Schools contingency framework released

[noblegiraffe]

The contingency framework guidelines for childcare settings, schools, colleges and universities has been released.

Not much to see except that schools should seek public health advice if:

For most education and childcare settings, whichever of these thresholds is reached first:
• 5 children, pupils, students or staff, who are likely to have mixed closely, test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period; or
• 10% of children, pupils, students or staff who are likely to have mixed closely test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period

Additional measures might be onsite testing or reintroducing masks but is much more likely to be simply:

At the point of reaching a threshold, education and childcare settings should review and reinforce the testing, hygiene and ventilation measures they already have in place. Settings should also consider:
• whether any activities could take place outdoors, including exercise, assemblies, or classes
• ways to improve ventilation indoors, where this would not significantly impact thermal comfort
• one-off enhanced cleaning focussing on touch points and any shared equipment

Interestingly, 'mixing closely' includes students who have shared a classroom, not just those who sat within 2m of a positive case.

No reassurance for CEV pupils.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1011704/20210817_Contingency_Framework_FINAL.pdf

Yes covid rates will be much higher in children but as staff are now double-vaxxed we shouldn't necessarily expect to see far more staff come down with covid as a result of the higher infection rates in children. I also expect staff to become more cautious as it spreads.

Previously schools closed because of staffing issues when we had staff with covid + staff isolating. This time we won't have staff isolating but we will have staff who need to take time off to care for a child with covid (this can't reasonably be palmed off onto grandparents who form the backbone of emergency childcare). That's going to be an issue.

I'm not sure how it's going to pan out.

The double vaccination doesn’t really seem to mean much. Lots of people who are double vaxxed are going down with it. We’ll be in unventilated rooms for hours at a time with children who have it. I just don’t see how it will bypass us all! Hope I’m wrong but I think we will face a bumpy year - they really need to unveil plans for exam years.,

The double vaccination doesn’t really seem to mean much.

It does though. Infection rates are much lower in doubly vaccinated age groups which isn’t a coincidence.

That doesn’t mean doubly vaccinated people won’t get it, but it does mean fewer of them will than if they hadn’t been vaccinated.

Which does mean that while staff will catch covid, it’ll should be at a far lower rate than the kids, unlike previously.

Double vaccination should also mean that the reduced number of people who catch covid are also far less likely to develop serious illness, thankfully.

Agrees, but wails self pityingly....

They will have to isolate with symptoms though (teachers) so there'll be the couple of days here and there it takes to get a test done and results returned. Fewer of them may be positive but with masks off, no distancing, a year+ of lower rates of colds, flu etc going round schools if people really are testing for symptoms as they should then that's potentially a fair bit of absence in itself and supply was thin on the ground to say the least here last year and many schools have cut their cover supervisors to the bone to save money.

What about double vaccinated sixth formers?
Can they be treated like normal adults who are double vaccinated?
They will now be equal risk to double vaccinated teachers.
The rest of society does not have to isolate if they are double vaccinated. Even health and social care staff working with the most vulnerable in society don't have to self isolate if they test negative.

Young people who are double vaccinated cannot be treated more detrimentally than other double vaccinated members of society.

Double vaccinated people are *3 times less likely to test positive"

That is a hell of a reduction in risk.

Double vaccinated sixth formers will be treated exactly the same as other children. I.e. no requirement to isolate.

Most teens, unless they are themselves CV or are household CEV/immune compromised, wont be double vaxxed. Plan is currently just for one jab for that age group.

But u18s dont have to isolate as contacts. And those turning 18 have a 3 month grace period to get both jabs in

Double vaccination should also mean that the reduced number of people who catch covid are also far less likely to develop serious illness, thankfully

As I said, I had it recently, double vaxxed for several months prior, and I was a good 18 days before I felt well enough to do anything. I may not have had an average experience, but a few like me in school at the same time and it starts to become problematic. Might only be a week or so, but there really are potentially problems ahead.

@TheHoneyBadger

Doing the LFT in school also means knowing how many untested kids you have - obviously parents can refuse to give consent but you know what proportion of the student body that is whereas done at home you really have no idea.

