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.

@Sugarplumfairy65 i refuse to believe this term is harder then last year. However, people are absolutely fed up of COVID now and staff are extremely extremely burnt out. There is nothing more to give. People don't realise the logistics involved in these thpes of changes. The staff on the frontline pay the price. It's certainly not fair on them either. They are the ones that are how negatively this effects the kids.

I can’t believe that 7 pages into this thread people are still trotting out the ‘but school is not childcare’ line.

Yes, school is not just childcare, but childcare is a pretty big part of it. Saying schools do provide childcare does not negate the fact they also provide learning, enrichment activities, socialisation, safeguarding etc etc.

And the childcare element is obviously vital for many many working parents, and so should be a consideration in policy debates on if and when schools should close due to covid.

YANBU at all. Some people have just grabbed the excuse to be neurotic and force their craziness on all and sundry.

It's not their decision what protocols are put into place, when you get x number of cases you need to inform the LA who then decide.

Many schools in the South West have been hit much harder this term than any other time in the pandemic. One local school had more cases in the week before half term than they had had in total prior to that week. Staff shortages are also a nightmare with very little supply available, even if they have the money to pay for supply.

I can't believe the tone of so many posters, 'Covid is like over now, stop dragging it on, yawn!'

Meanwhile, back in the real world, people running organisations realise that Covid will still requires management & simply ignoring is not an option.

From Guardian today
Schools in England will struggle to keep classrooms open if staff absences due to Covid continue to rise, headteachers have warned, as government data revealed that one in 50 teachers were absent with confirmed or suspected Covid infections before the half-term break

The figures from the Department for Education show that Covid cases among staff and students continued to rise to record levels within England’s state schools

Paul Whiteman, the general secretary of the National Association of Head Teachers, said:

These figures show just how bad things got at the end of last term, with both pupil and staff absence at their highest levels so far this year.

As we enter the second half of the autumn term, school leaders are worried that unless the government does more, disruption is likely to continue for the foreseeable future.

The survey of attendance up to 21 October found that 248,000 children – 3.2% of all pupils – were missing school for Covid-related reasons, a rise of 39,000 compared with the DfE’s previous survey on 14 October

That included 214,000 children with confirmed or suspected cases, compared with 192,000 the previous week

The overall absence rate at state schools climbed to 12% from 10% previously, and remained markedly worse at secondary schools where fewer than 86% of pupils were present

Whiteman said:

A particular concern for school leaders is the ongoing impact of staff absence linked to Covid. We know that schools are finding it increasingly hard to cover staff absence and in many cases they simply cannot afford the cost of so many supply teachers.

Staff and pupil absences are why schools are reintroducing measures not because they want to but because they are trying to keep a lid on the bubbling pot!!

[quote Nevermindthesquirrels]@Ewock as cruel as it is, we cannot base decision in the whole country on the tragic death of a child. I cannot bear the thought of this parents grief and it is absolutely tragic. Unfortunately people die everyday from preventable conditions, but we cannot completely take away all risk. The risk to children is there, but it is minimal.
I could equally argue that my friends daughter who committed suicide during the second lockdown is proof that they shouldn't happen. Yes, probably to some extent. But it holds as little power as your argument. Both deaths are absolutely tragic.

My point is, this obsession around taking away the risk of infection, you are inadvertently increasing the risk to vulnerable children who rely on clubs for a safe space. The list is endless.
For your fear of contracting the disease, there will be another parent who is in fear of losing their jobs due to lack of childcare. And yes, unfortunately for millions, school is childcare.
It is a horrible position to be in when making these decisions around lockdown etc but those decisions have to be weighed up. Every single decision will have a consequence.
I do believe that in the context of the current situation, OPs school is being completely out of order.[/quote]
I absolutely agree about children's mental health and suicide. What is needed is a rational response. We have schools doing nothing to mitigate risk, and by that I mean basics such as mask wearing on site, no face to face meetings or assemblies etc. These do not effect the kids or damage their education. The ops school does seem to be taking things ott. However I do get irritated at the flippant use of 'kids dont get ill from covid' and I'm sorry but your sentence of people die everyday for many reasons, yes they do but this could have possibly been prevented with some mitigations in place.
Again as in other discussions about this the lack of clear strategies or guidance from the dfe and governement is causing many issues which could easily be solved.
As a teacher myself I am anxious when I am in class with a child whose parent/sibling is at home having had symptoms and tested positive. I have a family member who is unable to have a vaccine booster due to allergic reactions to the first two and is now left waiting to hear what can be done, the Drs don't seem to know and are taking ages to refer to an allergy specialist who can hopefully help. For her it is worse than at year as people are mixing, masks aren't mandatory so her chances of catching covid are high. Remember the vaccine protects the person who had it, it does not mean that they won't pass the virus on to others.
As you can tell I am just fed up of people doing nothing and the I'm alright Jack mentality.
For people arguing about schools being childcare, well they are aren't they. My children are in school and that is my childcare for my working days. Of course it is education primarily but many parents work when their children are at school and in the schools care.

[quote Nevermindthesquirrels]@SpinsForGinb i understand the sentiment behind it but it's one of the phrases on mumsnet that makes my blood boil. Its So incredibly entitled and horrible. In a perfect world it wouldn't be childcare, the reality is it is and it so horrible reading people be belittled by this comment.[/quote]
Yes. It's not a good thing that we have a system where school does function as essential childcare, but it's fucking idiotic to refuse to accurately describe this reality because we don't like it.

YANVVVU.
You have NO idea on the medical background of the other children or the staff in your DC’s school. Covid can and has killed children.

