Is school allowed to just close?

[MinecraftMother]

Morning gang,

My kid's primary has decided to close because there's "only a few kids in because the other bubbles are off".

There is a whole year of kids willing and able to go to school, but they've decided to close Friday and Monday to do a deep clean - of a tiny country primary school.

Do schools have this power, on an individual level to just decide to close?

As a bit of context, we've not been very happy with the school's handling of itself over the crisis.

There's also the worry involved in finding childcare etc - absolutely impossible at the moment.

I feel like lying down in a dark room for a while... 😆

They can just close down if it is agree with the LEA.

More and more will find themselves in this situation and many won't find out until the morning, after staff have called in sick. This time it's for a needed deep clean, next time it's because although the children might be willing, there isn't enough staff.

IIRC this is one of the many reasons why after the guidelines were released advice was sort out childcare arrangements now because of closures.

I’d be thankful they’re doing a deep clean. I work in an educational setting with many Covid cases - and no deep cleaning.

@Blahblahface

Are you new to this kids going to school lark OP? What did you do on all the snow days?

I wonder the same. It's like schools have never ever closed at short notice or even with notice

Snow days, Inset days, local whatever outbreaks, frozen pipes, heating not working, no water supply, strikes, oh crap we found some asbestos, toilets not working, power cuts and more.

Parents ill themselves and cannot take them to school.

Yes, just thinking back my children's school have been closed at short notice for snow days, when there was a fire in the kitchen, when the heating broke in the middle of winter and for a deep clean when norovirus was everywhere.

It's a pita from a childcare point of view, but no more than your child throwing up in the night and needing to be off school the next day.

DS goes to a small private school. Yes his class sizes are smaller but so are some of the classrooms. There is very little social distancing going on in his classes

Public Health are the key adviser in what schools need to do when there are positive cases and given individual school circumstances. ( number of pupils and staff ill, contact, number of staff available and whether they are key safeguarding staff, layout of buildings etc).

They can, it's irritating and stressful af though if you have to work.

@Xenia

One reason for those who can afford it private schools may be a bit better. My grandchild started school in September and I was pleased it is a fee paying primary school because I do feel there is less chance of parents, many of whom work full time, of being messed around and private sector organisation can be better (although I appreciate most parents cannot afford it).

One of our local private schools was the first school bubble in the city to close. Had to close two year groups within the first week. They were informed one evening that they were closing for about a fortnight from the following morning.

Don't assume that covid won't get into a fee paying school. It doesn't work that way.

If there is only a few kids in, it is not economically viable to open. Plus, once covid enters a school, it is hard to get it out, hence the closing for a deep clean.

Sounds like OP's school is being sensible. They've got enough classes out to warrant a decent deep clean.

They can't do it at the weekend as staff, including maintenance staff, often don't work over the weekends and later into the evening.

They can't really do a deep clean with other children in school due to health and safety concerns, plus it's not really going to work in the same way if there are 30+ children and adults milling around.

Maybe more schools should be doing this after outbreaks to try and stop things in their tracks a bit more.

If they are fogging the school they could do it at 3pm on Friday and it would be perfectly safe to reopen on Monday.

Before the second English lockdown, gyms were fogging every 90 minutes!

(separate question on whether you actually need to keep cleaning all the time, as it's moot whether you can catch it by touching things - but in a primary school it is probably wise)

The two private primary schools near me were the first to shut completely. Too many people crossing bubbles because they continued separate subject teacher teaching whereas the non- private primaries strictly segregated class or yeargroup bubbles.

YABU OP to use the word 'just' in relation to school closures for Covid. The tension school leaders are under waiting every hour (day and night and all weekend and holiday) to hear of a self isolation then a positive test, the deep dread in working out the possible contacts and acting immediately to try to stop any further spread, operating with reduced staffing stressed to the limit by the isolated working patterns, teaching in new ways, maintaining the new rules, keeping self-isolating kids going with work and school contact alongside those still in school, nd fully aware that they are almost constantly at risk themselves - there is absolutely no 'just' about it.

@Fieldofyellowflowers

If there is only a few kids in, it is not economically viable to open. Plus, once covid enters a school, it is hard to get it out, hence the closing for a deep clean.

It's nothing to do with eco0nmics. Schools are not run for profit (well not state schools). Over the first lockdown we opened schools for key workers. I would think that in my school the 'bill' for the students who attended would have been thousands of £ per students in terms of staffing, heating, resources etc, but we kept the school open.

this schools will be shutting for health and safety reasons.

I'd suggest that if there is only one year group left out of a whole primary school then some deep cleaning definitely needs to happen.
We've had just 2 separate cases at our school and in both cases just one person was infected and it didn't spread to anyone else. I feel confident in the infection control used by our school because of this.
If most of a school is out because of Covid at the same time I would definitely worry that something is going wrong somewhere that needs addressing.

Incidentally yes the Head does have the power to close a schools for a day etc, after discussion with chair of governors. They should also consult with the LA to look at any other possible measures. If the school is closed its because there isn't an other option.

Thank your lucky stars that you have a school that makes sensible decisions for the health and safety of their children.

Keeping them in one more day could result in the death of a parent, grandparent, teacher or even a child, which may be unusual, but could happen.

Our local private school just closed for 3 days to do a "deep clean" - not sure what they did with the boarders?!

@Xenia what an odd post. DC are at private school, they follow the exact same rules as everyone else. Y7 DS is currently at home self-isolating having come into contact with a positive child. There have been bubbles burst in EYFS, Y3, Y7, Y8 and Y13, the Junior School head is currently self isolating as are a number of other teachers. Just because it's a fee paying school doesn't make them exempt from the rules

It is not really that odd. Large number of parents in March lockdown were considering moving to private schools. it has been a huge covid 19 issue.

I'm going to go against the grain actually but as a teacher I think my school would keep any and all children school who could be in. Surely they could keep the children to as few areas as possible and deep clean the rest, then do their classroom after school?

It also sounds like they have form for being a bit inconsiderate about last minute changes so I'd be annoyed as well.

But @Xenia the parents considering moving to private schools (and I only heard that on here, not in real life) were considering it because of the remote learning provision, not any magical antiviral properties the private school had, or - I would hope - the greater risks private schools might take in not isolating contacts.

I would think the deep clean is only part of their efforts to protect the health and safety of staff, children and families. If there have been cases in multiple year groups it looks like there is an issue with infections within the wider community. A four day break would be four days extra for any one else with symptoms to get tested.

It might also be wake up call to parents about the importance of social distancing - people might be less inclined to be having playdates, parties, sleepovers etc if they actually experience just a two day disruption - if the infection rate goes up the school will close far longer. Not saying the OP has done any of these things - but it might make ALL parents realise what will happen if everyone does not play their part in working to keep schools open.

If there's a few bubbles closed including staff then the staff who would usually be with your children are probably the ones doing the deep clean.

Haven't more than the usual number of private schools gone under financially this year?

Education has been a huge CV19 issue - contemplating moving to, or out of, the private sector has only affected a small proportion of families.

Scarby, I agree it was because of better remote learning although our local private schools here including the one at the end of my road seem to be keeping open pretty well probably because there are paying customers who need 2 full time salaries to afford the fees. However I have absolutely no study or proof of it so it might be wrong. I suppose if private school pupils are better off then Covid 19 is less likely as parents live in big houses and probably have office jobs working from home more often than in state schools so less chance of CV19? It seems to be a funny disease which prefers men to women and obviously also the old over the young, never mind those who are over weight and I think BAME people.