I think DD has covid.... she has 'that cough'... GCSEs start Monday.....

[Lessofallthisunpleasantness]

I can hear it through the floorboards. I thought it was probably tonsillitis - again as she gets that every couple of months. What to do ..... just press on? Are we sposed to do anything? I don't really want to ask the school.... incase I don't like the answer. She has had it before at Christmas and wasn't too ill with it then, just a couple of days.

Based on the following guidance from our school, if she feels well enough to do the exam, don't test her, just crack on:

"If your son/daughter has mild symptoms such as a runny nose, sore throat, or slight cough, but is otherwise well, they should continue to attend school as normal. Testing is no longer recommended for most people.
Students who are unwell and/or have tested positive for some reason, however, and have a high temperature should stay at home and avoid contact with other people, where they can.
Three days is the recommended period of absence for young people.They should return to school and resume normal activities when they no longer have a high temperature and they are well enough to attend."

The last government rules I read in relation to covid in secondaries and to do directly with exams was pupils should not test unless requested to do so by a health professional.

personally mine will be going in, covid or no covid. They’ve already said this cohort are likely to be the most screwed over in terms of the impact of lockdowns and gaps in learning and adjustments and I’d be likely to agree, covid has affected both their gcse years and they will get less adjustments than last years children, I think this years cohort overall will have lower results than last years.

You should be able to get LFT from the school, DS still brings a box of them home every week.

there is a really bad cold going around atm which has a nasty cough, we’ve all had it, I genuinely thought it was covid but we all tested daily and it wasn’t.
hopefully she just has that, if not you can speak to the school and see what they have in place for this situation.

I'm sure she will be fine by Monday. I don't think I'd test. Don't get the moral BS. You're hearing a cough and assuming covid, it could easily be another bug. Or just a cough. Don't go making life difficult for no good reason.

Our school has issued guidance today - don't test and don't keep them off unless they have a high temperature and feel properly unwell.

Savers are doing tests for £1.75. Just get a test if you want to know for sure.

@makingmiracles totally agree. DS is sitting GCSEs next week. The last three academic years of his education have been messed up. I'm not letting his exams be disrupted too.

Just to update. She didn't test. Loads of others at school had something like it as well. The school were relaxed about it too. She felt grungy for a couple of days and the cough lasted about 5 but she did her first exam and seems ok.