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Original poster

Schools and isolation.. if well can go in !!

90 replies

Louisa111 · 14/03/2022 14:47

What is the guidance now for schools.. we all keep hearing mixed messages from our daughters primary school . One of the teachers has been saying ( only heard this via a parent) if they feel well while positive with covid they can go in only isolate if poorly.. I know we have to live to this now but am I right to be uneasy about this if true .

OP posts:
Iamnotthe1 · 14/03/2022 16:38

No school should be making anything up. They should be following the DfE instruction and operating accordingly. Those who aren't are either not well informed enough of the current school guidance, and so are speaking without knowledge, or are chosing to go against DfE instruction. If it's the latter, they need to have a damn good reason to do it and will be expected to answer for that decision when the DfE question it.

Pinkstar28 · 14/03/2022 16:58

Our school is the 10days or after two negative lateral flows from day 5. My question is, do we count from symptoms, or positive test? DS has had a negative lateral flow today (day 6 from symptoms but only day 3 from positive lateral flow test) he could go back tomo if he has another negative but school are saying day 0 is test day not symptoms day??

JanglyBeads · 14/03/2022 17:00

@Lilaclavenders

In two weeks time, lateral flows are going to be about £7 a test. Safe to say I won’t be testing anymore!

Will parents be expected to pay for tests?

Yup
MarshaBradyo · 14/03/2022 17:02

@Lilaclavenders

In two weeks time, lateral flows are going to be about £7 a test. Safe to say I won’t be testing anymore!

Will parents be expected to pay for tests?

This is LFT though

What if you have symptoms will PCRs be available?

Jules912 · 14/03/2022 17:02

@Pinkstar28

Our school is the 10days or after two negative lateral flows from day 5. My question is, do we count from symptoms, or positive test? DS has had a negative lateral flow today (day 6 from symptoms but only day 3 from positive lateral flow test) he could go back tomo if he has another negative but school are saying day 0 is test day not symptoms day??
This is the one problem with stopping contact tracing, no one officially tells you. I asked DS's school and they were happy to take from day of symptoms ( they sent him home as started at school so know when that was!) but in our cases there's only one day difference.
PinkGinBigGrin · 14/03/2022 17:04

If your child is well they should be in school. If your child is ill you keep them off, whether you suspect they have covid or something else.

Testing needs to stop now and covid treated like any other mild illness. (How many times does this need to be said?)

I can't believe we're still getting the "selfish" comments! Hmm

BrutusMcDogface · 14/03/2022 17:37

This is very timely for me. I’ve just emailed my son’s school about this as he has a faint positive. I’m confused with all the different guidelines knocking about but I’m assuming 10 days or 2 negative tests 24 hours apart from day 5.

Tynetime · 14/03/2022 17:39

Yeah it's all very well saying why should a covid + child miss school if well. However if they infect the teacher thsn they all miss education.

I speak from bitter experience. Year 13 dd is currently missing 3 lessons a week because yet another Teacher is off with COVID.. The other teacher is covering what they can but it is still shit for all 15 students.
This is about the fourth time it has happened this year.

flumposie · 14/03/2022 17:41

@PinkGinBigGrin it's not a mild illness for everyone though, is it? I still can't believe we are getting that comment either! Hmm

Tynetime · 14/03/2022 17:41

Re the OP dds Primary is sending kids with symptoms home to get PCR tests. Suspect they will also insist on isolation if positive.

flumposie · 14/03/2022 17:42

@Tynetime agree. We suddenly have had a surge in cases amongst staff and pupils. My Head of Department was off last week and so in class assessments for our shared year 13 class couldn't go ahead.

firef1y · 14/03/2022 18:33

[quote flumposie]@PinkGinBigGrin it's not a mild illness for everyone though, is it? I still can't believe we are getting that comment either! Hmm[/quote]
Sorry but not sure how many times I need to say this but neither is a cold, did you ever send your child in with the sniffles? If so you were putting children like my son at risk.
He currently has a cold (tested negative for covid) and once more I'm battling to keep him out of hospital and will probably be up half the night giving him inhalers and deciding whether or not he needs to go in.

