Covid in DC’s school :(

[Gregorathegreat]

I knew it was coming but am somehow still a bit shocked... anyone else experienced this? Not in DCs bubble but can already trace a direct link through siblings. Not sure what we can do really other than keep up hand washing, wearing masks at drop off, eat healthy/sleep well (not managing the last one currently!).

Yep, dealing with loads and increasing and not a high area for cases. Much more symptomatic and positive COVID staff members and children than the summer term when schools here had no positive cases.

Staff passing it on between them, children positive from getting the bus to school, children in isolation because of playing a game where they were passing equipment from a positive child, catering staff off ill with COVID, schools with no cleaning staff, one extremely ill staff member and a child admitted to hospital this morning.
Difficult times.

I am very angry our children are getting such an awful deal.

We have cousins and children of friends in other countries and all of them, down to the age of 5, wear a mask all day and all of them have socially distanced desks.

I wish I could bet on which children from which countries will have the least disrupted education because it's pretty obvious and I'd make a lot of money.

I don’t want my five year old in a mask behind a bloody socially distanced desk!!!! I don’t think that would be good for his mental health whatsoever. Perhaps you’d be happy that our children are raised in sterile lab conditions but I’d rather they were still able to be as normal S possible at school or else I’d rather home school them.

@IloveJKRowling

Well said, it must be very worrying for people living with vulnerable family members.

We aren’t vulnerable (do have elderly parents but not in our household, so unfortunately just not seeing them) but I would have preferred schools returning with more distancing measures in place, even if that meant sourcing more space and staff.

We have already had one dc isolating for 2 weeks but luckily no symptoms.

I suppose if someone in the household got the virus you could never be 100% sure where they got it though? Unless no other members of the household were ever leaving the house.

Dd went back to school this past Wednesday after a case in her class And 2 weeks isolation and we’ve just had a call from dd2’s nursery saying one of the workers in her room has gone for a test today and they will let us know ASAP if it’s positive and then we’d have to isolate dd2.

Being at school is the activity which is as normal as possible for children. If a mask and a socially distant desk affords greater stability in the school system then I think it's a reasonable adaptation to keep the children in class. Surely by now, between all the different permutations of children returning to school across the world, we should have some idea about how efficient this adjustment is in reducing transmission is school?

Same 2 teachers positive
Reception yr1 and 2 closed for a week and a half

Just a matter of time really wasn’t it

A parent dying is far more damaging to a child's mental health than a mask or slightly socially distant desks for one winter. We live in a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE society if people aren't willing to make this very slight sacrifice to save children from being bereaved.

My DD had socially distant desks in June/July and it improved both her mental health and education as she didn't have other kids distracting her.

There is NO evidence AT ALL that wearing masks or socially distancing harms children's mental health. In fact many countries do it without any problems.

There IS evidence that being in smaller class sizes with more space is better for education overall. Why people WANT their kids jammed in with some of the largest class sizes in Europe is beyond me.

It is also probably worse for children's mental health to be in and out of school like yo-yos rather than in more consistently (as PP has noted).

Well yes a five year old might struggle with a mask and social distancing but what about older primary children and those in secondaries? I've found from work that actually sitting down at a desk and leaving a mask on for longer durations than popping to the supermarket isn't actually too bad. I find it gets worse when you have to do lots of speaking with the mask on though

@IloveJKRowling

“My DD had socially distant desks in June/July and it improved both her mental health and education as she didn't have other kids distracting her.”

I agree, my dc was exactly the same. Thrived with extra space.

“There IS evidence that being in smaller class sizes with more space is better for education overall. Why people WANT their kids jammed in with some of the largest class sizes in Europe is beyond me. “

Yes agree, and the government/schools had months to organise this before September. Should have spent the summer sourcing/arranging extra spaces and training up extra staff to help out (like they did with nhs volunteers). Perhaps they could have used some of those on furlough or who had been made redundant.

My son had it about three weeks ago after only one week in school. The school says they currently have another case (member of staff) but not in my son's class/bubble.

Yes agree, and the government/schools had months to organise this before September. Should have spent the summer sourcing/arranging extra spaces and training up extra staff to help out (like they did with nhs volunteers). Perhaps they could have used some of those on furlough or who had been made redundant

Government yes, schools - no. We have to follow government direction, we can't act on the things you suggest without funding from central government. Budgets were shot before this.

Extra spaces, extra volunteers all need risk assessing for safety, doesn't just happen!

@ForthPlace

Sorry I meant government, in liaison with schools. I know funding is too tight to do it alone.

Lost count of the amount of cases in schools locally. They arent bothering to close bubbles anymore. My dc have been off twice isolating.

@AllDoneIn

Covid is in virtually every school now I imagine. Bubbles only get pulled if you have parents with the wit and means to get their children tested. Many don't and will send asymptomatic- and sometimes blatantly symptomatic - children to school for all sorts of reasons. This is why it's spreading. It's herd immunity. Most kids will be fine. If however you're a teacher or a vulnerable parent or carer you are on borrowed time.

I'm a vulnerable teacher. That's a bit dramatic. I don't feel like I'm on borrowed time . It's in one school I teach at and I can imagine the other one soon. I've already had it in march and I was fine. I imagine I can get it again as it was mild and months ago but not everyone is terrified. Chatting in the staffroom yesterday and many teachers have kids with it in their schools and no one is bothered. All just annoyed at the hassle of isolation. Please don't be so alarmist

On the stata thread it was posted that 92% of schools are fully open
..... ONS

@OpheliasCrayon

Since you are a vulnerable teacher that has had and recovered thanks for sharing ...

So much alarm, panic and hysteria on here