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Original poster

Schools open for half a term now with no serious cases...

277 replies

RubyandBen · 20/10/2020 19:09

I know there's been lots of DC and teachers off either because they've had CV or been in close contact with someone who has. But it seems there hasn't been anyone very ill (hospital ill) because of this. So measures do appear to be working. As it's sounding like only the ecv are going to be getting vaccinated (if one ever appears), should just the DC with CV stay off school and parents be given the choice to keep their DC off if in the same bubble? Would be much less disruptive.

OP posts:
Blueberries0112 · 20/10/2020 19:56

I don’t expect everyone will catch coronavirus anymore I expect everyone catch the flu. Let’s just hope it doesn’t spread

PheasantPlucker1 · 20/10/2020 19:58

Not a teacher, but I know a HOY currently in hospital.

His year group dont even know hes tested positive, school are keeping cases quiet so it doesnt impact attendance.

MrsHamlet · 20/10/2020 20:00

My colleague was blue lighted to hospital. He's not vulnerable.

Original poster
RubyandBen · 20/10/2020 20:00

@RiaRoth I am well aware that schools are not Covid secure. I do not think that the suggestions I have made will put the community at any greater a risk than now. As DC / lots of teachers are nowhere near receiving a vaccination is this disruption to education sustainable or fair in the long run?

OP posts:
PineappleUpsideDownCake · 20/10/2020 20:04

2 secondaries closed in our small town. Its evident we're not being told about teachers asnm one let slip online hes nearly finished isolating from having covid...

PineappleUpsideDownCake · 20/10/2020 20:05

I actually think part time or online would be less disruptive. Having to regularly isolate for 2 weeks on and off is hard. Especially when kids need to be active.

Cookiecrisps · 20/10/2020 20:05

[quote RubyandBen]@Cookiecrisps the point is, the DC and teachers aren't becoming very unwell so should just they self isolate, and the rest of the bubble be given the choice.[/quote]
Who will teach the rest of the bubble if the teachers and TAs in that class are self isolating? How do you know teachers and children aren’t becoming very ill? Cases aren’t even being reported to PHE anymore as schools are told to report them to the DfE. There are also no stats for long Covid. It’s not all about being on a ventilator or dying.

If there is no social distancing and no masks in an indoor environment with lots of talking then there is a risk that Covid will spread from a positive case. The flip side to this must be that the whole bubble goes home to self isolate. If people don’t want this to happen then there should be masks and proper social distancing in classrooms.

WhyareWehardofthinking · 20/10/2020 20:07

I know (not just know of) 2 teachers in hospital right now. A further 4 who are considerably ill and one who has just left hospital. I also have 1 student in hospital, and know another at my previous school.

From the first wave, a have a teacher friend who had a stroke 11 weeks after having COVID. Aged 42. Thankfully he is beginning to recover.

Please do not underestimate this. You will honestly not find out everything in the media, especially the fact that we've now had more than 30 cases, with several caused by a student waiting for test results bring in school before the test result. We've had 2 with positive parents at home too, and the kids still came to school...

Barbie222 · 20/10/2020 20:09

I am personally very worried about the number of teachers I know who are currently positive, because it's going up quickly, and it would be naive to think that they were all just going to get better. Data on this would be really good but of course it's not being collected.

Calligraphy572 · 20/10/2020 20:09

Now, this angers me. Someone will take the view that education is far too important to be interrupted any further, and will then deny that teachers and staff are falling ill and in some cases dying as a result. (I know that in some cases it is spreading to the community, because one of the teachers I've mentioned has passed it to his wife, who worked in a busy office, so has she passed it on? Who knows.)

I respect the view that children should be in school. But the cold, hard fact is that some teachers and staff will certainly get very sick indeed.
At least do schools the favour of recognising that educating children has become a dangerous job.

purplewaterfall · 20/10/2020 20:10

Teachers and support staff are already in hospital and it's not making the news.

Original poster
RubyandBen · 20/10/2020 20:10

@WhyareWehardofthinking sorry but I don't believe you.

OP posts:
BelleSausage · 20/10/2020 20:13

5 teachers tested positive at the local primary. 1 is in hospital and the school is closed.

This is not being reported. I wonder why?

Barbie222 · 20/10/2020 20:15

@WhyareWehardofthinking I believe you.

Cookiecrisps · 20/10/2020 20:16

@WhyareWehardofthinking I believe you too.

