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

This is more like it. Numbers instead of percentages:

“More than 400,000 children in England were off school last week for coronavirus-related reasons, as the government admitted that “unevenness” in lost learning could affect 2021 exam results.

Weekly attendance statistics from the Department for Education (DfE) estimated that up to 5% of England’s 8.3 million state school pupils lost classroom time, including as many as 50,000 with confirmed or suspected cases of Covid-19.”

I don't understand why we aren't being positively encouraged to do the best and safest thing for our child

Because they’d have to explain why, if it’s not safe for your kid, it is safe for everyone else’s kid.

Cheaper to pretend it’s safe for all.

I would really like to know the cumulative number - how many schools have had children or staff sent home this term due to positive cases, and what proportion of all schools have had some disruption this term.

I would also like to see it broken down by year - anecdotally, it does seem to be that the oldest years (including y11 and Y13) who are most affected, which has an obvious implication for exams.

400,000 children off in a week? That is interesting, that is the sort of figure that should be front and centre and easily accessible. I would also like to see the cumulative number. Both weekly rates and cumulative in graph forms.

I’d also like to see, honestly, what is the definition or a close contact in schools? What the policy is. I’d also like to see the bubble ‘numbers’ - how many adults and children in bubbles - a good analysis of this. How many schools have masks. How many use ventilation. How many are being strict around bubbles and staggered lunchtimes.

Anecdotally - my DS has had two weeks off already from school in the last month. It was hugely disruptive. He caught 3 bugs, two colds and a sick bug. He developed a cough and had to have a Covid test too. It was a bit traumatic for him and I doubt I’d get him to have one again - so he’d probably be treated as a ‘positive case’ next time he gets a temperature or a cough (which he seems to get for everything)...

So I’m not surprised that the school experience is very bumpy for many kids and not at all the smooth, safe experience that would give him most benefit. If it carries on like this, and he gets colds and has to isolate and potentially other kids in his class will too just because he refuses a test, then I’m not sure this is worth it tbh. I also really successfully homeschooled, am well aware I am lucky, DS flourished.

And the problem is? ... people seem to think that wasn’t going to happen. Of course it was. But better x pupils miss 14 days than all pupils miss months.
Nothing is Covid safe completely. It’s about finding the balance. And id rather my children had to SI for 14 days than miss months of school. And of course SI means lowering the risk of passing it in. So why is this a problem?

I’d also like to see, honestly, what is the definition or a close contact in schools? Those sat within 2m and they ask child who else they had close contact with. A bit unreliable when you consider heaving school corridors, toilets and transport.

The whole bubble thing is falling apart as staff go sick. Masks not being worn in local large secondaries. Windows open but people are shutting them and it's only going to get colder.

People spent the whole fucking summer telling us it wasn’t going to happen.

The government ran a massive campaign telling us it wasn’t going to happen.

@Dee1975

And the problem is? ... people seem to think that wasn’t going to happen. Of course it was. But better x pupils miss 14 days than all pupils miss months. Nothing is Covid safe completely. It’s about finding the balance. And id rather my children had to SI for 14 days than miss months of school. And of course SI means lowering the risk of passing it in. So why is this a problem?

Everyone spent the summer shouting at teachers that they were scaremongering in saying that Covid would be passed on in school and that teachers as well as students would catch it

Even now, people claim that their school is 'better' because they have had no cases / few cases yet, because they seem to genuinely believe that this is up to something other than luck.

Don't gaslight us all now saying 'Of course we all meant that we knew that Covid would be passed on in school, how could you think otherwise [tinkling little laugh]?'

Even now there is a thread claiming that it's all OK because no pupils of teachers have died yet.... (they have also claimed that someone who knows a teacher in ICU is lying)

The teachers should have PPE.

Other workplaces have PPE. It's disgusting.

Surely the fact that they are isolating bubbles is a good thing kist incase those children have it
Round here we seem to get one case and then bubbles are isolated and it doesn't seem to be spreading but we are in a low case area
But whats your alternative kids stay home ? I don't see we have a lot of choice but to try and educate them and thats with schools being open whilst possible

The problem on a personal level with repeated 14 day missing school is:

• DS has SN and this is massively stressful for him. He doesn’t understand why he cannot be in school. He gets very distressed.
• He then gets very ‘challenging’ (their words) in school when he goes back and therefore learning and issues that we’ve carefully built up crash down.
• He doesn’t get into a routine at home as by the time we have settled in, he has to go back to school again.
• He gets extremely distressed being in any way ill. This often sets off other behaviours which are then hard to get back on track.
• When he goes back to school they have jumped ahead and he’s missed things which again, have a bigger impact than for some others.
• Basic daily needs go out of kilter.