BUT, his vulnerability is my responsibility, something with lived with for almost 10years and I would never expect anyone to keep their otherwise well, snuffly, child home from school.

Kage30 · 14/03/2022 18:36

Covid is high in our area and the school have said to stay off if positive. Thing is most parents aren't testing unless they really have to and I don't blame them!

user1471509171 · 14/03/2022 19:14

I will test my children and myself (TA) if we have symptoms. Lots of parents won't test. That's OK as long as they dont moan if school is disrupted.

TheFallenMadonna · 14/03/2022 19:21

A high number of cases of any illness can disrupt the running of a school. Schools have shut before because of winter vomiting bugs, flu... We had a partial closure because we didn't have enough staff to safely open. And its not isolation rules, its illness. It's no different to pre covid, except there's high levels of a very transmissible virus circulating widely.

BeenToldComputerSaysNo · 14/03/2022 19:46

OP I think it is wrong too.

Hasselhoffsheadband · 14/03/2022 19:52

In 2 weeks time free testing is going to end, no one is going to spend 7 frigging quid on a LFT and we won't know who has got Covid and who hasn't, and it will become like any other illness: if you are well enough to be in school/work, go to school/work. Can't wait to be honest!

PinkGinBigGrin · 14/03/2022 20:06

PinkGinBigGrin it's not a mild illness for everyone though, is it? I still can't believe we are getting that comment either! hmm

It is a mild illness for the vast majority of people though so common sense must now prevail.

Walkaround · 14/03/2022 20:10

20% of children at the primary school I work in were off sick today. Safe to say, with or without testing, covid still makes its presence felt! That is a grossly abnormal sickness absence percentage.

Lovemusic33 · 14/03/2022 20:17

@Lilaclavenders

So all the year 11s and year 13s with exams coming up, should stay at home for up to 10 days and miss school? Even if they're asymptomatic? Or have a mild sniffle?!

And thus after having missed soo much school during the past two years Shock

They don’t have to test, so if a symptomatic no one will know. My dd won’t be testing whilst it’s exam season.
Hasselhoffsheadband · 14/03/2022 20:18

@Walkaround

20% of children at the primary school I work in were off sick today. Safe to say, with or without testing, covid still makes its presence felt! That is a grossly abnormal sickness absence percentage.
Yes, but is that 20% who wouldn't be able to come to school because they are too ill, or 20% who otherwise would be ok to come in but can't because they know they have covid and are isolating?

When my DS had Covid recently he was well enough to go into school but we kept him at home because we knew he had covid from an LFT. Had that been in a couple of weeks time we wouldn't have paid to test him.

Walkaround · 14/03/2022 20:52

@Hasselhoffsheadband - well, 10% of the school are just “off sick,” with no reference to any covid tests having been taken, which is grossly abnormal in itself, and half of those currently off with covid are off having only just tested positive over the weekend, so safe to say many are likely to have the symptoms being reported to the school this morning alongside their confirmed positive test results, or their parents wouldn’t have been telling us all about their temperatures/coughs/upset stomachs/headaches/sore throats as well as their positive tests.

Walkaround · 14/03/2022 21:00

In a week’s time, it may well be the case that there are lots of healthy children stuck at home because they tested positive a week ago, of course. Atm, there are lots of children who have only just caught it off each other.

Comefromaway · 14/03/2022 21:04

Me & Dh current,y have covid. I’ve not been too bad but Dh a teacher has been really I’ll. Ds has isolated from us. He’s in year 13 and has an important Uni audition next week and a unique work experience opportunity on Saturday which relies on him staying well.

He went into college today to find that students who are positive with mild symptoms are in class.

MarshaBradyo · 14/03/2022 21:09

@Comefromaway

Me & Dh current,y have covid. I’ve not been too bad but Dh a teacher has been really I’ll. Ds has isolated from us. He’s in year 13 and has an important Uni audition next week and a unique work experience opportunity on Saturday which relies on him staying well.

He went into college today to find that students who are positive with mild symptoms are in class.

Why do people test in that situation?

If they’re going in anyway