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

[RubyandBen]

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.

Yep. Definitely the schools are keeping tight lipped as otherwise too many people would refuse to send their children in....

I think its many more than the 5% last week too. Our primary had told people not to test of the cough follows a cold. Yet on here lots of people are testing positive with those symptoms.

Similarly a friend has tested postivie without the big 3 symptoms. Headache and fatigue... how many more are we missing!?

As a teacher with 10 cases in school and 2 in classes I teach I expect some protection for myself, my colleagues and students. If it's that simple let's abolish it for people working in all environments. Thought not.

Yes, this. 100% this.

If it's safe for teachers / nursery workers to care for young children (close contact, bodily fluids, 'accidents' every day) then it's safe for nurses in non-covid wards to not bother with PPE either, right? And care homes too? As long as there is no confirmed case? Except the latter is rightly treated as patently absurd, yet everyone has this massive blind spot with teachers. Have people really swallowed the government's lies?

What about the teacher who lost her arms, legs and tongue due to septicaemia from Covid?

It's not about knowing whether any teachers have been very ill or have died from COVID, it's about knowing the proportion of teachers who have.

If teachers make up 1% of the population (or whatever the number actually is), but 10% of the cases, then we could argue that teaching was a high risk profession. If they make up 1% of cases then this would just be statistically expected.

However, this information isn't available so we can't make a judgement

As the one accused of lying I'm still rather entertained by a few posters on this thread. I had an online hub meeting last night and after all of the important stuff we had a chat about how we are coping with COVID. Turns out, by proxy, I'm now aware of many more teachers considerably ill or in hospital. Even one who has lost the sight in one eye from coughing (before anyone asks I've done some research and yes that is possible) and apparently that teacher needs surgery to correct what is now a dangerous eyeball pressure problem.

Wonderful!

At least we've shut down our entire 6th form bubble to 4 cases, one who is exempt from masks and was here whilst symphony and waiting to go be tested. The woman on the phone was a bit shocked that someone exempt from wearing a mask could be an issue....

I reckon op is off to namechange after being sprung so they can start more similar threads

I just find it hard to believe that there is some nationwide conspiracy to suppress the truth about about teachers and their health that is actively being colluded in by the schools themselves and the press.

I'm not saying that those of you who know of teachers/ colleagues who are ill etc are lying - I promise. I'm just confused about how this very successful suppression of information has been achieved when the press and teachers have all been concerned for months that the return to school would result in hundreds of teachers falling ill/ dying.

My DS has been back in nursery since they re-opened in April. Not a single case among nursery staff.
My other two DS have both been back at school since September (single form intake primary school). Not a single case - or is it that the teachers/ the school are lying to us?! For the nursery I know for sure as they have told me. Unless they're lying too?
But why lie? Surely the schools themselves don't care if telling the truth results in lower attendence? Why would they go along with it? These are genuine questions not sceptical ones btw.

@YouSetTheTone

Indeed. Why on earth would so many cover up. Perhaps children just aren't the super spreaders that many insisted. Perhaps children and teachers are not dying on mass as predicted by some on here a few months ago - or maybe there is some conspiracy to cover it all up. The fact that only a very small number of schools have closed is brilliant.

Similar story here, 1 case in very large secondary pupil sent home, others tested none of the others were positive only the original student and his family. The teacher tested and was also negative. That's it for 6 solid weeks with 1250 students - why would the school lie to other parents if there were cases in school - there isn't in this particular school.

Some want the return to education in schools to fail. For me as a parent I am really pleased that my child is back in school, loving it and it's going really, really well.

Our school has confirmed that we have had no cases or suspected cases. Community numbers aren't high here though.

I dont think its actively lying, just not giving all the information
For example I was aware covid was in my cholds year group and had shut down 3 classes. I wasnt aware it was in nearly all the other year groups too!

Its easy to see why they arent publicising it beyond whom its strictly necessary too. People woupd be scared to send their kids in! They want children in school.

It is however all over our local papers once a school is known to have closed a year group or closed down. Not when there are a collectiom of isolayed cases. Both secondaries near me have closed.

Anf again its obvious why they don't want to report it on a national scale. They need children to be in school.... theyve prioritised that, and telling us how bad it is would stop people sending their children in!

