Covid/school closure. Children made to feel so unwelcome

[Lettuceforlunch]

Has anyone else had this? AIBU? I’ve never known a school be so ultra conservative in their interpretation of the rules around Covid. I’m at the stage where I think they’re now using it as an excuse not to have the children in. This week they’ve had all of four year groups out because of two confirmed cases in two individual classes. They’re in class bubbles FGS! Or at least, that’s what parents have been told.

My DC’s school only sends direct contacts home so whoever has sat within 2M in the classroom or whoever plays with that person. I wasn’t aware they could do this until it happened in my DD’s class last week, she got to stay in school because she is back row and the positive case was front. They’ve effectively dropped the bubble thing in their school as well, now it’s 3 classes in a ‘bubble’ so they can play with up to 89 other children at playtime.

@StaffRepFeistyClub

The problem we now have is that a significant number of teachers had track and trace notifications to self-isolate. So lots of teaching staff getting notifications means that it is not safe to open the school. The concern is that it was a former year 11 prank.

I would much rather be teaching in class rather than this on-line malarky

We have the opposite problem in our school. Staff are so scared of having to self isolate due to exposure out of school what with all the self isolation periods causing disruption from being in school that they are choosing not to go out for meals or to places where they need to do t and t as the thought of being blamed for self isolation by the parents at school is incredibly stressful and worrying.

Also the teachers never isolate which has never added up to me. The positive case was front row and the teacher stands directly in front of the front row but he’s still in school. They also have teachers and TA’s regularly swapping classes, mingling with each other etc. They’re clearly not following the rules or they’re bending them.

@Awalkintime

AliceLivesHere

So you think it is perfectly safe for 1 person to be in charge of all the kids? No issue if one has an accident and they need to go to hospital? No one to serve dinners? No staff breaks? If someone discloses something then safeguarding measures can't be activated? No SEN support? No one to answer the phones or emails? No one to do the registers and submit them? No one to submit dinners...the list goes on.

Yes there are risks - 2 of our children are seriously ill with no underlying conditions. 2 contacts of the school will have their life support removed today but that's fine is it?

You can't know what the issue is in school staffing wise that is their personal health, it's just another stick to beat schools with and show your underlying feelings against authority.

What are earth are you ranting on about. I never said it was safe for 1 person to be in charge of all the kids. Try reading and calm down and stop with the hysteria and amateur dramatics a bit. Breathe and enjoy life and don't get so worked up about something you thought you read.

Time for a change of view about sending groups of children home to isolate and to shut a school for a few cases that are mild in our area. How much longer can the drama llamas milk this for?

@Ohmygoshandfolly

Also the teachers never isolate which has never added up to me. The positive case was front row and the teacher stands directly in front of the front row but he’s still in school. They also have teachers and TA’s regularly swapping classes, mingling with each other etc. They’re clearly not following the rules or they’re bending them.

I can assure you that primary school staff are absolutely isolating with their class bubbles.

The guidance also suggests that staff can move freely between bubbles. My school has chosen to limit this as much as possible to keep staff and children as safe as possible but it isn't against the rules to mix. Schools couldn't function without this.

I’ve read some shit in my life, but the post about teachers wanting to protect their holidays just about takes the biscuit.

What kind of small minded, suspicious, cynical brain thinks this up? And l use the word ‘brain’ lightly. Cabbage is probably better.

That’s because stats show very clearly that even previously considered vulnerable children aren’t at risk from Covid.

80 000 children with long covid and the parents of the 30+ dead kids would disagree.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow I know it's patronising ridiculous BS isn't it. I thought I'd wandered onto an UFT telegraph column at first.

We are rural SW and have had very low cases, but recently somebody went up North to visit family in a covid hotspot, and tested positive when they came back. This was a Y9 pupil. They sent home Y9 and brought back mask wearing. A further 7 of her close contacts also tested positive, which shows how quickly it spreads. The school had to isolate 1 bus and the whole year.

The following week, a Y8 pupil tested positive, so they sent home Y8 immediately and had to isolate another bus on the advice of PHE. They have to do what PHE advise.

They aren't allowed to release the names unless the parents give permission.

The school are fully set up for online lessons, and they were in place by the afternoon.

Also the teachers never isolate which has never added up to me

I'll have to tell the heads of years and other staff who who had to self isolate the last ten 10 days recently that they are making it up

[quote Basil2021]**@Lettuceforlunch* @AliceLivesHere* just stop being horrible to teachers. They’re doing their best.
You know, I am beginning to think that people who are rude about teachers and say how lazy they are etc are basically the same as people who are rude to waiters in restaurants when their food is late. Rude, entitled and basically bullies.

