Email from school: We have decided to stay open, BUT...

[BloodyBoris]

NC.
The mother of a boy at our English secondary school has tested positive for Coronavirus/Covid-19. She has not visited the school very recently. The boy's father is now symptomatic. He attended a large indoor school event with the boy on Tuesday evening this week before his symptoms started. The boy last attended school on Wednesday this week, is asymptomatic and self-isolating at the moment. School were informed on Friday, (yesterday), took advice and have decided not to deep clean or close.

Given the recent comments by WHO, and the actions of other countries and organisations, I am very concerned that this is the wrong advice and therefore the wrong decision.

It is highly likely that the father has Covid-19 and likely that the boy has it. The event on Tuesday night was attended by about a quarter of the school - around 300 pupils, staff and parents, all in very close proximity for several hours. Perhaps they are right and it is too late for a deep clean, but I can't understand why they are not closing, at least for a few days, to try to slow the spread. As yet, there are no other confirmed cases in our area.

I know that the government is insisting that a nudge to wash hands is enough, and that schools stay open in the hope that children will get it and develop herd immunity, but what about all the children who are more vulnerable because of their health, and the equally vulnerable family members at home and in the community.

Should our school stay open? And what would you do about your own DCs in this situation? One of ours has GCSEs coming up this year and is in vulnerable health at the moment, and we also have a family member at home in vulnerable health

[mathanxiety]

Welsh schools to close early for Easter. Exams in Wales to be put off, perhaps indefinitely.

It is surely only a matter of time before English schools also close.

[BloodyBoris]

I think schools - pupils, staff and parents - are in a very difficult position, thanks to our government's stance of inaction. So many are deeply concerned about those in vulnerable health, about GCSEs and A Levels, about being penalised for non attendance - yet unlike just about every other country we are being expected to carry on. My own feeling is that a decision should be taken now about exams, probably to delay them until September. Schools should close this week to the majority, with a vastly scaled down cohort of those who are vulnerable at home, or are in the younger years and have both parents (or one in the case of a lone parent) who are essential workers and who do not have alternative arrangements.

Our school is now saying, again probably on the flawed advice of PHE and DfE, 'we have no confirmed cases in our school although some pupils and staff are in self isolation'. I think you have to question whether this is the actual picture given the first email about the parent who is a confirmed case, their then symptomatic husband and asymptomatic son. Those in self isolation will not be tested because it is not government policy to test unless someone is that ill that they need hospital care. We simply do not know the true picture.

[Haggisfish]

I don’t think the heads can make that decision, no. Any schools that have been closed will be either lack of teachers or the local dept of health telling them to.

[BloodyBoris]

Good on your HT, tootiredtoconga. He shouldn't be put in that position though.

Attendance at our school was down by a fifth last week.

[BloodyBoris]

Surely Heads can close the school if they believe the virus is a safety issues to pupils, staff and the community, Haggis? If Heads can't, then why have some done so recently? And why is Boris reportedly seeking legislation to take the power to close away from Heads and into government hands?

[Haggisfish]

The head can close the school if there are not enough staff for whatever reason (snow is the usual factor) but only phe can tell schools to shut because of coronavirus-heads have no power to do that.

[tootiredtoconga]

My understanding is that it’s only the head that can close their school, not boris. They are looking to push legislation through to give him powers in these unprecedented times.

HT's have been told by the Government that they should not close unless specifically advised to do so by PHE. But PHE are telling schools with confirmed cases that there's no need to close, just send the affected student home. Our HT has said that if staff numbers dwindle to the point he feels it's unsafe he would take the decision to close regardless of what PHE say but Boris is now looking at pushing through legislation to prevent HT's taking that decision, instead forcing them to stay open even where they feel it is not safe to do so. Schools are in a very difficult position.

[BloodyBoris]

I wondered about School Governors in all this, but when I had a brief phone chat yesterday morning with one of ours who is a family friend, he said that he was aware of the email before it was sent to parents, but Governors are not allowed to get involved in the decision. The NGA say the response to the virus is an operational matter and therefore not in their remit.

[BloodyBoris]

The DfE Coronavirus Helpline are still repeating today that schools should follow PHE advice and stay open.

On another thread, a poster mentions an email has been sent to a senior staff member at a school in central England today saying that all schools in that LEA will probably close on Friday.

[BloodyBoris]

That doesn't surprise me, PhoneTwattery. I understand our school was in long discussions with both Dept for Education and Public Health England. At the end of the day they could have decided to close but instead chose to follow the official UK guidance and stay open. How much the school agreed or disagreed with the guidance I do not know. I suspect that if careers are at stake then how much it feels like guidance and how much it feels like strong arm tactics is debateable.

I do feel very supportive of the school and I am sure everyone wants to do the right thing. They are not medical doctors or medical scientists. I understand the dilemmas and politics at play for everyone. It beggars belief though that they are not ensuring access to hand washing and sanitising.

At least we know, and those of us who disagree with the current DfE and PHE approach, have concerns for vulnerable family members and, like other countries and organisations, would rather trust the advice of WHO and other scientists, will have to make our own decisions.

Not enough is known about this virus yet. The government are making assumptions about herd immunity and full recovery that, as I understand it, are guesswork at this stage rather than factual. In this, I agree with the warning recently given that they are risking further deaths and also overwhelming our already struggling NHS. In essence they are playing with peoples lives, including our loved ones. They are not playing with their own lives, of course, because they are healthy and wealthy and, unlike the general population, would get the very best access to testing and medical care.

