Schools - are you more worried or less concerned now

[notanoctopus]

On the back of a recent thread asking how worried people were on a scale of 1-10, how worried are people now that they've been back a week or two? Are you more concerned or less concerned than you were just before kids went back? 1- not concerned at all, 10 - really worried.

I'd be a lot less worried if testing was available and also if other common Covid symptoms could be tested for too, (or some government advice on what to do if have those symptoms, rather than simply ignore them), as would mean less risk of catching it, transmitting it, disruption to schools, disruption to job, impact on nhs, deaths etc. I think our true r number was just too high to send everyone back at once. I think it's a disgrace that vulnerable families have been forced back. Really hoping deaths stay low, but if we don't have a handle on testing, how can they?

I’m higher than before. Too many still breaking the rules, lack of tests, delayed results, not testing for known symptoms in children and parents sending in sick children. The R rate seems high and nothing bar the rule of six change.

7

We are in a high Covid area and currently under local restrictions but still only 1 confirmed case at a local highschool (student) a few weeks ago with no subsequent cases since.

You might not know of all cases as they aren't being publicised. I'm in a fairly leafy part of a local lockdown area and my closest primary has year 4 and 6 isolating and my closest secondary has year 8 isolating - both due to confirmed positive tests. I only know this is the case as I have seen the messages from the schools from friends and wouldn't have had a clue otherwise.

10
Dc had 5d and 8d of school before dc1 has symptoms all of them. Waiting on a test.
Plus no work from
School and so we are worse off than last term.

Losing quite a few teachers at the moment in our school due to isolation as they can't get tests. Already planning which year groups to shut down completely and send home when we run low on staff in the next week or two if things don't improve.

If testing was sorted I wouldn't be half as concerned!

Well, I was mostly concerned about workload from the revolving door of children from my class (and having to provide online learning for them as well as teaching). We've been advised that we won't be doing that, so instead it's just a bit silly with absences. I've now got my stand alone set of work ready for my class to take home/have collected, and the videos made to support it, so I'm fine whatever happens. All deeply tedious.

Am hoping that after this initial excitement over tests, parents will stop running off to get one for every snotty nose, so kids will be in more often.

I was ill over the weekend, but it was gone by Monday.

10. I posted here regularly about how terrified I was to send them back as I have a disability and my youngest has a weak immune system. Well, less than a week in to school and we are self isolating as DS has a horrible cough. We're testing him tomorrow. I think it's unlikely its Covid, but I feel utterly defeated and hate myself for sending them back as it would be much harder for them if I pulled them out now, having been back and seen their friends. No contact from the school either, despite emails and calls after they bullied me in to sending them back. I suspect they think I'm making it up to keep them at home. It's a fucking nightmare and I just can't cope anymore. Writing my DC's each a letter in case I don't make it through if I do get Covid. I just wish I'd kept them home.

2

Cases are rife at schools in my area. 50 plus.

Case in my son's options class and now his form tutor. Cases at other son's school.
.

I'm probably a 2 in regards COVID itself.
I'm a 10 for disruption to the children. Routine is a big thing for us (child with ASD). Local nursery had 2 confirmed cases. Local secondary has sent home 2 year groups. Other 1 has sent home 1 year group with 2 confirmed cases.
Primary school just over a mile away has also had a confirmed case. All this surrounding our local area, I can't see how it won't (if it hasn't already) make it's way in to our school.

I read back on the '5 things we need to achieve' and I believe we're failing on 3 of them - we don't have testing available for all. We don't have test & trace - it was a shitshow before but esp now lots are struggling to even get tests.
We have rising case & rising hospital admissions.

I'm struggling to see what exactly our government have learnt from Feb / March & I'm beginning to wonder whether I should be preparing even more for home learning than I was.

@BanditsBum

1

Our schools have been back since mid August.

All of the scare mongering of it ripping through schools and teachers dropping like flies has yet to actually happen although we aren't in winter yet.

We are in a high Covid area and currently under local restrictions but still only 1 confirmed case at a local highschool (student) a few weeks ago with no subsequent cases since.

Well try living in Birmingham then. There were 50 schools in the last week in Bham and The Black Country and those are just the ones in the news.

It isn't scaremongering. This is the reality that both my sons' GCSE years are being impacted already.

Risk - 1
Disruption - 10
Risk of me blowing my top with stupid people desperately trying to drum up hysteria and get the schools closed cos they like being at home with little Chardonnay - 100

@MarcelineMissouri

Worried about what? Actual risk of coronavirus - 1 Disruption to school over the next few months - 10

Same

1 forr catching Covid, 10 for my poor DD stuck at home again!

@middleager- agreed! My DC A levels seem like an impossible task with the disruption of just one single case in a ridiculous bubble of 200-300 pupils, many of whom never sit in the same classroom together due to totally different options and teachers

Not worried about catching it

Worried about them catching normal bugs and us all having to isolate for 2 weeks because we can’t get a test (many friends in this position)

Worried about another year of education chaos.

I was a 4 because I worried about teacher safety and parents not adhering to social distancing. I'm now a 10 this is specific to my kids school because their idea of social distancing is for their benefit alone so parents are actively encouraged to huddle together when other options are available that could help both parents and the staff, plus they're encouraging us to go against the guidance on when families should isolate.

Niece's school, primary, one confirmed case in her class. Close contacts, that's just five children, who sat next to them isolating but now six are also off with similar symptoms. Close contact isolating doesn't work so I'd say 8. Whole class including teacher and TA need to isolate.

[quote Hereinthesticks]@middleager- agreed! My DC A levels seem like an impossible task with the disruption of just one single case in a ridiculous bubble of 200-300 pupils, many of whom never sit in the same classroom together due to totally different options and teachers[/quote]
Exactly. At this stage in their education I am far more concerned about the impact this will have on their futures than I am of catching this.

1

7 for catching it.
9 for disruption.
1 confirmed case so far in my kids' school. In my son's year group. Close contacts are isolating but my son is a good friend of a pupil who is isolating. I can see disruption to schools everywhere in the next few weeks.

Same as before
1 for Covid
10 for disruption

I had an email from DS’s school today which says the government has told them to prepare for “1 week on one week off” school 😡.

1 for the actual virus

10 for my children having to needlessly miss 2 weeks of school if one gets a cold with a cough/temp and the testing shambles means they can't get a quick negative and get back to school

I don't know. My children are thrilled to be back in school. I'm thrilled to be able to work without disruption. I'm willing to take my chances with covid, rather than homeschool whilst also working from home forever more.