DFE tells schools prepare for the worst.

[3asAbird]

www.tes.com/news/covid-schools-told-plan-more-remote-learning

Feeling so cross why allow schools to stop masks on may 17th.
When Hancock knew the delta varient was present in April 2021.

School outbreaks my councils 46 this week and a fair few in neighbouring county with some schools fully shut.
Lots senior transition days and inter sports tournament cancelled.

We know from Kent alpha varient took a few months get really bad.
Some say 6 week break act as firebreak.
I am bot so sure as people will travel and mingle and in some cases School maybe mirror community transmission which is on the rise.

I wish having would go for starters.
They said they making education a priority back in march.
This term has been rubbish for many.
I have no faith that autumn term be any different.

No mitigation measures on ventilation
No masks or compulsory testing.
No smaller class sizes.
No vaccines for under 18s.

It seems clear that the vaccination programme now is about herd immunity, so it depends on numbers needed. When it was group 6+ it was about personal protection.

So true all correct
They are idiots

Long covid is a concern and needs to be taken seriously:

^mobile.twitter.com/GabrielScally/status/1405830700541095936^

Thanks for the link @lonelyplanet

Very worrying. Particularly concerning is that the risks continue to be ignored by so many (and downplayed by the government).

Gambling with our children's futures. Health and financial.

Now should we be sending children home for what is essentially like a bad cold for them when vulnerable and older people have been vaccinated.

If they are going to change the isolation rules, then there needs to be a plan for children who are medically vulnerable, children who shielded for most of the year, and who are now back at school but as vulnerable as ever.

Vulnerable kids and kids who have vulnerable family members have been fucked in this pandemic. I think vaccination should be an option there.

I’m not against vaccination for dc although look at other country data. Then that’s only over 12 iirc

Not sure if it’ll happen though

For vulnerable I hope so

@HazeyJaneII

Now should we be sending children home for what is essentially like a bad cold for them when vulnerable and older people have been vaccinated.

If they are going to change the isolation rules, then there needs to be a plan for children who are medically vulnerable, children who shielded for most of the year, and who are now back at school but as vulnerable as ever.

Yes there does. An option to home school

@SchrodingersUnicorn

I'm a CEV teacher. Had both jabs but there is a good chance they won't have worked because I'm immunocompromised. Until teens are vaccinated to reduce the spread between them, I am in no way safe at work - but shielding is paused so I have to go in. I have a CEV pupil who has been told by his consultant there are no plans to vaccinate even CEV 12-15 year olds, he just has to take his chances (cystic fibrosis). Shielding is paused, so if he stayed at home his parents could be fined by the LA, although our Head would fight it because she thinks it's wrong. The light at the end of the tunnel for him is when he is 16 in 3 years time and can get a vaccine. Kids with CF have a life expectancy in their 30s. It makes me so angry that we have a vaccine licensed and won't give it.

So sorry you're in this situation @SchrodingersUnicorn

And your poor CEV student.

It's absolutely shocking the way vulnerable children have seemingly been forgotten.

European countries are joining America, Israel, UAE, Singapore etc in vaccinating all children over 12. I get that our supplies are limited but we should at least try to vaccinate CEV children.

And if we don't have enough to even do that, we shouldn't have got rid of masks in schools. Not yet.

An option to home school

Jeez, says the person who can’t even have her own DC isolating for ten days.

@MarshaBradyo

Giraffe I’m glad you get ‘my kid is isolating’ 😂

Not just me. Anyone facing this. People want it to stay I don’t get it. We have massive events and cases rising but schools must overreact. Sooner it charges the better.

This

@noblegiraffe

An option to home school

Jeez, says the person who can’t even have her own DC isolating for ten days.

Cognitive dissonance.

@AliceLivesHere
If cases rise, and ds's drs think it is safest, then yes...we will keep ds home, again.
But is that it for him and children like him? A year at home, me giving up my job to care for him and do my best at teaching him at home and provide his therapies, and manage the fact his older sister's need to be in school, but obviously run the risk of bringing Covid home to him. He is starting secondary at an amazing special school in September, after years of fighting for him to get the right support and being failed by a flawed system. I would like him, and other children like him, considered in future plans regarding Covid, beyond 'home school'. He, and other medically vulnerable children deserve better.

