Need some good news - any schools using mitigations?

[beentoldcomputersaysno]

In light of government guidance for schools, lack of mitigations, (yet schools still having a responsibility to try to keep school community safe), is anyone aware of any schools that are going above DfE guidance, to help reduce covid spread and keep schools open? I realise cost is an issue, but parents can raise funds if school community has an appetite for it. I'm also interested in softer measures such as informing parents if their child has been a close contact, turning a blind eye if e.g. a child isolates whilst covid positive sibling is ill. I'm aware of some schools installing CO2 monitors. Please also say whether private or state, primary or secondary. Hoping this is not the shortest thread ever! Someone give me good news!

…. Tumbleweed….

Sorry. Secondary teacher here and the only
Covid measure we’re keeping is remote parents evenings but that’s because of convenience!

With a week to go there's been nothing from our Cumbria primary (180) but our highschool is using a staggered start to do 2 PCRs on each year group before the whole school (3000+) are in

Oh yes, we’re doing back to school testing as staggered starts as well.

Twice weekly lateral flow tests in the Autumn term. No masks in classrooms, but to be worn in busy communal areas.

I'm in Wales and the operational guidance that was put out recently was not very different to before the holidays. Not mixing learner groups as much as possible, still sitting in rows facing the front. Still keeping our distance from other members of staff and learners as much as possible. Still not allowed to congregrate in the staff room for breaktimes.

Lots of schools won't have had the guidance from their LA yet, which also means they won't have been able to inform parents of plans.

We are going back to no mitigations except ventilation (thankfully we have opening windows) and cleaning and encouraging kids to stay home/get tested. I'm sure 6th Form will be encouraging vaccinations.

Secondary.. testing and staggered starts. Primary.. they are keeping the new drop off and pick up procedures .

School buses are keeping masks, school are lft x2 prior to and on return not sure what else yet.

This is a genuine question - what are mitigations for? As in, what's the purpose of them, in real terms?

@TheDailyCarbunkle

This is a genuine question - what are mitigations for? As in, what's the purpose of them, in real terms?

Well, the biggest mitigation for us was bubbles - we knew who to isolate, and we knew who would be unaffected by the outbreak. Now we're not supposed to isolate unless there's a certain number of infections in the group - although the definition of a group in a secondary school context remains unclear.

Then of course there was masks. I hope that mitigation is obvious?

Research has shown that bubbles didn't really do anything to stop the spread of infections - according to this article (behind a paywall sorry but you can read the first bit) 'leading experts' said bubbles were 'probably pointless.'

Masks might do a bit to slow down infections, but I don't see how they really stop them in a school with children being children/teenagers?

What I meant really was, are the mitigations there to just slow infections down or what is the goal of them?

Sorry forgot to include the article: www.thetimes.co.uk/article/study-shows-schools-do-not-spread-covid-vmzgjtckw

Well that’s rubbish. Anyone who works in a school with multiple outbreaks can tell you: the cases spread within the bubble and infected multiple children/staff within the room but the bubbles worked! They stopped it spreading to other classrooms.

@CheeseTiger

Well that’s rubbish. Anyone who works in a school with multiple outbreaks can tell you: the cases spread within the bubble and infected multiple children/staff within the room but the bubbles worked! They stopped it spreading to other classrooms.

Yes they definitely worked here. I am interested to see how school goes this year, with year groups not isolating and kids continuing to attend school and infecting others with nothing in place to stop this.

Windows open until the children (or rather their parents) complain of being too cold. Otherwise nothing.

Completely back to normal for us but I'll be keeping the windows open. Whole school assemblies, which were always a squeeze in our hall, and lunches in the dining room will be very interesting...

@TheDailyCarbunkle

What I meant really was, are the mitigations there to just slow infections down or what is the goal of them?

With Delta all mitigations can hope to do is slow down infections, but it seems many of those heavily in favour of them seem to operating on the basis it can practically eradicate Covid... Presumably they must, as otherwise I can't see why they are so concerned about the importance of some open windows or LFTs etc.