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Covid

Teachers of infected students not required to self-isolate.

171 replies

NebularNerd · 05/10/2020 17:02

More than one positive case at a local school.

The teachers of these students are not being required to self-isolate.

As a teacher, you can be in a room with an infected individual for at least an hour, with no mask and closer than two metres, and you aren't considered to be at risk.

And yet, if you encounter the same individual anywhere else, the NHS app will suit hat you self-isolate

Teachers are being thrown under the bus so that schools can remain open.

OP posts:
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NebularNerd · 05/10/2020 17:03

*suggest

OP posts:
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MrsShelton · 05/10/2020 17:04

so they then go home and potentially infect rest of their family?

i work with 3 people who are married to teachers. fabulous!!!

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solidaritea · 05/10/2020 17:06

This is not a case of teachers being thrown under a bus. It's a case of all of the pupils of that teacher being thrown under a bus (we'll, a bus that's very, very unlikely to cause long term damage or death, before I'm accused of catastrophising). If the teacher has already caught it from the positive pupil, there's nothing they can do to un-catch it. But they can spread it around all of the other pupils they teach.

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lazylinguist · 05/10/2020 17:06

Is that the actual rule generally, or is this school going against the rules? Are they doing this on the mistsken basis that teachers are able to stay 2m from kids?

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RigaBalsam · 05/10/2020 17:07

Teachers are meant to be 2m away. So are exempt. It is really ridiculous.

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lazylinguist · 05/10/2020 17:08

But they can spread it around all of the other pupils they teach

And their colleagues, who will be in contact with those pupils. So it's still teachers being thrown under a bus too.

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RigaBalsam · 05/10/2020 17:11

I had a test on Saturday as a positive pupil was on my front row. Negative but have just lost my taste today but feel fine.

Apparently its less than 2m for 15 mins that triggers isolating.

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Danglingmod · 05/10/2020 17:11

Yes, teachers and teaching assistants are supposed to be 2m away at all times from all pupils and it's our fault if the classroom is too small, or the corridors too crowded, or the child needs, you know, help with their work so we don't self-isolate if a child we have been close to tests positive.

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NebularNerd · 05/10/2020 17:37

And yes, those teachers will be bringing it home to their families, and so the spread continues.

Why aren't the media reporting on this? Where are the unions?

I can't think of another job where this would be the case.

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TheGriffle · 05/10/2020 17:40

In our school my daughters class was sent home to isolate after a child tested positive. Their teacher has been at home isolating as well so it’s not the case that all schools are doing the same. Ours is a primary so not sure if that makes a difference.

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Danglingmod · 05/10/2020 17:40

Well, the police have also got to turn off the app so they don't know if they've been near a positive case.

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NebularNerd · 05/10/2020 17:41

Teachers have knowingly come in to close contact with Covid positive students, and are still at work.

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Beebityboo · 05/10/2020 17:43

Continue to be appalled at the way that teachers have been treated throughout this nightmare. I don't understand why there haven't been strikes yet.

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Racoonworld · 05/10/2020 17:43

@RigaBalsam

I had a test on Saturday as a positive pupil was on my front row. Negative but have just lost my taste today but feel fine.

Apparently its less than 2m for 15 mins that triggers isolating.

Did you have any symptoms when you tested? If not and you got loss of taste after your test you need to isolate and test again. You might have been in the incubation period when you first tested so it wouldn’t have shown up.
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helpfulperson · 05/10/2020 17:45

This sounds like local rules. In our area staff are off if not able to maintain 2m.

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OverTheRainbow88 · 05/10/2020 17:45

@MrsShelton

so they then go home and potentially infect rest of their family?


LOL! Teachers don’t sleep at school you know.. they do go home in the evening any way!!

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OverTheRainbow88 · 05/10/2020 17:46

I had a test on Saturday as a positive pupil was on my front row. Negative but have just lost my taste today but feel fine.


You aren’t meant to test if you’ve been In contact with someone as there’s a 14 day incubation period so testing is utterly pointless

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WhatHaveIFound · 05/10/2020 17:47

According to my DS the teachers at his high school no longer leave the front of the class so they never get close to students.

There have been approx. 20+ students testing positive (across the whole school) but only one teacher. I assume they would be required to self isolate if they were considered a close contact though.

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cg88 · 05/10/2020 17:48

This is not the case in my school and I say this with my class bubble currently closed and stuck in isolation after having a contact. I thought it had been agreed that a 2m distance was not plausible in schools? Although I am in primary so maybe it's different for high schools.

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RigaBalsam · 05/10/2020 17:53

@OverTheRainbow88

I had a test on Saturday as a positive pupil was on my front row. Negative but have just lost my taste today but feel fine.


You aren’t meant to test if you’ve been In contact with someone as there’s a 14 day incubation period so testing is utterly pointless

I had symptons wasn't just because of being in contact. I was also part of a study.
It was negative.
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Yetiyoga · 05/10/2020 18:00

OP if this is happening in your school then this is wrong. Teachers don't have to isolate because they have a dedicated area they stay in and aren't getting closer than 2 metres to their pupils. This is secondary,I have lots of teachers in my family and friendship groups.
Unless you are in the classroom, you can't possibly comment. The child could have been sat at the back of the classroom. Teachers should be wearing a mask in corridors. If the teacher had got in closer contact than 2 metres then they would inform the head and would be at home isolating.

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toomanypillows · 05/10/2020 18:01

I work in a 6th form that serves four base schools.

The PHE guidance is that all teachers should be 2m away from students at all times. That is the requirement of the risk assessment (although not the reality of course) so if a student tests positive, a teacher should theoretically not need to isolate as theoretically they will have not been in what is termed as "close contact"


One of my base schools realises that this is poppycock, so they contact teachers when we have had a positive case and ask them if they believe they have been at risk through proximity. If they have, then they isolate.



One of the base schools is toeing the party line and not allowing any teacher to isolate even if they have been in close contact. In fact - they don't even tell us the name of the student, so we can't even make our own minds up. If we inadvertently find out (which we always do through the kids) and ask to isolate, we are required to take it as unauthorised (and therefore unpaid) absence.


The guidance is vague and schools are interpreting it as they see the most fit.


I have already had to isolate. Fortunately (for me) the school advised me to, as I had a one to one tutorial with the student for 45 minutes. We were 2m apart but they recognised that the length of time was a risk.

Today a student in my form has gone home positive. I haven't even been informed (because she belongs to the other base school) as it transpires I haven't been in contact, but if I had, I would still be required to go in to work.

Something needs to be done

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Aragog · 05/10/2020 18:01

Teachers are meant to be 2m away. So are exempt.

This is why. Of course it is utter nonsense in most cases as it is almost impossible to SD in many classrooms, especially the younger the children.

Many teachers, in both primary and secondary, are still having to go in and work in school even if they have been teaching a pupil who have tested positive. Some are teaching (pre recorded and/or live video) from their empty classrooms but others are having to actually teach other classes.

I work across school at a primary and I am technically supposed to SD from the children - they are infant school age so of course it isn't going to happen.

New rules coming in have also stated that the class/bubble, or school individuals, only have to isolate is they have close contact - within 2m (often down to 1m now) for more than 15 minutes - if seen within 48 hours of them testing.

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Nibor1991 · 05/10/2020 18:04

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

OverTheRainbow88 · 05/10/2020 18:05

@RigaBalsam

Ah sorry, missed that bit! Glad was negative.

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