Schools asking for PCR test - ending?

[mollycobbles]

My DD has been sent home from school yet again this week because she was coughing, and they said she had to have a PCR before returning (or presumably stay off to isolate). She had done repeated negative LF, but as she has symptoms (the cough) they wanted her to do a PCR. This meant yet more time off work for me.

Will they still be able to insist on this if the rules regarding isolation change at the end of the month, as expected? Could they say it’s still ‘guidance’ to isolate, and use this as their policy?

I’m worried about the amount of times I’m having to leave work to sort this. I keep reading threads on here saying people are done with testing now, but it’s so hard when the school insists!

That’s not ‘the school’ asking, that’s what the government says - PCR test if symptomatic (and a cough is one of the government symptoms). This has been the case since mass testing has been available.

The school is merely following what we all should still be doing regardless of whether people are ‘done with testing’ for a virus that has not gone away and is still killing thousands a week.

I’d love to see everything coming back to normal! But honestly, just test your child. I can imagine if your child infects other children, their parents will also have to take time of and so in and so on. I’m not happy about restrictions and want them to stop. But regardless of the restrictions, temperature would trigger 48 hours out of school even before covid, same with vomiting and diarrhoea etc etc (just an example). In the area I live test results are back so fast, basically overnight! Just test your child. Restrictions will over soon.

To answer your question, for the next couple of months I expect schools to still be a bit cautious but again it will be the same as it was before covid really. If child is deemed unwell to stay at school due to high temp or vomiting or dizziness etc etc, they will be sent home.

I've got CEV kids in my class and you can bet your buttons I send any coughing kids home for a PCR (and am more than a little annoyed when the kids tell me they've been coughing since Saturday and it's now Monday but parents haven't bothered to get them tested and have sent them to school regardless). And no, a LFT is not good enough- I've known people test positive on PCR and negative on LFT. I appreciate that it's tough going for parents, but it's a legal requirement with good reason.

When that changes, school policy will change along with it.

I guess we will have to wait and see what the new rules are going to be and whether there will be different rules for education and healthcare.

Had a child coughing in my class, sent child home to test. Very grumpy parent picked the child up. Next day phone call child is positive. Within 2 days 3 other children in the same table positive. That's why we do it! I know it's annoying but that's how school is at the moment.

They are just following the rules aa they currently are. I am sure when you are no longer advised to get a pcr with symptoms and isolate this wont happen.