lots of cases in school

[Noracora]

Local primary school and cases seem to be on the increase.
School have sent letters to the classes concerned and advise a PCR. I haven't PCR mine that are in the classes concerned but we are lateral flowing daily for the time being and so are a number of other parents. However there are some parents who have said they haven't done a PCR and aren't going to lateral either.
Should the school be recommending/strongly advising regularly testing whilst our school seems to have lots of cases?

Rule if you think I am going to get my children tested every other day then you are delusional!

But FYI, my kids do get PCR tested at any little symptom. My DS missed a couple of days last week for a cough which cleared as soon as we booked the test.

But when there are lots of cases in a school, I will test them with LFTs and if they are a close contact e.g. sitting next to child or very good friend then I would do a PCR.

When it's children in another class then I won't!

And no I don't hate teachers.......and yes, I probably could have sent DS to school last week. Others would have.

Our school is sending kids home that have been 'close contacts' and asking them to do PCR's.

They aren't allowed back until they have a negative result.

@RosieLemonadeAndSugar

Our school is sending kids home that have been 'close contacts' and asking them to do PCR's.

They aren't allowed back until they have a negative result.

Problem with that is they might be testing too early.

Negative PCR makes people think their child doesn't have Covid, when it's really they just do not have it at that time but may have been exposed to it.

And latest PCR took 48 hours to come through. So 2 days missed of school when previously it would have came back early following morning.

@Ohsofedupwiththis

Constant PCRs are really quite distressing for many children and expensive to us parents when we have to bribe them.

We are trying to use our judgement when it comes to PcRs. My DD has Covid in her year group. Letter advised PCR. We did not get the close contact letter - its a different class. We have done a couple of LFTs but that's it.

Ds had a cough so of course we did the PCR.

I think LFTs are a good way of checking. Although again they are upsetting for the child so we tend to use them as little as we can.

No difference between a PCR or LFT from the point of view of the child. You can order home PCRs, just like having LFTs at home. It just takes longer to get the result.

By advising whole year groups to test, it is exacerbating the delays in PCR results that do seem to be becoming a problem.

Rosie
schools cannot force people to stay off or get pcrs regardless of contacts. Gov have made this clear.

To pps, this isn't about stopping covid. We do not have zero covid policies.

@Watapalava

those people who are vulnerable are double if not triple vax.

Ruth - schools are not allowed to force a rule such as this and so i don't blame parents for lying

The gov have made it clear kids cant be made to have a test or be discriminated against either.

I'm CV. I'm triple vax Ed now. However, as many people on here lie to tell us, it's still possible to catch covid. Hopefully it reduces the chances and hopefully it means, if caught, symptoms will be lessened.

However, vulnerable people are also less likely to develop full immunity due to compromised immune systems.

When I caught covid at school last year, before vaccines, I ended up in hospital. I'm now on two different medications for life. I'm diagnosed with long covid- luckily over a year later this has improved, but I still get breathless and fatigued very easily, I still have other ongoing issues regarding this.

I really really hope that the parents of the children I teach care a bit - nearly 300 of them every week, all too young for their own vaccines, and obviously no chance of social distancing etc. On another thread today we're told that it isn't right to have cold classrooms due to open windows, so little ventilation expected too by the looks of it.

I really don't want to be teaching a child who is covid positive at close quarters, especially without knowing about it. I really don't want it again.

I know having your children at home for 10 days is annoying for them. But what's even more annoying, for me, is being stuck in a hospital on my own with no visitors for a few days or being rushed to A&E with a very severe risk of imminent heart attack/stroke whilst dh and my own Dd could only watch on, as couldn't come with me,

We know it's not about zero covid. It's about reducing the spread right now whilst numbers are high.

@Watapalava

Rosie schools cannot force people to stay off or get pcrs regardless of contacts. Gov have made this clear.

To pps, this isn't about stopping covid. We do not have zero covid policies.

Do you have a link where it says this?

I've argued this with the head but they insist public Heath have advised this due to an outbreak in school

Oh, and I have no issue with teaching children day in, day out without any SD or anything. I've no issue with teaching classes where covid is spreading.

I teach children each week where I know their parents or siblings have covid, but the child at school tested negative - yes, chances are they will test positive in a few days - but it's the rules, they can be there so although not ideal I know about it and accept that's the case.

However, I do have an issue with a parent sending in a child with key symptoms but the parent refuses to test because they don't want to keep a covid positive child at home.

Ohsofedup, I completely agree! If they started showing symptoms of course I'd get them tested but I think automatic testing is silly so soon

Rosie - the rules can be different for schools who have received advise from their local PHE equivalent in their area. The school should have that information in writing from the health body, which they should be able to show you,

PHE gives different advice in different areas.

No difference between a PCR or LFT from the point of view of the child

They are different! You don't have to do the throat swab with lfts

@Exhausteddog

No difference between a PCR or LFT from the point of view of the child

They are different! You don't have to do the throat swab with lfts

Children don't do throat swabs with the PCRs either - just the nose.

@Watapalava

Rosie schools cannot force people to stay off or get pcrs regardless of contacts. Gov have made this clear.

To pps, this isn't about stopping covid. We do not have zero covid policies.

I didn't say anything about forcing problem to take PCRs 🤔

Testing children and then isolating will reduce the spread in the school. That is the aim of isolation.

It will not end covid completely, but it will help to limit the spread.

*people not problem

@Exhausteddog

No difference between a PCR or LFT from the point of view of the child

They are different! You don't have to do the throat swab with lfts

You don't have to with either. It's recommended but not necessary.

The more we test, the quicker will will arrest the transmission of Covid in the classroom. We're testing with LFT everyday and thank goodness we did as we picked up a positive this morning before I sent my kid in. If you want this over sooner, get vaxed and keep testing.