Back to school

[Todaythiscouldbe]

DS, year 10, is going back to school. One day a week for 2 hours. They are in small groups and teachers are changing classrooms, although the expectation is there will be little teaching, this is for support.
I was a bit surprised to see that the students are changing groups each week, so, for example, week one Monday group 1. Pupils ABCD. Week 2, group 3 pupils AEFG, week 3 monday, group 1 again but now it's pupils AHIJ. For clarity, there are 10 in a bubble and DS has checked, his bubbles are different every week, as are everyone else's. I thought the idea was to keep pupils in a bubble, surely this isn't right?
I understand the logistical nightmare faced by schools but, if I go back to work, I'll only be allowed in for 2 days, with a group that remains the same for the foreseeable future, why is school different?

How many are in the small group? I think bubbles can be up to 15 so as long as in total, over the weeks, he isn't with more than 14 others it's ok.

With track and trace I think they are saying only contacts in last 48 hours (as that is when you are contagious pre symptoms), so if there is a longer gap than that between school days it should limit large numbers of students being traced. It would be more of an issue if the students were swapping in a day or every day.

I should probably add it isn't as safe as having a consistent bubble, but will be more educationally valuable with students doing different options, so that is probably why they have done it like that.

with a group that remains the same for the foreseeable future, why is school different

Didn't you know? Just read the other threads on here about education. Schools are magical places where the virus doesn't spread, definitely not to and from children, and DEFINITELY not to any adult in school. School staff are invincible.

15 is only a recommendation.The most obvious reasons would be safety and education. I would guess that at secondary school, students are taller than primary school, so more like adult size in year ten. Ten to a room will allow better adherence to distancing students in a class and therefore safer for both students and staff. In addition for their education the fact that students are probably in streamed sets for subjects and also that they are all taking different options, students would be best placed in groups with the students who are both in their set and as many option classes as near as possible. Considering many year groups at secondary (not all) have an average year group of 250 students, it's going to be a logistical nightmare trying to accommodate each students needs.

Bubbles are not what is being recommended for years 10 and 12 - as obviously they're all doing different subjects. The schools have just been told to limit them to 1/4 of the year group in at once

Aah, thank you @Firefliess, that makes sense.