Hove schoolgirl told to isolate four times never had Covid

Lilly Hemelryk thought her latest period of isolation would end on Friday, however she was told earlier this week that it had been extended from ten to 14 days after someone else in her school bubble tested positive.

Schools are currently sending groups of pupils home if a close contact is found to have the virus.

Joy Persaud has praised the government's decision to scrap school bubbles

It is the fourth time since September that the 11-year-old has been told to quarantine at her home in Hove rather than attended face-to-face lessons at her Brighton primary school.

Lily’s mother Joy Persaud, 51, said she feels sadness and frustration for her daughter who is missing the important final weeks of her primary school education.

Joy told The Argus: “She is really fed up with having to isolate and she has no issue with being off when people are ill, and she wishes them better.

Lilly Hemelryk has been forced to isolate four times despite never testing positive for Covid-19

“Children do no on some level the seriousness of what is going on and the children I have encountered haven’t been stamping their feet about being off school.

“But they feel sadness and a sense of not knowing when it will end is a problem.

“We’re talking about the end of a school year and the end of primary school in my daughter’s case, and she doesn’t know when she’ll be back.

Education Secretary Gavin Williamson speaking to MPs in the House of Commons

“Say if someone’s tested positive on Sunday then that’s it and they probably won’t see each other as a class which is really sad.

“I think most of us remember our last days at primary school as being happy times and it’s a celebratory and poignant time so to miss that would be really sad.

“I can only hope and I’m crossing my fingers now that we get to the end of term and that, of course, nobody takes ill.”

• READ MORE: Children’s Commissioner calls for an end to school bubbles

Yesterday, the government announced it is to scrap the “bubble” system in schools following concerns about large groups of children being forced to miss out on education if cases were detected.

Joy said that while she welcomes the decision, there should be reassurances for parents and the wider public that the scrapping of bubbles will not lead to more people becoming ill.

She said: “I think it is good news, but we need to temper it with a note of caution. Testing does need to happen in conjunction so that we are not just letting the virus run rampant.

• READ MORE: 'Outstanding' schools in Brighton and Hove to face Ofsted inspectors

“There has to be some element of control and I think testing hopefully is the thing that will give us that.”

Despite the difficulties, Joy praised Lily’s school for how it has followed the government’s guidance and for how it has continued to support children isolating at home.

She said: “The school have been amazing, and they have been trying their hardest under very difficult circumstances to give these children as much of a good experience as they can in their last few weeks and all the way throughout.

“It’s been really difficult all round.”

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Education Secretary Gavin Williamson set out plans to scrap the “bubble” system which has led to classes – or even whole schools – being forced to stay at home.

Around 640,000 state school pupils – 8.5 per cent of England’s total – did not attend class for Covid-related reasons on July 1, according to Department for Education (DfE) statistics.

Mr Williamson said: “We recognise that the system of bubbles and isolation is causing disruption to many children’s education.

“That is why we’ll be ending bubbles and transferring contact tracing to the NHS Test and Trace system for early years settings, schools and colleges.”

His comments came after Covid-related pupil absence in schools in England hit a new record high since classes fully returned in March.

Gavin Williamson told MPs that from August 16 children will only need to self-isolate if they have tested positive for Covid-19.

The changes will come in at Step 4 of the road map.