Has lockdown really worked? 66 new cases this week in son's school- post lockdown (in lowish infection area)!

[Annie1919]

We are in tier 2 and school is taking all govt recommended measures yet still had 66 positive test results this week! (throughout every year group). DD's football also cancelled this week due to another positive case (not linked to school and from surrounding borough). Seems to me cases are soaring!?

I am in a Tier 2 region and up until last week only odd cases in schools. This week three big comprehensives have had bad outbreaks amongst teachers and pupils. Whole year groups now self isolating.

@Inmyownlittlecorner

My friends primary school has year 5 out & there were 15 positive tests in one class including the teacher. Most common symptoms have so far been a raised temperature, extreme fatigue & an upset tummy. My whole reception class were out because of 1 positive test in a teacher but the week before we had about 10 children off or sent home with stomach aches &/or diarrhoea.

Interesting that teachers were positive in both cases. Is that because they get more symptoms?

And nothing to do with the fact that secondary schools have sets for English, maths and sometimes other subjects at KS4, and then different option subjects at KS4 (so lots of mixing within a year group), not to mention the complete social mixing at break times within a year group "bubble" of 300 odd students??
No it must be the public transport (masked up) or the walking to school (outiside), and nothing to do with the indoor long exposure no masks mixing?

Wow! That’s a hella snippy response. Not sure what’s up your arse but I’m stepping back from the firing line.

1800+ pupil secondary school in a Tier 3 area. Cases were 670 per 100000 in the area before the second lockdown. We have had 4 cases so far. No further cases from any of those, so no (symptomatic) transmission in schiol. 40 kids currently isolating in one yeargroup.

Smallsteps88 you aren't allowed to say transmission is occurring more outside schools than inside. It makes some people on here really angry.

There have been scores of cases at both my sons' secondaries.
My son and three of his form all had Covid at the same time and he's now had 4 isolations since Sept.
My other son has had two self isolations.

I also work with a number of schools who are all experiencing high volumes of cases. Staff are in hospital.

Just because it might not be the case in some MNetters' schools, doesn't mean that this crisis is not happening elsewhere in masses of schools.

Just because it might not be the case in some MNetters' schools, doesn't mean that this crisis is not happening elsewhere in masses of schools

And vice versa

@MrsMiaWallis

Smallsteps88 you aren't allowed to say transmission is occurring more outside schools than inside. It makes some people on here really angry.

So I see! Not sure why?

@FrangipaniBlue

If it gets into a school, there’s nothing to stop it spreading.

DS school (circa 1400 pupils) has had 8 cases since September, so I can't say I agree with this l.

Out high school had 8 confirmed cases on Friday alone ( communication from Head teacher ) never mind all the others we have had since September... we get emails from school but obviously not naming the pupils .

It’s prolific... I’m beginning to think every child in the school must have had it by now .

One of ours had eight cases that emerged over last weekend Babbi, it's startling.

A ten per cent rate in my child's year 10 form is very worrying indeed. My child was quite poorly with it too, yet he's fit and sporty.

Semi rural area , Tier 2 , school of 1000 no confirmed cases at all. 66 seems unbelievable we’re they all symptomatic?

@MrsMiaWallis

Just because it might not be the case in some MNetters' schools, doesn't mean that this crisis is not happening elsewhere in masses of schools

And vice versa

So? Does it have to be awful in every school for it to be declared a problem?

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

I think it could happen in any school to be honest. There is no covid secure, just covid lucky or covid unlucky.

I wish this wasn't so. Long may we all be COVID lucky.x

Ah, people with no experience trying to tell people with experience what the problem is.

How unexpected.

you aren't allowed to say transmission is occurring more outside schools than inside. It makes some people on here really angry
Because it is patent nonsense, yes, it does make people angry. Secondary schools, with no masks in classrooms, setting, and movement round the school are the perfect environment for transmission of an airborne respiratory virus.

This is why schools should have closed for the lock down..,hardly rocket science 🤷‍♀️

Rural Wales border county here; with kids from multiple counties feeding into the (small) school. Approx 40 cases a few weeks ago, all but one were in sixth form. In addition, 6 (if my memory serves correctly) teaching staff and numerous parents. These cases were all confirmed.
This is real. It is absolutely happening.

