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?

As I said, I’m not going around saying “well my school is fine so all schools will be fine”. You can’t take one school and jump to a conclusion that this is going to happen all over the U.K. Schools have been open for months now, and cases have not jumped. I appreciate that you are firmly in the “everything is shit and we will go into lockdown again” camp, but I do not personally believe that this means outbreaks such as these will suddenly be replicated all over the country.

Of course it's not the first outbreak in a school...

In the autumn term, it was horrific. I think I work in the least affected secondary school in our city and we still had multiple classes/year groups out at once. Other schools had things like 45 cases one week, 60 the next. One school had 450 close contacts identified in one day and closed fully to all. Other schools had to close to 4/7 year groups because of significant staff illness. Didn't make national news though because "schools are safe."

We just need to hope the new outbreaks don't lead to many hospitalisations.

@worriedatthemoment

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

They're not tracing contacts very effectively if this school now has 100 cases but that's not reflected in the wider community.

They don't really "trace" anybody. They just contact the people whose details you give them.

Backward tracing to try and find out the source of the outbreak is very useful but we don't do it in this country as far as I know.

We don't have to learn to live with this virus. I'm not sure we can, but yes outbreaks aren't to be expected. As are further waves and restrictions.

Because the government doesn't seem to have any plan to prevent them.

So what's happening in Derbyshire now could be coming to our own local area soon. And probably will.

@worriedatthemoment

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

All of this

I actually can't believe there is a thread about schools not being "safe" - I had to double check it wasn't a zombie thread

OP what wouid you think should happen then?

Well the Prime Minister and the Education Secretary do keep saying it.

Which should have sent a klaxon off in your head that they most definitely aren't then

JA guard we were told 12 and under a twice as likely to be under case in a household and 12-17yo 7 times as likely.

By March schools were magically COVID secure and safe again as they did a PR campaign about it that we - as taxpayers- paid for.

Schools are not covid secure. They are as safe as anywhere with mass people inside during a pandemic.
And yes, if cases get in they'll spread like a flea on a pogo stick because that's what covid does. Covid loves a crowd.

And Whitty et al always were careful to say risks to children were low. Not they didn't catch and spread it in schools.

@Remmy123

OP what wouid you think should happen then?

Controlling the virus would be nice.

Not let clusters of the Indian variant spring up all over the country.

It's not even designated a variant of concern yet, but it can't be long. More transmissible and it can evade immunity. What's not concerning about that?

No rush.

Let's just let it really embed itself in our country first and get a good toehold.

So ridiculous. Shall we no longer do school? Just online. The risk is minimal. Get a grip

@worriedatthemoment

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

So schools are definitely not safe, but we should still send our children to them rather than make them safer?

@kindlekeeper

So ridiculous. Shall we no longer do school? Just online. The risk is minimal. Get a grip

The risk of what is minimal?

@year5teacher

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

What works.

Due to the extensive discussions about it on these boards for over a year now I think we all have a pretty good grasp of what would make schools safer during an airborne virus.

If you are new to the discussion you might need to have a little Google.

@worriedatthemoment

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

I haven't seen anyone on this thread propose that we keep classrooms empty but they are pretty empty at Wilsthorpe School at the moment.

OP I really think you should go and have a glass of wine and relax. Or seal yourself away for the rest of your life. Whichever you prefer!

So what works then Op
We have masks , we have increased ventilation , we have hand gel , we have lvt
Other than blended learning which we don't know if it works re: virus but is hard on both teachers and kids and hard with keyworker children allowed in all the time
What do you actually want ?

@BelleBlueBell

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.

It seemed topical.

Op don't send your child , home school if you are that worried , that is a option fully open to you
For many that need to work and put food on the table it isn't
We have lots of measures in school now

No where is "safe" from Covid. It's here to stay for some time. But people aren't dying like they used to be.

Op you never answered my question as to if you go out ?
Have you visited a pub/ coffee / restaurants ?
Do you or your partner work ?

@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?

This school is in one of most deprived areas of Derbyshire

I question how many of the families are doing LF tests and how many of the low income families are isolating when necessary

Its an issue in all deprived areas sadly

People on low incomes cannot afford to self isolate and there is also usually a "covid is fake" cohort

But crucially, 1 case is all it takes...

@worriedatthemoment

So what works then Op We have masks , we have increased ventilation , we have hand gel , we have lvt Other than blended learning which we don't know if it works re: virus but is hard on both teachers and kids and hard with keyworker children allowed in all the time What do you actually want ?

Well originally I wanted to know if people thought schools are safe.

But apparently everyone knows they aren't but sends their kids in, and expects staff to work in them anyway.,

@pinkscrunchy

No where is "safe" from Covid. It's here to stay for some time. But people aren't dying like they used to be.

We've been in restrictions for about 8 months and we're still in restrictions.

I don't know the specifics of the school you are referring to, are these 100 PCR confirmed positives?

It almost seems unbelievable that there could be so many in one setting of any type currently. Was there some kind of local event or gathering against the rules that is the source of this, some issue specific to the town.

Was there an outbreak as large as this in the autumn term when cases were so much higher? I'm interested to see some analysis of this situation.

but apparently everyone knows they aren't but sends their kids in, and expects staff to work in them anyway

And the alternative to this, with the exception of home schooling which is not a viable to many, is what exactly?
Parents, pupils and teachers have no other option available 🤷‍♀️
We can go round in circles stating what ideally we'd like to happen as been done a million times already but in reality for parents the option is go and risk it, don't go and be fines or de register, the option for teachers is go and get paid or refuse to go and not get paid. Harsh I agree but reality all the same.

@BelleBlueBell

I don't know the specifics of the school you are referring to, are these 100 PCR confirmed positives?

It almost seems unbelievable that there could be so many in one setting of any type currently. Was there some kind of local event or gathering against the rules that is the source of this, some issue specific to the town.

Was there an outbreak as large as this in the autumn term when cases were so much higher? I'm interested to see some analysis of this situation.

I am local, there have been no local events or gatherings in the town, nothing that could cause an outbreak that big. No outbreaks of this size in the autumn term. DS attends a local primary and his school has had only 3 cases during the entire pandemic.

Was there an outbreak as large as this in the autumn term when cases were so much higher?

Of course. But they weren't testing kids unless symptomatic, which most aren't, so they wouldn't have found them.