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

We had an outbreak but only
1 in 4 classes
And around 4 in another.
2 of them nursery /reception so quite ventilated anyway.
If they go back to assemblies and completely unsegregated afterschool then they will all be mixing.
Afaik no cases after school closed (early)

• 1 in each of 4 classes - 4 cases

@Neolara

I imagine it's going to sweep though schools in the Autumn. I really can't see any other realistic outcome. In DS's school, at the end of the summer term, 14 dcs tested positive in one year group and that was after sending home over half the year in two different stages days apart. If they hadn't been sent home, I think many more DC's would have got it. I'd be interested to hear what teachers think will happen.

I think you are right.

I think there will be a lot of covid in schools over the autumn term. Let’s hope it doesn’t end in lots of illness, long covid or worse.

@Neolara

I imagine it's going to sweep though schools in the Autumn. I really can't see any other realistic outcome. In DS's school, at the end of the summer term, 14 dcs tested positive in one year group and that was after sending home over half the year in two different stages days apart. If they hadn't been sent home, I think many more DC's would have got it. I'd be interested to hear what teachers think will happen.

It will sweep through schools but I don’t think the majority of the public are concerned. We hear on it here all the time ... children don’t get ill/teachers will be double vaccinated/effects of isolation is worse than effects of Covid.

I’m sure there will be some posters who will blame teachers if their children get sick

So, better dig out my thermals again. I am blessed to have a well ventilated classroom, but it was bloody cold. November to March was uncomfortable at best.
But, of course, under 12s don’t catch it, carry it or spread it. Everything will be fine.

And there’s this update, which includes the new advice about not isolating, has links to the contingency framework doc in the OP, etc:

www.gov.uk/government/publications/actions-for-schools-during-the-coronavirus-outbreak/schools-covid-19-operational-guidance

Hot air blown from the DfE.
🤣🤣🤣

@ineedaholidaynow

I’m sure there will be some posters who will blame teachers if their children get sick

It's been happening since the start of the pandemic, so why change the status quo. 😢

Well here are most recent infection rates for school kids. Worryingly they haven't dropped much even though it's the holidays, meaning that we are going to be headed back to school with much higher rates of infection than we did in March and Easter.

At secondary, LFTs will weed out some of them before returning to class (obviously detection rates aren't great), but primary will be going back in as they are.

With a high baseline and zero mitigation measures, unless something dramatically changes between now and September, I can't see infection rates doing anything other than shooting up in those age groups (worse than before summer as then we had loads of kids isolating).

But that doesn't mean the open-a-window-threshold will be met....because of course kids have to test positive which is a much higher threshold than actually having covid.

Is the 10% for a school or a class?

They need to “have mixed closely” so not w school. Although it does give different thresholds for SEN schools and v small schools.

Oh god it's not clear at all is it?

5 children, pupils, students or staff, who are likely to have mixed closely

10% of children, pupils, students or staff who are likely to have mixed closely

Is it if you have 3 kids in a class of 30 test positive then open a window? You don't need to wait for 5 of them?

Very unclear, as usual.

Jan have you name changed?

It's whichever threshold is reached first...

But I assumed it was 10 percent of the school, which would obviously mean 5 was reached first in nearly all schools.

But 10% of what, piggy! There's a comma in the first one that seems important.

Is it

5 pupils who probably caught it from each other

OR

10% of pupils from a particular group who mix closely

Is the 10% for smaller settings? So if 2 children from a group of 5 get it then open the window?

It will be interesting to see what happens when they run out of adults.
I'm double jabbed and Covid positive, it's not rare.

You mean here?

5 children, pupils, students or staff,who are likely to have mixed closely, test
positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period;

I think they are trying to separate the staff from the who are likely to have mixed closely so that it doesn't look like that phrase applies just to staff. It's very clumsy.

@Piggywaspushed

But I assumed it was 10 percent of the school, which would obviously mean 5 was reached first in nearly all schools.

Well yes, they've already made provision for settings under 20, so making part of the 'most education settings' a special section for settings up to 50 seems a bit weird.

I'm wondering if the 10% relates to the 'groups likely to mix frequently' mentioned just after, but they forgot to link it directly.

@Piggywaspushed

I think they are trying to separate the staff from the who are likely to have mixed closely so that it doesn't look like that phrase applies just to staff. It's very clumsy.

I think they could have done with rewriting it to make it make sense!

I think they could have done with rewriting it to make it make sense!

From past experience it's far too early to start rewriting, i'm sure that won't happen until after all schools and staff are back.