Teachers are not your servants. Leave us alone.[/quote]
Actually some teachers are doing their best and some aren't. They are not all shining stars and they are not all useless. As with all walks of life there are the ones that go above and beyond the middle most and then the shirkers. Get real. Do you really believe that all are doing their best. I can only speak to my personal experience and frankly it has not been good enough for some.

As for waiters I tip the friendly efficient ones well and no not rude, however why accept rubbish service. It is possible to be assertive and express views over service, don't have to do the sit and nod all good and moan to others later that so many seem to do.

One school a friend works in has told the staff that they must stay 2m away from the children at all times and therefore shouldn't need to isolate at all. If they get covid it hasn't come from school...!

The India variant is extremely contagious so if there is one child infected there will be many many more and all school staff will be at risk too. Did you read about the Sydney case? One women sitting outside a cafe and an infected person walked past her. No contact. She's infected.

Get real. Do you really believe that all are doing their best?

I do believe the teachers are doing their best. They've taught throughout the pandemic and have sacrificed mixing with their own families so they could still come back and safely teach ours. The explosion of the cases now isn't the failure or the schools. It's the failure of the government to implement a proper mitigation policy to minimise the risk and spread of infection.

@skinnytailedsquirrel I wasn't aware of that one do you have a link please I'd like to read. Interestingly Jeremy Vine tested positive back at Christmas and I remember him stating he knew where he'd got it from and the contact he had with the person was and I quote 'so fleeting it is frightening'

‘I can assure you that primary school staff are absolutely isolating with their class bubbles’.

Makes me laugh when teachers post crap like this with absolute certainty. That may be true in your setting but it’s certainly not universal.

3 full classes sent home here this week because the two teachers who tested positive had arranged an awards ceremony in the assembly hall for classes that they don’t even teach!

They’re clearly not ALL doing their best! Some are, some won’t, as is human nature.

They’re clearly not ALL doing their best! Some are, some won’t, as is human nature.

They're not doing their best because there's infections getting into schools through no fault of their own?

@RealhousewifeofStoke

‘I can assure you that primary school staff are absolutely isolating with their class bubbles’.

Makes me laugh when teachers post crap like this with absolute certainty. That may be true in your setting but it’s certainly not universal.

3 full classes sent home here this week because the two teachers who tested positive had arranged an awards ceremony in the assembly hall for classes that they don’t even teach!

It's not crap.

I also don't understand the point in your second paragraph. School staff can move between bubbles. That's the guidance.

And people saying it's crap is rather insulting to school staff who have isolated time and time again with their class bubbles.

@yeahdarling

One school a friend works in has told the staff that they must stay 2m away from the children at all times and therefore shouldn't need to isolate at all. If they get covid it hasn't come from school...!

Yeah we have been told to too but it really is impossible.

When a 4 year old hurts themselves should we leave them on the floor hurt or help them? When a child doesn't understand their work, should we leave them or go and remodel it to them? When a child is happy to see you and runs and hugs you should we shout at them to get away? No we don't. It is impossible to stay away from them.

We got told this and when we got a case we were told we shouldn't need to isolate because we should've been staying away. It is impossible to teach that way. While we try and keep a distance as often as possible, there are times when that can't be done.

If you really believe school are making excuse not to have children in school, and you can't trust that they are doing their best they can in this uncertain times, maybe the school isn't the place for your dc. Change school. Home school. There are many choices.

Ah OP, I get the impression that you are already disappointed in the school's provision for your child and this is just another thing on top of it. On this occasion, I don't think you can blame the school because as other posters have said it's not the school that makes the decision - they contact Public Health England who advise them.

My DD's secondary school has had very few cases but has had one recently and I was surprised that they had to send the whole year home rather than just close contacts. It does seem to be the advice school are getting at the moment.

Does your child like the school? As a parent, the feeling that your child is in a school that you don't think is doing a good job is hard to deal with so I hope you can find a way forward that suits you both.

AliceLivesHere
I love it when people use the word hysteria to try and discredit someone. Pathetic attempt.

I didn't say that you said that at all. I read it perfectly well. You said you thought it was good that councils were challenging it and hoped yours would too - in other words that challenging a school with 1 member of staff is acceptable when it really isn't.

And you might call people drama llamas but when kids in your school are in hospital and people are preparing for deaths of their relatives because 1 person sent their kid in with symptoms all week then it isn't a drama at all. I think you lack empathy when people dying is ok for you.

When staff are off dealing with bereavement, you'll probably complain then asking why they dare take time to grieve. We are not robots.

@Awalkintime

Absolutely agree. My class of 5 year olds are impossible to distance from. People making such rules have clearly no idea!