Schools - we just have to bite the bullet...

[Warhertisuff]

It's completely futile to think we can stop Covid spreading through schools in the longer term. Who are we trying to kid? We may be angry that we are in this situation, but we are and we have to live with it.

It seems to be that it will be far better all round if Covid is just treated as we would the flu in schools. From September all teachers and CEV pupils should have been vaccinated, so we may as well just let it happen, with children off school when they are too unwell to attend. At least that way, disruption will be minimised and concentrated into a few weeks at the start of term.

We have never sent whole year groups home. KS3 just a class (taught in form groups), KS4 and 5 larger numbers due to the greater mixing for options. The only times we sent whole year groups home were the 2 occasions we closed fully due to the number of staff ill.

Yup still sending home whole groups. My son's school just about managed to do the year 10 exams in between bubbles bursting. Another group sent home yesterday.

I must be imagining all the lessons I've taught recently where half the kids have been in class and the other half have been at home logging in remotely due to not sending whole year groups home, despite multiple cases every day in my school. Per advice from PHE.

Our local school has year 9 and 12 on home learning at the moment, assumably as so many sick and isolating that there just are simply not enough staff. The years are big so that’s 6-700 DC currently at home.

Friend was saying the other day her DC was sitting next to someone with it there. They are now feeling rough and positive LFT, would be surprised if PCR not positive.

The doubly vaccinated parent of a 6th form DC at another school has caught it from them and is not doing well. The family lost their Mother fairly recently so I dread to think how they must be feeling right now, especially the one who brought it home.

So basically I take it the new slogan is to be ‘Treat it like Flu’?

@Howshouldibehave

I think the government will change its mind and offer vaccinations to over 12s in the autumn term.

It's being kept under review so they might - but I suspect it would be 16-17 year old if anyone.

Listening to more or less it's is vaccine quantities as well - we don't have enough to do 16+ people - there'e limited amounts of moderna in UK and there's a shipment due September for Pfizer which might come early in late August - but won't be able to get 16+ done before September.

I image they're watching many things not least what levels in school covid reaches in Sepetember or if there's emough immunity around from summer that levels don't climb to really high levels.

@Aroundtheworldin80moves

They may well roll to 16+ but firstly they are doing 12+ and vulnerable (the child or the household) as a priority. We don't have sufficient vaccine supply currently available for all 12+ or even 16+ as younger adults are still coming forward. They are vaccinating from 17 and 9 months under current guidance so that's quite a lot of sixth formers

I just be imagining all the texts from school, and my ds at home due to close contact in school this half term along with the rest of the class.

My gp has sent a message out stating there's a walk in clinic from 4-8 Friday for 12+ if risk factors

So basically I take it the new slogan is to be ‘Treat it like Flu’?

That was the slogan before....now that they're vaccinating all primary and secondary kids against flu it needs a rethink.

'Treat it like something I don't need to change my plans for' would be more accurate.

In Wales they were still sending home entire year groups home up till end of term - they are stopping that in Sepetember.

DN in England entrie year got sent home mainly becuase there were so many postive pcr tests in their year I think there were too few unaffected to really keep them in. Other years weren't as bad - just seem to be one of those things.

@Canigooutyet

I just be imagining all the texts from school, and my ds at home due to close contact in school this half term along with the rest of the class.

A class is different to a whole year group.

When my DCs (primary) isolated it was most their class - 35 kids. A whole year group at my school is around 200 kids. We don’t send that many home - not even at KS4/5 where the mix in grater numbers.

*greater

@Canigooutyet

I just be imagining all the texts from school, and my ds at home due to close contact in school this half term along with the rest of the class.

Class? I thought you said year group.

You have either got a school that is riddled with covid if they are repeatedly sending home year groups, or they are not following PHE policy which hasn't been to send home year groups for single cases since last September.

One postive pcr test in Wales and entrie 200+ children were being sent home.

Though my DC school didn't do too badly last few weeks just one year group out in the end - but they've finished now and local community levels have only really shot up in the last week or so.

@noblegiraffe

Just seen on twitter that no one told health professionals that CEV children should be vaccinated until the JCVI report was released on Monday. Desperate parents contacting GPs have been told that there's no way to book them onto the system because they haven't had confirmation from government.