This thread is bizarre. The occupation of those hospitalised with Covid isn’t generally reported in the press.

@AppleKatie

This thread is bizarre. The occupation of those hospitalised with Covid isn’t generally reported in the press.

They don't dare!

Quite!

The recent COVID case in my child’s school was picked up via a routine test (before hospital admission). No symptoms, no illness, in school all week possibly spreading it, likewise the parents at the school gates.

That’s the problem. The government would not dare extend mass testing to schools. One school did that locally and they found 90 odd cases (low incidence area).

Teacher at my children's school was very ill and in hospital. He is not expected back to work before Christmas. This is just one but you can't say there has been no serious cases in school. Oh also a pupil in a local school was hospitalized not sure how ill but we are a low transmission area.

[quote TiersTiersTiers]@YouSetTheTone

Indeed. Why on earth would so many cover up. Perhaps children just aren't the super spreaders that many insisted. Perhaps children and teachers are not dying on mass as predicted by some on here a few months ago - or maybe there is some conspiracy to cover it all up. The fact that only a very small number of schools have closed is brilliant.

Similar story here, 1 case in very large secondary pupil sent home, others tested none of the others were positive only the original student and his family. The teacher tested and was also negative. That's it for 6 solid weeks with 1250 students - why would the school lie to other parents if there were cases in school - there isn't in this particular school.

Some want the return to education in schools to fail. For me as a parent I am really pleased that my child is back in school, loving it and it's going really, really well.[/quote]
Okay, it has been generally accepted for several months that children are not likely to get very ill or to die (although sadly that does occasionally happen). Teachers are unfortunately getting ill, and teachers on here are reporting illness and death in colleagues, sadly.

The risk is more to ECV teachers and family members, which does also have a significant impact on children in turn. I'd say we need parental choice and this will help everyone, in trying to space schools out, which is desperately needed.

It's great that there has only been 1 case in the school you mention. That does not however change the fact that there are currently 53,000-90,000 new cases nationally every day and unfortunately schools are a significant part of this picture of infection spread.

No one wants the return to education in schools to fail, but we do need to make schools safer. especially as the infection rate is getting really really high.

[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]
What do you define as "very unwell"? My boss at work was never hospitalised but is suffering from long Covid and only able to do a couple of days a week, 6 months on.

My school now has 6 of 9 classes closed. 9 teacher staff have tested positive m, varying degrees of feeling poorly from very mild to potentially dangerous complications (my own - dangerously high blood pressure.)
Several parents now tested positive.
No child has had a positive test (yet) but few have been tested as don't have the main 3 symptoms so not eligible. Lots with cold type bugs.

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

What's your definition of 'very unwell' in this situation?

In bed with it?
Only if Hospitalised?
Only if in ICU?

And if it's the teacher off, who teaches the bubble who remain? If half stay off and half come in - who provides the home learning and who provides the in school learning?

And parents wouldn't know I was in hospital due to Covid related reasons.
I even posted home learning from my hospital bed!! So how on earth would parents even know?

The parents also don't know who has tested positive, how many, how ill or not they are, etc. They know someone in their bubble has tested positive but haven't been told if adult or child.

@Aragog wouldn’t parents know because their DC mentioned that their teacher wasn’t teaching them?

No serious cases. Are you joking?
One of the slides shown in one of the press conferences showed children were being admitted to hospital with covid and that this number had been increasing since start of term. I would say that is serious.
And you are wrong in saying only ecv are going to be vaccinated.
OP, your post is full of incorrect information.

I agree OP. 2 cases in Ds1 & Ds2 's secondary. And the bubble that was asked to isolate was tiny. No other year groups affected.

All other secondary's round here similar.

So I think we've done we'll do far to make it to October 1/2 Term.

@Oblomov20

I agree OP. 2 cases in Ds1 & Ds2 's secondary. And the bubble that was asked to isolate was tiny. No other year groups affected.

All other secondary's round here similar.

So I think we've done we'll do far to make it to October 1/2 Term.

Oh yes, we’ve done so well getting to half term. Never mind about the 100k people near enough who are getting infected every day, largely driven by all the children and young people. Yay for you!