Schools in meltdown. Put your kids in masks

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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.

Actually, I am finding quite a few very recent stories about school closures since half term- I guess as schools have gone back after the restrictions have become freer-

e.g. www.ft.com/content/256b1ac6-cc4f-47cd-9438-0ad6c9e84b06

Schools in England struggle to contain rising Covid variant

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/06/04/boris-johnson-lockdown-june-21-variant-holidays-portugal/

Schools are in 'precarious situation' over Indian variant, unions warn

"There have been 97 confirmed Covid-19 outbreaks in schools in the last four weeks."

This is the schools' data from a week ago:

' In the most recent four week period there were 97 confirmed covid-19 outbreaks in primary and secondary schools that were linked to at least one variant of concern, equates to around one outbreak at every 250 schools, it said'
www.bmj.com/content/373/bmj.n1445

I expect in the next few weeks outbreaks at schools will become much more widespread as the Indian variant has an r value of 6 and children are unvaccinated. Masks at secondary level seem like a sensible measure in order to maintain education.

Hardly any cases here until last week. Borough have just asked all secondary kids to wear masks in school and take a pcr test over the weekend. It’s forecast to be 29 degrees on Monday and 9 hours in a mask is too much.

I am unsure about masks being of great benefit given Scotland is having outbreaks and still having cases / closures..

However the older exam groups are home now so maybe more room in secondaries for the younger ones perhaps.

Cross posted with Dreamer2468

Rossendale!? That’s like two towns away from us. And next to Blackburn, Burnley, Accrington, Preston etc. Other side is Manchester. The neighbouring school with 50 cases, and ours, is unlikely to be as a result of Eid. But these areas have all been visiting family in neighbouring towns and I just see a repeat of Xmas happening now.

Can’t do this again!

Not one single case in ours since January

It an odd one though because DD had to self isolation the Wednesday before half term due to close contact (and it was she hugged her and spent 5 mins chatting the morning before she came down with symptoms). PHE have informed us to take a PCR test as it is Delta Variant but as far as I know there are no other cases.

Whether it is because we were hit massively or just lucky I dont know but it is odd. Interestingly though when masks were stopped around 20% continued in the classroom but everyone continued in communal areas and corridors. When asked who was in contact in the other classes everyone who was admitted it and then isolated

Our secondary has not just dropped masks but is 'getting back to normal' in terms of changing for PE, doing group work etc. Whilst this is good in some ways as a family with CEV parent and DC in secondary it's a bit concerning, the older one who is ironically at home after GCSEs is to get the vaccine as in the household. but the younger one is school is not. It's just over 16s.

It's quite incredible.

Despite TWO previous waves, so many 's still don't get how this thing works.

The delta variant has just started spreading. Most schools in the UK won't have experienced a single case ..... yet! But that's going to change very quickly if everyone keeps walking around with blinkers on.

50 cases - is probably more like 100

10 cases - is probably more like 30

Just put their masks on please if they can. Not everyone can cope with what’s going to happen now. Please. I have something really important I need to sort, can’t sort it with a lockdown. Just for another month PLEASE

steak absolutely. But not from testing positive, being quite unwell and possibly spreading it to other family members.

@strangeshapedpotato

It's quite incredible.

Despite TWO previous waves, so many 's still don't get how this thing works.

The delta variant has just started spreading. Most schools in the UK won't have experienced a single case ..... yet! But that's going to change very quickly if everyone keeps walking around with blinkers on.

Matt Hancock said in the inquiry this morning the delta variant is now making up 92% of all cases, so I think youre wrong to day its just started spreading...its now the dominant strain by a long way.

My daughters school hasnt had one case since they stopped wearing masks. Maybe theyre not the be all and end all we thought? As long as deaths stay low and hospitalisations are manageable life should continue as we are.

Our schools will be closed at the end of June for the Summer, my son's exempt, a lot of them aren't bothering or wearing them as chinstraps. I used to use public transport sometimes, but now it's just a giant PITA with all these masks and crap, easier and cheaper to jump in the car. There are always going to be waves.

The schools can ask people to use masks without needing permission can't they? Should it not be the schools place to perhaps be changing things if it is felt necessary?

@palacegirl77

My daughters school hasnt had one case since they stopped wearing masks. Maybe theyre not the be all and end all we thought? As long as deaths stay low and hospitalisations are manageable life should continue as we are.

And yet so many people find that all too upsetting. It's wild. I agree, life needs to go on.

YABU. Masks are covid theatre props.

I guess it varies massively by area and it’s a bit of a race to get everyone vaccinated.

The way I’ve seen secondary children wear masks do we really think they are that effective? Reusing them, pulling them down etc? I do think for masks to be effective they need to be used and worn properly. I don’t think they are the answer in school. I was supportive of my son wearing one but it’s not easy for them all day in this heat.

We’ve had zero cases in our school since December when there was one which seemed contained. Just checked our local area on the interactive map and we are still below 3 cases.

I don’t know what the answer is. Local lockdowns don’t work, children have suffered so much for a disease which is mainly mild for them (with some exceptions). My hope is the next few weeks show the vaccines are working, we speed ahead with vaccinations and by September the isolations will stop with all over 18s vaccinated.
If 12-17 year olds start to get vaccinated that will help a lot.

That has to have an impact on spread and cases.

@strangeshapedpotato
It works like every other respiratory virus that humankind have experienced and learnt to live with. We cannot keep shutting down schools and locking down because people are getting a positive result from a bit so accurate test.
If hospital numbers stay manageable there is no reason for people not to go about their normal business. ATM hospital numbers are manageable so there is no need for people to spread panic like the OP seems to be wanting to do.

While you totally fuck some families over

a not so

Gosh OP, this is taking a turn for the worse. Calm down.

I’m not sure what you think you can achieve with this thread. Begging strangers on the internet to do what you say isn’t usually very effective.

@Delatron

I guess it varies massively by area and it’s a bit of a race to get everyone vaccinated.

The way I’ve seen secondary children wear masks do we really think they are that effective? Reusing them, pulling them down etc? I do think for masks to be effective they need to be used and worn properly. I don’t think they are the answer in school. I was supportive of my son wearing one but it’s not easy for them all day in this heat.

We’ve had zero cases in our school since December when there was one which seemed contained. Just checked our local area on the interactive map and we are still below 3 cases.

I don’t know what the answer is. Local lockdowns don’t work, children have suffered so much for a disease which is mainly mild for them (with some exceptions). My hope is the next few weeks show the vaccines are working, we speed ahead with vaccinations and by September the isolations will stop with all over 18s vaccinated.
If 12-17 year olds start to get vaccinated that will help a lot.

That has to have an impact on spread and cases.

Agree with everything youve said there.