So are schools safe like the PM always says? Or did those 100 cases catch covid at school?

[CarrieAntoinette]

Did those 100 covid cases at Wilsthorpe School in Derbyshire catch it at school?

(In which case schools aren't "safe" are they? They're clearly not even "covid secure" are they?)

Or is there a hidden reservoir of presumably asymptomatic covid in that local area?

Or both?

Might there be hidden covid in other areas?

And does this have implications for the roadmap and the back to your workplace push?

Oh dear, did people actually believe that schools have some kind of magical covid barrier around them? Kids can get covid, which means they can transmit covid. They spend a great deal of time in big groups with no social distancing or any other covid secure measures.

You only need to look on here to see what fuckwits some parents are, sending kids in with symptoms even if they haven't been tested and cleared ('it's not covid it's just a cold'), and allowing kids to mix at sleepovers etc when they shouldn't be meeting indoors

The government clearly just said that to pacify teaching unions (who all knew it was bollocks) and parents (who just wanted kids back to school) but it was possibly the most transparent lie of the entire pandemic

@year5teacher

Also, what’s your solution? Close schools?! Sorry, but that’s not viable and I say that as a teacher who has just been diagnosed with a condition that puts me in group 6 (not that I’ve had the vaccine yet).

Control the virus effectively.

To be honest, I am amazed that we have gone this long without a major outbreak at a school.

I am amazed that cases haven’t surged and have continued to drop.

Outbreaks will happen, they will always happen.

In any place where people come together in great numbers there will always be a risk of an outbreak or something.

The main thing priority with any outbreak is trying to contain it.

@Ylvamoon

NaNa Naa - not listening!

The road map stays & life carries on towards post covid-19...

(Get yourself vaccinated regularly like with flu or tetanus and you will be in a much better place physically & mentally.

The virus rages in the rest of the world and our useless border protocols somehow protect us from that even though we just let a load of Indian trade delegates in without having to quarantine?

In what way do you feel the virus is not currently being effectively controlled? What changes would you like to see in schools that does not impact on the amount of children in the classes? I feel that at this point with cases (and more importantly, deaths) as they are nationally, there’s very little justification for more disruption to children’s education.
I’m sorry, but eventually we are going to have to accept that it’s a risk we have to live with. Of course, if cases start rising a lot again nationally then I agree that action has to be taken, but right now I can’t help but think things are going well. One outbreak in one school has no implications for the whole of the UK.

It’s not the only one, outbreak in my kids school, I’ve been vaccinated but all my kids ended up suffering with it last week they’ve all lost taste and smell and had very high temps, now I’ve been in bed two days so far with it feel like I’ve an elephant sat on my chest and a high temp, it’s awful, my second jab isn’t until end June, I’m lucky I had even one I guess but now we all have the background risk of having actually had the virus, I’ve never been this ill for a very long time. There are bound to be more outbreaks with all the mixing that’s about to happen, vaccines don’t fully stop transmission and many younger people are either not vaccinated or have only had one dose.

Maybe it spread quickly through the school as the children had very minor symptoms or no symptoms?

It's been known for years viruses and bacterial infections spread in schools. Stomach bugs. Chicken pox. Impetigo. Scarlet fever. Measles. Colds. Why would Covid be different?

Control the virus effectively.

By which you mean...?

Where've you been OP?

This subject has been done to death since the majority of children went back to school last year

Did you think you'd had a sudden insight on the schools situation. It would be nice to have something new to discuss.

Would you feel differently if this was an outbreak in a factory? Logically, if enough people are inside a small shared space for long enough, one of them will catch a virus and spread it around. This isn't news to anyone.

I think our covid numbers are remarkably low, the vaccination programme is working, and I would be happy to end all restrictions today. The fact you are even suggesting we should go backwards and close schools again is ridiculous, IMO.

@Wellbythebloodyhell

I don't share your optimism about there being no danger due to the vaccination programme

I hope to god the vaccines provide just that because the vaccines are the only long term viable defence we have. Repeated isolations, bubble closures, school closures etc can not be long term solutions in our battle against this virus that is likely to be in circulation for a long time yet.

