Greenwich schools closing tomorrow

[Starch1e]

Leader of Greenwich council tweeted an open letter this afternoon asking schools to close from Tuesday. Our school is complying.
I need a meltdown emoji. Work is stupid f*king busy this week for me and DP and I cannot do it with 4 & 7 year old at home

Of course COVID-positive teachers can spread it to DC @Walkaround . But I suspect the vast majority of outbreaks in school are initially started by teacher to teacher transmission.

Much of this will occur in staff rooms during coffee breaks and similar settings.

@Itisasecret

Echoes of Ecosse ITT.

And a couple of other posters who think teachers should eat and work in their car....

They are getting desperate with their name changes.

The point is that as Dr Harries said, the big issue of transmission in schools is teachers and staff passing it to each other.

This is complete and utter BS, just in case you were in any doubt.

Only on page 4, but this situation will always result in last minute decisions being made (not least owing to the incompetence of the government’s handling of this overall).

My son’s Primary school closed for three days following October half term due to teachers isolating and/or having symptoms. We were notified late on a Sunday afternoon that they hope to return to school by Thursday, if they had sufficient staff. Luckily they did.

I’m writing this, as I get it and understand where the OP is coming from. However, I disagree with posters saying all schools must close. It should be based on the individual circumstances - schools aren’t just there for education, but provide so much in terms of mental well-being for their students. Teachers and all school staff are doing a fabulous job in crap circumstances. They should be listened to!

We are in Manchester.

But I suspect the vast majority of outbreaks in school are initially started by teacher to teacher transmission.

Your suspicion is wrong.

Much of this will occur in staff rooms during coffee breaks and similar settings.

Coffee breaks are not a thing in school. Literally don't have time.

@Frazzled2207

whilst it looks like this is the right decision it does beg the question what's special about greenwich whereas where we are (GM) schools have been on their knees since September.

Nothing is special about Greenwich. They haven't been given permission to do this, they're just doing it anyway. Good on them.

@FrogToad

What Dr Harries was saying is that the biggest risk in schools is not the DC. It is staff meeting in informal settings like staff rooms at coffee break and lunch times.

She was very clear that the vast majority of outbreaks in schools will be linked to teachers interacting with each other while not socially distancing or hand washing.

She was wrong, as are you.

I am flabbergasted that some people still refuse to believe that children spread this. What a position of privilege/ignorance to be in.

My child caught Covid at school from another student. At present, 20% of his secondary school form have it.

It has spread like wildfire throughout the student community.

Parroting "advice" from Dr Harries given in August is making you sound a little unhinged now we are in December and it's obvious she didn't have a clue.

Oh Marsha You have known me from a few threads and you know my DD’s Primary (now you know is in Greenwich) has had 4 weeks of self isolation in my DD’s class alone and 2 weeks of the whole year group (5 positive cases in that time (inc DD) which is 3 children (who got it first then passed to 2 staff) plus me catching Covid. In addition, school currently has a Reception class off, a Year 2 class off. Both Year 6 classes off and a year 4 class off.

It gets tiresome with comments that ‘Greenwich Primaries have had few cases’. So many other Greenwich Primaries (and Secondaries) are in the same position according to Facebook and local Whas App groups this evening.
Don’t forget that this has also taken out keyworker parents (inc me and my DH) in all these schools.
I know keep going on about your few cases in your school but 5 weeks ago, I would have told you the same.

Pride comes before a fall..

@FrogToad - in our school, the most likely transmission, given the classes affected, was from the same supply teacher getting covid in one class where several children had it (first reported case more than 48 hours after teacher had been there, but child had same symptoms as other children in the class had been reporting prior to this) then teaching in another class in the school, where it was passed on to several children and a TA who then helped cover an absence in another class. No need for a staffroom, really, just short staffing and lack of funding. Cleaning staff being off sick no doubt didn’t help. But hey, you stick to your little neat little assumptions about staff-rooms rather than thinking about the reality of operating a school with insufficient staffing and with parents who have a greater incentive to keep going to work than to keep their children at home when they are clearly unwell, but not with an obvious cough or temperature.

Chloe you are misinterpreting what I am saying. A poster below said they were in Greenwich and had few cases.

I don’t know Greenwich situation. I’m not talking about my schools.

I am interested in process. How can the LA close all schools. Has it happened before?

I’m trying to understand what triggers closure.

Btw I totally understand that schools can be hit hard and then no one will be in.

I also know they had education tier 4 which moved secondary to rota. I just can’t recall what DfE said about primary closure.

@LangClegsInSpace
Fair enough it looks like it’s a council decision not DfE. Will be interested to hear what they say. And I think it’s perfectly reasonable for councils,
Or indeed individual schools, to make such decisions.

@MarshaBradyo

Chloe you are misinterpreting what I am saying. A poster below said they were in Greenwich and had few cases.

I don’t know Greenwich situation. I’m not talking about my schools.

I am interested in process. How can the LA close all schools. Has it happened before?

I’m trying to understand what triggers closure.

As has been repeatedly said on this thread, Public Health England was involved in this decision

You said Greenwich Primaries said to have few cases
Don’t backtrack mind.

www.royalgreenwich.gov.uk/news/article/1753/statement_on_school_closures

Greenwich primaries said to have few cases and no staff issues from pp

Short hand for from previous post

That’s what you pick up on

We don't get coffee breaks at my primary school. We are always with the children. My lunch is eaten alone in my classroom when the children have finished eating in there and go outside for a few minutes.

To suggest teachers have time to chat in the staffroom for ages during lunchtime and break times is insulting and shows a real ignorance of what schools are like at the moment

But I suspect the vast majority of outbreaks in school are initially started by teacher to teacher transmission.Much of this will occur in staff rooms during coffee breaks and similar settings

Why are you ignoring what we are telling you?

And what are your qualifications which allow you to claim outbreaks are initiated in schools by teacher to teacher transmission? Are you a virologist or epidemiologist with a specialism in educational settings?

Isn’t this just the same thing playing out yet again, where central Government tries to control things it doesn’t understand, rather than passing it over to local decision makers? Hasn’t the argument about Local Authorities knowing their own communities better already been proven?

Op -

We've been exceptionally lucky that there have been no full class closures and no obvious staff shortages.

And another one cba scrolling

So two schools that wouldn’t normally be closing are

What is the process meant to be?

@MarshaBradyo

Greenwich primaries said to have few cases and no staff issues from pp

Short hand for from previous post

That’s what you pick up on

Yes. Because it’s not true (and I had posted before that poster but you ignore that...) and you leap on it to make spurious points. It’s only right that I at least correct that for those reading.

What’s not true? Their situations?

And it’s not spurious it’s pretty central to what schools and communities can expect

It’s not common for LAs to do this - if at all

We've had one positive case at our school since March. So, no I don't hope that other councils will follow suit without considering the particular situation of each individual school.

You saying Greenwich Primaries have few cases.

@MarshaBradyo - why wouldn’t a Local Authority do this? Who do you think knows the situation in the area best?