Again for the tone deaf hard of hearing my son has been isolating.... travellers don't after a negative PCR go figure. Keeps the drama llamas giraffes happy

[quote HazeyJaneII]@AliceLivesHere
If cases rise, and ds's drs think it is safest, then yes...we will keep ds home, again.
But is that it for him and children like him? A year at home, me giving up my job to care for him and do my best at teaching him at home and provide his therapies, and manage the fact his older sister's need to be in school, but obviously run the risk of bringing Covid home to him. He is starting secondary at an amazing special school in September, after years of fighting for him to get the right support and being failed by a flawed system. I would like him, and other children like him, considered in future plans regarding Covid, beyond 'home school'. He, and other medically vulnerable children deserve better.[/quote]
Yes you have to do what is right for you. However, you cannot keep everyone off school everytime 1 case is positive.

Is it a race to the bottom all suffer until covid is gone? If that's the case it will go on and on for years.

Goalposts constantly changing...saved the NHS being overrun, vulnerable adults and older at risk vaccinated but constantly moving Goalposts

You really love this covid don't you. Makes you feel important and given you something to fill your huge amount of free time

Whether people are claiming that I want schools to close, am riddled with anxiety, or that I love covid, they're always wrong...

@Abraxan

The views of both WHO and the CDC were that while schools could be covid-unsafe, with social distancing measures and things like masks/ventilation/hygience enforced, they appeared to be very covid-safe.

And how many schools have truly been able to manage all this?

We had pretty strict rules but had to stay within LEA guidelines, which came from the Government.

It is primary so no masks and no social distancing within the bubbles between children and staff. School adults SDed between each other and we had no in person staff meetings, and lunch etc was in classrooms, staff rooms closed, etc.

Old school so over crowded classrooms with limited ventilation possible. Limited outside poace for number of students too. We already have two classrooms in 'temporary' cabins - they've been used for decades.

Not enough toilets so have to be shared with other classes, limited hand washing space as a result and over crowded toilet areas.. One sink in a classroom for 30 children.

Not allowed to ask children to provide evidence of a negative PCR even if sent home with symptoms. Have to take their word for it. List of symptoms used in the UK was limited despite us knowing that children often displayed different symptoms to the main 3 we used.

PHE not fully following at the information provided meaning not all classes with contact had to isolate, especially if someone had non 'big 3' symptoms.

Unsurprisingly Covid swept through the school in the Autumn term. over 75% staff caught it. Several parents and pupils did too. This was despite our best efforts.

Anyone who truly believes that most state schools were able to really implement everything those reports advised are somewhat naive at best.

Hear hear

If you want more mitigation measures in schools though how long do you want them for?

Primary school aged children may never be vaccinated (with possible exception for CV children at some point) because on balance the vaccine may pose more risk than covid in that age range. Same may be true of secondary though perhaps more likely that they will end up deciding that there is some benefit in vaccinating at that age.

Covid may therefore spread at a significant rate in at least primary schools indefinitely if, as experts are saying, it has become endemic.

Despite mitigation measures (including the extreme measure of closing schools for much of this year and the quite extreme measure of isolating close contacts) around 25% of school children have caught covid in the last year. It seems plausible that that rate of infection will continue in schools even if current measures are retained or perhaps it will be a bit lower due to some immunity from adults and some immunity in children who have already had it but you might still get significant spread amongst children.

So I would think that if you have a child starting primary school it is highly likely that they will catch covid at some point before they are at an age where they can be vaccinated even with very disruptive and extreme mitigation measures in place (like closing schools and multiple long isolation periods and cancelling most extra-curricular activities etc.). Covid may just be an illness which children tend to get at some point during childhood.

So if a child is going to catch it during their time at school anyway and this is judged to be lower risk than vaccination at least until they reach a particular age, what is the benefit in mitigation measures which slow the rate of spread but don't stop it. You are basically putting these measures in place to reduce the risk of getting covid per year from (say) 50% to 25%.

