Page 2 | What's your school's policy?

IbizaToTheNorfolkBroads · 09/03/2022 19:02

@scandihouse

Just wondering what schools are doing now that the compulsory isolation has been scrapped. My ds has just tested positive and school have asked me to keep him home for 5 days and then only come back in if negative. I'm glad as would want to keep him away anyway but wondered if this was normal or do some just say to stay at home if they're ill?

The primary and secondary schools my dc are at are the same

BH31 · 09/03/2022 19:03

Schools have to follow the DfE guidance currently, which hasn’t changed. So for now the rules remain the same, off for 5 days return after negative lateral flow x 2 days

Watapalava · 09/03/2022 19:10

Overthebow

It is and it seems to have gone unnoticed on mumsnet!

DfE follows gov advice - as such all positive cases are still advised to stay at home.

In next few weeks that advice will change as the gov isn't advising it anymore and testing is stopped. DfE will not be able to go against gov advice, certainly not when it could be deemed discriminatory. Schools won't be able to provide tests as tests won't be issued to schools.

Downtown36 · 09/03/2022 19:26

But policy will need to be updated too - e.g. nursery requiring a negative PCR if the child has a temperature. Of course if the child isn’t well/has temperature they can’t go in, that’s always been the case.

Overthebow · 09/03/2022 19:31

@Downtown36

But policy will need to be updated too - e.g. nursery requiring a negative PCR if the child has a temperature. Of course if the child isn’t well/has temperature they can’t go in, that’s always been the case.

Yes that’s what I’m hoping, it will just go back to how it used to be in April. So if they have a temperature they can’t go in, but as soon as they are better they can and no testing.

Zolla · 09/03/2022 19:37

Tests are no longer going to be free right? I can’t afford to pay for a test every time my children have a temp or a runny nose or a cough. My kids are young, illness is almost ridiculously constant 😩

Surely it’s going to be the same as any minor illness (in kids) now. If poorly, stay home. If well enough to be in school/nursery, then send them in 🤷🏼‍♀️

My elder DD has covid at the moment. We needed two negative lateral flows after day 5 to send her back in or if we reach day 10. She’s not remotely unwell & bored out her brain. I’d never have suspected covid, we went to A&E for something else entirely and they routinely swabbed her & she’s positive. Come April, she’d have been in school as she’s pretty asymptomatic, maybe a bit tired & today has sneezed a couple times!

BH31 · 09/03/2022 19:41

Presumably at the point testing isn’t available the DfE guidance will change, at which point the schools will follow this. But as it stands it isn’t a choice that schools are making - they are following what they have to follow

Overthebow · 09/03/2022 19:56

Yes it’s good they follow the guidance. So three more weeks of testing then it ends. Definitely looking forward to the threat of isolation ending.

User3456 · 09/03/2022 20:26

I'm not looking forward to the isolation ending. At all. I think tests should stay free and the support payments remain available to those who need them. It's the responsible thing to do. Our kids, their families and their teachers are going to be regularly exposed to covid and it's not a good idea, especially when there's simple measures that can be taken to reduce infection levels in our communities.
Anyone else that's worried about this, write to your MP, and start talking to schools about how we can get HEPA filters into classrooms.

User3456 · 09/03/2022 20:27

OP I hope your son is ok.

cantkeepawayforever · 09/03/2022 21:21

I have almost as many children with Covid in my class as I have had at any point in the pandemic. All have also infected, or been infected by, their parents. Only one has been genuinely mild / asymptomatic. One family is properly worryingly poorly, the others have all been ill in bed and unable to access school work for most if not all of the isolation period - in other words, the ending of isolation would only have brought 1 child back in any earlier...

Watapalava · 09/03/2022 23:29

Can’t

That’s one experience

Data and most people can tell you almost al have mild if not zero symptoms now

Everyone I know who’s had it recently could have worked

Dd was unwell 2 days

We need to get on with it

The worried well and the ‘stay at home in full pay’ need to start pulling their weight like everyone else

Beecham · 09/03/2022 23:40

@watapalava I agree we need to get on with it and agree with getting back to normal. However I've just had Covid for the first time and I definitely felt too ill to work. Was in bed for 5 days with temperature etc. It's been similar for friends (all mid-40s). When people say 'mild symptoms' that doesn't mean 'just a cold'. It's worse than that.

happylittlevegemites · 10/03/2022 00:48

@Watapalava

Can’t

That’s one experience

Data and most people can tell you almost al have mild if not zero symptoms now

Everyone I know who’s had it recently could have worked

Dd was unwell 2 days

We need to get on with it

The worried well and the ‘stay at home in full pay’ need to start pulling their weight like everyone else

Well, I’m on day 8 and, even if I weren’t still testing positive, I’d be home from work. And I’m self employed, so no “stay at home on full pay” for me!!!

Iamnotthe1 · 10/03/2022 06:53

@Watapalava

Gov advice is being reissued at the end of march - there is no requirement to test given tests won't be issued to school or anyone else. Advice changes at end of march so that people are no longer advised to stay home. It changes to 'personal responsibility'.

Currently kids are being asked to follow gov advice regardless of the isolation rule but that gov advice doesn't exist from end of march. As such schools wont be following that advice.

No one will be told (certainly not made) to test. Kids will stay off if unwell - no sending home etc

This is overly generous as an interpretation. The change to personal responsibility does not mean that those aware of their own positive covid status, or those suspecting of one due to symptoms, should not remain at home. In fact, Government ministers have repeated on TV and radio multiple times that personal responsibility means that if you believe you have an infectious disease or are ill, it would be irresponsible to go work or school.

Personality responsibility is just shifting the focus and responsibility from the Government to the individual so that they don't have to manage/fund/take the flack for it anymore.

Schools follow advice and guidance from the DfE. This means that there could be school specific measures that still exist during April. It may not but the DfE can advise differently to national general public policy.

PatchworkElmer · 10/03/2022 07:41

My understanding of the definition of covid as a mostly mild illness now just means ‘unlikely to need hospital treatment/ intervention’. I’m on day 4, as is DH- we’re both very unwell and unable to work. It’s not been a cold for us or about 2/3rds of the people we know who have had it recently. The only exceptions I know of personally are my trainees at work, who all had very mild cold symptoms (but they’re all aged between 18 and 21).

Kadge3042 · 10/03/2022 17:37

Our school haven't even mentioned anything. What happens in April when we don't have access to pcr testing or free lateral flows? Keep them of for every symptom that could be covid, even though it might not be covid. I just don't understand it!