School and (imho) unjustifiable risk.

[MincepieMavis]

DD's primary school have invited a dancer to come in for a day to do workshops, including every child in the school. The children will see this person in their bubble groups. The dancer will be distanced and wearing a visor. The activity will take place outside if the weather is ok, or in their small school hall with the windows open if the weather is bad. Covid cases are on the increase, counties around us are moving up a tier right now. And someone in our household has a covid-relevant underlying condition.

Would you let your child take part?
Would you consent only if it took place outside? Or with other conditions?

It's a no from us unless it's outside, minimum. AIBU?

Op you’ve lost the plot. Sorry. This is what happens when media ‘persuasion’ takes hold of peoples minds. What you are saying sounds ridiculous and removed from reality. Life is not risk free but the ‘risk’ here is so minuscule it’s not worth a second thought but I’m more concerned about how you are going to be able to go from worrying about a dancer coming to teach your dc at a distance to returning to normal life which will have to happen at some point and covid won’t have gone away. Please try to start thinking of it as just another virus like all the many many that we exist with and have done in perpetuity.

@MincepieMavis

Our school staff do not have cross-bubble contact, as far as I know.

They want you to think

My DD is back at ballet now, sounds similar. YABVVVVU.

Keeping their distance I honestly think this is absolutely fine. And I am the type of cautious person that wipes down shopping!!

I'm more worried about the poor dancer and all those snotty kids.

One less dancer facing a new career in cyber .

Our school staff do not have cross-bubble contact, as far as I know.

Of course they have. It is highly unlikely they have enough space for staff to take breaks in their bubbles, and I’d be very surprised if they have enough support staff to be able to bubble them too.

One less dancer facing a new career in cyber
😂

Don't people realise bubbles don't protect anyone? They are not meant to provide protection. Everyone in the bubbles goes home at the end of the day and mixes with people not in the bubbles. School staff- especially primary must be the most at risk group in the country right now!

The purpose of the bubble is just so that if there is a case then the whole school doesn't have to close, just the bubble with the case.

@HugeAckmansWife

I bet you a million pounds they do. Its not feasible to run a school without it. There's one staff room, likely only one set of staff toilets for a start.

I'm not allowed in our staff room. Every year group have an assigned staff area where they can access a kettle etc.

I'm really confused. Why are you more worried about this dancer than all the other kids in your kid's class that she's in much closer contact with every day?

Oh FGS.

My school has a photographer in next week.. Same issues..

No one is bothered...

Also I suspect I'm going to be asked to take over a different class in a different key stage next week

Oh OP I am sorry you feel so anxious about covid. A lot of people on here, myself included have processed the risk differently and are just at a different point in the level of risk we are willing to accept. From what you describe it doesn't seem like a particular risk at all but I totally get why you think its unnecessary.

Hopefully you appreciate what people are trying to tell you that you are viewing this dancer as more of a threat than she really is compared to all of the other ways in which you could catch covid.

You dont say how old dd is or how she feels about yet more time off away from school. Personally I'd be absolutely loathe to subject my 6 and 10yo ds to any more time away from school than strictly necessary, but that's because they are so much happier learning and playing with friends and missing out would be heart breaking for them right now. Your dd may be perfectly happy and then it's less of a worry for you. Good luck but I feel you are making life harder than it already is.

You do realise now schools are fully open that people from different organisations will be coming into schools. I think the school are taking every precaution they can by the sounds of it!

YABU, and I say this as someone with primary dc and living with an extremely vulnerable person. The children have had a miserable time for ages, let them have a tiny bit of enjoyment (unless your child loathes dancing). The risks of going to school on a daily basis are far greater than this one day with an outside professional.

I'm going to deliver specialist lessons in a school straight after half term. We've planned it meticulously and the school have done likewise so that the children can have fun, develop new skills, and be safe. I'd be disappointed for them if I thought they'd miss out because their parents were scared after all the planning we'd done to mitigate risks. Nothing is risk free, but this is a lot lower risk than being in a bubble of 30 every day where those 30 live in households where people go back and forth to work, shop, sports clubs, childminders, cafés and restaurants ...

This is all getting so boring now......................... Everybody is just trying to get by, why the continual complaining...........

Fucks sake your child will be more at risk of getting it from touching a can of beans in asda.

Although I absolutely think the OP is wrong to be at all concerned about the visit of the dancer - lovely opportunity and sounds to have been carefully risk assessed - those of you saying all school staff are crossing bubbles all the time are also not entirely correct.
In many of the primary schools round us the teachers and TAs are not mingling as described. The staff rooms are only open to collect a drink - no sitting down or chatting. Teachers are with their class from before normal school start time (drift in entry to avoid crush at the gate) right through break, eating lunch with their class and on until the last child leaves. It is really hard to find time to get to the toilet at all and teachers are really not meeting staff in other bubbles at school at all except in the Zoom or Teams staff meeting.
It has to be said however, that in some of those schools, SLT are surrounded by an aura of coronavirus invulnerability which allows them to troubleshoot in any classroom...

Lmao is this serious? Every single person in that school has been in contact with x number of people, and there isn't really distancing or PPE worn (teachers will cross bubbles as well), one person coming in who will be distanced either outside or in a well ventilated room is not an issue.

@Hercwasonaroll

One person and you're getting this het up about it! She's more at risk being exposed to so many kids.

This!!!!!

I agree that the dancer is more at risk, it I do think they, and any other visitors, should wear face masks. At my primary school we have been very careful not to have staff crossing bubbles, although we are fortunate to have a TA per class. Staff also wear face masks in communal areas.

We're not allowed inside PE yet so I'm surprised on that front...we have had visitors tho, eg a maths specialist who visited all the classes.

Staff - all mixing. We have 1 loo, 1 room to eat lunch. SLT, clerical, support and cover staff in all areas of the school. 1 shared photocopier.

@MincepieMavis

This is not about the teachers crossing bubbles.

It’s the same risk, probably lower risk as the visitor will more efficient in following the Covid procedures as teachers/TAs cross bubbles all day occasionally forgetting to wash hands etc.

How lovely to have a stimulating, active experience in school again.
The DC's school have extra-curricular sports lead by external staff who work with multiple schools. TAs/ cover staff/ supply work across different classes or schools.

The whole school is smaller than an average secondary bubble!

We have to live, not just exist and wait for a year or more for a magical solution. Children especially don't get this time back.