@ewock This is exactly the sort of discussion we should be having. This whole notion of all or nothing is so divisive and unhelpful.
These things are so much more complicated than a yes or no. As I said, everything has its consequences, and for some, those will be massively negative.
Your allergy clinic dilemma is a perfect example. So many NHS services completely shut down, were not flexible in the slightest but were happy to see patients privately. My daughter didn't see her speech and language therapist for a year but she offered her services privately for £80 pH. This has happened across the board, camhs, speech and language etc etc.
We all know too well the negative consequences of these closures, they are now crippling schools.

There is no real winner in this argument, but back to OPs point, schools that are taking away vital services before there is an absolute need to, are being completely unfair.

Sorry I've come across as ranty and didn't mean to as we all will have differing opinions and ideas of risk based upon our individual circumstances. For me I guess it comes down to such a lack of guidance from those in power who should be trying to ease things but instead spread uncertainty which breeds anxiety.

[quote Nevermindthesquirrels]@ewock This is exactly the sort of discussion we should be having. This whole notion of all or nothing is so divisive and unhelpful.
These things are so much more complicated than a yes or no. As I said, everything has its consequences, and for some, those will be massively negative.
Your allergy clinic dilemma is a perfect example. So many NHS services completely shut down, were not flexible in the slightest but were happy to see patients privately. My daughter didn't see her speech and language therapist for a year but she offered her services privately for £80 pH. This has happened across the board, camhs, speech and language etc etc.
We all know too well the negative consequences of these closures, they are now crippling schools.

There is no real winner in this argument, but back to OPs point, schools that are taking away vital services before there is an absolute need to, are being completely unfair.[/quote]
You said it much better than I did. I admit my view is clouded by my family members allergy problems and the death of another close family member from covid. But you are correct that removing vital services is not the way to go. I am sorry for your daughter as that service is needed and extremely important, being offered private is not a solve as not many can afford to pay that.

Alot of the restrictions are being put back into place to minimise the transmission to adults around the school. If you have 6 children off its not a big dent, 6 adults off could mean a school has to close and the rest of the cohort have to be home schooled

We’ve not really lost any of those measures. It’s pretty rife here and I’ve just had it. Double vaxed and haven’t felt so ill in a long time. Now can’t smell or taste and still feel shit. Previously v healthy. Many of us working in schools don’t want it, some will be late 50s and 60s, some will have vulnerable people in their families or there may be vulnerable children in school. It’s pretty nasty. Can’t believe the selfishness in the op. Do you really begrudge schools trying to keep staff and pupils safe.

YANVVVU.
You have NO idea on the medical background of the other children or the staff in your DC’s school. Covid can and has killed children.

^this

Maybe do some reading up on Long Covid too, OP.

@3asyp33l3r Sorry to hear you are so sick, I really do hope it passes. I honestly don't think the other side of the argument is completely selfish. All comments are coming from a place of loss. This shouldn't divide us to the level it is.
I am completely on OPs side, however I know, as I'm sure others do who agree with her, that those measures are there to protect. The problem is with all of this is that for the things you gain from the closures and restrictions, someone looses something too. I think everyone is just so sad and frustrated about that, on all sides.

@Lightswitch123

None of these measures were ever stopped at our village school it's been the same from the start

I think they're trying to keep people safe and to be honest I don't miss the stampede of parents in cloakrooms and hanging round the playground it should be a drop off and go - if anything good has come from Covid it's that!

It is completely selfish. What about those of us caring for elderly relatives or those of us with partners whose jobs are vulnerable…..we now have Covid in the house. Can’t care for my mum and my husband can’t work as is ill. People who work in schools aren’t dispensable. We have lives and matter too. I can’t believe how little people value schools for anything other than childcare. The kids don’t matter snd neither do the staff. Covid has been a real eye opener.

The issue is that covid isn't going anywhere. It's likely we'll all end up getting it at least once.

Acting quickly makes sense, but only two children have tested positive, and it's almost certain there will be at least two children testing positive for many years to come.

SpinsForGinb i understand the sentiment behind it but it's one of the phrases on mumsnet that makes my blood boil. Its So incredibly entitled and horrible. In a perfect world it wouldn't be childcare, the reality is it is and it so horrible reading people be belittled by this comment.

Why is it so entitled for people to acknowledge that it's pretty much impossible to work if the schools close?
That's just a fact.

@3asyp33l3r

It is completely selfish. What about those of us caring for elderly relatives or those of us with partners whose jobs are vulnerable…..we now have Covid in the house. Can’t care for my mum and my husband can’t work as is ill. People who work in schools aren’t dispensable. We have lives and matter too. I can’t believe how little people value schools for anything other than childcare. The kids don’t matter snd neither do the staff. Covid has been a real eye opener.

Honestly .. I suspect its much like when flu is around or Noro Virus.

We do have to live with this now. We are not a disease free society unfortunately - although I suspect many people think we are or should be entitled to one at every one else expense

Anyone still saying covid is like flu is completely thick.

I'm sick of being polite about this.

How do you know only 2 have had it? It’s not broadcasted who has had it or even numbers in our school. It seems pretty virulent where we are. Wouldn't wish it on anybody it’s horrible and the weirdest virus. The best way to keep schools open is to follow guidelines and keep to stringent measures which schools are doing a magnificent job of doing. All these people tucked away from the germ factories some of us are working in you’ll be thinking very differently when you’ve had a dose of the current variant doing the rounds.

I’ve had flu and I’ve had Covid. I wasn’t as ill with flu or left feeling dizzy with zero sense of smell or taste after flu. Some people are like this for a year after. There is no guarantees as to who gets lucky and who doesn’t. I didn’t even have the breathing difficulties some have.

Some kids get Ill from Covid
Some kids end up hospitalized from Covid
Some kids have to worry about bringing home Covid to family members