School closed due to 100 cases!

[Santastealer]

A 900 capacity school has closed due to 100 covid cases. I find it really hard to comprehend how this has happened when community transmission is so low at the minute!

I also work in a large secondary. I personally know more people who have tested positive in the last 3 weeks than I have done since the pandemic began. I also know of a large outbreak in another primary nearby where the staff and parents have been warned by the school not to mention any of it on social media.

Wtaf is it with all the buttered parsnips on Mumsnet tonight

And many of the people who tested positive via PCR got negative LFTs which were done at the same time.

Those poor young people and staff having to go through all this. It definitely hasn’t gone away (especially in schools) and still young people are having to self isolate yet again but not many want to acknowledge it.
Not many posters, OP, will be as bothered as if it was their own children in their own schools. Usually, you’ll get the ‘but my child/school is alright though’.

Unvaccinated teachers/school staff are still prevalent and it’s shocking some still downplay any risks they are facing daily and how the vaccine schedule has been unfair to many.

Thinking of those at that school.

This was quite a challenging school at one time(I lived locally twenty years ago may have massively improved since then of course ) so I wonder if there was low compliance with things like masks, lateral flow tests, social distancing etc ???

I’m assuming though that you are young and not classed as vulnerable so do remember that the likelihood of you falling ill is low (including with long covid). A lot of the risk and danger is blown out of proportion by the media so you shouldn’t need to worry

That comment about long covid is completely untrue. Long covid has nothing to do with how bad your symptoms were at the time.

Teachers are at high risk of long covid. It's in the statistics.

I'm local and know several families with kids at this school. As far as they all say compliance with lateral flow tests, masks etc has been as good as anywhere else so there is no obvious explanation for the outbreak.
They've got a mobile testing unit at the school now and are asking all pupils and all household members to get PCR tested by Saturday. They've also asked younger siblings in the local primaries to stay off school.too.

Was worried things like this were going to happen. Went a huge majority of parents and all children are not vaccinated... It could cause a mass breakout

FFS. Hope no one is severely affected.

@ManyMaybes death is not the only result of covid, long covid can be a debilitating issue that many are suffering, I personally know a couple of people who are sufferers both in their 30s who were very healthy individuals precovid. Please take your condescending talk somewhere else.

That's what happens with exponential growth. It's previously been said that a single person can infect around 20 others in the right circumstances. If that's happened and only 4 of the 20 have infected another 20, then that's your 100 in just a few days. If the original pupil wasn't doing testing, then nothing would have been discovered until some of the next 20 were tested, and by then, they'd have spread it forward to hit the 100.

I have a child at the school who has tested positive. The main issue is years 7-9 (DC is year 8). As far as I know the school has been as compliant with tests etc as any other school. In fact I think the lat flows have really helped. People started to get positives and school told us all to make sure we tested over the weekend. We would have sent DC to school if it weren’t for the tests as they had no symptoms although they do feel a bit under the weather today.

As PP have said they seem to have been quick to respond with mobile testing etc and I know PHE are investigating as they have contacted my sister whose DC is also positive.

@Thirtyrock39 the school has massively improved and is now the over subscribed school in the area. There are obviously still challenging kids of course

That is scary stuff.

Whilst it's obviously highly upsetting for those involved, I think this could be a useful exercise that allows the scientists etc to evaluate how it spreads when background levels are so low and used as a learning exercise, similar to the night club and sports stadia trials. We can't keep everything either closed down or socially distanced, so we need to know how to identify localised outbreaks and how to tackle them. I'd hope that test and trace staff aren't overwhelmed due to low background rates and can really throw everything at the school and the immediate area to isolate those at risk of infection and stop the spread. They also need to evaluate whether localised temporary restrictions may be needed to control the spread for when things are opened up more generally later this month and then again next month.

@wahdydke But they couldn't stop anyone posting so they could warn all they like they have no say over what a parent writes on social media in regards to this or a parent calling a local newspaper

@wahdydke

I also work in a large secondary. I personally know more people who have tested positive in the last 3 weeks than I have done since the pandemic began. I also know of a large outbreak in another primary nearby where the staff and parents have been warned by the school not to mention any of it on social media.

Why would they warn parents to keep quiet? How would that help the school? If they sent a text or letter out saying that someone would share, someone always does unless they hint at legal action for sharing stuff. (Had a primary school used to do this all the time send threatening texts about legal action to parents about social media)

@ChloeDecker

Those poor young people and staff having to go through all this. It definitely hasn’t gone away (especially in schools) and still young people are having to self isolate yet again but not many want to acknowledge it. Not many posters, OP, will be as bothered as if it was their own children in their own schools. Usually, you’ll get the ‘but my child/school is alright though’.

Unvaccinated teachers/school staff are still prevalent and it’s shocking some still downplay any risks they are facing daily and how the vaccine schedule has been unfair to many.

Thinking of those at that school.

Poor children and poor unvaccinated teachers. Shows yet again why teachers (regardless of age) should have been prioritised for the vaccine.

Sounds as the school and Public health England are acting appropriately and proportionally in closing the school and asking all staff students and their families / contacts to get tested irrespective of symptoms. I wonder if the high numbers are because cases are being recognised in a way they weren't previously.

I wonder if the high numbers are because cases are being recognised in a way they weren't previously.

Yep, no way this school would have registered 100 cases under the conditions schools were being run before Christmas. They'd have still had 100 cases but the kids wouldn't have been tested and the school would have stayed open.

Agree this will be a really useful case study (obviously I hope everyone involved is ok)

Very sad and worrisome. Good luck and full recovery to all impacted.

However this can easily happen to any school (or any other high density environment with minimal risk mitigation management) as we must ensure we all do all we can be avoid such dangers. We seen this repeatedly in recent months and hopefully this will not be a trend of more to follow.

It's a scandal the govt refuse to improve the safety of schools.

@SandlakeRd

I have a child at the school who has tested positive. The main issue is years 7-9 (DC is year 8). As far as I know the school has been as compliant with tests etc as any other school. In fact I think the lat flows have really helped. People started to get positives and school told us all to make sure we tested over the weekend. We would have sent DC to school if it weren’t for the tests as they had no symptoms although they do feel a bit under the weather today.

As PP have said they seem to have been quick to respond with mobile testing etc and I know PHE are investigating as they have contacted my sister whose DC is also positive.

@Thirtyrock39 the school has massively improved and is now the over subscribed school in the area. There are obviously still challenging kids of course

Thanks for posting the context - esp with the lateral flow tests Although I fully understand their limitations I am sick of hearing they are useless. They picked up two confirmed cases in our school within my children's friendship groups, despite low cases locally. And a northwest school had c28 cases picked up on reopening from the last lockdown. They definitely help manage the spread

@Stoptalkingtome

It's a scandal the govt refuse to improve the safety of schools.

British children have missed more education than almost any other comparable country I would imagine.