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.

I work in primary. All our staff are fully vaccinated now. We had windows and doors open last winter and we will again if cases aren’t right down.

I’d like my 17 yr old to be vaccinated.

@Howshouldibehave

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.

Bit hard to vaccinate young children without an approved vaccine

This is supposed to be a parenting forum yet the perpetual contempt of children is alarming

Not sure why wanting protection for children and their families is alarming. There is no plan to vaccinate children, many of whom will be CEV. Some will have families that can’t have the vaccine for medical reasons or will still remain vulnerable after the vaccine based on other factors.

Adults not being able to expect to isolate is different, they can wear masks, keep a distance, limit activities if they know there has been contact if they so choose. Children can’t do that in large groups so what protection do they have?

These arguments fast become a bit circular but as a generalisation children aren’t really at risk from covid.

Of course that’s a generalisation because there will be exceptions but extreme cases make bad laws.

On a general basis we have vaccinated adults and children who aren’t at risk.

I know people will pipe up with - well known not vaccinated / what about my vulnerable child / long covid and so on but decisions on a population basis will always vary from decisions on an individual basis. That’s why we have autonomy after all - medics can recommend but ultimately as individuals we make the calls for ourselves.

Bit hard to vaccinate young children without an approved vaccine

Doing 12-17 would help though. MHRA have approved that.

There is no plan to vaccinate children, many of whom will be CEV.

some will be CEV but it's not many of them

This is supposed to be a parenting forum yet the perpetual contempt of children is alarming!

The children have given so much to make sure the elderly and vulnerable have been protected, they have missed education and their friends and social lives.

Now they are all vaccinated we are allowing the virus to spread in their age brackets.

Hardly a glorious thing is it?

We’re all right jack, now you can get sick? What about long covid?

@Howshouldibehave

Bit hard to vaccinate young children without an approved vaccine

Doing 12-17 would help though. MHRA have approved that.

We're not talking about 12-17 Yr olds though are we, we're specifically talking about primary aged children for whom there is no vaccine so why would we treat them unfairly against the rest of the vaccinated society as some are suggesting ie isolating them because they're unable to be vaccinated

I am a primary school teacher and I am glad. I see how disruptive the isolations have been for the children at work and my own kids at home. We can't keep sending well children home. They have lost enough education

Yes, but the more people that are vaccinated, the better protection the population will have. Vaccinating as many 12-17s as possible, will also have a beneficial knock-on effect on primary schools.

I never did see the point of the bubbles, tbh, but it seems there is now evidence that indicates that bubbles simply were not necessary as kids, on the whole, schools do not spread Covid:

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/study-shows-schools-do-not-spread-covid-vmzgjtckw

I realise teachers may be concerned but from what I understand, teachers have not had Covid in greater numbers compared with the general population and certainly not compared with other key worker professions.

Interesting - we are not having bubbles in September (unless we have to switch to our outbreak management plan). However, the study in The Times today was only based on 269 children, so I'm not sure how seriously to take the conclusions.

I completely agree that teachers prob haven't had as many infections as the the key workers - but that's because a huge % spent much of the last 18 months in lockdown, working from home/teaching online, and most of the studies so far include those lockdown times in the data. Will be interesting to see what the data says when it just looks at terms when everyone has been school based.

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

So we don’t send bubbles home, double vaccinated adults still get sick….no one in school to teach your child.

It won’t eliminate the problem altogether,

And thanks for the blasé attitude with the health of school staff.

It isn’t as straightforward as that, though @Getawaywithit

Do bubbles actually do anything to help stop the spread of infection, given that siblings don’t have to isolate?

I’m not convinced at all. I’ve had too many friends with more than one child where one is sent home and the other continues to attend school yet the children are obviously in one another’s faces all the time they are at home! It’s nonsensical. I don’t mind doing things to keep people safer. I do mind nonsense.

I see both sides. It's not ideal for children having up to 10 days off so I get why it's been changed.

My DC's school won't mostly through the pandemic with no cases. One at the very end of term and DS had to isolate for 6 days (was a mess up with weekend, void test results, negative lateral flows so only did 6 day isolation). Not one other child got it despite that they were in school for a few days after the person got ill. As above mess up with tests being void etc.

Winter is a worry. We all know that viruses spread more then. There wasn't any cases during the winter here but the cases were low anyway so that's likely why. They weren't allowed heating on and windows open in winter. I get that Dd is hypermobile and her joints really struggle in the cold. She went school with multiple layers on. Whereas DS went in shorts all year 😂

Maybe children will have to test more, possibly even KS2 children

@Howshouldibehave

Yes, but the more people that are vaccinated, the better protection the population will have. Vaccinating as many 12-17s as possible, will also have a beneficial knock-on effect on primary schools.

Of course it will but when cases do occur we can't keep sending whole classes home multiple times just because they aren't vaccinated. Parents would stop isolating their dc anyway, yes they might not be allowed in school but no one will repeatedly keep them indoors for 10 days each time indefinitely or until they're old enough to be vaccinated. It's already happening now, half of DS school was out before the end of term the local parks were full of "isolating " dc, plenty of beach and theme park photos on SM and summer bbqs happening.

*And thanks for the blasé attitude with the health of school staff.

Theres an equal blasé attitude to young children's education, development and emotional well being too but hey let's not talk about that

Well, it isn't only positive cases that have to isolate... so do people with symptoms, until proof of negative test. So maybe as a sensible way forward, schools need to get strict with sending home children with signs of illness until proven non-covid.

How can schools get strict when parents refuse to collect? Or send in sick children?

What do you want the school to do?

Well, ring home and send them home.

You can’t just send Primary School kids home on their own @SandyStarfish.

Parents don’t always turn up when they get a phone call to pick up their kids

I work in a primary school. Never had a parent refuse to collect their child yet.

Theres an equal blasé attitude to young children's education, development and emotional well being too but hey let's not talk about that

If I’m well, I am available to your child either in a classroom or online so learning is still going to happen. The children can also see and interact with their peers with an adult watching over. If I’m sick, you get supply if you’re lucky or nothing at all. Which do you prefer?

As always, the bigger picture that school staff have tried to convey month after month after month….is ignored. Schools are useless without healthy adults to work in them.

I am not against getting rid of bubbles. But if you think it will solve everything for all children all of the time, you are very much mistaken. I currently have covid. If it weren’t summer, I would have been out of the classroom for 10 days already. I will not be ready to return tomorrow. It’ll be another week at least.