Pupils sent home in half of England's secondary schools

[herecomesthsun]

...which are of course supposed to be covid secure. Nice that the BBC is covering it,though.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54614111

Of course it's not Covid secure!!!

But the kids are well, no one is dying thank god

Just to add my child secondary hadn't had any yet thankfully

Cases reported from pupils will reflect their communities. It does not automatically mean that they were transmitted in school. Pupils are also exposed through family life (including parents work places), socialising and extra curriculars.

Only 5% of pupils not in though, that's good. Any cases are being well contained, and doesn't indicate where the case originated from.

54% of schools didn't send anyone home. 3 days left till half term, that's good going.

Covid secure is a fallacy anyway.

Why would a child be more likely to catch Covid from an extracurricular activity than from sitting cheek to jowl next to other pupils in the classroom?
I can see why transmission from or to parents would be even higher, but really why do people try to come up with transmission alternatives - is it to prove that schools are safe? Because the alternative is very frightening indeed.

[quote herecomesthsun]...which are of course supposed to be covid secure. Nice that the BBC is covering it,though.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54614111[/quote]
Please tell me you don't believe schools can possibly be covid secure? You do know this is a virus yeh?

Its good news surely? The data suggests that it's not rampant in schools. Individual bubbles get isolated because of a few cases, these individual cases don't seem to be causing a wide increase in new cases (And are mostly reflective of local case numbers). It seems (fingers crossed) that children are actually for the most part being educated and able to stay in school - long may it continue.

@toxtethOgradyUSA

So the ideas just 6-8 weeks ago was that schools were quite safe, children didn't get covid and they weren't likely to transmit it and so on. Not my concept, this was what we were being told.

I think 50% of schools sending home children in the space of 1 week is quite a lot actually. It doesn't bode well for the depths of winter.

Funny reading the stuff written back then - the phrase "covid secure" was certainly being used!

www.itv.com/news/anglia/2020-09-04/pupils-parents-and-teachers-speak-out-as-covid-secure-schools-reopen

@MrsFrisbyMouse

Its good news surely? The data suggests that it's not rampant in schools. Individual bubbles get isolated because of a few cases, these individual cases don't seem to be causing a wide increase in new cases (And are mostly reflective of local case numbers). It seems (fingers crossed) that children are actually for the most part being educated and able to stay in school - long may it continue.

Ah, because it absolutely does sound as if there is a lot of covid in schools to me.

The rate in secondary school children has increased 1900% since 28th August.

What would you call that?

...rampant maybe?

Two secondary schools near me are totally closed. We're in a tier 1 area.

It only takes one pupil to test positive and the whole year is off. The year that is closed in my DDs school is only closed because a pupil had a random test which come back positive. Of course it spreads in schools, but the young don't suffer as much. It's right to close year groups, so children don't take it home to their families.

It's the older teachers and support staff I feel for. Of course schools can't be "Covid secure", they can just do their best to stop children sucking each other's pens, etc.

1% isn't the definition of "rampant"

Local school (infants) has 4 out of 9 classes closed.
7 Teaching staff have tested positive across school, though obviously parents don't know who/why/where.

Those teaching staff have not been in close contact with one another. They are spread across the school, different bubbles, etc.
Some of those staff have restricted their contacts outside of school so the number of places they could catch it are reduced.

Some parents of children in affected classes have tested positive.

No children have tested positive. Whilst some have colds, etc. None are showing testable Covid symptoms, so not eligible anyway.

We are told children those ages don't get ill if they catch it and are less likely to transmit it.

I assume it's coincidence that those staff have all caught it, with varying degrees of illness, within the past 10 days or so.

Don’t care, as long as they keep them open!

Our secondary has its first case apparently a teacher only those in close contact where sent home.

Jonathon Van Tam just stated that it’s due to the massive rise in the 10-19 Agee group testing positive that now reflects in the spread and rise amongst the older age group.

I just don’t buy this kids aren’t transmitting it. In the last week my dd school has tried to send groups of children home on the bus as a case started. Now 5 children testing positive all in different year groups who all travel on the same bus. Of course they are transmitting it to each other.

Billywilliamv

And that's fine. But we do need to be ensuring the more vulnerable adults and children are being cared about. We can't pretend schools are Covid secure when they're not, not,whilst ever their are vulnerable and extremely vulnerable staff working in them.

There not their

I've got a dd at home isolating (well we have not taken her anywhere but it seems many class members have been out on walks, bike rides etc), and another dd has had cases in her school but she doest have to si.

We are simply not taking enough solid measures to combat covid in schools. There is no clear advice, everyone is confused!
People are confused within schools, outside schools, even self isolation has been taken to mean different things in our school class closure the teacher kept saying how important it is to get out??.. If they live in flats yes maybe risk it.. But if not?

Within schools they have no idea. I keep telling my own dd not to touch the outside of her mask and why.

She keeps doing it.

Kids need constant reminders to catch it, bin it, kill it.
Some wear masks diligently, many don't.
They don't sd and teachers encourage this by getting them to do group work!
It's ridiculous. No windows are being pushed to be open, pupils and dp are Moaning their dc are cold.
I'm amazed at how quickly people have forgotten we are in a pandemic when faced with a little cold weather.

@TheGreatWave

1% isn't the definition of "rampant"

So what is YOUR definition then?

Bear in mind that there can be 200 or 300 kids in a secondary school "bubble".

If there are 2 or 3 kids with covid in a year, that would lead to an awful lot of bubbles being closed.

Or, if bubbles aren't closed, a lot of kids taking this home to their families.

And a lot of teachers picking it up - taking out the vulnerable teachers isn't so good if you want them to go on working and keep the schools going, you know. There was a bit of a shortage of secondary school teacher to start with.

But the kids are well no one is dying thank god
What about the adults they spread it too?

Just to add my child secondary hadn't had any yet thankfully
What’s leads you to believe you would know if they had?

My dc's school has 300 children in a bubble. They don't close the bubble with cases. They only send home children who have shared a desk with the positive case.

One school class had to be isolated purely from random asymptotic child being tested for holidays.

We receive an email if any child tests positive irrespective of which year they are in.

@Witchend

My dc's school has 300 children in a bubble. They don't close the bubble with cases. They only send home children who have shared a desk with the positive case.

As someone extremely clinically vulnerable, this sort of thing really worries me.

We have increasing evidence of aerosol transmission - NB article on BBC 1 about this now

Government report here

Attendance in fact 89.2% and falling.