To think this class should be closed?

[Jenster03]

I'm a part time primary teacher and in the space of two weeks, 14 children have tested positive out of 30 in my class.
We've had 2 or 3 return in that time, but more and more are testing positive. Now my teaching assistant has it.
AIBU to think we should be sending the class home and remote learning? How would you feel if you were a parent of a child in my class?
Oh, and I'm pretty anxious about my level of exposure too!

YANBU OP
Unbelievable that the UK are expecting all of us to put up with the level of exposure, this isn't the case in other European countries and it doesn't have to be like this.
Learning to live with it means taking reasonable precautions to suppress it, not letting it rip regardless.
11 children died just in September FFS. That includes 3 with no underlying conditions.
The argument that we should get it over and done with by letting all the kids catch it is the most ridiculous one I have ever heard - avoid a highly contagious and potentially dangerous disease by... catching it?! When there's repeat infections and no long term immunity anyway? Don't know what people are on.
I'm a parent and my son was pretty ill when he had covid. It's a lottery.
Not all vulnerable children are vaccinated, some healthy children are being badly affected too, school staff and parents' vaccines are now waning.

We need to get a grip on the level of infections in the community and take some further steps to slow transmission in schools.
I feel for all the school staff, children and their families who are being exposed to this who are not happy with the situation (there are a lot of us around).
I hope someone sues the government very soon.
Bring on the public inquiry.

@montysma1

"In all probability"

You know that people die who aren't vulnerable right? And its not really fair to expect teachers to suck up the risk (let alone poorly paid support staff) just to keep your children off your hands.

This I agree with

Haunted we can start with mask wearing, not sending household contacts into school, hospitals or workplaces and give vulnerable families the option to access remote learning when cases are in their class or year.

why are they also encouraging people to go back into the office as well when there is no reason to the job in many cases can be done just the same at home

Our fool of a headteacher has been telling people to come in with symptoms. She told someone who had tested positive through a PCR test to come in. Covid is spreading through our school, and it's not surprising when SLT don't understand their own risk assessment.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

Haunted we can start with mask wearing, not sending household contacts into school, hospitals or workplaces and give vulnerable families the option to access remote learning when cases are in their class or year.

We did this in the summer and the country fell apart pretty much - there's no way it's sustainable

Its so hard to balance, because i was over all the measures and fully behind opening everything up because of the vaccine, lower hospital rates and death rates etc Me and my 2 DC had it 4 weeks ago, caught from secondary school and were pretty poorly but recovered quickly however then my DF got it 14 days ago and 11 days ago collapsed and was rushed by ambulance straight to intensive care and straight on to a ventilator. He was 10 mins away from total heart failure and end of life and wasnt expected to make it through the ventilation procedure. He scraped through but has been on and off a ventilator and in and out of a coma for the last 11 days., i cannot begin to describe the living nightmare our family are in. Twice weve been called to prepare ourselves for the worst. The hospital said the only thing that have saved him so far has been being double vaccinated but hes still in a coma and ventilated with no end currently. I naively beleived it was really only the very elderly or those unvaccinated that were at real risk now. My DF is in his 60s and couple of health complications but i wasnt (stupidly) overly concerned about him getting it. Now his odds are 50/50 at absolute best. On day 3 He was moved to another hospital an hour from the first, still on a ventilator, because the first hospital (a large one) had exceeded the number of beds available in ICU and they had gone into the over flow and now that was full too and they needed a bed for if an emergency like my DFs was came in. Weve s8nce foublnd out this is happening 1000s of times all over the country because ICUs are full. Ive got to say, its utterly terrifying seeing it from this side and seeing first hand how hard ICU are working has been humbling and we are in awe.
Full lockdown arent the answer now but seeing it rampage through local schools has been an eye opener. I cant help but think there has to be a better answer than what we are doing currently. A month ago i had to take my DD into school knowing her DB had tested pos for Covid. I apologised to her teacher and the head because it felt utterly the wrong thing to do and low and behold she was off the next day after more than likely spreading it around a day longer than necessary (although we are in the SW and got caught up with the pos LFTS and Neg PCR tests sh*tshow but thats a whole other thread)
We really need a new plan...

Nah, wouldn't be too bothered - you can't avoid it forever and I'm sick of schools closing. I'm sure you'll get your wish soon because I can't see us not going into lockdown before the end of the year. To be honest, I don't think (correct me if I'm wrong) you get worse covid if you're exposed from more than one source so i don't think the number of positive cases is relevant.