[PhoneTwattery]

A school panicked and closed for a deep clean last week without consent from Public Health. Headteacher thoroughly bollocked.

[LolaSmiles]

Other schools have closed in similar circumstances, but it probably takes a brave one to act against strong advice and policy
Public health England are advising individual schools as well.
Current government direction is for schools to remain open unless advised to close by Public Health.

[BloodyBoris]

My understanding is that the decision to stay open was taken by the school. They acted on advice given by the relevant bodies and based on current government policy, but ultimately it was the school's decision. Other schools have closed in similar circumstances, but it probably takes a brave one to act against strong advice and policy.

I also understand that the government is intending to bring in a law to make schools stay open, ie to prevent schools from taking an independent decision to close against government policy.

[BloodyBoris]

I agree, RingPiece. 'We're all in this together' - no, the vulnerable at school, home and in the community will be incredibly worried and some will be paying the ultimate price.

[stayingaliveisawayoflife]

I have paid £60 for a five litre bottle of sanitiser gel but I am a primary school teacher and we have run out. I saw 500ml bottles going for £25 each so although it is a chunk of my money it's not obscene like some people are charging and also not delivering till mid April!

I will not be selling it on but if people want some I will give it or charge what I paid before all this which will get me some money back but not what I paid.

[LolaSmiles]

I'm going to ring the school monday and tell the receptionist that I'm not listening to bojo I'm listening to the WHO and if the ed authority want to take me to court over protecting my child then I dont give a rats ass...will be my exact words
Of course being rude to the receptionist at school is obviously the right way to do things. That will show them you mean business and stick it to the government. 🙄

Alternatively you could call up and say your child won't be in.

As others have said, it's Public Health England who make the call on whether schools should close. School staff are already doing their best with the information available to them and preparing for potential shutdowns. Don't be rude or confrontational with them. They're doing their best.

[RingPiece]

I am so cross about this. A friend has an underlying medical condition which means she is severely immunosuppressed. She has to continue to teach in a school where a case has been reported, which hasn't closed for cleaning and she can only have time off when she starts to show dangerous symptoms. She should be given the option to stay at home and protect herself as best she can. It's a disgrace.

[OnTheEdgeOfTheNight]

Something similar happened at our local school (in Glasgow) this week. The school's response was to send a message berating parents for "spreading rumours" and stating that they won't be responding to parents ' questions. It's quite clear that they're following this plan for herd immunity. We must remember that with all viral illnesses, some will recover well, some will have complications and some won't recover.

[BloodyBoris]

Prompted by another thread to finally ask the obvious, I have now discovered from DC that the hand washing facilities at school are dire. No sanitising gel around school - for example in the dining hall - and often no soap and empty or broken dispensers and dryers in the boys' lavatories. I had assumed when the school assured parents that they are encouraging hand washing after using the loo and before eating at break or lunch, that they were making sure that pupils have the means to do it!

I have been sending mine in with little bottles of gel we already had, but these have pretty much run out now. There's none for sale locally - all sold out. Various online retailers like Boots, Superdrug and Lloyds are sold out, have 10 day delays on delivery or insist you go in to collect. We are some distance away from major shops, and surely insisting you go in to towns or cities only increases the risk of virus spread - which defeats the object somewhat of buying gel.

There's plenty for sale on eBay at shamefully inflated prices, which probably partly explains our local empty shelves - profiteers, and panic buyers/stockpilers. There are cheaper options, but I saw one 300ml bottle of gel on eBay has 54 bids up to over £1,000.

[SunshineCake]

Surely people lying saying their kids or themselves have a temperature means school will be more panicked and reacting to a threat that isn't definitely there. If you are so sure of your decision then you shouldn't need to lie.

[BloodyBoris]

The response seems patchy and contradictory. The school has decided to suspend sporting fixtures, trips and foreign visits, but otherwise it is business as usual. They are 'waiting to see' what the picture is with staff and pupils this coming week. My concern is that if that picture is that there are more cases linked to this first family, then the new cases will have had the time in school to spread the virus to yet more staff and pupils. Most of the pupils travel to and from school on public buses, and go in to shops and coffee shops before or after school. Not forgetting, many pupils will be going on to evening and weekend activities like sport, tutoring or music lessons, part-time jobs in pubs, restaurants, cafes and shops, and visiting family and friends who might not be local or linked to the school. Staff too will be mixing outside school. Some pupils and staff will be caring for vulnerable relatives. The school has quite a large catchment area, and has pupils from at least four towns and many villages.

The local football league - not run by the school but involving the same and also primary age children - is carrying on, as are other sporting activities. I can think of children from four secondary schools including ours who go to these activities, and from quite a few primary schools too.

And so it goes on.

[AlunWynsKnee]

I've queried alternative arrangements for a school event next week that could see several hundred adults being in the school hall. I'm in one of the highest risk groups and I am already very anxious about the dc being in school but this seems unnecessary.

[BloodyBoris]

Thank you to all pps for your replies - I'm just catching up on the thread now.

[stayingaliveisawayoflife]

My purchase for my classroom as my stock is running out! I also bought some really cheap soaps from eBay that are in all the school toilets. Also bought rolls of tissues as the hand driers aren't strong enough and apparently wet hands are a problem. This virus has probably cost me over £110 so far. If they want to keep schools open then please give them the funds and resources to keep clean.

[Chloemol]

SUrely it’s too late to close if this was a Tuesday and it’s now Friday/Saturday. The virus will have spread anyway