Schools in England closing earlier to pupils (17th December)

[RaeburnPlace]

DfE announcement today...last minute. Thought families might appreciate knowing.

It’s something yo do with track and trace.

How does it work in holiday time? Is it expected that people notify the school in the holidays re a positive case?

I’m genuinely wondering as haven’t considered this. But I am surprised people are expected to work during that period if so to trace. I assume student A is a positive on 22nd (say), they are expected to email (do they?), and then HT or someone has to call parents in class.

Or is it something else entirely

For us the positive test would trigger a response from Public Health. They’d then contact the heads who would have to be part of the contact tracing system. Shutting before the 22nd would not only allow heads to not have to do this over Xmas day but would give school staff and families an increased chance of avoiding isolation over Xmas. It’s worth remembering that it’s not just the school staff who will be getting these isolation phone calls. It’s the children and young people in the classes too.

One day earlier then. Mine break up at lunchtime on the 18th.

Now, if they were finishing this Friday I might be impressed.

That's the theory, so say a child is in school on 18th, gets symptoms on 20th, has test on 21st, gets positive result on 23rd, contacts school and they tell close contacts to isolate from 18th. There are several issues with this:

1. People don't tell school - we had positive cases in half term that needed people to isolate that only came to light after the holiday
2. Schools aren't set up to deal with contact tracing in holidays, particularly Christmas, our building is usually closed then
3. Teachers are on holiday, but would need contacting if the case was in their class - for me to confidently confirm close contacts I'd need to be on my work laptop which I wouldn't have with me if I wasn't at home
4. Children are on holiday and may have gone to visit relatives by the 23rd due to Christmas bubbles or parents may not get isolating information if they don't see email or answer phone

One of my children’s school has a dedicated email. They have already said they will be manning it for Xmas to deal with any cases. So in effect cutting those staff holidays short by a week. Never mind them having to contact familys and ruining their Christmas plans. Imagine if they are already with their Xmas bubble. What a call that will be to make

@Flagsfiend

That's the theory, so say a child is in school on 18th, gets symptoms on 20th, has test on 21st, gets positive result on 23rd, contacts school and they tell close contacts to isolate from 18th. There are several issues with this:

1. People don't tell school - we had positive cases in half term that needed people to isolate that only came to light after the holiday
2. Schools aren't set up to deal with contact tracing in holidays, particularly Christmas, our building is usually closed then
3. Teachers are on holiday, but would need contacting if the case was in their class - for me to confidently confirm close contacts I'd need to be on my work laptop which I wouldn't have with me if I wasn't at home
4. Children are on holiday and may have gone to visit relatives by the 23rd due to Christmas bubbles or parents may not get isolating information if they don't see email or answer phone

Yes this is what I imagined. Thanks to both for explaining.

We have been asked to put detailed seating plans in an accessible place in case SLT need them over the hols. I think it will be assumed that no teacher went anywhere near any student, so we will not need to be contacted.

Hope DS's school doesn't do an inset day, that's just another day I'll have to find childcare for and there's hardly any at Christmas as it is. He's meant to be finishing that day anyway.

Unless you are in a primary school @HipTightOnions. We have no social distancing in our infant classes and if staff in the rest of the school is being truthful they’d say they haven’t always been ‘safe’

Primary teachers really need the 2m invisible force field that secondary teachers have been provided with. Everything can get through it except covid.

@noblegiraffe 😂 I was on a staircase today with about 100 year 11s. When I started my journey down there was just me. But little (well 6 foot) blighters are quicker than me and I was quickly surrounded. Think 3 had a mask over their noses. I've given up. No way of keeping any distance.

Our primary was always scheduled to break up on the 17th..

I don’t get what difference an extra day makes. If someone gets symptoms on 19th, test on 21st, results 23rd/24th, surely the T&T part will still be ongoing on Xmas day. And who is going to leap up from their Christmas bubble turkey and scream “right kids, into the car, little billy with no symptoms has to isolate because he sat next to a positive kid 8 days ago”.

Could this also be a way to reduce the number of families who get referred for a fine to their local authorities? Which might otherwise be enough to clog that system up completely? Our local authority has a threshold for fines of 20 absent consecutive sessions or one school week. Take out one day and people taking kids out to avoid Christmas covid complications won’t be clogging up the system and embarrassing the DFE.

All explained up thread - linked to contact tracing.

go.mumsnet.com/?xs=1&id=470X1554755&url=schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-finally-reveals-christmas-contract-tracing-rules/

What's the point though? That leaves 7 days until xmas. It should be 10 days, right?

Ds's school finishes at 1:30 on the 17th. The 18th was always an inset day for him as per the term dates published about a year ago.

It’s ridiculous, just what you come to expect from a reactive rather than proactive government. If they had any sense schools would have closed this Friday (11th) to allow for isolating etc before Christmas and this decision would have been made weeks ago. Also a delayed restart for January to try and help prevent an upward spike after the Christmas mixing should be in place. I work, I need childcare but with notice this is more likely to be sorted.

Why are HTs doing the track and trace, shouldn't the track and trace system be doing it? Sorry if that is a stupid question, I'm just a bit confused.

I agree it is so stupid to be such a late decision. HT's are stressed enough limping to the end of term without having to plan for this.
Where to find the extra teaching day is an issue given that staff and families may have booked leave. Training is booked now for the whole year too with no room to change, some schools return on the 4th of Jan anyway, so no way to start back early. Families are upset as Christmas and work plans are now different too.

Another mess for some.

@loulouljh

errr....what about working parents? if this is true what are we supposed to do for this unplanned day?

It is awful. I really sympathise with the position they’ve been put in.

I had an email from daughter’s school to say to many teachers of isolating so she has to stay home until Monday but I don’t think I will bother sending her back, she has been at school the whole time until now, in fact I think it’s a blessing in disguise, hopefully we’ll be able to have parents round now 😊 x

Well, Heads/Deputy Heads (whomever a school has appointed to be in charge of Covid response) shouldn't have to do this and be working basically every single evening, weekend and holiday right now but, at the same time, there's no choice.

PHE can't do the contact tracing without the school's input. They need seating plans or class lists and then they need contact details for each of those students. Class 8A's seating plans and the phone numbers of 30/60/90 kids' parents aren't public domain information, nor known to the positive case (in the same way that an adult would be able to give colleagues'/social contacts' details).

@cologne4711

I thought most schools were finishing on 18th anyway depending on INSET days - ds finishes on 17th although the last week is now online lessons.

Maybe it depends where you are in the country.

Interesting... Our school were going to offer online teaching for the last week of term, but had to email parents saying that the DfE and the LA have instructed the HT to withdraw the offer.

Our secondary school have just emailed to say children will now do remote learning on 18th so they can avoid using an inset day for this.