have to close the school. My workplace is the same re the rules (but I do work in a hospital). Trust the school that they’re working with the health security agency and implementing localised guidance based on what’s actually happening in your school and county.

School have just created this policy.

They will have to have been supported by their LA, so I expect phoning the council won't get you anywhere. It's not an illegal exclusion. My own school has 'positive case in household, child comes back after a day 5 negative PCR', my own child's school is 'send them in whatever'.

We don't live in a high case area, my own school is in one. Weirdly (), my own child's school has cases almost out of control. My own school does not. We're still having a nightmare with staffing, still having to combine classes, but it's still under control to a degree.

@CovidMakesThingsHard

Unfortunately mitigations and measures to suppress Covid and drag this out are not the government strategy. It’s been decided by scientists, epidemiologists and people far more experienced than you or I. I don’t make the policy!

The NHS is always backed up. I’ve sat in there for 5 hours years ago. Nothing changes there.

Doesn’t mean we need to reintroduce measures.

Anyway, stop derailing. This thread is not about the NHS. It’s about the OP’s school making up their own rules. They can’t really do that unless instructed by the council. OP should question that.

If you have a negative PCR then you could be in a position of isolating now then again if he does get it later.

@Delatron

No I don’t work in a school. Yes it’s shit for you, no I couldn’t do what you do..but this is the government policy. Sorry. We have moved on.

Back to the OP. You should go higher. The school can’t implement its own policy here unless initiated by the council so double check with them.

Lovely empathy.

I think the school's policy is hugely sensible. We have had multiple situations in our school where one sibling has it...other sibling tests negative so attends school...that sibling then tests positive a few days later, having merrily spread it around to children and staff. Ridiculous. I don't know how we are going to make it to Christmas with the amount of staff absence we are dealing with.

There have been many times throughout this whole shitshow when the rules have been absurd so just because the school isn't following the rules doesn't mean they are wrong. They are trying to stay open.

I work in a school and our local Public Health team keep on about how they will support schools who put these sort of mitigating measures in place.

LA's having different rules to the government guidance is a whole can of worms but I highly doubt the school are acting in isolation here. You're obviously entitled to question the decision but I really wouldn't go in all guns blazing.

Schools are stuck between a rock and a hard place on this one. It takes a VERY brave leadership team to decide to ignore local Public Health advice in a pandemic, yet we don't have the backing of legally binding government guidance as we did a few months ago. It's no fun for those making these decisions in schools, trust me.