"It's not nice, but its how we lived for a couple thousand years before modern medicine. And it's just how we need to live now."

Wtf has happened to hope, to respect for others and ourselves, for some kind of aiming for a decent standard of living without fear of illness, of poverty, etc?

I seriously do not understand what is going on. Does no-one care any more? Doesn't anyone look at other countries in Europe, in Asia, etc and think they'd quite like to live with it in the way most other people do, rather than with the astronomically high cases, long-covid cases, adult and also child deaths each month?

It's like the whole country has depression. Or 30% of it, according to this poll anyway.

Is that across England & Wales @Moll2020? Or just your LA? Are school places at risk for unauthorised absences?
I have been told by the school that we risk being fined (and this was earlier in the year) and off-rolled if the dc have unauthorised absence.

@Jenster03

I'm a part time primary teacher and in the space of two weeks, 14 children have tested positive out of 30 in my class. We've had 2 or 3 return in that time, but more and more are testing positive. Now my teaching assistant has it. AIBU to think we should be sending the class home and remote learning? How would you feel if you were a parent of a child in my class? Oh, and I'm pretty anxious about my level of exposure too!

No absolutely not. My sons y5 class also had 15 out of 30 positive and the rest carried on unless they became unwell in any way. The time for sending home whole classes is over thank god (unless there are no staff left) Unfortunately teachers are in the firing line for exposure just as nurses, police, prison wardens and other public service roles are. However, unless vulnerable if you are double vaxxed then there is an extremely high probability you will just be slightly ill as you probably have been countless times before covid with other class bugs

Wow OP, I think we must work at the same school 🤦🤷🤪

Have just heard that in my DD's class at college they will be doing remote learning for a week after half term.

They told the students it was 'due to resits'.

I don't think this is the case. More like they have realised the government is doing nothing to protect staff and students and are exercising their right to do remote learning.
And I think it is a good thing.

One of my DD's teachers has covid. No mechanism in place to communicate with the parents if cases rise, nobody being 'pinged'.
Nothing.

You can't and shouldn't sustain a situation like that, so I'm with you OP. You deserve to be in a safe workplace and right now it isn't.

No deciison yet on second jabs for sixteen or seventeen year olds
either.

I was tagged .

@duffeldaisy

"It's not nice, but its how we lived for a couple thousand years before modern medicine. And it's just how we need to live now."

Wtf has happened to hope, to respect for others and ourselves, for some kind of aiming for a decent standard of living without fear of illness, of poverty, etc?

I seriously do not understand what is going on. Does no-one care any more? Doesn't anyone look at other countries in Europe, in Asia, etc and think they'd quite like to live with it in the way most other people do, rather than with the astronomically high cases, long-covid cases, adult and also child deaths each month?

It's like the whole country has depression. Or 30% of it, according to this poll anyway.

People do care. Some of us at least.

Some, sadly have succumbed to their baser instincts and selfish behaviour.

I work in a primary school. Lots of children are being diagnosed. Some have tested positive with no symptoms but their parents have it (so whole household tested).
We also have some children who have developed long covid & are now diagnosed with new conditions that are life changing.
I am concerned because I have an immune suppressed husband.
We are not allowed to wear masks & its impossible to practice social distancing in school.

My neighbour (36 no underlying health conditions) is now dying in intensive care. She'd had her first jab but caught covid before her 2nd.

The people who say 'we have to live with it' forget/don't care that many people don't live.

@Finglesfingers

Its so hard to balance, because i was over all the measures and fully behind opening everything up because of the vaccine, lower hospital rates and death rates etc Me and my 2 DC had it 4 weeks ago, caught from secondary school and were pretty poorly but recovered quickly however then my DF got it 14 days ago and 11 days ago collapsed and was rushed by ambulance straight to intensive care and straight on to a ventilator. He was 10 mins away from total heart failure and end of life and wasnt expected to make it through the ventilation procedure. He scraped through but has been on and off a ventilator and in and out of a coma for the last 11 days., i cannot begin to describe the living nightmare our family are in. Twice weve been called to prepare ourselves for the worst. The hospital said the only thing that have saved him so far has been being double vaccinated but hes still in a coma and ventilated with no end currently. I naively beleived it was really only the very elderly or those unvaccinated that were at real risk now. My DF is in his 60s and couple of health complications but i wasnt (stupidly) overly concerned about him getting it. Now his odds are 50/50 at absolute best. On day 3 He was moved to another hospital an hour from the first, still on a ventilator, because the first hospital (a large one) had exceeded the number of beds available in ICU and they had gone into the over flow and now that was full too and they needed a bed for if an emergency like my DFs was came in. Weve s8nce foublnd out this is happening 1000s of times all over the country because ICUs are full. Ive got to say, its utterly terrifying seeing it from this side and seeing first hand how hard ICU are working has been humbling and we are in awe. Full lockdown arent the answer now but seeing it rampage through local schools has been an eye opener. I cant help but think there has to be a better answer than what we are doing currently. A month ago i had to take my DD into school knowing her DB had tested pos for Covid. I apologised to her teacher and the head because it felt utterly the wrong thing to do and low and behold she was off the next day after more than likely spreading it around a day longer than necessary (although we are in the SW and got caught up with the pos LFTS and Neg PCR tests sh*tshow but thats a whole other thread) We really need a new plan...

