School - how worried are you 1-10?

[ChanceChanceChance]

I'm finding it impossible to settle on how worried I am about school, about whether my children will pick up covid there and how worried I am if that happens.

If you were to put your worry on a scale 1-10, with 1 being 'no more worried than a normal year' and 10 being 'terrified', where are you?

I think I'm going for an average of 6 right now.

3 for the kids (teens)
9 for us parents (not to die but long term breathing and post-viral problems)
9 for some teachers

I don’t know. My mum for example (over 60 and vulnerable) goes to work every day in a drs surgery and has throughout. She doesn’t get told how many cases happen in Dr’s surgeries. People working in factories don’t get told how many people have tested positive in factories (unless there’s a huge outbreak). I don’t see why schools are any different.

@octopus No there is no consolidated list of which classes and which schools are self-isolating or a positive test. There should be but there isn’t. It is being hidden. Parents are being kept in the dark as schools do not seem to be informing them either. All very hush hush. Compare it to all the headlice letters! The English response seems for secondaries seems to be to close eyes, spritz some soap and hope for the best. Bizarre and totally misplaced let’s man up and tough this out. This is a public enquiry just waiting to happen. No masks in classrooms either. Those responsible for this may well find themselves liable in the future.

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No more worried than I am of any contagious illness such as flu, norovirus or chicken pox.
Admittedly I was concerned when 2yo broke out with chicken pox when DS2 was 7 weeks old. I ended up witha rather spotty 9 week old.

I've been more concerned about an autistic child with other SENs returning back to normal school pressures, but it seems to be going well.

I am fortunate that the DCs go to school in a fairly small school of fairly low-risk catchment. However I have been a secondary teacher and survived many a flu/ sick bug season. You take your chances and hope that things turn out OK. Most of the time, you don't even question it and you plod on through life.

@octopus

www.boycottunsafeschools.co.uk/reported-covid-19-cases/school-cases-after-12-8-20/

If you click on a school you can find the links to the sources. I think the numbers are bit behind but a search of twitter shows close to 530

3 for my kids health (Long Covid not death)
3 about my kids bringing it home and infecting me
10 about next summer's exams (dd is doing A-levels)
10 about disruption to education as this will create an even more unfair playing field for exams and the future
1 about my kids school's attitude. (They really are doing their best)

I've just taken my son out of school. I'm very high risk, he's vulnerable too, and cases are rising in our little villages. Yesterday we received a letter saying there was a case in school.

1 for their health
4-5 for the stress around getting tested every time he gets a cold that inevitably turns in to a cough, or the disruption if we need to isolate at any point.

9, we are high risk

2 for primary kid
3 for teen
9 for vulnerable family
9 for school staff

Home educating as no SD in schools and cases rising locally.

7 for repeated disruption and restrictions on teaching that would affect their learning if they were there

@redferrari thanks

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1 about them catching Covid.

About a 5/6 for possible bubble/school closures due to positive tests.

Like others, 1 for the virus, 10 for the disruptions to their education.

My dc went back last Wednesday & had picked up a cold/cough by the weekend. They went back in on Thursday after we received our negative covid19 results Wednesday afternoon (tested on Monday). I can see this being repeated numerous times this autumn/winter.

7 worried the kids will bring it home to my husband who previously had post viral fatigue which was devastating.

Also worried on the effect on my business if the kids get it and/ or passes it on to me. And worried about frequent isolations, waiting for tests etc.

10!!

1

I am mostly concerned for the disruption to their education that will undoubtedly occur over the winter. I am so glad both my dc are in primary rather than exam years. My Dsd however has just started year 11..... I am not particularly concerned about them catching it as odds are they’ll be fine, and the chance of them not being fine is no different to most risks or illnesses they face day to day.

I am not particularly concerned for myself either as a year 1 TA, not in general most staff at primaries. The evidence seems fairly robust to me that young children do not carry this disease in the same way as older children may do. Secondary schools are a different kettle of fish though and I do not envy them at all right now.

I work in education so 8 !

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7/8 I'm extremely clinically vulnerable and I have three children in three different bubbles with an aggregate of 390 vectors kids. But more I'm worried about the amount of disruption ahead of them. Between isolating due to colds with crossover symptoms and getting hold of and waiting for tests and their results/ having a bubble collapse/ all the bubbles collapse - it's going to be a shit show of a winter.

As a teacher the thought of having to work from home again fills me with dread. Hated it.

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