Primary symptoms (that I heard about) reported were loss of smell, headache and common cold type presentation. It appears that when the first cases were happening, they were atypical presentations, which is possibly how it took hold.

The key point is this. We’re in a rural area with very low transmission rates. It was startling how quickly this took hold. So for anyone saying it’s not a problem in their area, be warned. It hadn’t been in our’s either! Until this happened, I knew not of a single confirmed case. If your DC school hasn’t been affected, please don’t be complacent. To be caught up in a big outbreak is genuinely frightening.

However, a previous poster has a point about secondary pupils behaving irresponsibly; poor social distancing, lots of mixing outside of school bubbles, parties, sleepovers, etc. All facilitated by parents, as in rural areas, kids can’t easily do these things without their parents driving them to meet up. It’s infuriating to be the “bad parent” for enforcing the rules when others are complacent!

Wow, that’s a lot. My kids secondary school of over 2000 has had 15 positive cases (14 kids, i teacher), none since October half term. We’re tier 2.

Smallsteps88 you aren't allowed to say transmission is occurring more outside schools than inside. It makes some people on here really angry.
Indeed and they spread unverified propaganda about ‘superspreaders’ which gets lapped up and repeated as if it true.
Sure there will be sone schools with a lot of cases because done communities do and schools are part of their local community, but lots on here with no or a few cases, like mine with only one teacher positive since March and two children, one asymptomatic, no hospitalisation. No bubble sent home, only a couple of kids isolating this week waiting for parent tests which were negative so children only off for a couple of days. School published to all staff which children are isolating so we can include them in lessons via Teams. Cover much less than normal for this time of year. If gvt freely published this data for everyone to see instead of relying on gossip maybe the ‘close schools’ lobby would be more easily ignored.

@noblegiraffe

Ah, people with no experience trying to tell people with experience what the problem is.

How unexpected.

People with experience of being parents to children who do/don't have Covid?

Yes some schools seem to have a lot of cases but many don't. Who knows why that is.

However, a previous poster has a point about secondary pupils behaving irresponsibly; poor social distancing, lots of mixing outside of school bubbles, parties, sleepovers, etc. All facilitated by parents, as in rural areas, kids can’t easily do these things without their parents driving them to meet up. It’s infuriating to be the “bad parent” for enforcing the rules when others are complacent!

Yes this is annoying and happens here.

We have been lucky so far, no cases in the primary school but quite a few in the seniors. Regardless I am extremely happy that they have given us the choice of online learning for the last week of term. I hope that the teachers are also happy to reduce their contacts in the lead up to Christmas.

Are you in Woking by any chance, our cases here are still rising with whole year groups off school isolating. We will be in tier 3 if cases don’t start dropping.

I agree with op it seems worse than before lockdown take 2!

We are low rate tier 2 area no reported cases in my DS secondary school or isolation periods...until last week. 12 cases in a week resulting in whole yr11 isolating and then half of yr 9. Also groups of pupils isolating from other year groups. Head has said pupils can work from home if they like/able to for the last week of term to attempt to prevent the need for isolating over Xmas period/being unwell. I think this is a great approach, which will reduce numbers in school as some will work from home.

Ds primary school yr 5 6 children were out with sickness but are now in 2week isolating period as someone in their household has tested positive. No child has tested positive and no periods of isolating since September until this.

A secondary school about 5miles away in previous extremely low community spread has reported in last 3weeks 57 cases amongst pupils and 13staff. Head sends a weekly newsletter which can be read freely online.

I’m collating a few of the COVID passing rules that I’ve picked up from recent threads. Please correct me if I’ve made an error.

Kids can pass to other kids outside, in open air.
Teachers can pass to other teachers inside in the staff rooms that they say are closed but aren’t really because someone once read an article from Ireland saying they were a main cause of spread.
Teachers can pass to students in a class room so should wear masks even though they say their risk assessments disallow them (but we all know they’re lying).

BUT

students cannot pass the virus to either other students or adults within the classroom because schools are safe places for them.

Have I got that right?