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Original poster

School closed until September.

253 replies

0None0 · 03/07/2021 22:00

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

OP posts:
Hercisback · 03/07/2021 22:24

Delta has ripped through our school. However all students that tested positive have been asymptomatic or very mild symptoms. I realise we are lucky.

AlexaShutUp · 03/07/2021 22:24

When were you supposed to close for the summer, OP? The state schools round here will be closed by 9th July so it wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm assuming you had longer left until the end of term.

Original poster
0None0 · 03/07/2021 22:24

@Hercisback

They can if there aren’t enough staff to open it. OP doesn't read as if staff are the problem. Also even a 10 day isolation would leave them available for a couple of days at the end of term.
Yes. We have a lot of staff in isolation. I was too, but having got a negative pcr, I was all set to return tomorrow. But lots of staff have tested positive
OP posts:

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Hercisback · 03/07/2021 22:25

We have well over 20 cases and are open. Shock

Original poster
0None0 · 03/07/2021 22:25

@AlexaShutUp

When were you supposed to close for the summer, OP? The state schools round here will be closed by 9th July so it wouldn't be a big deal, but I'm assuming you had longer left until the end of term.
19th July was supposed to be our last day
OP posts:
MarshaBradyo · 03/07/2021 22:26

Closed for more than the ten days?

How long exactly

Sounds odd

Hercisback · 03/07/2021 22:26

Ahh right that's different if the staffing is the issue. Completely the right decision then. No guarantee when the ill staff will be back. Rubbish for staff too, either teaching from home or being ill.

Original poster
0None0 · 03/07/2021 22:26

@Hercisback

We have well over 20 cases and are open. Shock
We were still partially open after the first 20…
OP posts:
NiceTwin · 03/07/2021 22:26

@0None0 large secondary, been surge testing weekly since before half term, positive tests in low teens every week. PCR tests being negative bring 2 to 3% back
Currently 700 odd pupils off, coming back in dribs and drabs, depending when they went off.
Loads of staff off isolating with their primary children, more than there are off ill.

christinarossetti19 · 03/07/2021 22:29

This has just happened in a school local to me in London.

The school wanted to move to online learning over a week ago to prevent exactly this. They were told that there weren't enough cases to be called an 'outbreak', so they had to carry on until the virus had spread a bit more.

It did, surprise, surprise, and now not enough staff to open.

I'm sorry OP, what a shitty end to a shitty school year for all concerned.

GiantToadstool · 03/07/2021 22:30

700 off!!! Wow our area is nothing like this. Lotz of schools with a few isolating but only a couple with a whole year.

Im not 100% sure our school tells us.

DriverOrDiver · 03/07/2021 22:31

Are you the north west? It’s brutal round here at the moment

Howshouldibehave · 03/07/2021 22:33

Wow-what a way to end a rubbish year Sad

AliceLivesHere · 03/07/2021 22:33

We had less than a handful of cases in one of my children's school and they shut the entire school - stupid but the head also has no after school clubs despite until recently being one of the lowest infection rates in the country, no cooking (covid you know!), no sports day.

However another of my children attends a much larger school and they had sports day for each year group on different days, have their cooking practicals, have send home bubbles (including my son) but kept the school open despite more cases overall.

Attitude to risk, can do approach and the desire to want to do more for the children makes a huge difference. I've seen it on here, some are running scared and over anxious (no relation to actual risk though) and others are more pragmatic and realistic in approach.

GiantToadstool · 03/07/2021 22:33

Why isnt this in the news!?

Is this why they want to stop having to isolate? And are they planning for most kids to get it!?

iamtopazmortmain · 03/07/2021 22:34

I am concerned that the growing calls to end the use of bubbles to try to prevent the spread of covid in schools is going to make the situation much worse.

I am fearful of a tacit acceptance of herd immunity - I do not want our children to be put at risk.

beigebrownblue · 03/07/2021 22:35

I'm sorry. Mine has finished school just.
I remember the shock last year of schools closing.
You are in my thoughts all of you.

MarshaBradyo · 03/07/2021 22:35

I don’t get how you can predict how staff will feel in ten days, especially as you say everything was normal Thursday morning

What happened for it to close longer than ten days?

Do the students get online learning? Feel for them hugely

NichyNoo · 03/07/2021 22:36

^Is this why they want to stop having to isolate? And are they planning for most kids to get it!?^

I don’t think it matters if most kids get it as they are largely asymptomatic. Seems cruel to deprive kids of schooling and all the social activities that come with it to protect an increasingly small number of people who aren’t vaccinated.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 03/07/2021 22:39

Our local high is closed and plans to reopen for the last week of term which seems insane. I know they have had a lot of cases but unsure how many, but my DC is one of them. They reintroduced mask wearing but in the end too many teachers were off isolating so they had to close.

Original poster
0None0 · 03/07/2021 22:40

@AliceLivesHere

We had less than a handful of cases in one of my children's school and they shut the entire school - stupid but the head also has no after school clubs despite until recently being one of the lowest infection rates in the country, no cooking (covid you know!), no sports day.

However another of my children attends a much larger school and they had sports day for each year group on different days, have their cooking practicals, have send home bubbles (including my son) but kept the school open despite more cases overall.

Attitude to risk, can do approach and the desire to want to do more for the children makes a huge difference. I've seen it on here, some are running scared and over anxious (no relation to actual risk though) and others are more pragmatic and realistic in approach.

Attitude to risk, can do approach and the desire to want to do more for the children have fuck all to do with anything.

Size of classrooms, level of ventilation, percentage of families recording regular testing etc etc these are all used by PHE to judge what they tell a school to do

OP posts:
Shieldingending · 03/07/2021 22:40

I teach in the NW. We are seeing local schools close like this as the delta variant decimates them, we are just desperately hoping it doesn't happen to our school too .

Trayble · 03/07/2021 22:40

I'm in north west and it's bad here.
Dd is currently home after her school sent the entire year group home on Wednesday after there only being 45 students left not isolating out of 280.

Hercisback · 03/07/2021 22:41

I'm pleased some schools are protecting teachers. We don't have to isolate unless the app goes off. We were told to turn the app off.

StudentPurse · 03/07/2021 22:43

My sons class closed on Monday, he had no symptoms and had a negative lateral flow test. I went to work as normal as per regulations (no symptoms), but on Thursday at midday he had a positive lateral flow test. I left work straight away (work in a hospital) and booked us in for PCR which has come back positive (although my partner is negative 🤷🏻‍♀️). I called school and they said that 8 children in his class have now tested positive. I have previously had Covid and have had both vaccines and yet I am positive again and really ill. By time he can go back to school he’ll have 4 days of term, I’m considering just keeping him
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