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

I do not think it concerning or worrying that either school would have at least one positive case in one week

Really? Given the lack of measures in schools to stop it spreading?

Got to say, not sure 1 positive case ina classroom will stay 1 case for long.

One positive case this week equals more next week, then into double and triple figures and then boom it will be in your homes and affecting your relatives.

There is completely inadequate PPE and prevention measures are patchy nationwide.

www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/man-who-didnt-isolate-after-return-from-holiday-led-to-at-least-56-covid-19-infections-39639518.html
One DC can infect many. The guy in the link above infected 56 people.

The thing is, if there are this many problems in Sept/Oct, what do we think is going to happen in Nov/Dec as the NHS gets under more strain and there are more bugs, it's colder, so less ventilation in classrooms etc.

Personally, I'd like there to be healthcare available if my children break their arm or are sick with something else. That's what's worrying me.

I'd also like there to be enough teachers not off sick that there will be some educational provision be it online or in person.

This does not bode well. With no measures to prevent spread within classes, one case in a school will quickly become many more.

This is one of the discussions on the upcoming Jeremy Vine show today. Online, on digital and on 88 to 91 FM.

@EmeraldShamrock yes my teacher relation on Ireland also says that a positive case is not triggering any contact tracing in theirs. However here in the UK my local schools are not informing the class if someone tests positive either. Perhaps because it has to be within 2m? Which makes no sense.

Imagine getting covid just because our children’s classmate - who sits over 2m away, tests positive and we are not even told. It is that potential that makes me quite angry really.

@EmeraldShamrock

www.independent.ie/world-news/coronavirus/man-who-didnt-isolate-after-return-from-holiday-led-to-at-least-56-covid-19-infections-39639518.html One DC can infect many. The guy in the link above infected 56 people.

I read about that. That is also quite shocking - there was no reason at all for so many people to be infected, it was lacksidaisical human behaviour. Much as I see within schools. That one man had symptoms but went out to meet friends. Another relation who caught it from him, developed symptoms and got a test - and whilst waiting for the results ‘felt a bit better’ so went to a party.

This is nasty virus. There is bound to be transmission no matter how careful - however there is no excuse not to be careful!

The two secondary schools in my town have around 1200 and 2000 pupils respectively. I do not think it concerning or worrying that either school would have at least one positive case in one week. Most secondary schools are a similar size. I think this is a valid point, however for me this should trigger a ‘warning’ signal that not all is well. This is because:

• At least one case in children out of probably an average of 600 in one week is higher than the transmission rate that we’ve been told.
• There are likely more than just one child, and in some schools there are many.
• children are mostly asymptomatic so many will be missed.
• children are not tested as much adults. Many missed cases. Children’s symptoms are more likely to dismissed as common colds. Children being off can affect adult’s jobs so many put off testing.
• children’s symptoms can be different and so are missed.
• this could mean 10 cases in each school, or 40. We don’t know. We should know.

The bottom line is that children are being sent into the highest risk environment (indoors, long time, no masks, little or no ventilation, many people) without any protection 5 days a week. So we should be taking a very good look at any incidences arguably more than anything else. Because the consequences of any rates or transmission, not just high rates, are potentially far reaching. Each child represents a whole household plus contacts. We ignore nothing.

This should at least trigger a need for thorough contact tracing and data.

Ds tells me half his year has been sent home to isolate. He said in his classes there were less than half in all (options so with totally different children in lessons). He is unimpressed at having to go in and has been giving me a monologue on how bubbles should work, and why it's not going to work. He's just compared it to the charge of the Light Brigade. I think the term "canon fodder" came up several times. 🤣 I suggested he asked to perform it in front of the government.

But the letter from school says "another positive test, and a few children sent home that are close contacts". So I can see how if you had a less eloquent child, you might well think it's effecting very few, and nothing to worry about. There is nothing on SM about it at all either.
I suspect the other secondary school in the area closed a bubble about midday today too, as I saw several groups of children arriving in town in uniform, and they aren't meant to be closed today. Again, nothing on SM.

Imagine getting covid just because our children’s classmate - who sits over 2m away, tests positive and we are not even told. It is that potential that makes me quite angry really.

