please read the guidance for schools....

[Ariseandsmellthetea99]

Key points:
-Since hospital grade PPE is neither obtainable (needed for medical staff) nor practical for teaching young children (scary and next to impossible to teach in) this is not recommended

• Since face coverings would need to be worn by all the children to have any effect at all (this relates to the science that a face covering only protects those around you not the person wearing), this isn't practical or recommended.
  

-They are NOT suggesting children are kept separate from all other children (as some fairly alarming photos on social media have shown).

-Children should be kept away from others who are NOT in their group bubble (the max 15 other children they WILL be mixing with). These groups should remain the same with the same adult to limit exposure for the adult.

• Any staff who are (clinically) vulnerable or live with someone vulnerable should be leading remote learning from home.
  

-Any children who are (clinically) vulnerable or who live with vulnerable should stay at home

• Parents should be socially distanced. To enable this, each bubble of 15 children should be dropped off at a different entrance or time.
  

If you disagree with these measures, please say what measure you think would be better, since children remaining home for up to 2 years is neither desirable nor healthy.

[SporadicNamechange]

It’s also worth remembering that ‘modelled’ is closer to a synonym for ‘guessed’ (albeit based on the best information you have) than anything else.

Weather forecasts are based on models. And we all know that they can be wildly inaccurate. Plus the different models can all produce very different outcomes.

[Hearhoovesthinkzebras]

Siddalee

Even if the isolated person has no contact with the bubble? Say, over half term the phone app alerts the teacher that they crossed paths with a potential case then the teacher isolates but they haven't seen the bubble so no risk of transmission. Would the children have to stay off school.though because they don't have a teacher? Or if the teacher is off sick for an unrelated reason, is the bubble kept off school rather than exposing them to another teacher, or possibly multiple teachers if they have to rely on supply staff?

[Siddalee]

@Ariseandsmellthetea99

I’ve not got the guidance in front of me so I’m not 100% on your first question about half term. I think the answer is no

On the second, if the teacher or anyone else in the bubble has any C19 symptoms, the whole group are off until its been cleared up whether the person actually does have C-19 or not. That’s why testing will be important

[qweryuiop]

@siddalee

I thought what you said didn't match my memory of the policy. Below I've copied a section from "implementing-protective-measures-in-education-and-childcare-settings"

"If a member of staff has helped someone who was unwell with a new, continuous cough or a high temperature, they do not need to go home unless they develop symptoms themselves (and in which case, a test is available) or the child subsequently tests positive (see ‘What happens if there is a confirmed case of coronavirus in a setting?’ below)."

So the bubble only self-isolates after the test has confirmed covid, or they get sick, if I'm reading this correctly.

[HarveySchlumpfenburger]

That might not be the only reason a teacher needs to self isolate.

If someone in the teachers household becomes ill or the app flags them up as a contact, then the teacher will need to stay at home for 14 days. The rest of the bubble won’t but you do end up with a teacherless bubble.

[Siddalee]

@qweryuiop
This is where it’s so hard, because to me that says go home if you have symptoms. But what is the statement ( and in which case a test is available) referring to

It’s a minefield

[Lougle]

The guidance doesn't state that, @Siddalee. It would be sensible if it did. What it says is:

'person 1 gets symptoms, so stays home for 7 days.
All people in bubble entitled to a test if they get symptoms.
If person 1 tests negative, they can come back.
If person 1 tests positive, the bubble goes home for 14 days.

The guidance is silent on what happens between day 1 of person 1's symptoms and 'test result day'.

[Lougle]

Exactly - the time between day 1 of symptoms and the result could be 4 days, minimum (1 day to order the test, 2 days to receive and send test, 1 day for results) or it could be as many as, well how many?? I'm still awaiting results from a test taken on 3rd May and I've just sent off my second test kit. So over 2 weeks for my results.

Also, these bubbles sound feasible in primary. 60 children is 4 bubbles. But in Secondary, with 300 students in one year group, that's 20 bubbles.

[qweryuiop]

@lougle

I agree that it will be harder in secondary, but not because of numbers. The issue is with how secondary works. Students see multiple teachers, in different groups. So the 9am bubble of 15 doing French would not normally be in the same 10am class for English. So you shuffle the English classes around, which sounds simple, but some of them are taking a different course, so the teacher will be teaching both courses. Then at 11, they would do their next option block normally. Three of the group normally do German, two normally do PE, two geography... So what do you do? And all of that would have happened by lunchtime on Monday, if schools try to go by anything like a normal timetable.

I suspect this is partly why primary are first, along with other reasons. It just is less complicated.

[Siddalee]

@Lougle thanks.
There’s where I’ve got mixed up. We’ve decided on a one off all off approach as an answer to what happens between symptoms and test results

[qweryuiop]

@Siddalee I hope most will decide the same until we see the effects of opening up more fully.

[qweryuiop]

Although, given that before Lockdown we had some children caught out for faking coughs to get sent home, it could be quite a problematic rule!

[Candodad]

Son’s school sent him home because of the cough he’s had for a year or more.