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Original poster

Current covid rules in UK schools

25 replies

Deanthedaddy · 03/12/2022 13:40

Hi all, thanks for the add. I am after some advice on the current rules with covid within schools and nursery's in the UK. I have looked everywhere but cannot find any information that hasn't been withdrawn or is clear. Can anyone tell me if a school or nursery have any legal obligation to inform parents if all of their staff have tested positive for covid? I am asking because my partner and I have tested positive this morning and one of our children is also positive. We found out yesterday that the nursery where 2 of our children attend is absolutely riddled with covid. I immediately went and collected my kids and after a heated discussion I was informed that there was no legal obligation for the nursery to inform anyone of any amount of covid that was present in their school. My kids attended the nursery without my knowledge of this and the nursery have had positive cases for the last two weeks. I believe that it's completely immoral for them to withhold this information but I need to know if they are correctly informing me that by law they could hold this information from us. Please help as I have searched everywhere and its not on the government website or any forums I have looked at. Many thanks for your help x

OP posts:
Morph22010 · 03/12/2022 13:41

They are correct there is no legal obligation on them to inform you

Strictly1 · 03/12/2022 13:42

They are correct

Fayrazzled · 03/12/2022 13:43

There is no legal requirement now for schools to notify anyone about Covid and Covid returns aren’t collected by the government. Many people aren’t testing so schools may not even be aware of the prevalence of Covid. There is a lot of illness in schools at the moment, not just Covid but also flu, norovirus and strep A infections. Unless the local public health team get involved then schools have to carry on.

MoanySloney · 03/12/2022 13:44

There is no legal obligation for them to tell you about Covid or any other illness for that matter. Nurseries and schools are rife for illnesses. It would be easier for them to tell you when everyone is well than update you on every illness going around. If you are going to withdraw your children everytime their is an illness going around, mainstream school is not for you.

BlackFriday · 03/12/2022 13:46

"A heated discussion?"
So you have verbally abused the very people who care for your beloved children in the mistaken belief that they should have broken guidelines to give you information about a virus that is rife everywhere you go.
Would you have taken the same action in your local supermarket, where Covid rates would be just as high?

AndEverWhoKnew · 03/12/2022 13:50

There may be no legal obligation to inform you but there are lots of schools and nurseries still enforcing absence policies for Covid and who will letter parents about outbreaks of certain illnesses. You might need to move your DC to one of those.

DrMarciaFieldstone · 03/12/2022 13:53

The nursery is correct. There are no rules or regulations on covid at all. That’s why you cannot find anything.

Showmethecardis · 03/12/2022 13:54

Of course schools and nurseries have Covid cases, it’s an endemic virus now. You don’t have to test or isolate by law. You sound totally OTT and massively inappropriate for shouting at the staff. You won’t find what you’re looking for online because you’re in the wrong.

DrMarciaFieldstone · 03/12/2022 13:55

Also you’ve posted this in legal matters… what do you think should have happened?

Covid will be prevalent forevermore now, same as any other type of cold/flu/covid virus.

gogohmm · 03/12/2022 13:56

The virus is endemic, there will be cases, just like there are colds, flu, chicken pox etc. No obligation to inform you unless the disease is on the notifiable disease list, covid is not.

Most people are not testing so how would we even know?

Hbh17 · 03/12/2022 13:57

Why does it matter? We will all no doubt get Covid multiple times, but it's really not a big deal. I feel very sorry for these nursery staff, after you were seemingly so rude to them.
Oh, and stop testing!

abyssofwoah · 03/12/2022 13:57

How would they even know if all their staff had it? Most people aren’t testing, and they would only be off if they are too unwell to work. Nurseries are riddled with everything, that’s standard, and there’s now no need to treat covid any differently.

HermioneWeasley · 03/12/2022 14:02

Why is it immoral for them not to tell you about an illness which is

  1. not notifiable
  2. very mild in children?

do you expect to be notified about colds?

canyouextrapol · 03/12/2022 15:56

There's no advice because there's no rules. They are correct

MelchiorsMistress · 03/12/2022 15:59

They are right, you are wrong. Think about whether you owe them an apology.

itispersonal · 03/12/2022 15:59

It's classed the same as a cold now so no they don't have to inform you, no one has to test to know they have it! It's a free for all!

Clymene · 03/12/2022 16:01

'Riddled with Covid'. Hmm

Abraxan · 03/12/2022 16:05

Schools and nurseries have no legal requirement to tell you.
IIRR, they never did have to tell you about specific individuals nor the number of cases, only to alert you regarding class/school closures. Schools and nurseries aren't going to tell you about it now that requirement has gone.

Parents have no requirement to tell schools and nurseries if their children or family has covid either.

If a parent does tell us, then we advise the child is off school for 3 days but cannot enforce that. If a member of staff tells us they have covid then they are advised to stay home for 5 days. However, none of that is enforceable and no one has to even let schools/nurseries know if they have it or not. And I'd imagine most parents aren't testing their children these days, so don't officially know, and a lot of adults aren't testing either.

I'm classed as vulnerable and past twice I had covid i was hit hard. Despite this I have no right to know if a child I am teaching, or a colleague I am working alongside, has covid. That's just the way it is now. It's something we just need to live with.

So I am afraid your 'heated words' were wrong. Nursery have done anything wrong in not telling you.

Pinkflipflop85 · 03/12/2022 16:49

They are right. You are wrong.

And by the sounds of your "heated discussion" you're also bang out of order.

MermaidEyes · 03/12/2022 17:03

If you're worried about covid in a nursery environment, I don't know how you'd cope with a child in a secondary school of around 2000

PAFMO · 03/12/2022 17:07

As others have said, the school/nursery is under no obligation, though most schools will have their own policies and guidelines. The school I work in informs all teachers and parents if there are any cases in a class and then for 10 days they recommend ffp2s for everyone.
Just had our first such message since September this last week.

spanieleyes · 04/12/2022 15:06

The nursery has no obligation to tell you of any covid cases just as you have no obligation to tell them! It's rife in schools too- we currently have 11 staff off with covid - but there are no measures, preventative or otherwise in place.

TurquoiseBeach · 04/12/2022 15:20

Yes it is immoral OP. No they don't have to inform you.

BiggerBoat1 · 04/12/2022 15:24

They have no obligation to tell you about Covid. It is not notifiable disease. Would you expect to be told every time a member of staff had a cold?

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