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

@noblegiraffe

full of people berating anyone not comfortable sitting next to someone all day who has a household member at home with covid

I suspect the people who are not comfortable with this are in a majority but not quite as vocal. Not much trust in Johnson at the moment (ever?).

Well I've certainly retreated to the threads were people are being more sensible!

I wonder what extra ventilation might be offered that won’t impact thermal comfort!?

Hot air blown from the DfE

Just spat my lovely cuppa afternoon coffee out over that one!

*cup of

Local school to me: 40 cases plus in one year group in two days. They did not send home the whole year group. Close contacts only.

I'm dreading it. I have a baby due in November and will have two girls in secondary school.

Am I right in thinking masks are gone completely for schools and buses now?

@Bennetgirl

I'm dreading it. I have a baby due in November and will have two girls in secondary school.

Am I right in thinking masks are gone completely for schools and buses now?

@Bennetgirl Some school buses will advise mask wearing. I would check with the coach company.

Recommended for buses but not compulsory. Basically nothing in schools except sanisitiser.

Close contacts in my school did not include students sitting next to each other, as they weren’t facing each other. It became a bit of a joke.

The other thing is given we're not doing the contact tracing anymore how will we even know how many cases we have? Are T&T even going to bother telling schools about positive cases and close contacts? If not parents will send them in positive and won't be volunteering the information.

We've already had people sending their kids in even though both parents have tested positive and causing an outbreak.

So if 10% of the school is positive we can open a window but the likelihood is we won't even know what percentage of the school is positive and how many of those positives are still coming to school?

Anyway. It'll all be fine apparently

I'm still chuckling at the idea of an outdoor assembly here. Would that be like a fire drill where you need one of those loud speaker things and still struggle to be heard over eg. wind.

Well I suppose the parents are no more or less likely to inform the school than they were last year, honey?

@Bennetgirl

Our school is trying to get everyone to wear masks in communal areas but not in lessons

Thanks all. I'll have to look on our school website. I haven't seen anything yet and assumed it was all back to normal 😩

Hopefully most parents will still tell the school about positive cases as it is still law to isolate if you have tested positive (risk of a large fine if you get caught and a child who's tested positive is likely to tell others) and if your child is not at school you need to give school a reason why.

An interesting article on the government's inaction in relation to children.

bylinetimes.com/2021/08/18/the-fourth-wave-children-paying-the-price-of-government-inaction-and-covid-19-lobbying/

@TheHoneyBadger

The other thing is given we're not doing the contact tracing anymore how will we even know how many cases we have? Are T&T even going to bother telling schools about positive cases and close contacts? If not parents will send them in positive and won't be volunteering the information.

We've already had people sending their kids in even though both parents have tested positive and causing an outbreak.

So if 10% of the school is positive we can open a window but the likelihood is we won't even know what percentage of the school is positive and how many of those positives are still coming to school?

Anyway. It'll all be fine apparently

Surely T&T will still be ringing houndingpositive cases like they are now to ensure they're isolating

T&T aren’t allowed to talk to kids.

They won’t have the staff to do all the calling let alone following up those who don’t answer the phone. They’re also going to come against the reality of the impossibility of contact tracing without having contact details for the contacts and relying on kids even knowing the surnames of their close contacts.

None of it can work unless the goal is to hide numbers and let Covid rip through schools in which case yes it will work for that. The whole idea of them being able to contact trace and follow up on whether testing happens or those who are meant to be isolating are without school involvement is farcical imo

@TheHoneyBadger they won't need to contact trace any of their school friends as they'll no longer need to isolate anyway being under 18 nor Is a PCR mandatory for close contacts either. Teen SM outlets are quicker anyway so parents and children will know if there's a positive case within their peer group without the need of T&T, most teens don't fart without documenting it on Instagram or Snapchat these days.

For context helping a kid pin remember what they’ve done in the last 48 hours to track down close contacts when they tested positive took staff serious time and patience even with seating plans, timetables etc. Then pulling those kids out of class, trying to get any of their named adults to answer a phone let alone pick up etc would take our HT all day. Then when the next day one of those close contacts tested positive they had to do it all again. And we’re teachers who know the kids and how to talk to them and have lots of info to prompt their memories with etc.

The idea a random stranger on the phone without even a database of students names and home contact details or any idea what bus that kid gets on etc is going to be able effectively talk to them let alone contact trace seems… highly unlikely let’s say.

And primary kids?

Close contacts will still surely merit being contacted? If they’re cev or living with someone who is or even if not families need to be able to decide what precautions they want to take. And the not isolating is meant to be replaced with daily lft so they have to know.

They’re not isolating any more, Honey and now sitting next to in class doesn’t make you a close contact even for just a PCR, just social contact like sleepovers.

Behind the times, Honey, no daily LFTs either!

Anyone who is a close contact (which is now not school contact) will be advised (not mandated) to take a PCR and that’s it.

What a shit show. I'm so angry but yet so unsurprised.

I thought they still at least had to do lft daily. Ffs.