Now we know why the govt were suppressing the schools infection data

[noblegiraffe]

...because for secondary it’s very worrying.

They choose to release it the day before we break up for half term, too late for any circuit breaker like the other U.K. countries.

They’ve quietly removed the assertion that schools aren’t high risk settings from the guidance. At what point are they going to start to be honest about the risks, particularly in sixth forms and colleges?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/928749/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs_W43_FINAL.pdf

Why is it nonsensical? It's working very well for her and her classmates?

Half the class in at one time everyone having the same lesson, with the same teacher at the same time.

What's so different about watching the class on line (they ask and answer questions on chat) that you can't just teach the class like normal?

In worse case scenarios I'd have a 1 or 2 week rolling programme where self study is taught and set at school for home and the groups at home can send work in or ask for help. But emphasis on as much self assessment and study as possible.

If the school day was a bit shorter, staff could deal with queries and help for those at home.

I know a school that worked this sort of model, sen, but it meant all got into school and staff could manage the pupils at home too after the children had gone home.

Online textbooks would probably be needed.

It's not ideal but we are in a pandemic.

@supersonicginandtonic

I don't want blended learning for my children and in now way would I ever support it. It's impossible for any parent to manage who works or for a child who is SEND, or struggling enough already. I want my children to have the best chance they can get at their futures and being at home every other week certainly will not do that.

No parent or teacher wants it. But currently, in some areas, disruption is worse than that with groups being in repeated isolation.

@Marcellemouse

Didn't you lot discuss this all last night and today and yesterday and the day before?

If you don't wish to participate in the thread, then feel free to do something else.

I'd perhaps consider Sen in mainstream school going in more regularly though.

@Greysparkles my children are in a very large secondary school. They've had 6 cases since they went back to school. All have been on the 6th form and all linked to social events outside of school.

In our area multiple year groups in multiple schools have been pulled because of large birthday parties for 16-18 year olds. It is time for parents to catch a fucking grip and realise that little Johnny will survive without having twenty mates round to get pissed on his birthday. The most feckless and idiotic parents tend also to be the ones who whine when bubbles are pulled or bleat that they can't wear a mask cos reasons. Human stupidity is now playing a significant role in spreading a virus so contagious it really doesn't need our help.

@AllDoneIn exactly the same as the cases at my older children's school l.

I am just back from isolating with my year 6 class. There's already another off waiting test results, which is amazing given that they are meant to have been isolating. Until you realise that their parents and siblings haven't been and don't have to. It's a farce. The other cases in my class didn't present classically and the parents were still sending them in. They only got tested because of older siblings showing classic symptoms. So went about merrily spreading it in the meantime. The only reason I haven't got it is that I am super stringent - far more so than my Academy trust would like. But I live with my mum and kids, she has vascular dementia and my son is vulnerable so I work really hard to spray everything, mark at school, strip at home and shower.

All of my class were telling me about their planned Halloween parties and sleepovers. Great. I don't feel safe at all at school. I am clinically vulnerable and apparently even more likely to be in for long covid now being 50 with an already existing autoimmune disease.

At the moment I am not only teaching all day, marking and planning for interventions before school, but i'm then doing online provision for those isolating. Then caring for my kids and mum. Something has to give, and it will most likely be me.

[quote supersonicginandtonic]@Greysparkles my children are in a very large secondary school. They've had 6 cases since they went back to school. All have been on the 6th form and all linked to social events outside of school. [/quote]
You see, this makes absolutely no sense whatsoever. Why would it be more likely that they had caught it at a social event rather than at school. Surely they spend more time together at school everyday than a one off event. The odds must be higher of them passing it about in school.

It just seems as if people don’t want to believe schools are spreading it so they look for every excuse.

I wonder if primary kids are more likely to be encouraged to "come into school" with a cold and a cough like round here.

Or be expected to be full of sniffles, so covid not noticed.

It worries me that if those are the confirmed tests, how many more there are asymptomatic (aka eton..)

It must be one of our main ways its spreading surely!?

