Sheffield mum worries about school isolation rule putting daughter at risk

Ten-year-old Sienna Roberts, who returned to school this week, has a tracheostomy, suffers from collapsed airways and her carers are still required to wear full PPE.

Sara, Sienna's mother, who herself was hospitalised with Covid-19 and almost lost her life earlier in the pandemic, said the no isolation rule now in place in schools is putting her daughter and children like her at risk.

Under new guidance, school pupils who are asymptomatic will no longer have to self-isolate after coming into contact with a coronavirus case if they have recently tested positive for the virus themselves.

As long as the pupils are well, they can stay in school but must avoid visiting care homes and hospitals.

But Sara said the new rule “does not make sense” because government guidance for carers for aerosol generating procedures associated with medical conditions like Sienna's is still in place.

She said: “Carers who look after Sienna need the full PPE but yet the government says that these kids can go back to school with no bubbles or anything. It doesn't make sense, does it?

“For me, as a parent, the guidelines are really confusing and a bit messed up. The PPE is still needed to look after Sienna but the kids can go back to school with no isolation and bubbles. It’s ludicrous.

“If the government needs to update the PPE requirement to reflect the rest, all they need to do is to match us up, because this is like one extreme to the other.”

The 43-year-old mum-of-four however said she was thankful for Sienna's teachers at Nether Green Junior School who “go above and beyond” in ensuring her daughter's wellbeing.

“This is one of the best schools, totally understanding and I cannot praise the school enough. They did so much for Sienna when she was shielding,” Sara said.

“The school is handling it brilliantly and I am so happy. That's one of the things giving me confidence to let Sienna return to school.

“The school is aware of the situation and it's not really their fault. The faults are in the government's guidelines."

Sara, who is a full-time carer and has two other disabled children, said it wouldn’t be a surprise to her if schools were not consulted in the decision making process.

She said: “I know it’s very hard for the schools because they have got no say in this and it is the government making these decisions.

“I don’t have enough knowledge if any of the schools were being consulted…I think the schools have been put in a terrible position by the government.

“The isolation rule just doesn’t make sense and the schools are making the best of bad situation that they have been told to do.

“It really wouldn’t surprise me if the teachers were not consulted in this.”

In addition to Sienna, Sara also cares for her 12-year-old child with autism and extremely rare Lamb Shaffer syndrome and her four-year-old child, who also has autism.

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