Is it just our school?

[Lua]

Secondary school. Has been back for 4 days. Each day only 2 year groups went in so they could test everyone. Two year groups already sent home to isolate?!?!

Whoever said about 3 cases being sent home and no children isolated- the school is wrong.

All close contacts need to be isolated. Tests don’t replace isolation even though the government wanted this, it was overuled.

Of course rates are going to shoot up when the kids are back - it's probably the main way people are getting infected - despite all the crap about "schools are safe". 36 children and 3 adults in a 40sqm room and the windows only open a few cms. It's a recipe for disaster!

Incidentally, the pupil subsequently had a negative PCR, but all the pupils are stuck at home, despite it being clear that the pupil does not covid-19 and neither do their close contacts...

Thanks for bringing this up. I was wondering if after 5 days we could give DC a PCR test and therefore return to school. This was Ok the first lockdown, no? Has it changed now?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow not in the case that they were tested prior to being in a classroom together though, the rest of the class aren’t close contacts until they are back in school

Oh yeah, of course!🤦🏽‍♀️

4 different schools have burst bubbles in my area.

@Lua

How does this compute with the notion that infection rates are really low?

According with DC, 3 kids tested positive in the year! And more kids on other two years. According with governamental numbers we have close to zero infections....

Where have you got the notion that infection rates are really low from? They aren’t. And given regional variation there are probably a few places where they are still high.

First case in my children's secondary school today.
My DS's year and three of his best friends are close contacts so now have to self isolate...
I feel so sorry for them and the school.

My kids Academy hasn't even gone back yet !!!
8 March, my arse, Boris Johnson.
Tomorrow, apparently (couldn't cope before with all the testing)
No gel in school, lousy mask compliance, poor segregation of yr groups.
It won't take long :(

@Rafals -
from here: coronavirus.data.gov.uk/details/interactive-map

It is very low where we live....

Given the expected number per 10,000. They were all in my DC highschool

I know how desperate everyone has been to get children back to school, myself included. It just feels like such a higher percentage of the population could be vaccinated by the end of the Easter holidays. This is quite possibly going to cause a small third wave that could have been avoided.

So many schools are closing bubbles in the first few days.

Lunar, l agree.

My frustration is that, bad or not, DC was at least getting online lessons. Now the school is "open" they understandable said they can't also keep online lessons.... So that is 250 kids at home for 10 days without any lessons! and this is only day 4 of the "return"....

I'm pretty sure the expectation is that children at home will have online learning if they have been sent home to isolate.

Primary school, our bubble burst on Monday, back in next Friday. Full on line lessons though as whole class are isolating

@Pinkflipflop85 - head sent a letter saying they have no capacity to do online teaching, and I understand. They are sending independent work, but....

With high school subject choice, and specialist teachers, it is going to be prety difficult to keep online lessons with bubbles bursting.

My daughter went back on monday. 10 in her class plus teacher and TAs are isolating due to 3 positive cases last week in the keyworker bubble.

Secondary school here 2000+ pupils and all but year 11 went back on Monday and year 11 Tuesday. They tested last week. They were organised and since the government gave plenty of notice got on with it.

How is starting school and then being sent home for 10 days (to be back for a week and then have a two week break) any good for these kids? Especially knowing that others are still at school, just not them and any other 'unlucky' ones. I appreciate not everyone has been affected, and my DS' school seem to be okay for now, but I do feel for these children being sent home after only a few days at school. Many primary schools around me have multiple burst bubbles already, it's getting a bit dumb now.

@lunar1

Do you have actual stats to back up your comment or is it just guesswork?

"So many schools are closing bubbles in the first few days."

How many schools and where are closing bubbles.

But if the whole year group(I assume, 250 kids) are SI at home, they should be able to provide online lessons? It's not like half the kids are in and half are out.

@lunar1

I know how desperate everyone has been to get children back to school, myself included. It just feels like such a higher percentage of the population could be vaccinated by the end of the Easter holidays. This is quite possibly going to cause a small third wave that could have been avoided.

So many schools are closing bubbles in the first few days.

But the people due to be vaccinated in the coming weeks are not children or many parents, (most of my dc friends parents are in the late 30s early 40s) plus then the added 3 weeks for immunity to develop i doubt it would make so much of a significant difference between easter and now. We knew schools going back would inevitably lead to more cases, what we need to monitor is if those cases then transpire into many hospitalizations or deaths. If they don't ( and fingers crossed they don't) we need to roll with and the disruption isolating causes because we can't wait until theres zero covid before opening schools again. The fact they are finding asymptomatic cases can only be a good thing, it should stop a further spread to those vulnerable still unvaccinated.

Yep us. On day 2. One class and several staff now self-isolating... I hope it settles down 🙁

Ours tested each child last week x2. Then all tested 3rd time Monday