Vaccines help a lot.

They make suppression easier.

But they don't do much in a still largely unvaccinated population.

And we have to decide to act to suppress cases and not wait until a week or two after there are dozens of cases in a single school to start testing their little brothers and sisters.

If we let covid spread it will get to those it can endanger.

ThisAgain , we all know what they mean and covid measures only help limit the spread , short of us all staying locked in forever every time you go out you take a small risk in getting covid technically

@Hardbackwriter

Control the virus effectively.

By which you mean...?

Make every effort to find new cases, test to find the others, trace their contacts, test them, isolate the infected, support them to isolate .

Make every effort not to import new cases and variants.

@worriedatthemoment

ThisAgain , we all know what they mean and covid measures only help limit the spread , short of us all staying locked in forever every time you go out you take a small risk in getting covid technically

Well apparently they mean schools are safe until you put people in them. And then they put people in them.

@BoomChicka

Would you feel differently if this was an outbreak in a factory? Logically, if enough people are inside a small shared space for long enough, one of them will catch a virus and spread it around. This isn't news to anyone.

I think our covid numbers are remarkably low, the vaccination programme is working, and I would be happy to end all restrictions today. The fact you are even suggesting we should go backwards and close schools again is ridiculous, IMO.

If you are suggesting I am saying that you'll need to quote where I said it.

It is not just students but staff who are positive in this school. Shows that children cannot be educated in school whilst school staff have not been vaccinated. What a nightmare for the exam classes who are now bot in school and who may have their key teachers unavailable due to covid due to this outbreak, just before their final school exams/assessments.

How do you propose we keep the classrooms empty , what kids still home learning ? That isn't ideal either
My yr 11 has been back at school and very much needed it.
We have as many measures in place as possible what else do you suggest is done ?
Mini outbreaks will likely always happen
We will have to learn to live with it as it isn't going anywhere unfortunately
We are doing well with vaccinations

What, specifically, do you want to see in place in schools? Rather than vague statements like “make every effort” and “control the virus”.

Staff being vaccinated would be good! If staff are off ill for several weeks, or months, depending on how they are affected it disrupts the edictIon of the students.

• education.

Sorry op but they are tracing contracts people on other threads who are near school are saying great efforts are being made. , we have to learn to live with this virus unfortunately and outbreaks are to be expected

@year5teacher

In what way do you feel the virus is not currently being effectively controlled? What changes would you like to see in schools that does not impact on the amount of children in the classes? I feel that at this point with cases (and more importantly, deaths) as they are nationally, there’s very little justification for more disruption to children’s education. I’m sorry, but eventually we are going to have to accept that it’s a risk we have to live with. Of course, if cases start rising a lot again nationally then I agree that action has to be taken, but right now I can’t help but think things are going well. One outbreak in one school has no implications for the whole of the UK.

Allowing things to get so bad that Wilsthorpe School is closed during term time is pretty disruptive of their pupils education isn't it?

What's different about Wilsthoroe School that mean what is happening there has no implications for schools across the rest of the U.K.?

@AzureTwist vaccination does not stop you getting so they would still be off isolating
Vulnerable staff would of been vaccinated and over 45's a good chance of being vaccinated as well
They vaccinated in the order of those most at risk and also easier way of doing and getting through quickly

Op your just being ridiculous we all know there is still a risk in anything we do
Do you stay home everyday and never go out ?
We have to weigh up risks along with everything else such as pupils missing months of school compared to 2 weeks

I work in a secondary school and they definitely should stay open. It's taken until now to get some of the children ready to learn.

I would argue though that if schools are 'safe' everywhere is 'safe.' You have to get close to the children to teach them and to see what they are playing with under the desk. Corridors are full! You can't wash your hands every time you touch a computer or open a door.

I just wish people would admit that teachers, kids and parents are taking one for the team and stop pretending that you can keep schools covid free.