Can my kids go to school if I have Covid?

Can kids still attend school if a family member has Covid? (Picture: Sally Anscombe via Getty)

The autumn term kicked off just days ago in parts of the UK, while pupils in Scotland returned to school in August.

However, there are already fears of another lockdown and spikes in Covid-19 cases as this will be the first time children have attended school since restrictions lifted.

School bubbles have been scrapped, along with face masks in school for England and Wales, and experts have warned of the potential for a surge in infections.

The Joint Committee on Vaccination and Immunisation (JCVI) has also advised against children between the ages of 12 and 15 getting the Covid-19 vaccine.

Read on to find out how your child will be affected if you test positive for Covid-19.

Can my kids go to school if I have Covid?

Your kids can still go to school if you or someone in your household has tested positive for Covid-19. This rule applies to children in schools, colleges and nurseries in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland.

Following new regulations across the UK, outlined in NHS guidance on the government website, people under 18 do not have to isolate even if they have been in close contact with someone who has Covid-19.

Adults who are fully vaccinated will also not be required to self-isolate upon your child coming into contact with a positive Covid-19 case at school.

Fully vaccinated adults whose children come into close contact with someone who has Covid will not need to self-isolate (Picture: OKrasyuk via Getty)

There is, however, an exception in Northern Ireland whereby students identified as a close contact who have not had a positive PCR test in the past 90 days will be advised to self-isolate until they have taken a PCR test.

A negative test allows the child to return to school without isolating for 10 days, but a day eight test is also recommended.

NHS guidance states that: ‘Children and young people aged under 18 years 6 months who usually attend school who have been identified as a close contact should continue to attend school as normal.’

It is, however, crucial that regular testing is undertaken. The NHS guidance states: ‘Continuing to take regular rapid tests will help you to identify infections early and reduce transmission.’

What to do if your child has symptoms or test positive for Covid

If your child has symptoms of Covid-19 or tests positive upon taking a test, you should not send them to nursery, school or college.

If you do still send your child to school, upon them showing symptoms or testing positive, they have the right to refuse your child. This is to protect other pupils and staff from Covid-19.

Find full guidance on when to self isolate on the NHS website.

MORE : Will Covid tests be carried out in schools?

MORE : Millions more pupils return to school as fears grow of autumn Covid spike

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