What happens with schools?

[Unocard]

When testing is no longer free? Is there any update on this? We have a few days until testing is chargeable and it’s already become impossible to get any LFT’s.

Have one child positive currently, can see another going down with it in the next few days - will they have to do the full 10 day isolation if I don’t want to pay for extra tests on day 5/6?

The point of this is living with covid, rather than encouraging everyone to stay at home for 10 days so that doesn’t seem right?

But likewise, school have always been very cautious and I can’t see them just dropping any requirement to test.

Anyone know?

I can’t see them just dropping any requirement to test.

Unless they're going to pay for them, I don't see how they can require it.

I think it will just be come to school if you’re well enough and stay at home if you don’t.

Lots of school children aren’t testing anyway at the moment and there’s nothing schools can do about it

Schools will, I expect continue to ask fir 5 days off (just like they ask for 48 hours after D&V) but you'll just have to do the time, not test before returning

How would you manage an unwell child and it wasn't covid?.... Keep them home until the temperature has passed and they are feeling better. That's what you do.

I think we should wait and see what it said rather than guessing

Schools will, I expect continue to ask fir 5 days off

For what symptoms?

@chantico

Schools will, I expect continue to ask fir 5 days off (just like they ask for 48 hours after D&V) but you'll just have to do the time, not test before returning

When there are no tests circulating, we probably won’t know if it’s covid or a cold 😬.

We won’t know if it’s covid though so they’ll go to school if they’re well enough and won’t if they aren’t. Same as everything else

@chantico

Schools will, I expect continue to ask fir 5 days off (just like they ask for 48 hours after D&V) but you'll just have to do the time, not test before returning

I think many schools will be too concerned about attendance figures to insist on this.

We don't know. No updated guidance yet

If they don’t test, they can’t be required to isolate. Just assume it’s a cold instead of suspecting covid, and no problem will exist.

You won't test so you won't know if its covid or not, so school can't tell you to keep kids home. If they are genuinely unwell you keep them home, if its just a cold you send them in

And if staff are ill they too will be off until feel better. If too many of them get sick at once then year groups will be sent home. As is already happening 🤷‍♀️

Classes are much more likely to be sent home with the current testing than they will be when it stops. All the people that have been off with covid in my school have felt well enough to come back before their tests allow them to, so stopping testing should have a positive effect on school attendance.

We won’t know if it’s covid though so they’ll go to school if they’re well enough and won’t if they aren’t. Same as everything else

Exactly. It doesn't matter what the virus is called - anyone well enough for school goes into school. Anyone feeling ill stays in bed. It's simple really.

My son (unvaccinated) had covid recently and was tired and sniffy for one day only.

It's like people have forgotten how we did things in 2019.

Pretty soon I’m sure schools will not require isolation at all. We’ve got SATS/ GCSEs coming up. To make it fair - all students need to be able to do them, and they currently wouldn’t be able to if they had tested positive.

If they don’t want a huge chunk of kids missing grades they’ll have to relax the restrictions further.

Most if the students snd staff o know have been pretty poorly for 5-8 days. Students report sleeping a lot and too unwell to sit exams

Most if the students snd staff o know have been pretty poorly for 5-8 days. Students report sleeping a lot and too unwell to sit exams

All anecdotal. We won't really know what the actual situation is until isolation isn't required.

My child had symptoms for less than 3 hours and would have been fine to return to school, I’m relieved if it means no more pointless isolation for well children but I just can’t see schools agreeing to it!

@TheKeatingFive yup. We will see. I'm going to predict parents are going to get cross as schools have to continually send year groups home due to lack of staff. Because they are too ill to teach.
Maybe it will mutate again to make people less ill because this new variant has caused a lot more sickness than the last wave. Let's home I'm wrong 🤞🤞🤞

@Lilaclavenders

It's like people have forgotten how we did things in 2019.

I’m not sure that’s fair - OP isn’t asking what to do with an ill child, she’s asking if school will require her to pay for a test by, for example, sending a child home because of a temp and saying they can’t come back unless they test negative. On Sunday the education secretary was on tv saying it was very important to stay off school if you had covid, it’s not unreasonable for parents to want to know how schools will treat a child with a temp. Will they treat it like they would have in 2019, or will there be covid related guidance in place.

My child had symptoms for less than 3 hours and would have been fine to return to school, I’m relieved if it means no more pointless isolation for well children but I just can’t see schools agreeing to it!

I think schools would love to end restrictions! It’s costing a small fortune for cover teachers to replace isolating teachers who are otherwise fine to work.