Secondary schools minimising positive results

[gingerbread88]

I wondered whether this had happened in other schools/areas?
Our local senior school has an outbreak that hasn't been clearly communicated.

@gingerbread88

My main issue is that it is half term so has meant the students have been all over the community possibly unwittingly spreading Covid when if they knew of the extent of the outbreak and the high numbers involved they may have taken the advice to isolate more seriously.

If they were told before half term to isolate then they shouldn't have been all over the community unwittingly spreading covid! Out of interest OP are you one of the parents that didn't take it seriously and allow your DC to go out instead of isolating and now wanting to blame school instead of yourself for not following the advice?

I can understand other points of view and take them on board and I don't blame the school, but think their response has been to minimise it which has been more in the interests of the school than the wider community.

@3littlewords no, I am not 'one of those parents'. We were all already self isolating at home and have all continued to do so as instructed as 3 out of 5 of us came down with Covid, original case caught at said school.

but think their response has been to minimise it which has been more in the interests of the school than the wider community

Minimising it would be not telling children to isolate.

Parents have minimised it - perhaps you should report them and make sure they are fined?

I work in a school and it is terrifying how much cases are being downplayed - even amongst staff. We have had members of staff test positive and no one asked to self isolate as they should have been 2m from everyone at all times (impossible when you have 34/35 students in a room). Even when staff have queried this if they have had lunch or meetings with positive staff they have not been permitted to self isolate. We have had the first case in each year group reported to parents but not any other. So one year group had one positive and parents were notified however this year had five other cases quite quickly after and one or two students for each positive were quietly sent to isolate. We have so many cases in the older years in seconds it is scary. Primary seems less effected but I could be wrong?

@SmileEachDay I'm not sure schools 'advising' year groups to isolate and then parents and students ignoring this advice is grounds for fines, I might be wrong.

We got told about the first case of covid in our children’s school/college then never heard any more.
In the end of term letters they mentioned ‘numerous cases’ so clearly we’re not being told the full story.
I knew of many cases at the college through my son though. Many of his friends have been sent home to self isolate. I’m expecting more cases in the run up to Xmas. One teacher at least was extremely poorly.

You only notify those who may have contact with that person.
It isn't a notify all parents situation for each case.

@SmileEachDay I'm not sure schools 'advising' year groups to isolate and then parents and students ignoring this advice is grounds for fines, I might be wrong

The “advice” is exactly the same as if it came through track and trace soooooo....

I’m perhaps being unnecessarily narky. This isn’t on the school. They’ve done their bit. It’s down to parents to do their part.

Absolutely blame the parents, we agree on that but I do also feel the school should have shouldered some of the responsibility by publicising and making parents aware of the seriousness of the high volume of cases arising from one school.
I am concerned about the vulnerable in the community, I would put that before the schools reputation.
My friend teaches there and until yesterday through some digging, had no idea what they were potentially walking into on Monday morning.

Maybe this isn't a high scale outbreak of more than 30 students and 3 staff (that we know of) I thought it went beyond the one or two positive cases most schools in the area seem to have had so far.

Schools are being essentially sub contracted to do the tracing involving students on register. Therefore if school have said to self isolate it is as if the official tracers have said so.
ALSO schools are being "advised" who to send home, and who to tell. Originally it was PHE, now it is (probably) public health unqualified call handlers at the DfE.
The government's agenda is to keep schools open at all costs, and as young people are barely affected by the virus....

Surely it is 100% up to the parents and guardians of these children to ensure they are self isolating if positive? What's it got to do with the school?

My friend teaches there and until yesterday through some digging, had no idea what they were potentially walking into on Monday morning

Presumably your friend is isolating though as the entire school is doing so?

@gingerbread88 - are you REALLY saying that the school advised the entire school community to isolate, which is as bloody serious as you can possibly get, and you are complaining about the school because many of the parents are stupid w*nkers who ignore what they are advised to do?! Sounds like when the school communicated with parents, it told them of the number of cases it was currently aware of. The whole bloody point of isolating is that more people are likely to have been infected and may take up to 14 days to show symptoms, if they show symptoms at all. The school made it 100% clear every single child was considered at risk.

@SmileEachDay no, apparently it was only the students who were advised to isolate, not the staff.

@SmileEachDay no, apparently it was only the students who were advised to isolate, not the staff

I see. And they hadn’t told staff that every single child would be isolating?

Yes of course the staff saw the letter sent to parents advising all years to isolate as it was a teacher who was across all bubbles who tested positive but staff have not been made aware of the high number of positive cases amongst the students.
I feel like we are going round in circles and everything I post you are determined to pick apart as we have a difference of opinion.
I don't have the energy as I am currently down with Covid, I posted a question and understand it has irritated you but I truly don't have the energy to keep replying to your constant picking apart of everything I write.

Yes of course the staff saw the letter sent to parents advising all years to isolate

Great! I’m glad your friend, in that case, knows exactly what they’ll be walking into on Monday.

Hope you feel better soon.

Whether kids have been told to isolate or not is a separate issue. Of course schools should not be sitting on info about numbers within their walls. What possible valid reason could an educational establishment in an open, democratic society have for withholding information?!

Have to say as a secondary teacher I have no idea what is communicated to parents as I never see any of it - only know if the students tell me.

What possible valid reason could an educational establishment in an open, democratic society have for withholding information?!

It's half term and it's not their job?

Schools have already been dumped with test and trace responsibility, now they're responsible for law enforcement too?

@Boeufsurletoit

Whether kids have been told to isolate or not is a separate issue. Of course schools should not be sitting on info about numbers within their walls. What possible valid reason could an educational establishment in an open, democratic society have for withholding information?!

They will have been advised by DfE. They won't want to panic parents into withdrawing students....

The school told every pupil to isolate due to a number of cases, any subsequent cases amongst the pupils should technically become irrelevant, if they are isolating properly, and the families of the positive pupils are isolating properly the wider vulnerable community shouldn't be affected. That's the whole point of isolating, not parents making judgement on how "serious" they deem it to be before following advice

that someone in dds year at secondary has tested positive... but that only a small number of students have been contacted to isolate. I thought the whole year group was a bubble

The really don't need to send the entire year group of 200 home for two weeks. Only close contacts.