Bubbles In School

[Pissedoff1234]

Do you think that bubbles are completely pointless in school.

I work in a school and some of the staff are being used in more than one, some in all of them briefly. Siblings are in separate bubbles during the day and then go home, mingle and then go back to their bubbles.

I'm not really saying that there's a better way. I know staff are in short supply as are the necessary funds or space. But then why bother having bubbles at all.

Yes they are pointless. In secondary every member of staff teaches in multiple bubbles. The bubbles are 200+ students. They all mix in school buses. It’s nonsense.

Yes all pointless pretty much.

I work in an infant schooled we have classes if 39 but year bubbles of 90. Due to my role I teach every class, so my bubble is almost 300 children and staff.

Children are moving around school all the time. There's no way to avoid it.

I think they are better than nothing as they reduce some lines of transmission. But agree that describing them as "bubbles" is a bit of a nonsense.

I think they can be done more effectively in infants and at least hopefully stop some transmission than secondary where it just seems impossible

Pointless in secondary. Most year groups don't mix socially in my school anyway and they could limit that anyway without all the rest of the stuff that goes with it.

I think they are fine if you don't blow to hard otherwise they tend to pop.

Yes. Utterly pointless

Siblings, shared transport, shared toilets, shared facilities and external shops etc. Even teachers unable to distance.
Utterly pointless.
Schools are doing their best.

We are a grammar area so siblings in both schools, and then you are effectively also bubbled with every primary school within the huge 30 odd mile catchments.

Beyond pointless. Have you ever blown a big bubble? What happens?

Yep completely pointless really. My year 7 dd is in a ' bubble' of 120 other year 7s. However also gets the school bus where she mixes with every other year group. Not one child wears a mask, I send her with one as they have to wear one in corridors at school, but the bus driver doesn't ask them to, and who on Earth is in the double decker bus to police this anyway- nobody so I'm sure that's why driver doesn't bother.

Yes pointless because realistically in most schools the bubble is a whole year group or key stage due to logistics. My DD's lower school have done a fabulous job of keeping education going since the schools closed in March, and they've done an equally great job of jumping through the government's hoops in order to get the school up and running again. However, they are bubbling by key stage, which logistically is the only viable option given the size of the school, and it means that parents are in queues of almost 90 other parents at drop off and pick up, and that's not even taking into account the issues of siblings in other key stages. The parents are also looped when entering and exiting the school grounds, so that they're only going one way, but then the only way to get out of the school once you're in is for all parents to walk through the school. I would say I am see more parents in huge gatherings now than I ever did before. I certainly never stood in a crowd of 90 parents at drop off or pick up pre-March.

So yes, the school are bubbling but the term bubble is pointless because there are holes all over the bubble. Fortunately we're in a town with very very few Covid infections so hopefully none of this will be an issue.

Not at all it massively reduces social contact at under two meters for 15 minutes or more (the big infection risk)...my child was previously in a playground and lunch all with a much greater number of children then now, so a child in any other year group of very unlikely to give it to him since he had literally not seen them. Obviously cross contamination can happen but remember that still requires siblings to give it to each other (does not happen in a 100 percent of cases) and siblings to pass it on not in the self isolation period it’s a huge reduced risk compared to normal school.

This weeks phe report showed that within primary school where bubbles are most Obvious 4-9 year old have the lowest infection rate of the whole country in terms of age groups. That seems to suggest to me it’s working!

I don't think we can say what's working or not, with any assurity at all because we have had good weather. Down south at least, today was our first bad day.
Dc have been out so much, doing pe etc.
Playing out, Windows open, eating lunch outside.

Once everyone is trapped inside will sadly be the real test.
Personally I reckon my bubble is about 1000 strong? Probably between 1st and 2nd person links?
Between myself and the dc.

Anyone know the answer to this...
My youngest daughter was sent home a week ago with a cough. 8 days later we had a negative result. Both children out of school for the whole week. Now, older child’s bubble has been shut due to someone else testing positive. I’ve asked the school if older child can go back as planned Monday as they have not been in contact with infected child. The whole class has been told to isolate for 14 days.
I work in a school and also think bubbles are useless. What happens when they go home to different houses, families, after school clubs etc? The mixing of bubbles can be endless in some situations

This weeks phe report showed that within primary school where bubbles are most Obvious 4-9 year old have the lowest infection rate of the whole country in terms of age groups. That seems to suggest to me it’s working!

I think it works in primary (apart from secondary siblings), and the virus does seem less prevalent in younger children.
Secondary was always going to be a different story.

I think if you think of them as being entirely exclusive, guaranteed to prevent any infection between them, they are pointless. I think if infection becomes rampant, it will blow through all of it.

However, any limitation of contact will reduce the chances of it spreading, so in reality it’s not pointless. All any of us can do is limit the chances, and that’s what it does.

@LBAB

Anyone know the answer to this... My youngest daughter was sent home a week ago with a cough. 8 days later we had a negative result. Both children out of school for the whole week. Now, older child’s bubble has been shut due to someone else testing positive. I’ve asked the school if older child can go back as planned Monday as they have not been in contact with infected child. The whole class has been told to isolate for 14 days. I work in a school and also think bubbles are useless. What happens when they go home to different houses, families, after school clubs etc? The mixing of bubbles can be endless in some situations

I’d be interested to know the answer to this. I suppose the problem would be where to put the child if their whole bubble is isolating. Can’t put them in another bubble. Presumably the teacher will be providing remote learning. All a nightmare!

I do get the limiting of every contact but for example I have 4 children in 4 different settings. Youngest is at nursery and the whole nursery is a bubble. Probably around 40 people. Primary school child is in a bubble of 60. I work in this school. I am mainly in a bubble of 60 too although not the same one as my child. I also help out with 2 more bubbles of 60 also not the same as my child. Secondary school child is in a year bubble of 300 and college child has 3 bubbles, 1 for each subject.

My children also have a bubble for dance class and one goes to Cubs. DH is in a bubble for work.

Without seeing any family or friends, the amount of people we are in a bubble with is ridiculous.

I don't necessarily have a problem with it. It is what it is. But calling them bubbles I think makes parents think they are safer than they are.

I saw a girl cuddle her friend to say goodbye for the weekend and her mum told her that they shouldn't be touching. I'd seen the same girls playing together closely and touching that day. Is the term bubble misleading people.

One of our primaries closed for 2 weeks as a supply teacher tested positive and she'd taught across school.

Even if bubbles are kept close, those children have siblings, catch buses. My SIL is a TA and goes out a lot to pubs, babysits for friends etc. then teaches in her bubble. It's flawed.

The outbreaks in primary arent far of same number as secondary

It depends on the school, I teach in a special school and we are being extremely strict about staff not mixing bubbles. We have changed staff roles this year, and ensure that nobody teaches in different bubbles. So far this has really worked for us meaning minimum disruption when a bubble had to close.

Agreed, absolute nonsense and just creating extra workload for staff imo. I think it is down to how each school implements it. I have heard of some teachers not getting any breaks at all as the classes all have individual yard times and teachers are expected to supervise their own class for all breaks. That is wrong.