To be shocked at yet another last minute gov announcement.

[wantmorenow]

New guidance for schools just announced on a Friday night before schools return. Breathtaking incompetence.

Lolol "all except key workers". They didn't get the memo then that we're all key workers now!! That'll be amusing when they attempt that at my kid's school. I couldn't get a 'key worker' place in June because guess what, everyone else is needed back at work too.

It's not new. I think peole were already expecting that bubbles would have to isolate and we have year group bubbles, although not automatic and advice of local health authority to be followed,nothing has changed?

OK. I've scanned. Except for those people who haven't realised the implications of the size of 'bubbles' - which everyone in schools has known all along - what is it that has actually changed? (Except that the guidance on music and drama that was sitting oddly only in the out of school documentation has finally also appeared in the school guidance)

The Tier thing mentioned in the BBC article with 14 day rotation isn't in the guidance, as far as I can see?

What am I missing?

I know this is much worse for the teachers whose job it is to implement all of this, but as a vulnerable parent who is terrified about their DC's going back to school this makes it so much worse. Just inspires no confidence or trust whatsoever.

Oh and the good bit.

Secondary school children a can pose a risk due to their activities outside of school.

No shit Sherlock! Teachers have been pointing out a 14/15 yo isn't a child for week.

So much for "children don't get or pass on Covid - calm down teachers. If it spreads it'll be you having a coffee"

A friend's son has come back from Greece with a group of friends. 7 out of 11 have tested positive and the others haven't but one now has symptoms so presumably will. I know of other teens who've been away and who are going into sixth form who have only arrived back from abroad and won't isolate for the required time as their parents don't want them to miss school so it is going to be a hell of a mess when whole year groups get sent home as this must be happening elsewhere too. The parents who allowed these trips will be the first to moan about school closures too.

@WingingWonder

Leicester schools went back on weds so already in before advice even released

And if I understand correctly they are a restricted area and so are tier 2.

Yet back fully?

@FinnyStory

It's not new. I think peole were already expecting that bubbles would have to isolate and we have year group bubbles, although not automatic and advice of local health authority to be followed,nothing has changed?

Thank God it’s not just me. I thought we already knew this?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions

Tier 2 guidance.

If we all knew this it wouldn't have been released tonight. We didn't have this "guidance" until a few hours ago.

what is it that has actually changed?

An entire bubble being sent home with a single positive case. In the average secondary school that’s going to be 200 teenagers.

There’s no clarity on whether the teachers would have to isolate though. Presumably they’ll only isolate if the positive case sits on the front row (so is in the 1m - 2m range) or if they’ve worked closely with the student (within 1m).

Our school has said even if you are in close contact with someone who develops symptoms you do not need to self isolate unless you get symptoms

In ds school bubbles for Y7-Y11 are around 360 pupils & sixth form is a bubble of 80 pupils.

One of my DC will be in a year group bubble of 350 and the other one at the same school in a bubble of 325. So if one person tests positive that’s over 300 kids off plus siblings? What a joke

I'm amazed regular posters on MN didn't realise bubbles in Secondary schools would be year group and it would be possible for whole year groups to have to self isolate. Teachers have been mentioning this for ages.

@UsernameNotValid

This is what's happening here in Scotland and now we're told that children won't be tested unless they are showing more than one symptom.

3 weeks in and there were 5 kids in my child's class today because some of them had a playdate over the weekend and 7 of them have come down with "a cold" 🙄

There was another group last week at a neighbouring school too. Parents aren't being informed unless a child is actually diagnosed.

That is really concerning - two symptoms to get a test?!?! So you will have parents going oh well it can't be covid as they only have one symptom so I'll just send DC to school.

It's incompetence without a doubt but it's predictable incompetence. I was expecting it to be honest, if it's now not put in place the government have more of a stick to beat teachers with.

I thought we all knew this anyway, fairly certain this was known before??

""Ugzbugz** I've been told this too both as a parent and staff. Was beginning to think I'd imagined it.

@Iggly

This government is a pile of incompetent arrogant over inflated sense of self type fucking wankers.

Come now, stop being so unreasonable. You are being far too generous with your description of them.

Ah. OK, found the tiers now.

Overall guide

Schools' guide for Tier 2 as link from ineedaholidaynow

Schools' guidance itself
This one
has been updated and tweaked.

Overall, 14 new or updated documents were released by the DfE today...

Our school has said even if you are in close contact with someone who develops symptoms you do not need to self isolate unless you get symptoms

That makes no sense at all. PHE are really clear that any identified close contacts will be told to isolate by the contact tracers for 14 days, regardless of whether they have symptoms or even if they have a negative test.

The schools going back have been interesting in Scotland. Quite a lot of kids off sick with ‘cold’ symptoms, and testing facilities are receiving very high demand.
But we’re at the end of week 2 of term and so far Covid hasn’t spread like wildfire, although the media have been very prompt at reporting any cases associated with children and flagging the school they go to. They all seem isolated cases so far.

What does this mean 1 to 5, all schools all times

The txt in the school guidance about what tyo do about a positive test has not changed at all, as far as i can see:

"The health protection team will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate.

The health protection team will work with schools in this situation to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on the advice from the health protection team, schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact with that person when they were infectious. Close contact means:

direct close contacts - face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin-to-skin)
proximity contacts - extended close contact (within 1 to 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with an infected individual
travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person

The health protection team will provide definitive advice on who must be sent home."

and

"If schools have two or more confirmed cases within 14 days, or an overall rise in sickness absence where coronavirus (COVID-19) is suspected, they may have an outbreak and must continue to work with their local health protection team who will be able to advise if additional action is required.

In some cases, health protection teams may recommend that a larger number of other pupils self-isolate at home as a precautionary measure – perhaps the whole site or year group."

Is the idea that a whole bubble might have to be sent home from elsewhere in the document, or is it the BBC etc just waking up to the fact that a whole 'bubble' COULD be sent home?