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

I'm in the Midlands, our school sent out a message today that the school will be closing until September due to a huge spike in cases. Absolutely nothing reported in the news. On line learning for the last weeks of term😣

Sorry to hear this, it must be a major upheaval for you all and a big shock to the system. Hopefully everything comes together and it isn't too distressing.

It’s absolute insanity. If the NHS is no longer at breaking point (from COVID, not just deliberate underfunding), the vulnerable are double vaccinated and children only suffer mild symptoms who are we doing this for? At what point will everyone just stop obeying this absolute nonsense?

That’s bad luck, especially after all those children who suddenly took so ill in your class the other day. I hope they are all ok.

I cant believe the government did nothing to try to prevent covid in schools and now kids are paying the price.

*Out of character for PHE to act so cautiously."

Not out of character at all - PHE give the advice but local authorities and schools make the decision. PHE are not the decision makers here

Most times it is about "business continuity" (not enough staff/teachers) not severity of illness

I was not clear in my original post - are people not aware that schools are closing so quickly and suddenly as the situation is unsustainable - no teachers, no bubbles - there fore easiest thing is for school to close

PHE's role is not to advise closures

@GenericUsername404

It’s absolute insanity. If the NHS is no longer at breaking point (from COVID, not just deliberate underfunding), the vulnerable are double vaccinated and children only suffer mild symptoms who are we doing this for? At what point will everyone just stop obeying this absolute nonsense?

Sadly when they close classes there’s nothing you can do

Hopefully it will change soon and PHE or whoever doesn’t order it

Cos we've got loads who are reporting to the school because that's quick and easy but not bothering to report negatives to the NHS because that's more of a faff (me included)

Do you mean report through the nhs website? Because that takes about 20 seconds. So you’d have to be incredibly lazy not to bother with that.

@Nicknacky

That’s bad luck, especially after all those children who suddenly took so ill in your class the other day. I hope they are all ok.

Ah the vomiting dc. Not so normal

There are 3 primaries in our village. Two are closed and one is at 50% capacity.

It’s ridiculous.

Sorry to hear this, OP, what a sad way to end what has been such a difficult year.

We've got a week to go and one yeargroup on remote learning at the moment. I'm hoping we can make it to the end of term with not too much further disruption.

PHE do advise re closures, they advised ours to shut at one point. You couldn't just close a school because covid and leave it at that.

@Bagamoyo1

Kids and education getting thrown under the bus again. I’m not sure who they’re being sacrificed for this time though, as the at-risk people have been vaccinated and will soon be enjoying the lifting of all restrictions. Vaccinated adults are jetting off to green countries and going to football matches, whilst school children are being treated as if we’re back in December.

If the staff are all ill they can’t open.

The school I work in closed just before Easter. We had the Kent variant as it was then. It ripped through the school with every single member, except one, of key stage one staff ill with Covid. The school limped on but it then spread through key stage two with 50% of staff ill, not isolating, ill.
There was no way the school could open.

The decision to close was taken by the head, not PHE.
One child (5 years old) that I know of ended up in hospital with Covid for weeks.

@GenericUsername404

It’s absolute insanity. If the NHS is no longer at breaking point (from COVID, not just deliberate underfunding), the vulnerable are double vaccinated and children only suffer mild symptoms who are we doing this for? At what point will everyone just stop obeying this absolute nonsense?

Agree. Who are we protecting?

It’s terrible in the NW. 50% off is now normal in the schools here. It’s unsustainable. Our school has 3 classes off. Had to have the whole of KS2 off last week due to a suspected close contact with a member of staff, which was then adjusted to just one class, so the children were back in. But then positive tests in the other 2 classes occurred so those 2 classes are out for 10 days!

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Are people shocked that its spreading or that children are still being locked in their homes to protect the NHS?

Exactly. All the while pubs, squares and gardens are currently rammed with exhilarated football fans and f* all social distancing. It's sickening.

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?

Manchester schools are decimated. But parents are going mad as kids aren't really getting ill. Adults are mainly getting flu like symptoms. Parents trying to keep jobs. Kids getting little education. But massive crowds elsewhere

I cant believe the government did nothing to try to prevent covid in schools and now kids are paying the price.

The trouble is that anyone who tried to warn about the consequences or suggest safety measures got shouted down.

I can’t believe cases are delinking from hospitalisation so they can rise as they are and no one has thought about impact of repeated isolation on children. Madness

Staff are spread quite thinly in normal times so if illness strikes then schools quickly run into problems. I'm guessing cover staff don't want to come into a school with covid.

@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?

I’m a teacher. I’m mid 40s and I had my second vaccine today. Many of the younger members of staff have only just had their first.

If they stop the isolations (which I believe they should as vaccines seem to be working), I think it is imperative that teachers are given boosters at the same time as NHS staff. It is quite clear that Covid does spread in schools now, isn’t it? It is an absolute disgrace that school staff were left unprotected for so long and younger teachers might still be waiting for their second dose.

@BustopherPonsonbyJones

If they stop the isolations (which I believe they should as vaccines seem to be working), I think it is imperative that teachers are given boosters at the same time as NHS staff. It is quite clear that Covid does spread in schools now, isn’t it? It is an absolute disgrace that school staff were left unprotected for so long and younger teachers might still be waiting for their second dose.

School staff weren’t left unprotected. Kids have worn masks since schools reopened in March. And anyone over 18 could have been vaccinated weeks ago.