16 children positive and 3 adults in Year 3

[Ryderneedsus]

My child is due to go to school tomorrow. The school sent a letter out that 12 kids and 3 staff in Year 3 (2 form intake) have tested positive.

On the parents Whattsapp group 4 more kids have tested positive this weekend.

There is no way I am sending my child in. Is the absence allowed on the grounds that I feel the risk of catching it is too high or do I need to pretend my child is sick with something else?

I think you are trying to start a bunfight.

As a teacher I imagine you know full well what is considered authorised absence (and what isn't)

OP wants to keep her child out of school for a few days during a major outbreak. Why are some posters making it out to be more than that? If there are so many pupils and staff off not much work will be getting done in school anyhow. And her child will only miss as much school as those with covid currently self isolating. It’s not a big deal!

So, there's loads of cases. Three options really. OP can keep child off for a few days, child is fine (or where child may already have caught it - child doesn't spread it further). Send child in, where child is extremely likely to catch it and then, if lucky, only has no/minor symptoms, isolation, no long term health impacts, no passing it on to family. Send child in, child doesn't catch it in next few days, but doesn't get much work done with loads of the class out anyway. It seems madness to insist child goes in and waits their turn (that worked so well with Delta), suggest homeschooling or imply she's over anxious!

@DownWhichOfLate what is the point of it just being days?

My son's school outbreak took 3-4 weeks before it went back to 0 cases..

Anyway op hasn't posted since so hoping she has seen sense.

If by “seen sense” you mean she’s kept her child off, yes, hoping so!

A primary age child i kmow has just had covid for 3rd time since october. So gettingnit now doesnt mean the child wont have it again in a short space of time.

Mine arent at school, anyway so i would say dint send if not comfortable.
Viral load so avoiding addyional spread is a good idea.

@Remmy123 you are very condescending. You think that refusing to send my child to somewhere that currently has a huge outbreak of an incredibly infectious illness is not having sense?

@NYnewstart
“I wouldn’t from a viral load perspective. Yes they may have caught it already but you want to minimise exposure.”

Can you explain this to me please? I don’t understand. Surely you don’t catch more covid from being in contact with more people?

No I am not condescending but if you keep your child out of school it would need to be fir a few weeks as that's how long it will take to calm down.

Then in ariund 6 months there will be another outbreak and you will do the same thing again.

That's not fair to your child or the school staff.

Does your child go to crowded places / birthday parties etc? You can catch it anywhere!! And it is very mild for kids so seems a bit silly and OTT!

@Remmy123 it is very mild for most kids. However some kids die. You have no idea what the long term impact of catching covid in childhood is. No one knows.

Why are you so certain there will be no long term impact on children’s hearts or brains? You have no idea. Why are you so cavalier about the health of children?

Any virus can have long term impact and kids can die but the chances are incredibly slim and that also applies to covid.

Do you really think you can just avoid your child getting it? There is a chance anywhere you go unless you keep them at home. It's not fair to keep a child off school for a few weeks each time there is an outbreak.

[quote Ryderneedsus]@Remmy123 it is very mild for most kids. However some kids die. You have no idea what the long term impact of catching covid in childhood is. No one knows.

Why are you so certain there will be no long term impact on children’s hearts or brains? You have no idea. Why are you so cavalier about the health of children?[/quote]
Because health isn’t just one disease- it’s mental health too. Can I ask how many children without underlying conditions have died of covid?

The OP and many others need to accept covid is just another thing we could die of- any of us.

@InCahootswithOrwell

Catching what is in general a cold, if that?

Which cold virus potentially causes changes to the shape and function of blood cells, microclotying problems, micro bleeds in the brain, development of Lewes bodies in nerve cells, cell death of neurones, cardiac and digestive system damage? And that’s in people with mild covid. There’s a whole lot more fun stuff involved if you get it severely.

The government might have decided that they don’t give a fuck about children’s long term health with a novel virus, but it’s fine for parents to decide that they do care and to take precautions to avoid high risk situations. It would be nice if the government didn’t punish parents for their own poor decision making.

This. I am still absolutely incandescent that under 12s are not being vaxxed yet. I have a CEV child under that age and have been desperate for him to be vaxxed because covid represents a very real risk to his life. We have kept him off school when cases got too high (the school thankfully understands and listed it as an authorised absence).

FGS give choices to parents.

[quote Ryderneedsus]@Remmy123 it is very mild for most kids. However some kids die. You have no idea what the long term impact of catching covid in childhood is. No one knows.

Why are you so certain there will be no long term impact on children’s hearts or brains? You have no idea. Why are you so cavalier about the health of children?[/quote]
You also have no idea of the long term impact being an over anxious parent will have on your child. Kids are perceptive, they pick these things up.

My mum was overprotective and had an ‘everything is dangerous’ way of looking at things and it’s not a good way to parent.

Your child could be out of school for years.

I think this thread demonstrates that the majority of the population are compliant (as needed in a society); and that most people don’t understand risk. Also that people do not like it when others do not follow the rules.

So many children are off at my child's school that the remaining children are being taught together in year groups rather than in their actual classes (2 form intake) because there's not enough children or staff to have individual classes anymore.

If I could keep my DD off for a week and know that the current outbreak will subside in that time I would. However, I think this is how it's going to be for weeks - basically until they've pretty sure all had it.

Catching Covid worries me but disrupting her education yet again worries me even more.

It's a pretty rubbish situation all round.

We’ve got 18/30 off in a one form entry class, and both TAs and the class teacher.
I’d still send them in and I agree with others that they’ve already had close contact so the ‘damage’ is already done.

OP you don't sound over anxious. Just because some people normalise how kids are treated in this pandemic - how many comparable countries do absolutely nothing to try to make it safer for kids - either directly or through community - maybe they are all anxious and we have got it right - I doubt it. This labelling is gaslighting and undermines those with genuine anxiety. It's Russian roulette at the moment - it is far from normal. I also love how so many are for free choice/risk, but not when someone wants to take a perfectly plausible stance. Parents everywhere are having to make really shitty choices.

Yes! It is gaslighting. And says more about those shouting “anxiety” to anyone questioning how things currently are.

We had this in my DD's class. 16 in her class alone. The others still went in and the teacher. I don't see the issue. Hardly any of them were actually ill.