@Kidneybingo

I think there is a strong argument for keeping Reception through to Y7 in school, and splitting years above that in to halves, week in school, week at home working, teachers repeat the lessons for both halves. Currently it's very disruptive when say 30/200 are at home isolating. Planned time at home to thin out the classes might be better.

If teachers are repeating lessons taking twice as long to teach the same thing then how would they get in the whole years curriculum?

No cases in our school yet

@Greysparkles

Why is there such a difference between numbers for the younger/older year groups?

Are the majority of infections happening in school or outside of it?

Because many younger children are asymptomatic and so are not being tested and included in the figures. It is spreading silently through primary schools and back out into the community.

@Marcellemouse

Didn't you lot discuss this all last night and today and yesterday and the day before?

No Marcell. We couldn't, because the government was suppressing the data, remember.

This is brand new data, dropped today, just in time for people to forget over half term.

Why are you trying to suppress discussion of schools infection data?

“It is spreading silently through primary schools and back out into the community.“

Any evidence at all you would like to cite to back up that theory?

So long as my remaining school-aged DC stays at school, I will be happy (Ieaving aside the sea of shittiness all around me).

I couldn't care less about the statistics. I was a teacher before I had children. I'd gladly start teaching again if another teacher is too anxious to do it. I'd gladly have their pay, too.

Triangular, anecdotally all of my year 6 class cases presented as ill before siblings, but were not tested as it was a "cold". Only when their secondary siblings were ill were they tested and found positive. Bit late then, 2 whole secondary year groups shut as a result of two of my kids spreading it.

Because many younger children are asymptomatic and so are not being tested and included in the figures. It is spreading silently through primary schools and back out into the community.

Any evidence?

Come back to it then etopp. There are loads of vacancies round my way. Join us again. I bet you miss it.

Remember they told us that schools would be safe and children wouldn't transmit the virus?

And they were basing it on data on the under-10s but they never acknowledged the lack of data for over 10s?

Are they going to admit they fucked up? They can't blame those graphs on the pubs reopening.

You do realise the case rates per 100,000 are less than for the population as a whole in every year group apart from possibly yr13 (which is about average)?

I think oh is probably right - my dc's schools have definitely been talking about remote learning as though it's going to happen, working on Teams etc the last few weeks.

There's a definitely nudge towards "naughty, naughty rule breakers, because of them we're going to have to close schools", or "we prioritised full time schooling for all children but those pesky teachers have scuppered it by contracting the virus" in November I think.

Thing is, it wouldn't be too late for a circuit breaker if the govt had been using the summer months to prepare and - heavens forbid - recourse education settings for the inevitable, rather than posturing, lying and generally not giving a shit.

@Greysparkles

Why is there such a difference between numbers for the younger/older year groups?

Are the majority of infections happening in school or outside of it?

I don't think the difference between rates between primary and secondary is due to older ages mixing outside of school. But no one can be sure.

One possible explanation might be that younger children are more likely to be asymptomatic, or less younger children get tested because they have atypical symptoms. Testing in very young children may be less accurate too. Plus if they throw off the virus quicker the window of opportunity for a positive test might be shorter too. Could be lots of reasons.

I never believed that schools could be made safe for teachers or DC. I always have believed this government treacherous liars, and cynically I think some parents don't like to spend too much time with their own DC. Its all a bit overwhelming, and having a break with the adults keeps them sane. Angry that the government have fucked up my sons GCSE year, irritated that some parents are either gullible or a bit too desperate for schools to stay open despite the obvious risks.

I will be relieved now if we do have a lockdown. Perhaps Bojo can pay a pal to sort out schools.....or not. Either way its bloody criminal that teachers seem not to have the same workplace health and safety protections as other workers.

According to the government website the population wide data is 176 cases per 100,000 in the last week so the primary figures are much lower than that and only year 13 in secondary is (slightly) higher than that. We already knew young adults have higher rates of infection than older adults so I don't think there's anything particularly shocking in these figures. It just reflects what we already knew, cases in this country are going up and the vast majority of children don't get very ill with it.