Schools

[Tranquilitybasehotelandcasino]

Everything I’ve read suggests that children who have come in to contact with a child with Covid at school, will be contacted by Track and Trace and told to get a PCR test. However, my child’s school just keeps reporting on positive cases in a particular year group and reminding people to regularly take lateral flow tests. I can only presume that T&T would have contacted the school for details of who a child came into contact with and they haven’t passed it on.

My child has just tested positive and has just told me that he was sat next to someone on Tuesday that had a headache and didn’t come into school on Wednesday. Presumably they tested positive so why weren’t we told to get a PCR? It was only because my daughter had symptoms yesterday that we tested but otherwise we might have just done a lateral flow and risked it not being reliable. When people have vulnerable family members, surely they should be informing parents when children have come into contact with someone?

Another question is that my daughter is positive so needs to isolate, I’m not jabbed because I’m unable to have the jab so I’m isolating, but my son is under 18 and can go to school as normal. How do I take him to school on Monday and walk him into the playground when I’m supposed to be isolating? It seems ridiculous to not isolate the whole family at least until they all have a PCR test, yet our school said my son doesn’t need a PCR unless he has symptoms....despite him living with a positive case. Am I supposed to isolate at all times but be allowed to walk through the playground twice a day? He’s only small so cannot go into school alone and I’m not prepared to send him with my parents and put them at risk as they’re elderly.

Schools aren't supposed to be informing parents.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

We're not allowed to anymore.

A headache , even separately from other symptoms has been a huge red flag for covid in my class. That and a sore throat.

It’s ridiculous OP but it’s been going on since the beginning of September. And to be honest you’re lucky it hasn’t impacted you by now. And a bit naive that you didn’t realise until now,

This is nothing to do with the school.

The parents of the child will be asked for details of close contacts. If you haven’t been contacted by T&T, it’s because the child’s parents didn’t give your details.

The whole thing is a shambles, there can be multiple cases around your child and you won’t be officially told. But it’s not the school’s fault. Class WhatsApp groups can be useful here.

I cannot think of a medical reason why anyone can’t have a covid vaccine now either so may be worth rechecking

[quote Tranquilitybasehotelandcasino]@VikingOnTheFridge The issue is that unless you lie, you’re not supposed to be getting a PCR test because you suspect you might have been near someone or your child might have. My children do a lateral flow twice a week but they’re not foolproof and it didn’t pick up my child’s case this week.

I know of people that have had covid and haven’t provided details to T&T of those they were in contact with because they didn’t want them to have to isolate. This is wrong but when you have schools not informing staff and other children, you can understand people getting sick of it.[/quote]
Then lie. Anyone who has anything to say about you lying in that situation can be safely ignored. And actually, it likely is the case that any given child has been a close contact anyway, especially younger ones, so whether that even qualifies as an untruth is debatable.

@Tranquilitybasehotelandcasino

The issue is that unless you lie, you’re not supposed to be getting a PCR test because you suspect you might have been near someone or your child might have.

Assuming you are in the UK, being a contact of someone positive is a valid reason for a PCR test

@noblegiraffe I don’t think people are blaming the school and it’s not the parents fault as how are they supposed to know who their child was in contact with at school. Plus even if they know names they won’t know phone numbers for all pupils and certainly not staff.
I think most on this thread are saying it is wrong that there is no requirement for in school tracing.

When OP says “ they didn’t forewarn us that this child was positive and ask us to test.” it certainly sounds like a grumble at the school.

[quote GreyGardener]@noblegiraffe I don’t think people are blaming the school and it’s not the parents fault as how are they supposed to know who their child was in contact with at school. Plus even if they know names they won’t know phone numbers for all pupils and certainly not staff.
I think most on this thread are saying it is wrong that there is no requirement for in school tracing.[/quote]
Practically speaking, I wonder how already stretched schools could take on this function too. Even if there were extra money, which obviously there wouldn't be because Tories, is there really the extra staff capacity?

We had to do it all last year.

@noblegiraffe

We had to do it all last year.

