Eight cases in secondary school: what happens next?

[SteveWrong]

Hi, I know that bubbles don't burst any more, and that only close contacts are sent home, but what happens when we're looking at these kinds of numbers in the last week? Will anything else happen? Is there some kind of trigger point for any different kind of action?

Local school to me decided to close for two weeks due to staff shortages and positive cases. The school has been on top of covid precautions. Students without computers have been given them + dongles in year 10+11, year 7,8+9 have access to online work and those who can't access it were given paperbacks, hand delivered on the first d as y of closure, and core teachers delivering content virtually to all years, options teachers delivering to 10+11 too.

Another school close by and DDs school have had lots of cases and refuse to close and nowhere near as on top of things as the first school. All of the schools are being commended and abused in equal measure for there choices, no one can win.

I just wish it was more transparent. I as a TA am not told of positives or if students are self isolating as they have a positive family member. I know medical records are confidential but I feel I and my colleagues should know if we are potentially a close contact - as absolutely no social distancing in my school as a TA.

I do wonder if supply teachers will start to struggle for work, if schools would rather close year group rather then have supply teachers in if they are going to multiply schools because of the risks of them transferring Covid between schools.

It's all inconsistent, if you could see the endless information pumped out from d of e it's no wonder heads get confused.

I've seen a few threads now where a head had told siblings of someone symptomatic to go in!

It's chaos, each school is simply doing its own thing.

Will see what happens by December, I'm also tempted to keep them both out two weeks before Xmas..

How could I do that without giving evidence though..

@Clutterbugsmum the school i work in can't afford any supply teachers.

@NullcovoidNovember what do you mean by evidence?

I'm just going to tell the school that I will be assisting with caring responsibilities for a clinically vulnerable family member for a few weeks so I'll be homeschooling them for the last week of term.

They are due to break up on 17th anyway so it is just 4 days

Good point.. They break up on 17th don't they, so it's that one week before..

Yes, we don't have any major plans yet since we don't know what the restrictions will be.

However, even if it is just Christmas walks to see lit up houses and fresh air as well as hopefully spending some time with family, I feel it's worth it.

If school text saying to isolate from 17th to the end of the year I'd massively regret not doing it!