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Original poster

Primary schools from September...

294 replies

SandyStarfish · 01/08/2021 09:17

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.

OP posts:
Chillychangchoo · 03/08/2021 09:01

School staff need to get on with it. I worked as a TA during the winter peak in a primary school. All the teachers wanted the vaccine (fair enough). They now have it and some are still moaning. Never happy. Literally never happy.

I moved from my TA job to a support worker role and the conditions for covid much worse in social care sector. My colleagues don’t moan like teachers do though. I think teachers moan that much now that people just switch off.

herecomesthsun · 03/08/2021 09:08

@Chillychangchoo

School staff need to get on with it. I worked as a TA during the winter peak in a primary school. All the teachers wanted the vaccine (fair enough). They now have it and some are still moaning. Never happy. Literally never happy.

I moved from my TA job to a support worker role and the conditions for covid much worse in social care sector. My colleagues don’t moan like teachers do though. I think teachers moan that much now that people just switch off.

thank goodness you are out of teaching then
Justgettingbye · 03/08/2021 09:25

I don't know what the answer is all I know is that my add is starting primary school, my younger child is going into childcare and I'm starting in a new school. Our chances are increased but what's the alternative

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 03/08/2021 09:26

Is the suggestion on here that double vaccinated teachers/TAs who test positive should still go to work if they are not feeling ill?

motherrunner · 03/08/2021 09:51

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Is the suggestion on here that double vaccinated teachers/TAs who test positive should still go to work if they are not feeling ill?
Come Sept it will only be positive cases that need to isolate. Theoretically positive ‘well’ teachers will be working as what need will there be to test unless ill? We all know though that as teachers we battle into work unless we literally can not get out of bed. I think we actually will be the ‘super spreaders’ now!
Howshouldibehave · 03/08/2021 09:57

I heard that the twice-weekly lateral flow tests will be stopping in the Autumn in schools so that the screening/picking up of positive cases will stop.

Will they be stopping the twice-weekly screening everywhere else as well? At the moment my NHS worker family members test twice a week too-they haven’t heard anything about it stopping for them?

motherrunner · 03/08/2021 09:59

@Howshouldibehave

I heard that the twice-weekly lateral flow tests will be stopping in the Autumn in schools so that the screening/picking up of positive cases will stop.

Will they be stopping the twice-weekly screening everywhere else as well? At the moment my NHS worker family members test twice a week too-they haven’t heard anything about it stopping for them?

Not sure about other professions but yes, twice weekly tests will stop in Sept. We are being asked to set up testing sites for the first week (like we did in March) and then that’s it.
motherrunner · 03/08/2021 10:01

I wonder if there will be posts on here in Sept from parents waking the lines of ‘my DC’s teacher is coughing/sniffling etc. Are they passing Covid to my child?’

motherrunner · 03/08/2021 10:02

*along the lines

3asAbird · 03/08/2021 10:05

I thought lft twice week would stay for teachers.
I don't underhand why teaching unions bot striking over unsafe working conditions.
They don't sound safe to them or the children.

Wellbythebloodyhell · 03/08/2021 10:05

Is the suggestion on here that double vaccinated teachers/TAs who test positive should still go to work if they are not feeling ill?

As far as I've seen it's never been suggested for anyone who tests positive, regardless of profession, to go into work.

I heard that the twice-weekly lateral flow tests will be stopping in the Autumn in schools so that the screening/picking up of positive cases will stop.

They can't stop people testing just like they couldn't enforce testing in the first place. I reckon most who test regularly already will use their own common sense and judge if there's a need to continue or not

Howshouldibehave · 03/08/2021 10:17

They can't stop people testing just like they couldn't enforce testing in the first place. I reckon most who test regularly already will use their own common sense and judge if there's a need to continue or not

If they don’t make the tests available and free, they won’t happen.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 03/08/2021 10:22

As far as I've seen it's never been suggested for anyone who tests positive, regardless of profession, to go into work.

But it has been suggested that 'we just need to learn to live with this like we do with flu'. School staff who are ill with things like flu or bad colds go to work all the time, it's easier than not going to work.

bizboz · 03/08/2021 10:23

Any studies done regarding transmissibility before the Delta variant was widespread are probably not that relevant to the current situation as we now know that it is many times more transmissible than previous variants.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 03/08/2021 10:24

Not sure about other professions but yes, twice weekly tests will stop in Sept.

If we have to learn to live with it, then medical staff shouldn't have to test either. Interesting times ahead.

laselvar · 03/08/2021 10:32

LFTs for staff will continue in September, no decision has been made beyond that yet.

From DFE

'Staff should undertake twice weekly home tests whenever they are on site until the end of September, when this will also be reviewed.'

Wellbythebloodyhell · 03/08/2021 10:53

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

As far as I've seen it's never been suggested for anyone who tests positive, regardless of profession, to go into work.

But it has been suggested that 'we just need to learn to live with this like we do with flu'. School staff who are ill with things like flu or bad colds go to work all the time, it's easier than not going to work.

I don't know anyone who's actually had flu ( not a bad cold) be well enough to work at the same time. A bad cold is technically self diagnosed there's no actual test we do to confirm it unlike covid. There's no short /medium term plan to stop testing when showing symptoms so for now covid can easily be confirmed or ruled out so no one positive would be expected to work. Way way down the line GPs might diagnose suspected covid without testing but we are no where near that happening yet.
Wellbythebloodyhell · 03/08/2021 10:57

And just to add, its not just school staff who go into work with bad colds because it's easier, as a society we do this for many reasons, like not being able to afford sick pay, grief from managers about sickness levels, knowing our work will be left undone or feeling guilty that someone else will need to pick up our work. Staff sickness policies need to be looked at across the board not just in schools

casualnamechange · 03/08/2021 11:03

@3asAbird

I thought lft twice week would stay for teachers. I don't underhand why teaching unions bot striking over unsafe working conditions. They don't sound safe to them or the children.
How are strikes necessary at this point?!
Wellbythebloodyhell · 03/08/2021 11:16

And as a side note if employers were more understanding with sickness or parental leave then less parents are likely to fill little Billy up with calpol and send him in because they feel they can't take the time off too look after their sick child. It's not a ploy to make teachers ill or because they can't be arsed to look after little Billy when he's ill but sometimes real life consequences of losing income and possibly their job altogether mean parents often have to make those difficult decisions

sherrystrull · 03/08/2021 11:25

@Chillychangchoo

School staff need to get on with it. I worked as a TA during the winter peak in a primary school. All the teachers wanted the vaccine (fair enough). They now have it and some are still moaning. Never happy. Literally never happy.

I moved from my TA job to a support worker role and the conditions for covid much worse in social care sector. My colleagues don’t moan like teachers do though. I think teachers moan that much now that people just switch off.

Rude.

And how is raising concerns about the health of themselves, their families and the children in school moaning?

Original poster
SandyStarfish · 03/08/2021 12:00

It's positive cases and anyone with symptoms that still need to isolate. The latter is what is difficult in schools.

OP posts:
HungryHippo11 · 03/08/2021 13:12

@HSHorror

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
And were those 10 children very ill? Or did they have mild symptoms like 98% of children do?

My daughter had covid, she was slightly ill for 3 days. I would risk her catching it (again) if I could avoid class bubbles isolating.

Chillychangchoo · 03/08/2021 21:24

@herecomesthsun

Thank god indeed.

TheRainbow · 04/08/2021 05:34

This reply has been deleted

Message withdrawn at poster's request.