Back to School - AIBU to expect further chaos?

[DadAManger]

We are less than one month out now from both our children returning to school. Like many others, my DD and DS were taken out of school and had to isolate because of cases within their year several times during the last school year. The whole period was stop:start for them.

I feel like we are making progress in lots of areas and feel much more freedom than we had before of course, but we know now that the Delta/Indian Variant spreads very easily and with a greater viral load amongst our kids. And Autumn does tend to see an increase in cases.

Are schools going to have to pull kids from school again and follow the same approach as before and AIBU to expect more chaos again?

I hope not for the children’s sake. I really wish we would get some clear guidance on return to school as up in Scotland we are less than 2 weeks away from return and I’m still not clear on what the plan is. All I know so far is my 13 year old still needs to wear a mask all day and continue his twice weekly lateral flows .

I’m really not clear on what the guidance is either - we haven’t been told much. My DD is 13 and about to start boarding and my DS 11 and we still don’t really know what will happen in terms of Covid measures or if it is back to what we had before…

I mean, it hasn't suddenly disappeared, so its likely it probably will still happen, but hopefully it will start tapering off, but its a situation that can change within a week, so preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.

From what I understand, the government plan for schools in the autumn term is to pretend covid doesn’t exist.

No masks.
No lateral flow testing from September.
No self isolating if you have contact with a positive case.
No need for staff or children to stay off school if anyone in your household has covid.

So covid will only be detected if someone has one of the 3 main symptoms and has a positive PCR result.

I think the government are hoping this will make covid go away. I doubt it will.

Chaos yes but what form that takes I'm not sure.
The powers that be seem happy to have entire classes isolating, teachers struck down and no appetite to get proper ventilation in place or guidance etc.

It looks to me like common sense will return.

If someone is ill, they stay at home. Otherwise everyone goes back to normal.

From a personal perspective as DS would never tolerate a lateral flow test and is going into secondary, I am delighted that these will no longer be necessary.

I thought Secondary school children will be expected to test before returning to school and once at school.

@Star81

I hope not for the children’s sake. I really wish we would get some clear guidance on return to school as up in Scotland we are less than 2 weeks away from return and I’m still not clear on what the plan is. All I know so far is my 13 year old still needs to wear a mask all day and continue his twice weekly lateral flows .

We're 5 days away from it here - my kids are back on Thursday!

No idea what is the plan for isolation/bubbles/close contacts.
Haven't been told whether they want to carry on with LFTs.
Haven't been told whether they're going to be able to change for PE.
Haven't been told whether my DD will be expected to do drama in her mask, socially distant from other pupils, and without sharing props.
We have been told that secondary children will wear masks at all times, for at least 6 weeks (and nobody believes it'll be just 6 weeks).

And most importantly, we haven't been told what their plan is for assessment or exams. DD is doing her Highers this coming year, these are the most important exams as they determine Uni entrance. Last year was a total fuck-up with them first saying no exams and teacher opinion, then u-turning around March meaning that DD had to sit a full timetable of school-set exams, twice.

Meanwhile, nightclubs are open without masks, 30,000 people are expected at Glasgow Green for a music festival in September, and Rangers and Celtic can have capacity crowds at games.

No surprise that #SturgeonHatesChildren was trending on twitter.

Secondary kids will have to take two lateral flow tests at school before starting.

@Notonthestairs

I thought Secondary school children will be expected to test before returning to school and once at school.

As far as I know-secondary aged children will be offered tests before returning in September (no expectation), but the twice-weekly screening LFD tests will stop at the end of September.

Bubbles no longer required from 16th August. So you won't be in a situation that your child has to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case. But they will still need to isolate if they actually get Covid themselves.

YABU to use the S-word during the holiday.
what's wrong with you?
I want to blissfully ignore everything S-related, how dare you ruin it????

@Notonthestairs

I thought Secondary school children will be expected to test before returning to school and once at school.

We're testing our 7s in school twice in the first week back, twice weekly testing will continue through to the end of September for everyone when the government will apparently be looking at wether testing will continue.

We've had quite a bit of contact from school. From what I've heard there will be no masks and after the two LFT before they start school no more tests, no more close contact issolating. They will also have to change for PE at school.
I'm sure they're trying to get things back to normal for the children but I think it will result in a massive spike in cases and rules will have to come back in.

School starts in 10 days here (Scotland) and cases area still relatively high in Edinburgh. Then there is all the reopening stuff and Fringe and festivals.

I fear it's going to be the same chaos as in June when schools were shutting and people told to isolate left, right and centre. Not sure what is happening to bubbles here, but in a primary I have no idea how they going to work out close contacts if it's not class based. Anyway if you're in England you can have a look how we're doing in three weeks and see your future!

I thought children under 18 didn't have to isolate if they come into contact with a positive case post 16th Aug?

Autumn tends to see a rise in cases? Based on what? The whole 1 year that this has been going on? You said that as if this has been around for 20 years. There were more cases last autumn because no one was vaccinated. If people stopped the obsessive testing then the “cases” (which in reality is just positive tests - false and true) will fall.

@Callisto1

School starts in 10 days here (Scotland) and cases area still relatively high in Edinburgh. Then there is all the reopening stuff and Fringe and festivals.

I fear it's going to be the same chaos as in June when schools were shutting and people told to isolate left, right and centre. Not sure what is happening to bubbles here, but in a primary I have no idea how they going to work out close contacts if it's not class based. Anyway if you're in England you can have a look how we're doing in three weeks and see your future!

I would imagine in primary, they’ll just tell the parents of the whole class that there’s been a positive case and it’s hard to pinpoint close contacts but parents can choose to get them a PCR test if they want.

I strongly feel that people shouldn’t be going to work/school if someone in the house has tested positive for covid, but I expect this will happen anyway. That’s how I think it will spread. With no children (under 16) vaccinated, it could become messy.

I expect the government will also get back to the idea that 100% attendance is really important and force parents to send their kids in no matter what is going on with covid/CEW etc, or risk fines.

I expect that we'll largely ignore it until we run out of road and then who knows what will happen!

We are still testing at least for September twice per week

@Notonthestairs and @noblegiraffe The tests are not mandatory. I heard one school. Many parents not consenting although may do ltf at home
Year 7 often haven't set foot in their secondary school due to restructions. Don't think many parents will be packing them off for nasal swabs on their first day do you? Esp when they can do them at home if they wanted.

That's what's planned for our Y7s. They'll come in (staggered per form group) do their test then head off to form time.

The tests were not mandatory at DD school before - it was a bit hit and Miss. I suspect that she will be tested and then in the bubble of her dorm come September. DS will also struggle with LFT. It is the teachers that I think face a lot of uncertainty too?

Our local school only 25% of Y7 parents have consented. Can't imagine we are that out if the ordinary.
Has your school not had the Y7s on site at all, even for a summer school?

Tests weren't as widely available in March. Why would you send an 11 year old to be swabbed by a stranger in a strange school when you can just do it at home?