School closed until September.

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That’s it for us. Everything was normal Thursday morning. It all started to go pear shaped Thursday afternoon. Friday the school was half closed. We were told earlier today that after a sudden flood of confirmed covid cases, the school is now closing fully. We won’t be reopening until September

alwxashutup it very much depends where you are as to what appointments are available. In my area (rural Devon) my 42yo sister couldn’t get an appointment for about 3 weeks after they opened the booking slots as they were all Mon-Fri 9-5. I’m sure this isn’t the only area where this happened.

AlexaShutUp

However, if you're in your forties and have only just had your first jab, this must be because you chose to delay it, I assume?

You assume wrong. It very much depends on were you are in the country as to how effective the vaccination run out has been.

Just FYI, I blame the government for this, not the volunteers or NHS.

@AlexaShutUp

I am in my 40s and a teacher. I have only had my first jab - I need to wait to be called for my 2nd in a few weeks time…

I am aware that there are still some 40+ people who haven't had their second jabs, as they had to wait quite a long time to get their first ones. However, if you're in your forties and have only just had your first jab, this must be because you chose to delay it, I assume? Even the national booking system opened for that age group in early May, and most people I know had it before that.

I booked the very first appointment I could for my first jab. The second was due next week but I got a walk in yesterday.

Trust me, we were jumping on it as soon as the slots opened. No one was sat on their hands waiting.

Fair enough, I stand corrected. I knew that there was regional variation, but I had no idea that it was so extreme. I don't know any over forties locally who hadn't had their first jabs by early April. I just assumed that those areas which were behind were largely in line with the national booking system. I'm quite shocked to hear that some over forties are only getting their first shots now, given that most people I know over the age of 30 all seem to have had their second jabs by now. It seems incredibly unfair and there should have been a much more equal distribution around the country.

@Bagamoyo1

Are staff ill or just positive? My point is that of the people testing positive, very few are actually ill now, because the majority of people are either young or vaccinated. Of course there are exceptions as there are with everything , but in general this is not a killer disease at the moment. So why are we acting as if it is?

Out of the 11 staff we currently have positive 7 of them are ill enough that they are not setting and other staff have taken over. 2 additional staff have been ill for more than a month, one has been in hospital recently.

We also have a number isolating after being close contacts and taking a few PCR tests on specific days as requested by PHE. That is where we got our last 3 positives on Thursday and Friday.

It isn't necessarily a killer disease but people are pretty ill right now. And as for 'asymptomatic' children; most of ours are ill, confirmed by parents as we are checking in with them. Ill enough to not be in school normally and some of my best year 12's (those expected to be A/A* students - an indicator of how well they normally work at home) unable to do any school work right now, over a week after we had to shut down A level chem due to the number of positive cases.

Are staff ill or just positive?
We have had 3 recent positive cases among staff (primary school). One felt a little under the weather for a couple of days, but carried on setting work throughout. One felt too unwell to work for 4 days (fever, aches, very sore throat). The third was off for 2 and a half weeks, bed bound for the first 10 days, they only work PT and are back now, but just coping with 2.5 days.
We have had a few other staff off with other illnesses. Even if you take way people having to isolate, our absence rate is higher than usual and for schools that means more money on supply.

I've just had a thought, I'm not even including hte staff who are isolating becuase their own child is isolating or because their own child has now tested positive. That adds another 8 to our school.

I am waiting for us to close early, if I'm honest. We haven;t had a full shutdown yet, but surely if we are just left with year 7 it is pretty close to it!

[quote CallmeHendricks]@Bagamoyo1, Why are you so determined to believe that teachers are deliberately dragging their feet over vaccinations?
Everyone I know has been desperate to get theirs as soon as humanly possible, and of course, we all know that we were slated on here and in Real Life for wanting to be jabbed earlier than the governments roll-out plan. Selfish us, eh? Wanting to be able to continue to provide education to our pupils.
That said, two of my current colleagues, one in mid-20s and the other early-30s, only received their first jabs last week. They signed up the minute they received notification that they were eligible, but there was a long wait. No walk-in centres here. [/quote]
This^^
Many teachers are too young to have got their vaccine until June. This means that while they may not be seriously ill with covid they can certainly catch it from the children and then need to be off school.

My son is 25 and my niece 22. They were desperate for their turn to be vaccinated and DS actually went online at midnight the day it opened to his age group. He still only got it 2 weeks ago and the second dose is end of August.

I hope they allow them to get the second dose 2 weeks before autumn term starts.

Walk in appointments only began last weekend, so those getting a first vaccine won't get the maximum immunity from the first for two more weeks, won't get another vaccination for another 7 weeks and two weeks after that before they get maximum immunity from two vaccines. In about 2 months time.