If this is really happening it's outrageous. I'm not disbelieving you btw just in disbelief that this is being allowed during the greatest public health emergency of our lifetime.

2m isn't a magical distance - if you're in a room, without masks, for long enough there are loads of proven scientific studies that show that people have been infected. People have been infected on a bus after the infectious person got off and also in a lift after the infectious person got off.

Cannon fodder is right.

What of the children who are ECV - do they get informed?

There are 2 children in DC's school who have tested positive this week. They're in different year groups and are not the same family. There was another positive case earlier in the month. I can't wait for half term now as I think that seems worrying. There are about 1200 children in the school.

Dc who are asymptomatic definitely an issue, I know of one boy who had zero symptoms and was only tested because he was going on holiday. 4 others have now tested positive.

I wonder if we had been able to test all pupils at the beginning of half-term would have been helpful?
Get a good grasp of what's going on.

I love of course! The virus passes through the air as someone talks, coughs etc.

There's an anonymous candid blog in the TES today from a teacher who's on the verge of quitting.
You have to sign up, but it's free. Well worth a read. 'I love teaching - but I can't carry on like this'

I'm just surprised anyone is surprised.

It's a DAILY MASS GATHERING. Hundreds of thousands of daily mass gatherings in fact. In overcrowded spaces with no PPE. Seriously, what else could ever have possibly happened?!

Hope of course.

Jenny harries told us though it was safe, so safe in fact that teachers do not need an mask! Nor pupils because, children (unspecified ages lumped in) cannot get ill and do not transmit and.. Further more.. They will be sitting forward with teachers at 2 m and sd in place. That's what her scientist evidencing and modelling told her.

I've posted this on another thread but TES reporting DfE have removed the bit saying schools aren't high risk settings from their guidance.

www.tes.com/news/Covid-dfe-cuts-schools-arent-high-risk-line-guidance

Someone asked ages ago how you'd know if there were cases in your child's school. According to DD's head (there's been a case confirmed in DD's school in a different year group) PHE require that the school informs all parents if there is a case at the school and parents whose children have been in close contact with the infected child receive another letter saying to keep their child home for 14 days.

It's a DAILY MASS GATHERING. Hundreds of thousands of daily mass gatherings in fact. In overcrowded spaces with no PPE. Seriously, what else could ever have possibly happened?!

I'm guessing this is why they've changed the DfE guidance - it goes against all the scientific advice on what's a risky setting. Having it written down is not a good thing. Thank goodness TES noticed and have documented the change.

That and the fact that in private schools where they are testing contacts there are loads of asymptomatic cases popping up.

@TheHouseonHauntedHill

Dc who are asymptomatic definitely an issue, I know of one boy who had zero symptoms and was only tested because he was going on holiday. 4 others have now tested positive.

I wonder if we had been able to test all pupils at the beginning of half-term would have been helpful?
Get a good grasp of what's going on.

I think that the results of testing all pupils this week - before half term - would have been so breathtakingly appalling that NOBODY would be prepared to take that risk!

PHE require that the school informs all parents if there is a case at the school and parents whose children have been in close contact with the infected child receive another letter saying to keep their child home for 14 days.

Great if this is true - I hope it is.

But do schools now have to inform PHE? I thought that the 'helpline' was taken over by DfE. If DfE tell schools to do nothing other than send home children sitting right next to positive case, what's the role of PHE? How would they know?

You would think they would be joining up dots and organisations not shutting them down and closing them off.

I know data collection in schools is strict, dd had a recent test (very easy to access, results back quickly) and the school were chasing for the test copy.

They have to get it back to somewhere? Can't remember what she said.

Whilst dd had to isolate her work was on line.
Why oh why can't they spread them out, remove fines etc.

I love, your part about accessing medical back up when somethings other than cornora go wrong is the part that terrifies me. I've witnessed winter NHS a few times, it really is awful.

Schools also don't have to phone the helpline at all after their first case. They MAY have to phone their local public health, and they may fill in the DfE's data collection sheet (though I think the return rate on that is

Great if this is true - I hope it is.

I only know what the head has told us and the school has been absolutely brilliant throughout lockdown and the return, maybe other schools aren't being quite so diligent. And of course it relies on parents being honest and informing the school that their child is positive....