I'm so sorry you are going through this. As I've said before I try to keep my levels of fear in check, but I'm a single parent and have to stay alive!

I agree with schools/colleges it is not sustainable.

I'm hopiing some realise that and make decisions accordingly.

With college my DD had one day of home learning from the start, so I hope they are organised enough to swtich if we have to.

So what's the policy in England / Wales? Does nothing happen at all if a classmate tests positive? That, along with the lack of masks, seems utter madness.

Here in NI, the whole class automatically goes off and has to get a PCR. Once you get a negative result, your're allowed back to school. It's 1 or 2 days off not 10 so the inconvenience is minimised but takes steps to ensure safety of others...

My son caught it from another pupil (21 kids from a class of 26 ended up off) and school advised we could still send his siblings in as they were negative - week later daughter is positive and a few days later our third child was positive as were me and hubby. Now other kids in their classes all have it too. School advised wouldn’t have work to send if we kept them home as teacher focussing on classes in school. Head teacher wanted to close school but was told by council and public health were to remain open.

@YerMaWantsYa

So what's the policy in England / Wales? Does nothing happen at all if a classmate tests positive? That, along with the lack of masks, seems utter madness.

Here in NI, the whole class automatically goes off and has to get a PCR. Once you get a negative result, your're allowed back to school. It's 1 or 2 days off not 10 so the inconvenience is minimised but takes steps to ensure safety of others...

I'm South West England.

No, there is nothing in place right now like this.
Plus the sxxt show of inaccurate PCR tests in the South West.

My DD's teacher has Covid a couple of days ago and we've not been told to get a PCR test, or for DD to stay off.

I'd say it's responsible to send them home.... but then I'd have done everything at least a month sooner than gov have done it.... in the 6 weeks holiday they could have had secondary pupils vaccinated... but no mask less in school and out.... It's still here due to PM cxxking it up and antivaxxers and antimaskers.
I've taken to reading news from other countries.... latest news due to lack of restrictions a sub-variant of the delta one (no catchy name yet but I vote for the name dipstick variant) is growing and almost exclusively found in Britain (handful of cases in Denmark).
Deseases can be controlled.... but not if we/the Gov are so slug like and halfaxsed.

Yes I'm sick of it but putting my fingers in my ears whilst singing just get over it isn't a solution (isn't an option for the 954 deaths for the week between 14th-20th of this month....and that's using the 28 day rule that catches 88% of deaths)

😳🍀🍀🍀🍀

Kiduknot…. No other profession is being exposed in that way…. Really…. What about retail workers, there is no longer anyone wearing a mask and some of us have jobs that involve close contact with customers goods that are not at all clean and customers who think nothing of coming in unwell or even on their way to a covid test… as they might have to isolate, so they better get everything done that they need

@orangetriangle

why are they also encouraging people to go back into the office as well when there is no reason to the job in many cases can be done just the same at home

True. HMCTs are fully back and judges and representatives all being pressured to attend in person.

@YerMaWantsYa

So what's the policy in England / Wales? Does nothing happen at all if a classmate tests positive? That, along with the lack of masks, seems utter madness.

Here in NI, the whole class automatically goes off and has to get a PCR. Once you get a negative result, your're allowed back to school. It's 1 or 2 days off not 10 so the inconvenience is minimised but takes steps to ensure safety of others...

So then what if the child has the negative pcr. Goes in and then the next day another child tests positive. Does the whole class need to do the pcr again? 15 out of 30 had covid this month in my sons class. Every day there were more positives. Would the kids just be off every day doing pcr’s? In that case May as well close the class for 10 days and not have to subject young children to repeated throat swabs which for many parents of little kids is a nightmare.

In some circumstances they'll identify only the close contacts rather than the whole class to take the PCR.