Would you send your DC to school where multiple cases confirmed?

[Nervousnamechanger20]

Had email yesterday saying multiple cases confirmed in DC (primary) school. Not in DC’s class but in year group which is official ‘bubble’ (and various other year groups) although my child not being asked to isolate as not close contact. Both children and staff have confirmed cases.

Usually relatively calm about Covid but this has really unsettled me - I don’t feel comfortable sending them in but I don’t know if this is unreasonable...

@MushMonster

I have done so. There have been confirmed cases in her school. Though here they send the whole year to isolate if they confirm a case. For the bubble pupils, their whole household has to isolate.

@MushMonster

Hi - you've been incorrectly advised there - the households of bubble pupils do not have to isolate unless the child has symptoms.

Schools are unfortunately brilliant at overstepping the mark at times like this

Yes I would. This situation is going to go on for years.

The thing is that the whole bubble (ie the year group) doesn’t have to isolate. Only the close contacts (usually the class). They’ve changed this I think? Seem a bad idea to me but I realise it’s not the schools fault - it’s coming from the government.

Several classes at the school are isolating (including one in my DC’s year group, hence in their ‘bubble’ and I am nervous tbh.)

Yes. Why would you not?

Yes, because never in my wildest dreams would I have considered keeping my kids at home if I heard there was a flu or d&v bug going around at their school or even in their class and for most people this virus has a similar effect and outcome to one of those other viruses. Additionally, people now know all about isolating properly to avoid spreading it to someone more vulnerable.

The difference here is that covid has had one hell of a government PR campaign.

Yes I would send her in but I know exactly how you feel. Our school has had 3 cases now and I've felt shock and fear at each one. The first one particularly as the reality of it all properly hit.

All 3 cases are recovered and back at school now and there was no spread within the school which was a relief. These are very anxious times though.

Yes. My kids are thriving back at school and we are clutching to every second of school we can get!

[quote Northernsoulgirl45]@SoloMummy dd3 primary bubble is 90 and several staff
Dd1 and dd2 secondary bubbles are 100 and 250[/quote]
And for me, that's not reducing the risks as far as they can.
In June it was bubbles of 8 plus 1 adult in the schools around here for primary and if they had a nursery attached 4 plus 1 adult.
To now have 100 Inc adults to is imo not reducing the risks sufficiently. Even just class as stand alone bubbles would be preferable and still manageable in many schools. Certainly would be here.

Yes, because never in my wildest dreams would I have considered keeping my kids at home if I heard there was a flu or d&v bug going around at their school or even in their class

A very good point.

However for me they are different. My husband is in his 50s and overweight.

For anyone overweight, with blood pressure issues or diabetes and some other conditions these are not the same diseases.

If there were multiple cases at the same time in the same class ( but a different clas from my dc) and that was in my child’s bubble, I’d probably give it a week just to see if any cases in my child’s own class came up.

By give it a week, I mean take my dc out for a week

@Northernsoulgirl45 and @SoloMummy raise a really good point.

More should be done to reduce transmission in schools in high prevalence areas by reducing bubble sizes. It’s a better option than closing them altogether, even if it simply means doing the same work as homeschooling but in a small and consistent bubble supervised by one teacher so at least the work get done. No extra curriculars and minimal school transport, allow in bubble car pooling, minimise wraparound care in mixed bubbles. Packed lunches only (provided by the school where needed). Stagger break and sports lessons to maximise use of recreational areas. Whilst there would be individual difficulties from logistical perspective, again if it was short term it would be vastly preferable to closing schools. It’s not great but it’s not impossible.

@SoloMummy I agree. Dd3 had about
4 different adults in her class one week.
Dh is ecv too but we just have to get on with it.
Secondary is even worse.

Yes. It wouldn't occur to me not to send DC in.

My DC are both at secondary, there are confirmed cases in every year group at the moment, but school is not closing whole year group, just sending home close contacts to isolate.

My y10 child is currently a week into a 2 week isolation and I will be sending him back as soon as allowed. He's started his GCSEs and I want him to be at school as much as possible.

DH and I are both in our 40s and reasonably healthy (although he's a bit overweight), and we live far away from both sets of parents so no chance of seeing them any time soon.

I wouldn't. I'm a teacher covering ppa across several classes. My experience is that teachers are not social distancing and go between classes a lot, so if there are staff cases, it is possible other staff will have caught it.
A local primary school shut completely on Friday due to two staff cases - I assume that is because all other staff now have to isolate.

I have done, so yes

Yes

@ConiferGate thank you.
Well moving on two of my 3 dds have been sent home to self isolate. One a close contact. Social distancing in the home again than to protect ecv dh.

My DD school had their first case confirmed this weekend and although I am very anxious as a parent (and pulled my kdis out of school a week before lockdown) I wrestled like you and decided to just try and take it a week at a time. There may be no further cases for weeks in the same schools who currently have cases and I think a lot of positives coming through now are from half term so we should be ready to start a drop on cases.

That said my area was falling and is now rising again but I'm keeping my eye on it but having another wobble tonight!

@Northernsoulgirl45 so sorry to hear that, really hope everyone is ok

Thank you. I am sure it will be ok.