Even getting a first jab by September is looking difficult, and of course Delta needs two.

Yes I can confirm this however procedures usually adapt fairly quickly. I doubt that parents will be able to book their DC in just on say so over the phone that they qualify for a vaccine it will have to come from a GP consultant before any appointments are made. As someone working in this field I just ask parents to be patient and bare with us whilst qualifying procedures are filtered down to the GPs and vaccine centres, if your dc qualifies you WILL be contacted and invited forward and seen ASAP.

@Wellbythebloodyhell I see you are working in incredibly stressful circumstances while also being shat on by government with public pronouncements and no prior notice. Solidarity.

Good to hear that vulnerable kids will be called up as soon as they can.

In primary, yes, a whole class is usually sent home - 6 hours in very close physical contact with no social distancing, no masks and limited ventilation inside would count as close contact in anyone's book, and that is what every primary class is like.

Regular handwashing - our only other mitigation - just isn't going to cut it against an airborne virus under those circumstances.

I work in England and live in Wales. We were just sending home contacts of infected kids. I know of least 2 high schools in my area that had to completely close, due to a positive pcr in each year. Big high schools too. Dc 1 is currently isolating, due to a primary bubble of 60 bursting last week. Vaccination take up is good, but not the under 40s,I think.

However, as a multi-form entry, I can absolutely confirm that we have never sent a who year group home - just the affected class. We did come close, at the point when a local children's football team shared lifts to a tournament 3-4 to a car followed by a mass sleepover .....

Sorry, my area being Wales. They've done 1 test=whole year group all the way. It did seem bizarre, especially working in England. Doesn't seem to have helped though- numbers are rocketing.

I suggest you read again as the only time I mentioned anything about year was in relation to exams.

Yup still sending home whole groups. My son's school just about managed to do the year 10 exams in between bubbles bursting. Another group sent home yesterday.

So, canI when you looked like you were arguing against people saying that whole year groups were being sent home, you were actually agreeing that they're not?

@Canigooutyet

I suggest you read again as the only time I mentioned anything about year was in relation to exams.

Yup still sending home whole groups. My son's school just about managed to do the year 10 exams in between bubbles bursting. Another group sent home yesterday.

Triggered by how many cases? This is the key information you are missing.

@noblegiraffe

*@Wellbythebloodyhell* I see you are working in incredibly stressful circumstances while also being shat on by government with public pronouncements and no prior notice. Solidarity.

Good to hear that vulnerable kids will be called up as soon as they can.

Yes we learn things at the same time as anyone else unfortunately, the only snippet we were privvy too slightly earlier was the booster vaccine plan although not in any great detail.

As a parent I'm totally fed up and dreading sept.
Eldest year 11 gcses and not 16 until Feb.
12 year old just starting year 7
Both travelling on rammed public transport.
3rd child last year primary year 6 and youngest just starting nursery school only gets year funding before starting receptor.
They all need to be in school in sept.

My 11 year old mental health has deteriorated and has had a crap year 6.
My 10 years with sen hasent had all the provision and support legally hes meant to get with his ehcp.
My 3.5 year old now desperate start .
My 15 year old has asthma and wants to be vaccinated.

eldest senior school breaks up early anyway but phe shut them down.
School 2 the heads got covid and 3 classes off and no school kitchen plus many other staff
Local comp where freinds kids go completely closed down again for the 2nd time.
Bristol very bad its 800plus per 100k last 7 days.

Worked it out just as city based total population minus 50k students not sure if that's just school age or uni plus % of single or double jabbed adults means we unlikely to reach herd immunity without vaccinating kids as delta needs a greater %..

This 3rd wave is worst yet.
2nd wave was driven by fact we have 2 large universities.

Council saying nothing they can so it will rise over summer and they don't know when it will fall.
2500 kidd off school 4% of total school population.
We seem to be rising higher than 10-14 year olds nationally a few weeks back.
Long covid is a worry .
We in 40s and not 2nd jabbed so chances are a 20 to 30 year old teacher may not be double jabbed in time for school start or go to anightclub if they maintain this 8 week gap.

Also I get arguments sort of you double jabbed you immune to isolate however I don't get kids unvaccinated are now excempt.

My understanding is if parent or sibling postive everyone else in same house can leave house go to work and school.
They need more child friendly tests for primary age .