Are there any alternatives to sending whole years home?

[notevenat20]

Near where I live most of the secondary schools have now sent at least one year home. At DCs school this was because of one positive test result for a child. The year gets sent home for 14 full days.

This can't go on I feel as soon most of the schools will be half empty.

If you were the govt, is there any system could be set up so you don't have to send home an entire year for 14 days?

What do they do in France and Spain where they have more cases than us?

You know it isn't the school who decides I take it.

I'm guessing as she says "if you were the government" then I'm sure she does know the schools don't make the decision. 🙄🙄🙄

Where I leave only certain groups are being sent home-close contacts. Maybe it’s all down to secondary school timetabling and grouping of pupils ie keep the same pupils together as much as possible therefore only 30 or 60/children would need to be sent home. However I’m sure secondary schools are doing the best they can after all it was the government who insisted on whole year group bubbles.

*where I live

I suppose you could try to make sure that the entire year wasn't mingling with each other in the first place?

Our school only sent home close contacts, but they are operating a very tight bubble system, so perhaps that helped.

I suppose you could try to make sure that the entire year wasn't mingling with each other in the first place?

How can you do that if there are sets and options?

Our school only sent home close contacts, but they are operating a very tight bubble system, so perhaps that helped.

I would love to understand this. If there are sets and options then how can you have a bubble smaller than the year?

My daughters school is close contacts only. So people that sat around them plus people they interacted with at lunch.

Close contacts here too. They have a seating plan and are not allowed to change seats so that gets given to test and protect to ID the contacts I guess.

Close contacts here too. They have a seating plan and are not allowed to change seats so that gets given to test and protect to ID the contacts I guess.

Does this mean that at break time they are restricted to their form only? What happens with the sets and options? You will be with a different group of children in maths than you are in French than you are in English normally.

kiss first sentence suggest otherwise, to be frank.

@notevenat20

Close contacts here too. They have a seating plan and are not allowed to change seats so that gets given to test and protect to ID the contacts I guess.

Does this mean that at break time they are restricted to their form only? What happens with the sets and options? You will be with a different group of children in maths than you are in French than you are in English normally.

It’s not so much a big deal for my youngest as he’s just started high school so they are just all in the same classes for everything. For my eldest who is further up the school and picked his subjects for exams I guess they would take the contacts for each class they were in. Break and lunch I guess they just ask the kids who they were with? Not really sure though

France started off closing bubbles like us for 2 weeks after 1 child tests positive. Now they’ve changed this and only close bubbles after 3 test positive (according to a radio 4 coronavirus update). Too disruptive long term otherwise I guess. I think this is sensible imho.

@Piggywaspushed

You know it isn't the school who decides I take it.

Erm actually it's now down to the school. Unless there are two cases, then they have to contact public health. Certainly the case in the NW. some schools sending whole classes, some sending close contacts at the heads discretion.

Make sure you're right before you dive in.

France started off closing bubbles like us for 2 weeks after 1 child tests positive. Now they’ve changed this and only close bubbles after 3 test positive (according to a radio 4 coronavirus update). Too disruptive long term otherwise I guess. I think this is sensible imho.

That is very interesting, thanks! I guess we will have to copy them soon.

Any case and you contact Public Health. Schools are not in charge of public health decisions.

Unless the NW has lost control of the situation die to high numbers,the routine is in the guidelines.

Schools must take swift action when they become aware that someone who has attended has tested positive for coronavirus (COVID-19). Schools should contact the dedicated advice service introduced by Public Health England (PHE) and delivered by the NHS Business Services Authority. This can be reached by calling the DfE Helpline on 0800 046 8687 and selecting option 1 for advice on the action to take in response to a positive case. Schools will be put through to a team of advisers who will inform them of what action is needed based on the latest public health advice.
The advice service will carry out a rapid risk assessment to confirm who has been in close contact with the person during the period that they were infectious, and ensure they are asked to self-isolate. If, following triage, further expert advice is required the adviser will escalate the school’s call to the PHE local health protection team.
The advice service (or PHE local health protection team if escalated) will work with schools to guide them through the actions they need to take. Based on their advice, schools must send home those people who have been in close contact with the person who has tested positive, advising them to self-isolate for 14 days since they were last in close contact with that person when they were infectious. Close contact means:
direct close contacts - face to face contact with an infected individual for any length of time, within 1 metre, including being coughed on, a face to face conversation, or unprotected physical contact (skin-to-skin)
proximity contacts - extended close contact (within 1 to 2 metres for more than 15 minutes) with an infected individual
travelling in a small vehicle, like a car, with an infected person
The advice service (or PHE local health protection team if escalated) will provide definitive advice on who must be sent home. To support them in doing so, we recommend schools keep a record of pupils and staff in each group, and any close contact that takes places between children and staff in different groups (see section 6 of the system of control for more on grouping pupils). This should be a proportionate recording process. Schools do not need to ask pupils to record everyone they have spent time with each day or ask staff to keep definitive records in a way that is overly burdensome.
A template letter will be provided to schools, on the advice of the health protection team, to send to parents and staff if needed. Schools must not share the names or details of people with coronavirus (COVID-19) unless essential to protect others

OP, I do think it is rare to send whole year groups home. Although I am wondering what ahs happened to the government;' alleged protocol of tiers which allowed for rotas in areas of high incidence (in secondary schools).

If we waited until there were three cases in smaller bubbles, the chances of a teacher getting infected become higher. Lack of staff is what will close lots of schools and year groups.

That guidance changed quickly in the north west as public health were inundated. Other areas too. As I said, make sure you are right before diving in.

In many cases public health were taking so long to make a decision head teachers had already acted and then had to u turn. The guidance was swiftly changed.

So in many areas, the decision now falls to the headteacher.

That guidance sounds like they really don't have to send entire year groups home. At my son's secondary each year is already split into 2 - called X and Y. So he doesn't share any classes or form time with half of his year group, so the only possible interaction is at break / lunch or in the corridors (when they are all wearing face masks anyway).

Face masks don't count when looking at contact tracing.

Nelly that sounds shambolic, not comforting. heads should not be put in that permission. The heads might make a start on the tracing but they shouldn't make the central decision.
The DfE has now set up a phone line to overcome overwhelmed PH.Allegedly.

In your casetas half year groups might go, although contact at lunch etc still counts! As does journey to school. It is enormously complex. Secondary schools are regarded as a 'very complex setting' by test and trace.

Absolutely shambolic and not fair. Whole schools shut and other school just sending 3 kids home when a teacher tested positive. No rhyme or reason, but if no support I can't blame the school.

Teachers testing positive are unlikely to get many, if any , kids sent home. Teachers are asked to maintain distance. At least in secondary.