OPTIMUMMY · 20/10/2020 20:17

I don’t know how they are approaching it down south with bubbles in secondary schools. Up here it is only people who are close contacts of the pupil (those who sat next to) so not entire classes and usually not their teachers either as it’s assumed we’ve been able to stay 2m away from them. I can only speak from my own experience but I think that it’s a sensible approach that if you were sat next to a positive case then you should isolate. I certainly wouldn’t be happy with the increased risk I’d face if this wasn’t in place and parents could choose. It was bad enough getting parents to keep their coughing feverish children home in the days before lockdown! The impact to mental health is talked about a lot in terms of missing out on being with friends but I also know a lot of my pupils are worried about brining the virus home to their vulnerable family members. One of the girls I teach who is having to isolate because she was a close contact has a mum with cancer who is high risk and we are all just hoping she is okay. By not isolating others as soon as they know they are a contact it will spread more and actually a lot of our young people are vulnerable or have family with vulnerabilities. We also have quite a number of staff who are at increased risk (some of which who were shielding but now can’t). They would be put at even greater risk under your suggestion.

Ashard20 · 20/10/2020 20:18

@rubyandben
But when people say school isn't safe it annoys me as it is as safe as it ever has been (or more so) for the MAJORITY of DC who are incredibly unlikely to become very ill.

Well that's ok then - as long as it's safe for the DC and never mind our site manager who is seriously ill, whose wife has now tested positive too ... never mind one of our cleaners and now her husband who is in hospital as a result of her contracting it. Never mind the teachers either evidently...

I'm sorry it annoys you, but really? I would say that an incredible amount of school staff would find your comment dismissive and to be honest, glib and smug.

Tyranttoddler · 20/10/2020 20:18

My friend, a very healthy and fit mum of 4 little children, is currently very very ill in hospital with covid that she caught in school. Your assumption that no teachers are ill because it's not in the news is at best, just naive.

My school has had over 30 cases within just the children. One case had been sent in with a temperature and his dad had given him paracetamol.

Shitfuckoh · 20/10/2020 20:18

My eldest SEN primary school closed Friday afternoon.
At that point there were 6 cases across 4 bubbles. 3 pupils reported positive over the weekend. 4 staff members Monday. Today text saying 2 more cases - which has started to mean pupils as when it's staff they say class.
I don't know if that's across the 4 bubbles or spread further.

With this being a Special needs school, ratio of staff to pupil is obviously different to mainstream schools. But on that same basis, students attending the school can be more vulnerable to Covid.

Worrying as a parent to a child who (as far as I'm aware) isn't more vulnerable to Covid but is more vulnerable to change in routine & lack of being able to plan. I can tell him school returns after Half Term but will it? At the moment no one knows.

Oh & this has not made any local news etc. If you were to look at the school website there's no indication what so ever that school is closed.

Tyranttoddler · 20/10/2020 20:18

[quote RubyandBen]@WhyareWehardofthinking sorry but I don't believe you.[/quote]
Why?

Sarahbeans · 20/10/2020 20:19

A secondary School in a local town has had to shut because there were so many cases, they couldn't staff the school.

It hasn't been on the news at all, not even the local news. Have heard all about it on social media though! Smile

I live down south in tier 2, where there's not a lot of infection.

HipTightOnions · 20/10/2020 20:19

I don’t know how they are approaching it down south with bubbles in secondary schools

I’m in the south. We have just had another positive case and sent home 10 contacts from a “bubble” of 400. No teachers, natch.

pinkpip100 · 20/10/2020 20:20

The secondary school that two of my dc attend closed from yesterday due to multiple cases within and between bubbles, both in students and staff. All students have been advised by Public Health England to isolate for 14 days even if they haven't had confirmed contact with a positive case. Basically the spread has got out of control very very quickly - prior to this they had a small handful of cases and what appeared to be no onward transmission (close contacts only sent home to isolate for 14 days, not whole year groups or even classes). We are in a tier 1 area and yet the situation has spiralled worryingly fast.
Most positive results were received within the past few days and are expected to continue coming in over the next few days. Any one of those students or (far more likely) staff could end up in hospital - it is far far too early to make sweeping statements like the one in the OP.

starrynight19 · 20/10/2020 20:20

@WhyareWehardofthinking
I am sorry to hear that , sadly some people don’t want to hear it Sad

Ashard20 · 20/10/2020 20:20

@WhyareWehardofthinking
I don't just believe you - I have similar evidence. The hard facts of the matter confirm that you are right.

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