How many cases before a school shuts?

[Newstart20]

Just as the title says really, how many cases within a school before the whole school needs to shut? Or does it really only have to be the bubbles?

Each bubble with a case closes. I guess ultimately you could get all the bubbles closed at once, but it’s unlikely. The most likely cause of closure would be lots of staff cases/self isolations.

We keep on going until the last teacher falls, because the cases only spread in the community, never in schools.

Well from Early years to yr 6, we have 3 years left in and were still open

A school in Merseyside had cases in all years it ended having the whole school tested staff and pupils it found 40 cases , many of them asymptomatic, the whole school closed for 2 weeks

Ah, that's because in primary schools, the opposite is true, and children are unable to spread to their siblings in the community, so if they are not in the same bubble at school, you are fine.

We have been told three in three different bubbles and they shut the school (it’s only got five bubbles so it would feel pretty empty at that point!). That is secondary the primary haven’t told us their plans.

Bubbles aren’t automatically closing now, let alone whole schools. It’s very common recently for a handful of students to be sent home, and no staff.

DS is home because 1 in his bubble tested positive. Another school local to us has completely shut. Not sure of the numbers though.

It's all out staff who are positive! Teachers in yr 4-6 have closed those three years

Bullshit Boris said schools will never shut... We all have to die as teachers first...

We have 3 in one year and the bubble hasn't burst. A couple in other years too.

Each school seems to be doing it very differently.
It seems like only a few students are sent home mostly around the positive child. I'd like to know however how they know who has been around the child.

There isn't any written rule, the official line is the DfE hotline help the school to work out what needs to be done. They seem to be aiming not to close bubbles for isolated cases but to identify direct contacts and to instruct them to isolate as individuals.

However, it takes so long to get through, heads are making their own decisions.

Only the bubbles but my dd school closed as all but 1 class had positive cases so they closed for deep clean from wed till mon then just then one class went bk then rest following week

We've only had one positive case so far, a teacher who caught it from his young adult daughter. Text book in terms of where the govt is placing blame.

@GravityFalls

Bubbles aren’t automatically closing now, let alone whole schools. It’s very common recently for a handful of students to be sent home, and no staff.

This is what has happened in dds school twice to my knowledge. A bubble is 250 so the school are trying to avoid this.

Our school had a case and only 20 were sent home, not the whole bubble.

Bullshit Boris said schools will never shut... We all have to die as teachers first...*

Do teachersreally think like this?

@bigchris

* Bullshit Boris said schools will never shut... We all have to die as teachers first...*

Do teachersreally think like this?

Yes. They aren’t going to shut the bubbles or schools unless they have to. We sent home those sitting near to positive child through seating plans. Teachers don’t need to be considered because we’ve been told to stay 2m apart from students and teachers ‘where possible’..... not allowed masks or visors in our classrooms at my school and no-one wears on communal areas because it isn’t encouraged.

Why aren't you allowed to wear masks

My kids say teachers who want to our wearing visors if They want, is it an LEA school ?

Sorry hope you don't mind me asking, i genuinely don't know , we have to wear them at work

@bigchris yes we are scared there will be teacher deaths-there were in the first wave. If they keep the schools open there will be many more.

The guidance from the government tells us we can't wear masks as it (apparently) impedes teaching and learning. Head teachers rarely go against the guidance and some treat it like a tick box exercise.

Visors are pretty ineffective without masks.

I don't even know if we've had cases in our school. I'm convinced we are not going to be told. I've taught classes where one week kid is in then next there is an X on the register and it says 'isolating' but no idea if that kid is positive or not... usually the kids who sit in the front row too (less than 2m away from me).