If a 14 day period only happened once in a year, then fair enough it is handable. However 2 or 3 times? Or more? For DS this is a massive deal. It’s not the same as half terms or others as he can be prepared for these. Unprepared for it is a massive deal He also thrived at home, so combined with Covid19 risk to my own health and his, and the lack of consistent basic safety measures in school.

For me it is a legitimate reason for me to be reasoning - is school more detrimental than no school? The balance is tipping towards not being beneficial enough.

But whats your alternative kids stay home

Every. Sodding. Time.

Try reading one of the million other threads where it’s listed the things that could be done to make schools safer short of closing them.

Starting with windows that open. It’s pretty bloody easy to come up with ideas.

Multiple absences mean that teachers have to keep re-teaching units or move on knowing that some will lose out. Chaotic.

I've never understood the logic behind "kids don't transmit the virus " anyone who has kids knows how quickly bugs flu etc goes round at school and how it spreads to their families. Personally I think the covid secure line is bollocks and the government want schools open so us plebs can go to work. My daughter is at college, we were informed there was a case of Covid and close contacts were self isolating. The college wasn't closed for a deep clean and year groups or classes were not told to self isolate. SAGE were advising a 2 week school closure as part of circuit breaker a few weeks ago but Boris and co ignored this advice. I'm vulnerable to the virus due to underlying conditions. I don't think 2 weeks circuit breaker is going to be enough. The local senior school near us is not even making masks compulsory.

@OverTheRainbowLiesOz

I’d also like to see, honestly, what is the definition or a close contact in schools? Those sat within 2m and they ask child who else they had close contact with. A bit unreliable when you consider heaving school corridors, toilets and transport.

The whole bubble thing is falling apart as staff go sick. Masks not being worn in local large secondaries. Windows open but people are shutting them and it's only going to get colder.

If it is those sat within 2m that does not follow the science of aerosol transmission.

Over a long period of time, hours, then sat in the same room even 5m apart is a higher risk of transmission than spending 15 minutes with someone in a ventilated room up close. It’s not driven by evidence.

Op
How do you propose teachers teach those at home and the children in school as thats wjhat people seem to want the choice to stay at home but not de register and the teacher to provide and mark the work as well as teach those that need to go in

I agree. This is why I'm pretty sure we will catch it soon, as will many of the children in my daughter's large tutor group.

Round here we seem to get one case and then bubbles are isolated and it doesn't seem to be spreading but we are in a low case area

Worryingly, it may be that as numbers increase it is less likely that a whole bubble is sent home each time. At my school we are certainly asking fewer to isolate than we were - only 10 today from a bubble of 400.

"I’d also like to see, honestly, what is the definition or a close contact in schools? Those sat within 2m and they ask child who else they had close contact with. A bit unreliable when you consider heaving school corridors, toilets and transport"

My school seems to just use who a kid sits next to in lesson not necessarily the kids within 2m. A case last week was in one of my lessons and only the 2 adjacent pupils were on the close contact list. 4 others within 2m are still in school.

Some of my form ask me about school buses. If you recall the government said masks weren't needed on them as they are used by the same kids every day. I know the school isn't sending home close contacts based on buses so who is tracking this. I tell the kids is track and trace but my guess no one is!

I'd say covid is rampant at my school. 30% absence of staff last week and still over 20% this week. Some days we have had between 4 and 6 cases for pupils a day and on average at least 2 a day. Some core subjects over half the stay off with positive tests. School has been able to stay open due to supply some year groups being sent home and combining classes. This is a below average size secondary.

I still find it extraordinary that my daughter will be showing prospective parents and their children around on an open day when she has had a confirmed case in her class.

Madness.

Also op you state your children did well in lockdown , but what about those that didn't some of us have to work full time so don't have tome to one to one teach our children as you do
If your in such a position and are so well educated then you can home school but the vast majority of parents can't and also there are a lot of children without access to devices so its not so clear cut

Which is why PPE and other measures are so important. Otherwise you will get your children home soon enough as staff go sick.

@OverTheRainbowLiesOz our school is all virtual open days and tours

Op mine did well in lock down as well. It was an amazing time, but the pressure of working and having to educate her was dreadful.
I'm not sure what some schools are playing at, our current self isolation are dreadful! It's just recorded stuff and I'm having to go through it with dd! No actual teaching.
And yet I know the school are worried about covid. But if they could just get some tea ching done... Wouldn't that take the pressure off.. Prove they can do it safely on line?

Also lots of dc are still going out..

Virtual open days are sensible. Hundreds of people will be going around a secondary with confirmed cases shown around by teachers who could have it!