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?

@Quartz2208

I would have put good money on this been one of a handful of posters (some of whom I suspect are the same poster name changing) and of course it is one of them.

This is to be expected - the fact that it is in is now May before it is has happened is a positive. But it was going to happen. And I suspect may continue to happen as long as we have LFT. Indeed even for the next 2-3 winters we could monitor clusters and shut down accordingly.

So

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

Hard to say whether it is AT school or AROUND school. and that is always the problem of schools. You could make all the changes in the world to the school, all of the wonderful things you think would help but they still leave school and walk together. Because that is human behaviour and they are teenagers and nothing in the world is going to change that.

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

see above even if you make them so (and I think Chris Whitty has always been good about this - you cant control the outside of it. The football, the walking to school etc

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

I guess you need to implement PCR testing to find out. And I assume have more in areas nearby

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

No I dont think it does. Do you? And what you do want to happen? You dont seem to trust vaccines, you seem sure that another wave is going to appear and be even worst than the last even though most scientists are actually going against this.

It's not that I don't trust vaccines.

It's that I understand that most of country hasn't had two doses yet.

Probably millions never will.

And millions of the ones who have had both doses are inadequately protected to the extent that they need a third dose booster in a few months to protect them from the next wave that apparently scientists don't think is coming.

Op still avoiding any question when asked what they would do ? Funny that

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.

This, really

@CarrieAntoinette even the scientists don't know if and when we will need a booster and who will need one.
You are jumping the gun on all of it
If you think vaccines are pointless , and want schools shut , then you must want total lockdowns forever
The reality is that won't and can't happen we will have to learn to live with this

Schools were always one of the least safe places. It's a pity they weren't regularly testing last autumn term, it would have caught and prevented a lot.

Hopefully this school and town can stop it spreading further.

[quote worriedatthemoment]@Jenthefredo well facts are facts as you say and I do know these people
The way people like you put it , its as if its to be expected so its doesn't matter [/quote]
I'm not sure what you mean?

Deprived areas have far larger covid rates and deaths and the reasons for that are very varied and also complicated. The stats can be found quite easily.

Its just fact.

Its your choice not to believe that of course.

Of course it matters!

The only people who don't seem to care are the Government!!

@worriedatthemoment

Op you post are contradictory, how many glasses of wine have you had One minute we are not doing enough , the next it won't last You mention death rate and last year without taking in to account that we know have a vaccination that we didn't then Read the reports coming out if Israel

I'm not sure what you mean so please quote where I said that.

We didn't vaccinate like Israel so our results are not like Israel's.

Here's the Warwick University modelling for the next few months. The big blue sections are vaccinated people.

[quote worriedatthemoment]@CarrieAntoinette even the scientists don't know if and when we will need a booster and who will need one.
You are jumping the gun on all of it
If you think vaccines are pointless , and want schools shut , then you must want total lockdowns forever
The reality is that won't and can't happen we will have to learn to live with this [/quote]
Maybe it would be better to quote things I've actually said rather than inventing them?

@worriedatthemoment

Op still avoiding any question when asked what they would do ? Funny that

I replied to the first few.

But we all know how to make education safer.

It's been done to death on here for a year or more.

@Jenthefredo

Just because you don't think it doesn't make it so!

The IMD statistics are socio economic FACTS

Long eaton has a growing homelessness issue and has had a very busy foodbank for nearly a decade.

A local vicar ran a weekly free meal and was getting over 100 per week attending pre covid

I'm sure where you live is lovely...but you live in a deprived area. Whether you like it or not.

Agree , I live here and the town is very deprived. There might be nice houses out the road but there is also huge poverty here and the town is hugely run down and to be honest it's a very rough area.

@noblegiraffe

Hard to say whether it is AT school or AROUND school. and that is always the problem of schools.

That was always the bullshit response. People really pretending to be confused about whether the kid caught it from being in very close contact with large groups indoors in poorly ventilated classrooms (usually what is designated as a 'high risk activity' except when it's in a school) or walking home from school in the fresh air (usually 'very low risk' except when it's a school kid walking with a mate when all of a sudden it's a real concern).

I meant that schools come with people saying well they are at school lets do x, y and z together and it doesnt matter than the rules are broken because they are at school together.

It would be naive to assume that it is just children walking home from school together. Schools been back leave the door open for people to assume that risk means they can take it. For a lot of people it is open to May 17th already

@ceeveebee

And does this have implications for the roadmap Rising cases alone are not one of the criteria that the government are using to assess whether to move onto the next phase. It’s only if those cases risk a surge in hospitalisations and put pressure on the NHS, which seems unlikely given the age of those affected and the progress made on vaccinations

Or if they turn out to be of a variant that can to some degree evade immunity rendering the vaccine rollout a lot less successful?

But yes. We should definitely wait and learn the hard way about what cases lead to a few more times. When did fast, proactive action ever help anything.

@worriedatthemoment

Op still avoiding any question when asked what they would do ? Funny that

Seems to me like she doesn’t want to get into a proper conversation about it because she knows she has no idea what she’s talking about.

Feel free to talk amongst yourselves @year5teacher and @worriedatthemoment.

What do you need me for?

It would be naive to assume that it is just children walking home from school together.

Covid infection rates in school children drop when they're not in school, regardless of whether they are having sleepovers or parties (e.g. November half term last year). The main source of infection for them is obviously school.

How many of the 100 people have died or are in hospital as a result of catching Covid? It's all well and good getting your knickers in a twist about them testing positive for covid, but are they actually coming to any harm as a result?

In response to your question about how the school is different to any other, this is from BBC news:

"Latest figures show Erewash, where the school is located, has the third highest infection rate in England at 65 per 100,000, a near five-fold increase on the previous week."

Also the school has 950 pupils, that is give times the size of my DC school.

Do you also not think it's all a bit confidential it's happened around a bank holiday?

Erewash is Derbyshire not Notts....?

We have been affected by this outbreak, two children and one adult pcr positive and unwell, luckily mildly. 5 adults self isolating in the household, including fully vaccinated ones. Nhs workers and other key workers not able to go to work, and an entire school closed for over a week.
Who knows how it happened, but it is real, with devastating impact on the school and the local community.

We can't deny a generation of children an education or social interaction for years whether schools spread covid or not. Soon every adult will be vaccinated and children are only mildly effected if at all. So really does it matter if they caught it in school?

@year5teacher yes exactly and her comment after proves the point.
Why start a post stating more needs to be done but then not actually say what ?
Most if us know there is a risk in all we do still and there is only so much that can be done.
Hopefully they may find what caused this and we may learn from it and hopefully all those who have caught it are ok

This is a lovely thread of patronising and almost offensive comments, isn't it. NO, YOU'RE POOR WHETHER YOU LIKE IT OR NOT. Or I DON'T CARE WHO GETS ILL AS LONG AS SCHOOLS STAY OPEN.

Proper bitchy. Anyway..

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.

That's the best comment on the thread.

covid rates in school children drop when they're not in school.....the main source of infection for them is obviously school.

Well no shit sherlock! Just like infections from gyms, shops and hospitality venues dropped when they closed too and any other form of establishment where multiple people gather for that matter. They cant stay closed long term because of it.

Perhaps in that instance it was the school. All the outbreaks amongst secondary age children in our area have been as a result of 'community transmission' I.e. parties and sleepovers. 10 cases last week from a 16th birthday party When there were cases at the dcs' school in the winter, there was no further transmission amongst the class or year group bubbles. If schools are following the protocols transmission is minimise, but of course schools are not completely 'safe' and never were.

You’d be surprised, Well, the number of people insisting that kids weren’t catching covid at school.