In primary at least, that would've been much less time consuming because of the bubbles. One kid or staff member in a class positive, all out. No shades of grey. Close contact identification is more time consuming. Who sat with who that day, played together at breakfast club, shared a drink at lunch?

It was a nightmare at secondary. Our SLT spent 4-5 hours a day on it on most days from Sept - Dec and then May-July.

@Soundofshuna I have severe allergies and have suffered anaphylaxis previously as a result of a component in the vaccine. I’ve consulted with my GP and been advised not to have it.

@Hercisback

It was a nightmare at secondary. Our SLT spent 4-5 hours a day on it on most days from Sept - Dec and then May-July.

Can imagine!

I remember the past 7pm phonecalls from the head/deputy about who XX sat by, and how close was I for how many minutes, did I know who they talked to at lunch, etc.

Stop blaming schools.

I don’t understand why they haven’t kept with bubbles and yes I’m having a grumble at the school if it is their responsibility to inform parents or to pass details to T&T to contact. If it’s not their responsibility then that’s fine but why aren’t they required to give this info when adults have to?

Our school won’t even confirm which class has had a positive result to narrow it down. My local testing centre only opens until 5pm so unless I keep missing work to take them for tests, I’m either relying on them having symptoms to get a PCR or on someone kindly informing me that they may have been in contact with someone.

Whilst I accept it’s time consuming, these are unusual times and we’re all having to do things that we didn’t previously. I barely see my parents to keep them safe but I feel it’s irresponsible to tell parents they must send kids to school but not give them any indication when they may have come into contact with the virus. As I said above, just letting us know if there’s a case in our class would be a start.

It's not the schools responsibility!!! How many more people need to tell you this.

The school cannot tell you which child is positive because that is sharing confidential medical information.

Parents are phoned by T&T but if they don't have the contact details of the school friends then T&T can't follow it up.

schoolsweek.co.uk/how-covid-contact-tracing-will-work-in-schools-from-july-19/

Schools are not supposed to/allowed to contact trace or even inform of cases since school contact doesn't count any more. Half an hour play date at someone's house, yes. Seven hours in the same room at school, no.

Covid is rife in schools on purpose, not by accident.

How can schools not have parent details to pass to T&T though? Whilst I accept what you’re very forcefully saying @Hercisback about schools not being responsible for informing parents, who is then? Everyone else has to pass details to T&T for tracing so why aren’t schools giving details to them to trace? They have details for all parents. This is what I don’t understand!

The parents of the infected child pass on any known contact details to T&T. The school have no contact with T&T at all. The responsibility for contact tracing was taken off them from September.

Test and trace don't contact schools to ask! There is no contact tracing. No phone calls. No requests for information. Nothing.

@Tranquilitybasehotelandcasino

I don’t understand why they haven’t kept with bubbles and yes I’m having a grumble at the school if it is their responsibility to inform parents or to pass details to T&T to contact. If it’s not their responsibility then that’s fine but why aren’t they required to give this info when adults have to?

Our school won’t even confirm which class has had a positive result to narrow it down. My local testing centre only opens until 5pm so unless I keep missing work to take them for tests, I’m either relying on them having symptoms to get a PCR or on someone kindly informing me that they may have been in contact with someone.

Whilst I accept it’s time consuming, these are unusual times and we’re all having to do things that we didn’t previously. I barely see my parents to keep them safe but I feel it’s irresponsible to tell parents they must send kids to school but not give them any indication when they may have come into contact with the virus. As I said above, just letting us know if there’s a case in our class would be a start.

I agree with you OP. My youngest daughter recently tested positive after only having headache and one day of fever. She said loads if other kids had been coughing all over the place in her class but still coming in.

We have a class WhatsApp group but we're sent an official letter via email from the school SLT to not discuss our child's covid status on the WhatsApp groupas it was private or else we would get kicked out! I was like wtaf? It's like it needs to be kept secret.

The school I teach in is similar. Loads of kids off isolating or with covid symptoms but I only find out by looking at the code on the register. We never get told who is actually positive. I hate this lack of transparency as if its a dirty little secret to be kept hidden away from everyone😬

School contact doesn't count because it doesn't. Blame the government, no one else.