What is a close contact in school causing need to isolate?

[gcseexamshelp]

I understand close contacts include seating within 2m in school.

If you sit in the seat directly behind someone who tests positive (for one lesson in secondary school) would you have to isolate for 2 weeks as no face to face contact.

I understand it is 2m to sides or diagonal on seating plan but is it the same behind?

Thanks.

Depends on the school and their interpretation.

It depends on the schools set up and layout, and what PHE (to the LA if they do it rather than PHE) have to say.

For us - 3 form infant school - it has varied:

Reception - all 3 classes (year group) due to being open plan, no fixed doors, lots of shared spaces that it isn''t possible to avoid

Key stage 1 - whole class (we try to stick to class bubbles where possible, although they do mix at playtime outside but that isn't classed as close contact)

These include all staff in the bubbles/classes as it is infants so no expectation to socially distance.

The 2m diameter wouldn't work in our infant school classes as we don't force the children to remain seated in one place all day every day.

Thank you . Is there no guidance for secondary schools/wording that I can see? What has happened in other schools? Any teachers here who are using seating plans what are you doing? Thanks

Kids have a tendency to turn around, so being sat behind doesn't guarantee no face-to-face interaction. We isolate everyone in a 2m(ish- err on the safe side do probably more like 2.5m) circle. Classes are moving much less than normal though so it doesn't affect too many students (unless it is a y11 as they are still moving quite a bit).

DH teaches in a private secondary. They made pupils isolate if they are within 2m of the affected pupil in any direction for 15mins or more. In practical terms this has meant that about 40 pupils out of a year group of 110 isolate if there is a positive case (taking into account that the pupil may be in multiple classes due to options).

High school teacher here.
We isolate according to seating plans - next to positive case either side, behind and in front. Basically within 2 metres in any direction.

Personally, it's not enough - we've had further outbreaks in same classes doing this - should be whole class imo, but then ventilation and over-crowded classes is an issue for us.

Those who isolate according to seating plan/proximity - don’t your year groups have break or go to lunch? You have no idea who has been face to face for how long (or climbing all over each other). It’s madness. It should be the whole year bubble, as it is in my school (Wales).

I believe our school does those sitting within 2m. - all classes have seating plans. AND friendship groups to account for break, lunchtime contacts

The positive child is asked who they spent break/lunch with and they are told to isolate too. Just as would happen with asking an adult about close contacts.

It's not perfect, but if we isolated the whole bubble every time we might as well be shut...

They ask the children who they have been near at lunch and playtimes.
Then it’s 2m from the seating plan. This is secondary.
Whole bubbles generally in primary.

@SophieB100

High school teacher here. We isolate according to seating plans - next to positive case either side, behind and in front. Basically within 2 metres in any direction.

Personally, it's not enough - we've had further outbreaks in same classes doing this - should be whole class imo, but then ventilation and over-crowded classes is an issue for us.

This. We have on more than one occasion ended up with more positives and the whole class isolating anyway.

It depends who you speak to at Track and Trace and/or what local conditions are like at the time.

We've only had two positive cases, but the criteria for identifying close contacts was different each time.

In both cases no one else had a positive test as a result of contact.

We have split all our tables up but a class of 30 pupils means that every table has 2 pupils, all facing forward, but there isn't space for 2ft apart never mind 2 metres.

Corridor traffic, pupils not listening and general don't give a fuck attitude in way too many teenagers means that, despite all our staggered starts and over-staffed break and lunch duties, we are constantly battling to remind pupils that we are in the middle of a pandemic.

A few get it, the vast majority act like business as usual and there lies the problem,