Schools in meltdown. Put your kids in masks

[0None0]

Long story short

First case May 10.
By May 17 th, half of all year groups at home. Many staff sick. Some departments have no staff at all. Some students sent home for lack of staff, rather than quarantine.
20th May. School closed. Half term brought forward one week
31 May. Reopen.
1 June several more cases identified
3rd June. All lower school sent home. Year 10 and 12 kept in only. Masks, which had been optional, are now made compulsory again. Too late
7th June. School closed again. I am now teaching online

So in the last few weeks, I have spent 3x longer on COVID related activities than on teaching. Including trying to get students home when classes close, and they can’t use public transport. Teaching doubled up classes, 30 online, and 30 in front of me, because there are hardly any staff in. Administering tests. Taking students to and from the testing site. Recording results. Cramming information in subjects I know nothing about, but have been told I am about to teach. Much of the time students have just been told to read in silence, while we get on with our main business, as a covid testing site.

So please put masks on your children. There is no reason for a secondary aged child not to have a mask on their face, and a spare in their bag, and a spare spare.

And please support what’s schools are trying to do to enforce masks.

I see so many posts of mothers up in arms about masks. We are desperately fighting to keep education going, and we need your support

I belong to a MAT composed of 3 large secondary schools. Within our 3 schools we have:

A 15 year old boy who developed type 1 diabetes when he caught Covid

An 18 year old girl who lost most of her hearing through covid

A 14 year old boy whose heart has been left so damaged by covid he might need a transplant.

It’s heartbreaking.

It’s not saying that the school has cases that’s identifying, it’s the part about the three children with apparent health implications because of it.

@0None0 remember the bots...

If those 3 cases are in fact true (and tbh I would have thought that 3 incidences of that nature in a single school would be pretty unlikely and probably newsworthy) then you have identified yourself, your school and those children

...and yet, the world is still spinning.

And as pp said, it isn't the same picture over the whole country. I live in one of the lowest areas in the whole country and still the DC's school has compulsory mask-wearing in school, except lesson times (optional then).
There is definitely a case for local restrictions. Previously, the government enforced mask-wearing in schools in areas with breakouts. I think areas with surge testing are by definition having a breakout and need mandatory mask-wearing in schools at all times.

It makes no sense not to do this and everyone is being let down by the government, DfE, academy heads and SMT in these hotspots by not enforcing mask wearing in these areas (especially as schools can have their own policies, they don't need to wait to be told by DfE or PHE).

Our school has had no cases.

No, no, no. My child will not be wearing a mask again at school. End of.

@LeSquigh

I agree with others that say I’m not sure masks re making much of a difference. There’s been no cases or clusters at either of my kids schools for months but there has been one of what is now known as the Delta variant in my workplace and it spread like wildfire, and the vast majority of us are double vaccinated and under 40. Some were very unwell, a few were hospitalised and we were taking LOTS of precautions. We really can’t be too complacent yet I think.

It sounds like the vaccine doesn't work then if double vaccinated people are still getting ill.

@LeSquigh

I agree with others that say I’m not sure masks re making much of a difference. There’s been no cases or clusters at either of my kids schools for months but there has been one of what is now known as the Delta variant in my workplace and it spread like wildfire, and the vast majority of us are double vaccinated and under 40. Some were very unwell, a few were hospitalised and we were taking LOTS of precautions. We really can’t be too complacent yet I think.

Do you mean under 40 year olds who are double vaccinated went to hospital?

I’m yet to receive second and late 40s, but we’re they earlier?

I don't believe this post either. Stop terrifying people ffs.

We have about 10 cases in the entire county, so no

I'm not sure I believe the heart transplant story actually.

” There is nothing in my post that isn’t happening all over the country. No way to identify the school from those details.”

@0None0
I’m pro mask wearing in secondary schools but come on, do you believe what you’re saying?! Having 3 children suffering serious complications from Covid is rare and very identifiable, especially as not many schools are fully closed right now.

@SurelyNott I totally agree. I'm not sure what more we can do - it's something we have to learn to live with like other respiratory viruses

No double vaccinated u40s have been hospitalised. Some of these posts are rubbish!

@Clutterbugsmum

You clearly are living in a hot spot with this virus but that does not mean ALL SCHOOLS are in crisis.

We’ve had no cases in our schools since the kids went back in March.

The majority of schools aren’t having massive of cases.

Until Tuesday my daughter's school (which is in a totally different area) had no cases at all since the March return. Now the entire 6th form is closed.

Yanbu. I've added my voice and asked both my DC's schools to reinstate masks until the end of term.

I have no desire for them to either catch the virus or have to isolate and have time off school. Masks should never have been allowed to go until all adults have been jabbed.

(unless maybe they have huge underlying health issues)

Sorry OP but that is NOT happening all over the country. Your school clearly has had exceptionally bad luck! Stop preaching to people please, you are coming off like a lunatic

YABU!!!!!!! X 10000000

Something to indicate people can trust you. Some link to current real world data that makes what you're describing credible. Right now, it isn't. What you're describing would make the evening news.

It's very weird how you get these people on Mumsnet
What do they get out of it?

@deathbypostitnote

Something to indicate people can trust you. Some link to current real world data that makes what you're describing credible. Right now, it isn't. What you're describing would make the evening news.

You are right, with all the scaremongering from the media and govt this story would definitely be front page

Oh I'm not assuming she's a troll. I think she's probably real and we're not being told about this in a timely manner in the media.

People don't learn- that's the problem.

Until Tuesday my daughter's school (which is in a totally different area) had no cases at all since the March return. Now the entire 6th form is closed.

Yep, that's how it goes. Why do people ( gives, schools) not learn from previous mistakes.

If this is true it would likely be in the news; schools in Glasgow were when they partially shut.

Given the extremely low incidence of serious medical conditions in children who have caught Covid, OP's school do seem to have extraordinarily bad luck

Some schools are not sending year groups or contacts home now, ours is part of a trial where they have tests every day (if in contact with a case). Except there has only been one. Since they opened in Jan.