Covid case in DC’s year group - what now?

[WilsonMilson]

So there’s been a positive case at dc’s school in his year group. 2/3 of the year (around 150 in the year, so approx 100) sent home this morning, they were those children who have classes with the poor kid who’s positive.
My dc hasn’t been sent home as in none of the same classes, but sits next to a couple of people who have been sent home and is friends / socialises at break and lunch with those who have had close contact.

Shouldn’t the entire year bubble be sent home in that case? They are not allowed to socialise at break with other years, so to keep in their year bubble, but seems a bit risky to not just send home everyone - but then if they did that there would be no one at school.
I can see both sides, but feeling nervous. All a bit close to home now.

To clarify, I meant just sent the entire year home. Not the entire school!

Was the same with my son last week. Year has been split into two bubbles, two positive cases in one half of the year so that half year were sent home to self isolate. There were a handful of my son"s bubble who were also included though for one reason or another.

If you are worried contact the school but if it were me I'd just go with it.

This happened to my son a couple of weeks ago ,someone in his bubble tested positive he's year nine only those who had been in close contact with the student testing positive were sent home to self isolate including my son unfortunately .

the dd's school are only sending home close contacts, so people who sit next to in front or behind the person, people they get the bus in to school with and anyone they have been with on their breaks.

The schools where whole bubbles have been sent home habe had more than one case in the bubble.

The thinking is that your child is ok, because it takes a few days to transmit from person to person. So the people in classes with the case may be about to be infectious and then show symptoms, but hopefully they weren’t infectious yet. And couldn’t pass it on to your child yet.

The parents of the children sent home will be watching for symptoms and urged to test if they show symptoms. If one of those sitting next to your DS test positive that is when he will be sent home. I don’t think they can afford to send a whole secondary year group home for one case if we want children to get an education this year.
At our school one child tested positive and 50 out of the 200 I. His year group were sent home. They didn’t even send home his whole tutor group but sent home those sitting near in each class and those he socialised with at break times.

I thought there was a bus simulation that one infected person on a bus could infect passengers all around?

Schools have to check with DfE or PHE what they should do when they have a positive result in the school, it is not up to the school to decide who goes home. The school risk assessment, seating plan etc will be used to help make the decision.

12 sent home out of a year group of about 150 at DDs school. That's a 6th form year so adults really.

i need that's utterly ridiculous!

Our health and safety has no idea who has been near that student to help them, support them, whether any group work took place etc! Who they spent lunch with!

I'd just be happy that my child could still attend school to be honest.

I know @AutumnleavesturntoGold it is ridiculous , fortunately my son didn't develop any symptoms and returned to school yesterday ,fingers crossed it's for longer than a week this time

They're only sending about 20 close contacts for every positive at my child's secondary and there's been so many positives over multiple years groups in the last 2 weeks I couldn't even tell you how many in total there are.

I thought the year group bubbles were a joke but they aren't even being considered when asking them to isolate.

Our school sent home far more, but given this is going to be a frequent occurrence, I don't think they should have.
Your child will get a better education at school. The home learning provided was poor.

That's why teachers are meant to be teaching from the front and not going close to the pupils, and if they do it shouldn't be for more than 15 minutes. Also why there should be seating plans. But it probably does explain why whole year groups are being sent home as they can't identify close contacts

You cannot possibly hold teens in one seat facing forward, they chat they get set group work, they stand close to get out the classroom, they eat and go and get lunch together, its ridiculous

I thought the year group bubbles were a joke but they aren't even being considered when asking them to isolate.

I agree. There is no point in year group bubbles if the approach is not to send a whole group home but to try (ha!) to identify “close contacts”. They make day-to-day school life much more difficult, for no real benefit.

I think they were a bodge when the DfE belatedly realised that secondary schools aren’t the same as primary schools.

If they didn’t have the year bubbles and just taught normally the pupils would be moving around the school all passing on another. They would also be sitting at desks that could’ve had multiple children sat at it that day.
At least the bubbles should act as a fire break between the year groups if covid does rip through one year.

You cannot possibly hold teens in one seat facing forward, they chat they get set group work,

My entire second school education was in seats facing forwards. Wasn't that the norm until relatively recently?

They would also be sitting at desks that could’ve had multiple children sat at it that day.

Science seems to suggest that transmission through shared contact of surfaces is relatively rare. It's really an airborne disease.

nove

what distance were your seats> our students turn around and chat quite closely to the students behind or in front, they sit at desks of 2 each. So they touch and sit close enough to share breath. There are multiple points during the day where they get too close.

what distance were your seats> our students turn around and chat quite closely to the students behind or in front, they sit at desks of 2 each. So they touch and sit close enough to share breath. There are multiple points during the day where they get too close.

I am not sure I can remember the exact distance. But turning around and chatting was the sort of thing that got you shouted at by the teacher. Is it not the same these days?

Be happy that your child can attend school, honestly. Our school is sending whole year groups (8 classes) home when just one person is tested positive.

Then the teachers go off to be tested and then the rest of the school is off because of staff shortage.

Our school is in effect shut. We're right back to where we were in the Spring.

PHE advise the schools on who needs to isolate. If it helps at all, both of my children have had cases in school.
Sons school is small. A TA (and then 2 other members of staff positive), who school home for 2 weeks. No children or their families have reported any symptoms/cases.

Daughter in Year 11. Child positive - 40 children isolated (core teaching bubble and close contacts) again no further symptoms or cases.

@AutumnleavesturntoGold

I thought there was a bus simulation that one infected person on a bus could infect passengers all around?

The school buses now all have mandatory mask wearing now. I don't think this is possible, especially with upstairs/downstairs. My DC bus has a fixed seating plan now so they can identify those who were in close proximity. And it's only a short journey, 10-15 minutes, plus mask wearing, so only those really nearby are going to be at risk.