As a medium term measure while adults get vaccinated I can understand the argument (though I think the harm done to children in the process far outweighs the benefit to anyone), but are people saying that they want permanent measures to slow the rate of covid spread in schools if it is decided that it is not appropriate to vaccinate children i.e. children in masks and testing for covid regularly for years, missing c. 20 school days a year due to self-isolation, no mixing between school years, limited school events and trips, no parents in the school etc.

I'd personally prefer that my child caught covid at school than have that sort of school experience as the latter sounds much more damaging.

Sadly there have always been vulnerable children. My friends son in and out of hospital and used hospital school but she would never suggest all get sent home

@noblegiraffe

You really love this covid don't you. Makes you feel important and given you something to fill your huge amount of free time

Whether people are claiming that I want schools to close, am riddled with anxiety, or that I love covid, they're always wrong...

I wonder why they suggest these things

Well I bid you goodnight 😴, I have better things to do

Because, Alice, they've lost the argument and have to resort to personal insults. Goodnight.

@AliceLivesHere
Children who have been contacts at school and travellers (who haven't been close contacts) are different situations.
I don't want kids to keep getting sent home, with bubbles bursting...I have 2 other children who have had to do several isolations.
Of course it's a huge pain in the arse....but at the moment, especially whilst vulnerable children are in school, and the only measures in school are regular LFTs, masks (if the head teacher goes against the govt getting rid of them) and isolating close contacts as soon as there is a positive case...there is no safer alternative.
If you think I'm loving this and want it to carry on, then you couldn't be more wrong.

He is starting secondary at an amazing special school in September, after years of fighting for him to get the right support and being failed by a flawed system.

Really hope it works out for him, Hazey. It's hard enough getting an EHCP for a child, let alone a place at a special school.

@Chessie678

If you want more mitigation measures in schools though how long do you want them for?

Primary school aged children may never be vaccinated (with possible exception for CV children at some point) because on balance the vaccine may pose more risk than covid in that age range. Same may be true of secondary though perhaps more likely that they will end up deciding that there is some benefit in vaccinating at that age.

Covid may therefore spread at a significant rate in at least primary schools indefinitely if, as experts are saying, it has become endemic.

Despite mitigation measures (including the extreme measure of closing schools for much of this year and the quite extreme measure of isolating close contacts) around 25% of school children have caught covid in the last year. It seems plausible that that rate of infection will continue in schools even if current measures are retained or perhaps it will be a bit lower due to some immunity from adults and some immunity in children who have already had it but you might still get significant spread amongst children.

So I would think that if you have a child starting primary school it is highly likely that they will catch covid at some point before they are at an age where they can be vaccinated even with very disruptive and extreme mitigation measures in place (like closing schools and multiple long isolation periods and cancelling most extra-curricular activities etc.). Covid may just be an illness which children tend to get at some point during childhood.

So if a child is going to catch it during their time at school anyway and this is judged to be lower risk than vaccination at least until they reach a particular age, what is the benefit in mitigation measures which slow the rate of spread but don't stop it. You are basically putting these measures in place to reduce the risk of getting covid per year from (say) 50% to 25%.

As a medium term measure while adults get vaccinated I can understand the argument (though I think the harm done to children in the process far outweighs the benefit to anyone), but are people saying that they want permanent measures to slow the rate of covid spread in schools if it is decided that it is not appropriate to vaccinate children i.e. children in masks and testing for covid regularly for years, missing c. 20 school days a year due to self-isolation, no mixing between school years, limited school events and trips, no parents in the school etc.

I'd personally prefer that my child caught covid at school than have that sort of school experience as the latter sounds much more damaging.

Yep.

You make sense and get it.

Chessie yes that makes sense to me. Also delaying to what end? We did all this isolation etc in last couple of years not for children but adults. It’s not actually that great to delay as they get older too.

This is not to minimise concerns, of course it’s not welcome but it is likely if not vaccinated.

I don’t see why CEV / CV wouldn’t be vaccinated as risk is higher.