The idea is to try to minimise covid coming into the school at the start of the year - as we saw last year once it's in it seems to just keep rolling through. We didn't have our first case till just before half term last year and by mid November had so many that 2 whole year groups were out plus bunches of students in other year groups isolating or off with positive tests.

We're prioritising years 7 and 13 - first day of term for kids is Friday 3rd and those two year groups will come in and have first test and stay in school. Other year groups are having first test during inset days on 1st and 2nd then going home, the next week those year groups are staggered to come in for second test and stay in school.

I've had to write notes all over my diary and planner to try and work out whose in when and when my own son is and isn't in. By Wednesday the 8th I think everyone is in.

What about year 11? Aren't they a priority as GCSE year and already had a messed up year 9 and 10..

I believe they're in on Monday - ie. only one day less than year 7 and 13. Year 7 have had no transfer days or the like and are brand new to the school. Year 13 have had year 11 and year 12 of covid. They also have the benefit of being in different buildings entirely and using different canteens so those two year groups are the least risky to have in before a second test as at least it's only one year group getting thrown in together.

Ah i see. Just hoping term start isn't delayed. Our year 11 child needs to get back and remote learning isn't that good here at our school.

I suppose that, though double vaccination vastly reduces the risk of catching Covid generally, double vaccinated people in environments where they’re exposed to high levels of the virus are less well protected. There were lots of staff absences through infection among my double vaccinated ex-colleagues (FE) through late June and July. Two are still notably ill, one very unwell with heart and thyroid current areas of concern.
(DIL is still unwell nearly three weeks down the line after catching it on holiday - mostly open air activities, so very surprising - despite being double vaccinated.)

My DC is sixth form, double vaccinated.
The teachers are all in age group that has been offered 2 vaccines by September.
I think I will seek legal advice if the DfE allows my DC's school to treat that double-vaccinated over16-yo any differently to any other adult in the general population who is double vaccinated at any time going forward.

Whats the point of half vaccinating 16 to 18 year old when we told as adults we need 2 doses to be effective and some adults need 3 booster shots?

JCVI says that one dose in that age group appears to reduce hospitalisations by 80%.

They are also planning for them to have a second dose, most likely an 8-12 week gap same as everyone else.

What do you mean ilove? Can you give an example?

Think it is in response to Lots of friends work in GP surgeries and their work have overruled the isolation rules and anyone with a family member at home with covid can’t go into work. Much better idea

To which I responded Schools get threatened with legal action if they do that.

So ilove rather proves that point.

But that's nowhere in the guidance...?

The suggestion would be that some schools might go beyond the guidance.

@Piggywaspushed

But that's nowhere in the guidance...?

Exactly, but lots of people are reading about problems that aren't there as they don't like schools/teachers.

As I understand it the only students who will need to isolate are:

• if they themself has symptoms whilst they wait for a test result
• if they themself has a positive covid test
• possibly a small number of post-16 students who are over 18 and a half years old and have chosen not to be double vaccinated and who are identified as close contacts

Now separate to that is what a school does if there are staffing issues. That can result in students being sent home but not to isolate.

I was thinking about this 'do the lesson in the playground' nonsense and the only sense I can make of it is that they're actually saying we don't care if they're learning or if a school is able to function as a school just keep them inside that fence till 3pm.

They can't actually believe that you can teach outside (we use so much technology apart from anything else like the reality of weather and space etc) or that children could be doing anything meaningful or school like if it's unsafe for them to be in classrooms.

Despite all the faux concern about education and catch up and summer schools and extending school days (note nothing ever emerges in reality) it's still just about childcare for the proles and keeping the Us4GodOnlyKnowsWhatUnholyAgenda types happy.

Well they had their (poorly defined, people still aren't sure what it means) threshold for action to make it sound like they gave a shit, so they had to come up with something to happen when that threshold was reached.

I can only think that they put in teaching outside because they had

Open windows (if not cold)
Clean the light switches

And that was it, not even really worth separate bullet points. So they padded it with outside lessons so that people wouldn't suggest that the obvious extras might be masks or bubbles.