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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:
Comefromaway · 14/03/2022 21:11

The student phoned Ds on Saturday to warn him they were positive.

Apparently college told them if they didn’t go in it would affect their attendance.

Walkaround · 14/03/2022 21:16

@MarshaBradyo - I would have thought they are likely to have tested positive when feeling really ill and then decided to skip isolating when they felt a bit better but still had symptoms and were still testing positive. ie that they didn’t really bother to isolate, just didn’t go out when they felt too ill to go anywhere.

BrutusMcDogface · 14/03/2022 21:35

You can’t blame people for going in with a positive test result and only minor symptoms because those are the guidelines, aren’t they?! Confused

I’ll keep my son off even if they say he can go in, because I happen to be off with the stupid virus myself. I do have extremely vulnerable family members and we’ve been keeping our distance and I really do get that we should still be very careful, but if I was well, my son was asymptomatic and he was permitted to be in school, there’s no way my headteacher would want (allow?!) me to stay off.

Two years in and people are still being put in all kinds of awkward situations by the stupid government and its stupid fuzzy guidelines.

BrutusMcDogface · 14/03/2022 21:42

I just read the guidance again. It seems quite clear that you should self isolate with a positive result, until the bit where it says “if you must go out, wear a close fitting mask and avoid crowds of people etc etc”. Right. Confused

robocracker · 14/03/2022 21:44

I've stopped testing my children. If they're I'll they'll stay home.

BeenToldComputerSaysNo · 14/03/2022 21:50

'Every other mild illness' Confused.

FairyCakeWings · 14/03/2022 21:56

It’s right that children who are well enough to be at school are at school.

If they aren’t well enough, they should be at home regardless of what a test says. It’s that simple.

TheFallenMadonna · 14/03/2022 22:09

The point is, as with all infectious diseases, you might have mild symptoms,but the person you are passing it on to might not. Teachers being too ill to work shuts schools, and did pre covid for illnesses that have no isolation period. And that disrupts learning. A 10 day isolation period for close contacts brought our school to the brink of closure, but its now, when isolation is shorter for many, but cases are very much higher locally, that we had to shut because too many staff were too ill to work.

Lilaclavenders · 14/03/2022 23:24

*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.*

Of course the other students will be going into school if they're well enough - they're in year 13 and have A levels coming up (having already had their GCSEs cancelled and missed a lot of school).

Comefromaway · 14/03/2022 23:52

Not A levels no, rehearsing for practical Btec exams in very close contact situations.

Tynetime · 15/03/2022 08:20

But the problem is if all these students with mild symptoms go in and pass it onto the teacher than everyone suffers.
My year 13 dd with exams looming has never had COVID as far as we are aware but has missed face to face lessons and had to make do with PowerPoints for up to 3 to 4 weeks at a time when teachers have been off ill with COVID.
Surely this will only get worse idmf they are teaching in a toom of mild ill students with COVID.

Tynetime · 15/03/2022 08:21

If they
Room full

Sswhinesthebest · 15/03/2022 08:41

Go in but expect more lesson/exam disruption as teachers catch it over and over again. As has happened in our school.

Short term gain for long term pain!

BeenToldComputerSaysNo · 15/03/2022 09:20

It's ironic that the biggest threat to kids in exam years is attending school! How much education should other kids miss due to illness because of positive kids in school?!

Comefromaway · 15/03/2022 11:12

Well exactly. Dh has been off sick for over a week now and the dr has signed him off the rest of the week. His students are being affected in their most important term as he’s not even been well enough to teach online or prepare anything for them.

bellamountain · 15/03/2022 12:32

@robocracker

I've stopped testing my children. If they're I'll they'll stay home.
And this is it. Once the free tests are scrapped, if you have a cold or another illness please keep off school. It's not just covid. A cold to one small child might not be anything but babies and toddlers can have quite severe illness with chest infections, bronchiolitis.
bumblingbovine49 · 15/03/2022 13:33

@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

Again would you say this if they had chicken pox and felt well but their scabs had not dried over Hmm. So many posts on MN pre Covid talked about how selfish people were taking their well in themselves children with chicken pox outside when still contagious. Yet because people are now 'bored of Covid', different guidance should apply than for chicken pox ?

The guidance is still to stay home until no longer contagious as it is with chicken pox, norovirus and other contagious diseases.

Lilaclavenders · 15/03/2022 14:21

Yet because people are now 'bored of Covid', different guidance should apply than for chicken pox ?

No not because of boredom, but because chicken pox is much rarer than covid and so isolating positive cases actually contains the disease. Many people have not been vaccinated against chicken pox.

Covid is everywhere, many positive cases are asymptomatic and infectiousness is high two days before symptoms even start. Most people are vaccinated and boosted against covid.

Lilaclavenders · 15/03/2022 14:23

Once the free tests are scrapped, if you have a cold or another illness please keep off school.

So all children with a cold or a sniffle should stay at home Shock? And parents simply take a week off to look after them? And older pupils missing important lessons? Really?

MarshaBradyo · 15/03/2022 14:26

Once the free tests are scrapped, if you have a cold or another illness please keep off school.

I think it’s unlikely a cold will mean students won’t attend school.

BigButtons · 15/03/2022 14:34

@PinkGinBigGrin

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

I currently have covid and no way is it a mild illness for me. There are currently 10 members of staff off with it. I am feeling so weak that I can’t walk more than a few steps unsupported nor hold my head head for long. Luckily I have no breathing issues- yet.
Wordlewobble · 15/03/2022 15:50

This please read it all slowly and digest.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/self-isolation-and-treatment/when-to-self-isolate-and-what-to-do/

Contact your school and ask them to clear it up if you must. Some numpty in lower sixth attended DD’s school last week knowing full well he had covid now DD has it plus loads of other kids and lots of teachers. I am CEV, DD is having to miss school the rest of the week missing out on something she really wanted to take part, miss her part time job this weekend and her brother upper sixth has an invitation to a University offer day next week and has mocks.

Wordlewobble · 15/03/2022 15:52

Incase anyone is still confused or unable to open the link this is what it says;

Advice in England has changed
While you’re no longer required by law to self-isolate if you have COVID-19, you should still stay at home and avoid contact with other people. This helps reduce the chance of passing COVID-19 on to others.

This advice will be updated on 1 April 2022.

Check advice in other parts of the UK:

Scotland – NHS Inform: guidance for individuals with possible COVID-19 infection
Wales – Welsh Government: self-isolation
Northern Ireland – nidirect: self-isolating and close contacts

StColumbofNavron · 15/03/2022 16:02

Our school is continuing to send DC home if they cough, apparently continuously but DC has now been sent home twice and missed a total of 5 days of school over a 2.5 week period for a cough that is entirely absent on getting home and not allowed to return until he has a PCR (negative both times) and both times he said he coughed a couple of times, after PE and after blowing into an instrument for an hour. We had to order the test and send it back as we don't have a car and the nearest test site is an hours walk and we work. I do understand that we still need to be vigilant but I think this is excessive.

StColumbofNavron · 15/03/2022 16:08

@Lilaclavenders

Once the free tests are scrapped, if you have a cold or another illness please keep off school.

So all children with a cold or a sniffle should stay at home Shock? And parents simply take a week off to look after them? And older pupils missing important lessons? Really?

In primary years this would have basically meant that my children spent more time at home than in school Hmm, plus we have 3 DC so we would never have been able to go to work. DS16 still seems to have a constant cold tbh. That just isn't sustainable.