Primary school seems obsessed with covid

[Lightswitch123]

My children's primary seem obsessed with covid.

We had a few cases in school before half term (??20 positive tests in the whole of the school?)

Now we are back, because 2 parents emailed the head over half term to say their child had a also had a positive result, the school have cancelled all in person events, after school clubs, parents not allowed in playground, reintroduced bubbles, staggering drop offs, minimising lunch and play times, kids not allowed to use class pens or pencils, no water provided etc

We get at least 1 parentmail a day "updating" us on the situation.

This is in spite of no one actually being unwell- just positive lateral flow / pcr results off the back of being named contacts. And we've all been off for ages for half term as well.

It all seems so bloody punative and OTT.

I'm beginning to think I'd rather the kids went elsewhere or just stayed at home away from this crazy.

Aibu?

YABU - School response sounds reasonable

YANBU - School is OTT

Also any advice as to how to tackle this with the school? It's doing my head in.

*waiting times.

Anyway...

Looks like the outcome is- unsurprisingly- that parents aren't going to test any more judging by the WhatsApp chats in various year groups.

Covid worshipping?

I usually try and remain civil and polite on the site but FFS. That is an absolutely ridiculous thing to say.

When there are no staff left to teach because no one has tested and staff have caught it, I'm sure you'll all be v happy. Let's hope none of them die, as I can assure you explaining that to kids is much more traumatic than no tiddly winks after school.

‘Covid worshipping’? People don’t half come out with some shite at time… 🙄

What I will say though is that it was absolutely ripping through the schools here before half term and at one point was so bad that a secondary school had to send several year groups home because so many staff were unwell (not just Covid related in fairness) and there were no supply teachers available.

Schools are trying to minimise that happening and if that means being strict then so be it. I’m sure you’d be the first to moan OP if your child’s school had to close, given your stinking and entitled attitude on here🙄

Lightswitch123
"Looks like the outcome is- unsurprisingly- that parents aren't going to test any more judging by the WhatsApp chats in various year groups."

WOW! How selfish! So people aren't testing incase their results inconvenience them? Meanwhile, they are free to go about their lives potentially spreading the virus to everyone they come into contact with. 🤷‍♀️That folks, is how we are still not on top of Covid!

Sure.... because that's what's happening now....

@Lightswitch123

Fair enough if this was still 2020.

But it's not.

Kids don't get ill from covid.

This obsessive testing and disrupting does not happen for the flu or rsv or other communicable illnesses that actually make children and adults of parental age unwell.

We are almost 2 years down the line.

Everyone who wants to be is vaccinated.

At what point does this madness end?

Your kids might not get ill from covid, but not all kids are that lucky - some have conditions that mean covid could be at best pretty serious and at worst, fatal. Under 12s aren't yet able to get the vaccine and so whilst I totally understand the frustration and disappointment for what our kids are missing (I feel it too), parents like me are relying on schools to be cautious to minimize the risk to children like mine, who are clinically vulnerable. I wish we didn't have to still take all these precautions but as a worried parent, I'm grateful we are because it might just keep my kids okay.

Childcare is entirely structured around school provision.
The government recognised this when they made schools accessible to parents of sufficiently worthy occupations.
Home learning certainly had fuck-all to do with education in this house. 6.5 months of squandered learning opportunity which school ignored despite a collection of SEN diagnoses. Yes, I'm bitter

Working parents make their childcare arrangements around school provision, and beyond family and friends there are huge gaps when that routine is broken at short notice. One of the final straws of my career was strike action and I ended up trying to teach my own classes with my 5yo clinging on to my leg because DH was on another continent and there was no other person who could look after DS from 12pm until 3.15 when the ASC started.

Working parents often have the weakest support network because they often live in different parts of the country to family and aren't near the school gates to build a local support network.

Creating childcare gaps when routines are broken is very problematic to working parents.

not my problem anymore, but it still exists for others and must have been a fucking nightmare since March 2020

I'm a teacher who caught Covid in school when 22/27 of my class all came down with it too. I'm double vaccinated but I'm not back at school yet, 8 weeks later.
Kids might not be getting seriously ill but they are passing it to school staff, their parents and their grandparents.
I think it is entirely sensible to try and limit other people - parents, visitors into school.
When the staff start getting ill from it. It becomes not only bad for the teachers health, it is disruptive to the pupils too. My class were lucky. They more or less had a couple of consistent supply teachers. My dd's class in the same school had at least 12 teachers (I lost count) when their teacher's caught it.
Schools are trying their best and struggling to keep going, particularly when there is an outbreak. We can't ignore it and just say we have had enough of the restrictions. We have to try and limit the risks so that we can struggle on - for the children's sake.
Many of the regulations are set out by local authorities anyway. Believe it or not, most teachers want the best for their pupils. I have sleepless nights about "my kids" in my class. I was sending emails with my plans from my hospital bed when I was admitted for oxygen for covid. I would have much rather have been with them.
I'm looking forward to going tentatively back to class on Friday.

Covid worship? Really OP?

YANBU. It's crazy.

[quote Nevermindthesquirrels]@JustLyra I've never heard it called anything but after school club. The activity clubs are always called by their activity eg I'm meant to be at football club miss etc etc.
Regional differences I guess.
I still stick to the fact that, whether we like it or not, school is absolutely childcare.[/quote]
There are differences in regulation and funding. After school clubs have to be educational or activity lead. After school care is as it says.
Just one of those things.

I didn’t comment on school being childcare or not - it was only the comment about after school clubs I commented on.

Kids don't get ill from covid

Some do. But, more pertinently, if they get Covid they tend to spread it to adults around them many of whom may be particularly vulnerable.

@Lightswitch123

Errr cases are falling!

Errr no they're not!

Teachers run after school clubs for free. Not part of their paid job but have done them as they like kids. I'm afraid after this year and feeling like my life is worthless I will not be running any more clubs after school. Goodwill is gone.

There are those with greater knowledge than you or I making the decisions. OP.

I'd rather they do that than your ill-informed ranting.

@Stela40

Lightswitch123 "Looks like the outcome is- unsurprisingly- that parents aren't going to test any more judging by the WhatsApp chats in various year groups."

WOW! How selfish! So people aren't testing incase their results inconvenience them? Meanwhile, they are free to go about their lives potentially spreading the virus to everyone they come into contact with. 🤷‍♀️That folks, is how we are still not on top of Covid!

Have you every tested on a daily basis your well 5 year old child daily for flu "just in case?"

Doing a test that hurts and upsets them and causes them great health anxiety?

@JustLyra that's interesting. Our ASC, and the schools I've worked in before cannot take on kids who haven't turned 5 because the insurance is extortionate. Means generally reception kids are not invited.
Our ASC is 'educational' but it doesn't go much further than some puzzles, crafts and the like. All child led in a big hall attached to a small kitchen. This is how its looked in pretty much every school ive been in.

@mumsneedwine really? Is this a secondary school?

Usually it’s not the schools decision to put in extra measures so they’ve probably seen advised this by public health-or whatever they are called noe

Have you access to home flu tests during an outbreak? That might help you figure that one out OP.

Kids don't get ill from covid

Would you like to tell that to mine who's currently crying in my bed where he's insisted on going because his whole body is hurting and paracetamol isn't touching it? Who can't keep his eyes open because his eyeballs hurt but needs to to be sick.

Don't you dare say kids don't get ill from covid.

Anyone else think that the OP is ‘that parent’!?😉

Absolutely BiscoffAddict ;)