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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this should be headline news - 10% of a bubble to be considered an outbreak

45 replies

lurchersrule · 12/11/2020 17:39

I am a teacher. We have 5 cases in one bubble and I'm told PHE/DfE today advised the member of staff who spoke to them that it's not considered an outbreak until/unless 10% of the bubble have it?!

So in my particular school that' 20 in the school itself plus whoever we spread it to. And the country is apparently in lockdown? What a fucking joke!

Original guidance said 2 cases for a bubble to shut, it's crept up and now 10% - and no publicity at all. As a parent and teacher (3 different schools involved) I'm absolutely livid.

Don't say I'm UR because I'm bloody not!

OP posts:
listsandbudgets · 12/11/2020 17:42

That doesn't sound right...DDs whole uear was sent home for ten days from Tuesday because there was one case. There seems to be no consistency.

pigsDOfly · 12/11/2020 17:45

Doesn't sound right to me either.

If one person in a bubble has it then surely there is the potential for everyone in that bubble to catch it.

spacegirl86 · 12/11/2020 17:47

We are primary, I know it is different in secondary, but we are 1 case in the bubble and it closes.

Original poster
lurchersrule · 12/11/2020 17:53

@spacegirl86

We are primary, I know it is different in secondary, but we are 1 case in the bubble and it closes.
Are you sure though? Has it happened? If so, good, but I wonder why the inconsistency. But in our experience what you think is the policy turns out to be different when you actually ring them!
OP posts:
Thisismylife1 · 12/11/2020 17:57

Yes one case here and the whole class/bubble goes home. In several schools that means the whole year.

Where did you get this information about 10%?

Original poster
lurchersrule · 12/11/2020 17:59

It says in my first line where I got the information from - PHE. All these people saying 'in my school it's Xx..' do you know that for a fact? Or is it what you've been told but it hasn't actually been tested yet?

OP posts:
napody · 12/11/2020 18:00

One case has been enough shut bubbles here too.

If PHE have changed the rules without publicity that's really bad. Does it definitely have to count as a 'outbreak' to close the bubble?

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 12/11/2020 18:06

Definitely changed in that they are no longer sending bubbles home.
It’s had to find the data re schools and cases.

Takeoutyourhen · 12/11/2020 18:07

Maybe it’s the terminology in terms of numbers of cases that’s confusing. An outbreak could mean 10% of the class not actually the figure at which they enforce self-isolation guidance.
A school with 2 cases in 2 separate bubbles is an example of cases, a school with 40 cases across several bubbles would be an outbreak and it’s spreading like wildfire.

Original poster
lurchersrule · 12/11/2020 18:09

They definitely said 10% in a bubble.

I don't see why any teachers or any parents are happy with this.

OP posts:
Original poster
lurchersrule · 12/11/2020 18:13

I mean, in an environment in which people from all over the community, in which there is no social distancing, there can be, in my case up to 60 cases before anything much will be done! In that time it will be spread throughout the community.

OP posts:
earlydoors42 · 12/11/2020 18:15

My son is currently at home because of 1 case in his bubble - a whole year group.

Takeoutyourhen · 12/11/2020 18:15

OP has your affected bubble been closed or did PHE specifically say no closure as less than 10% have the virus? I’m just wondering as PHE sounded like they were just describing how many cases in a setting would be classified as an outbreak as a sudden surge in case numbers.

PTW1234 · 12/11/2020 18:18

Our primary bubble closed with one case in the class, whole year group as small school. The head said it was 1 person in the letter.

This was in September though

Mrsfrumble · 12/11/2020 18:19

Yes, at my DC’s school (primary) it took one case the burst the bubble (2 year groups) and all got sent home to self isolate for 10 days.

InDireStraits · 12/11/2020 18:19

@earlydoors42

My son is currently at home because of 1 case in his bubble - a whole year group.
Same here, 1 child positive & whole year (2 class intake) isolating for 11 days. Infant school.
PudseyPatch · 12/11/2020 18:22

They have closed a bubble at my ds's school for one case.

They have closed a bubble of two classes at a local school for one case.

On the other hand a TA at another school is off with Covid and the bubble is still open 🤷‍♀️

No consistency. It isn't right. I am emailing my local MP and news as issues like this are being kept hidden and silenced.

bubblebubblebubbletrouble · 12/11/2020 18:22

4 classes currently self isolating after 1 case due the the school in their infinite wisdom increasing bubble size after half-term to 2 x year groups rather than 1 class. (England -Primary)

ktp100 · 12/11/2020 18:29

That's fucking outrageous!!

That means there will be kids kept in school who have vulnerable family at home when earlier they would have been off!

This needs addressing.

ReallySpicyCurry · 12/11/2020 18:30

In DD's school, classes are in bubbles, they don't move around the school, and one class only gets sent home if a child tests positive

In another a local school, year groups are the bubbles, five classes per bubble and they move around and mix classes. If a child tests positive only those who have been within a certain range of the child get sent home.

ReallySpicyCurry · 12/11/2020 18:31

Posted too soon... So already I think schools are doing their own thing and will continue to do so

1starwars2 · 12/11/2020 18:33

From DS school experience an 'outbreak' is a specific term regarding the need for further oversight from PHE.
In their school 1 case closed the whole bubble for 14 days.
2 cases (unrelated) at the same time was labelled an outbreak and PHE had a close look at their covid procedures.

Fedup21 · 12/11/2020 18:35

That is crazy!

My DC was sent home yesterday as there was a positive case in her class. About 60 kids were sent home-not the whole year group, just close contacts.

TonMoulin · 12/11/2020 18:47

Secondary here.
Ds is at home. They’ve had 3 cases and have told the relevant children to self isolate - not the whole year group.
However, there was so little children left at school (about 1/4) that they decided it was better, teaching wise, for the whole year group to be at home. So ds is at home, all teaching is online but not self isolating.

walksen · 12/11/2020 18:49

As pp have said phe have basically abandoned all responsibility for contact tracing etc and have been telling schools to contact trace in house. I am in little doubt this has increased transmission in schools.

In primary I expect that all kids in a bubble could be close contacts so should be sent home for 1 case. If the school can't identify close contacts they send the whole year group.

My school had a kid take a test Wednesday last week as part of survey testing and has been positive and in school ever since. Close contacts only have to isolate for 2 days apparently. I would have thought all close contacts for the the 8 days he was infectious and in school would have to isolate now but apparently only the Monday and Tuesday last week counts.......