Primary schools from September...

[SandyStarfish]

Good that contacts will no longer have to isolate... however, Covid will run wild through the classes won't it? And the viral load will be high for children and staff in those classrooms because of all the particles in the air. And in winter it's too hard to ventilate much. It's going to be horrible working conditions again.

What would you prefer/suggest?
My DDs class was sent home twice to isolate since last September. Both times, none of the isolating contacts went on to develop COVID.

Sending whole classes of children home to isolate for 10 days each time someone gets ill is an not appropriate action to take ever! I don't know what the answer is but it certainly isn't that

I don’t think it’s good contacts will no longer have to isolate when those people are unvaccinated and am hoping they change that.
Too many already claim to be able to tell without a test that a temp/cough etc isn’t covid so positive cases will be mixing everywhere.

I'm not sure what I'd suggest. It's difficult. I'm just voicing how horrible it's going to be. And for TAs, such a poor wage too. Yes, there were thousands of needless isolations. But that wasn't the case in our school. It did spread from children to staff and result in a death. I hope most children have some kind of immunity to it now. I guess there's no way of knowing how many have had it asymptomatically.

What would you suggest? Teachers would presumably be double vaccinated by then?

My sons 'bubble' had zero cases of covid from when they went back to when they broke up in July. Its not exactly running wild around here. Sending home pupils for ten days just in case is not a long term solution.

I think that there will need to be additional funding made available for supply staff as teaching staff will inevitably get sick. (DC recently had Covid - I didn't catch it but double-vaxxed DH was unwell for a week).

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I don’t think it’s good contacts will no longer have to isolate when those people are unvaccinated and am hoping they change that. Too many already claim to be able to tell without a test that a temp/cough etc isn’t covid so positive cases will be mixing everywhere.

They are children and should be referred to as children not the unvaccinated! You think it's OK to keep isolating young children repeatedly whilst the adults can carry on with life as before just because they happen to be too young to be able to be vaccinated? This is supposed to be a parenting forum yet the perpetual contempt of children is alarming!

There’s no need for the isolations. If someone is ill they are at home otherwise everyone else should just carry on as usual. Yes we might get it but it’s now mainly a mild illness for the vast majority.

Those who test positive will still be at home though?!

My friend works in a school and said her authority are carrying on with sending bubbles home. Absolutely insane. This cannot continue.

As a primary school teacher in my 50s, I would like to have the same level of protection from covid as my friends. Many of whom are refusing to go back to half empty offices as it still 'too dangerous'.

@Ugzbugz

My friend works in a school and said her authority are carrying on with sending bubbles home. Absolutely insane. This cannot continue.

Surely they wouldn't be allowed to do that? Isn't this similar to when some schools wanted to close at Xmas and Gav threatened legal action? although the schools were right and Gav was wrong on that occasion

@Wellbythebloodyhell well said!

I can’t wait for school and nursery to be back to normal. I really don’t foresee it being a huge issue. Teachers all double vaccinated.

"Those who test positive will still be at home though?!"

Parents, on the whole, don't test... they send children into school ill. Always have done. So the higher viral load from classroom environment is a worry.

They should at least have a choice to wear masks if they want to. It' may not be death that is worrying for children, but other effects of virus. There seems to be a lot of articles published about some connection to loss of smell and brain damage recently, which is a worry for me.

All adults will have had a chance to be double vaccinated by then. I know covid is not flu but we will have to live with it like it is. Flu can kill yet we have a vaccine and accept that a certain number of deaths per year is inevitable.

Oh come on - teachers will have been vaccinated .. what's the issue?

My son Went on a school trip - 60 kids on a coach with someone that had covid (they didn't know at the time) whole coach sent home to isolate and test regularly - x 3 went on to get covid.

I think teachers and school staff have been put in a difficult position and I have every sympathy with that.

I would have to agree with @Wellbythebloodyhell though that they aren’t the only ones in a difficult position. And the children from the most difficult situations have suffered most.

My sons year 2 class was sent home 4 times to isolate last school year.
I'm glad this won't be happening anymore, even with the home learning they missed so much and seemingly for nothing as no one else developed covid in the isolation period.
Not to mention that a lot of parents don't get paid to be off with isolating children either.

Not necessarily. Several bubbles closed in our primary. Three times not a single other child caught covid.

Once at least 15 did.

It’s a far from ideal scenario but closing class for 10 days for a single case is just not appropriate long term.

I do however think siblings of poorly children should stay at home.

It will make things harder for teachers though as they will have most kids in and some at home.

Our school started with one case ended up with 10 infected (that we know of).
From preschool. Into 4 year groups at least 5 classes.
Imo class isolation in primary is still needed.
Or have 3w homeschool offered for those who dont want the kids to catch it

In the last week of term, y6 ended up with 10 positive children and 4 adults who had been involved with their leavers activities.

We found similar in y7 and 11 in the past few months - a handful of cases that closed the bubble resulted in at least 35 further cases (that we know) of developing over the next 10 days.

I'm not sure what would have happened if the bubbles had remained open and Covid had continued to spread.

I don't know what the answer is 😞

What’s the alternative? Why should children constantly isolate when adults don’t have too? Teachers will be double vaxxed so all good.

It’s interesting you want to be able to chose the same protection as office staff @DolphinFC - it’s no different for us. We have to go into work & we spend 8/9 hours in a very enclosed environment with 50-80+ adults. The risk is really not much different. Nearly all offices in the area I work are re-opening in the next week or so if not already. Some companies will be nice & let the anxious stay at home but most won’t. The only positive is nearly everyone I know has moved to hybrid working. So we only have to go in 2/3 times a week now. But that’s a perk of office work. Teaching is different, you can’t do that & you’ll never be able too. I quit teaching so that I could have a better quality of life with my kids. I can WFH whenever they are ill now. Or when I am. I can manage my hours around their needs. I’m not busy all weekend.. but I lost a lot of annual leave & now have to juggle school holidays. My job is less fulfilling. Swings & roundabouts.

Why should children constantly isolate when adults don’t have too?

Because adults are being vaccinated.

I am hopeful that we will have the option to vaccinate any under 18s with parental consent before too long. If you don’t want your child to be done, then don’t-but many of us want the option.