COVID at school, not enough staff- opinions please

[FancySomeChips]

Not my school but a friend’s.

Large infant school, south west London.
3 teachers and a TA tested positive this week following a child in each of their classes being positive.
So 2 year groups closed (2 positive adults from same year gp).
12/25 other teachers told by NHS app to isolate following close contact (several staff meetings).
7 others don’t have the app so no message to isolate but we’re in close contact.
3 attended the meetings, were in close contact and have app but no message (maybe didn’t have phone with them in staff meeting??)
Others unknown.

So that’s 4 yr gps without teachers (contact isolating) and 2 yr gps closed bubbles due to kids having contact.
In my friend’s class (currently still open), 6/31 kids have siblings in the closed classes.

Shouldn’t they just shut the school for a week rather than attempt to stagger on through using a skeletal staff of TAs to cover all the classes with isolating teachers?

School can’t get/afford cover teachers for all classes needed and as supply teachers go to numerous schools they are worried a supply would bring in more COVID germs.

As a supply teacher, I would definitely be more concerned about the amount of Covid germs in the school than what I may bring in! 🙄

Sounds like a difficult situation.

It may well be that more notifications by Monday makes the decision for them.
But I tend to agree with you. It might be as well, for the sake of the wider public's health, to close for a little while.

@Skool that is very true.

@CallmeHendricks also a possibility!

This close to end of term as well, Def. I wouldn't want to be telling parents the day they break up their kids need to isolate for two weeks .....

Why are they all attending meetings together?! It's clear what will then happen. Online meetings are a faff but having so many staff isolating could have been avoided.
Better to close the building early and go back online and avoid even more staff and families having to isolate for holidays, or worse - catch covid.

It's not even about attending meetings. It's waiting for the photocopier, walking through the dining hall with hundreds of kids in, passing in the ladies, using the same coffee-making facilities/signing in pen. Any of these could also have contributed to the passing on of infection.

You would not be classed as a close contact in any of those situations. And all of those situations should have been included in the schools risk assessment to avoid close contact occurring. Schools need to be strict with bubbles including staff keeping to them.

She says they don’t cross bubbles bar staff meetings.
I know in my school this is also true, so a pretty common occurrence. Moderation would be near impossible over zoom for example.