Our secondary closed last Monday for 2 weeks, on advice on PHE SE. The previous week half of year 10 had been isolating, then the Monday they got a load more cases and after sending half the school home they were then advised to close, emailed us at 5:30pm.
Currently planned to go back on the 12rh for 2 weeks, as hopefully that will have broken the cycle. But we shall see... They are hoping to squeeze the year 10 mocks in after postponing twice.

I don't understand why the OP's school would close till September. The period of isolation (for most) would have to be finished before the term's end. And when you say closed, I guess there is online provision? Open for keyworkers' children and vulnerable, etc.?

It's not just as binary as "ill or isolating but able to work" either. If a teacher tests positive then their family has to self isolate too, so they may then be dealing with their children, or other sick family members.

Anyone else checking email and texts for notifications from school hoping for another day in school.

They postponed the second week of GCSE mocks and they are happening this week with Y10s reducing lessons attended, tutor groups attended and having extended outdoor breaks

That's a crap end to the school year, to shut the school must have meant too many teachers were off too I assume.

Two year groups were not in last week at DDs (state) secondary school but this then meant that they were short staffed as teachers were isolating too. The teachers now teach from home via Teams with a classroom assistant (usually another teacher, although not from that subject) in the class room with them to assist. DD thought it was very funny but said it worked really well. Let's hope it lasts!

@BlackeyedSusan

Walk in appointments only began last weekend, so those getting a first vaccine won't get the maximum immunity from the first for two more weeks, won't get another vaccination for another 7 weeks and two weeks after that before they get maximum immunity from two vaccines. In about 2 months time.

It's actually worse than that. Under 25s still have to wait 12 weeks.

It's actually worse than that. Under 25s still have to wait 12 weeks.

The under 25's in my friends / family have 2nd appointments in mid September in our area.

It's all the nonsense testing. The vast majority have no symptoms and so if it wasn't for the pointless inaccurate quick tests, they wouldn't know they had it anyway.

My children's schools have both isolated various classes 4 times over the past few weeks. Every single time the positive kids then went off for a PCR test which was negative and all the kids were then allowed back. Absolutely ridiculous.

@Jourdain11

I don't understand why the OP's school would close till September. The period of isolation (for most) would have to be finished before the term's end. And when you say closed, I guess there is online provision? Open for keyworkers' children and vulnerable, etc.?

Not sure about OP but our school is closed to all, including key workers children and vulnerable. They are online learning.

I'm 30 and booked at 5.30am the day my age group was allowed--still had to wait a few weeks for my appointment as nothing in my whole county was available before then. Second jab wasn't until September although now they have let me move it back to mid August, moving it back to an earlier spot isn't available to my younger colleagues. This is all having booked right away when eligible. Almost every adult I know at school has had their first jab but one on its own isn't fully vaccinated.

It's all the nonsense testing. The vast majority have no symptoms and so if it wasn't for the pointless inaccurate quick tests, they

Quick Testing isn't what is closing our local junior school. Primary children aren't testing twice weekly with LFTs.

Its children having mild symptoms who are then testing positive using pcr - mainly coughs and temperatures warranting them.

Also LFTs don't close classes or schools. So their inaccuracies aren't the issue re closures. School classes only close on confirmation of PCR not LFT.

Also LFTs don't close classes or schools. So their inaccuracies aren't the issue re closures. School classes only close on confirmation of PCR not LFT.

My DC's primary have repeatedly closed year group bubbles based on LFT results and even sent letters to that effect. I'm almost sure the high school does too

This isn't the guidance schools have been sent iirr,
We have been told we only close, with PHE via LEA advice, when an LFT has been confirmed with a PCR.

It certainly wouldn't close a whole school at any of our local schools.
If it did it wouldn't be until the end of term either - it would be for 1-2 days max until a negative pcr was returned.

I didn't realise other authorities were closing on the say if an LFT as that has never been the advice our school has received.

My Mum’s a TA in Yorkshire and her school is closed too. They had to close 4 bubbles one week and then 3 teachers in separate bubbles tested positive so in the end it was easier to close the whole school. Terrible.

I posted at the beginning of this thread about classes in our primary. It's got worse, the whole school is now closed. There are 9 cases in my sons class, 15 in another class and 5/6 in all the remaining classes. Most of the children with COVID in my sons class are really quite ill with symptoms including vomiting, body aches and high temp.
We're 6 days into isolation and keeping everything crossed there won't be any more cases, although a handful of positives were reported this morning.

Meant to add, my area had less than 10 cases per 100,000 2 weeks ago, a couple of days ago it was 50 per 100,000.