Media blackout on school cases this term

[3asAbird]

I find it really odd all English secondary schools are back including my own children's school.
They all did testing well over a week ago.
Neither the news letter or local rag that normally lives for this kind of news has reported any postive cases which find hard to believe.

I asked primary head and she said only if 5or more cases would they inform parents and I argued how do vunerable parents or parents of vunerable kids assess risk to them if they unaware.
I would love to see more transparency on how many postives each week and % of kids who have tested.
Also phe clear published figures how much infections within educational settings each week.

The current newsletters are like alternate universe where covid doesn't exist.
None of my kids are vaccinated and 1 has ashma.

Think people summoning any absence i school or staff possibly maybe covid but I dislike all the secrecy.

There is no detail in those figures though, Giraffe. No detail on whether an admission means admitted to a ward for a couple of hours for steroids and a nebuliser (like my toddler was on many occasions) or admitted for a lengthy stay because seriously ill. Or whether the child was being admitted anyway for an entirely unrelated condition and happened to test positive too.

However way you want to spin it, the number of children who fall seriously ill with Covid, ill enough to go to hospital is very, very, very tiny. For nearly all children, covid is a couple of days of feeling ill.

And as I said before, just what are parents expected to do with constant pings on their phones about cases or articles in the newspapers? Keep their kids off school? Ban them from seeing their friends? Case numbers is not useful information. We all KNOW that there are kids in the school with Covid. This time next year tehre will be kids in school with Covid. In a decade there will be kids in school with Covid.

I agree OP. It would be fine if kids education wasn't being affected, kids weren't susceptible to long covid (even if initial symptoms were a sniffle), weren't susceptible to neurological impacts and organ damage, thousands of kids hadn't ended up in hospital etc. For kids that are vulnerable/live with the vulnerable, have pregnant mums etc it must be even more awful. For those that keep saying kids don't get long covid, don't end up in hospital, don't get affected - can you post a link to a medical journal with this info as it would ease my mind. I refer to kids in this, but I think teachers and other staff should also be in the loop.

There is no detail in those figures though, Giraffe.

So you admit you were wrong to say that there were no children in hospital with covid?

I don't know about you, but I don't want my kid to be admitted to a ward even for a couple of hours for steroids and a nebuliser. That's not a good outcome.

We tested all our students in a busy London school twice. Out of 3000 LFTs we had 4 positive cases. That is a very small percentage and really not worth alerting the local media about. Obviously we have to advise the local council of all cases.

@noblegiraffe

There is no detail in those figures though, Giraffe.

So you admit you were wrong to say that there were no children in hospital with covid?

I don't know about you, but I don't want my kid to be admitted to a ward even for a couple of hours for steroids and a nebuliser. That's not a good outcome.

We know where you're coming from. We know you want all schools closed, forever. And for nobody to get ill, ever.

Some of us are just a wee bit more realistic. Covid is here to stay. For the overwhelming majority of children, being in school and getting educated is more important than the teeny tiny risk of being hospitalised with Covid.

Time to move on from obsessively counting cases.

@3asAbird

So none of your kids have freinds who attend other schools or aftershock childcare or clubs like brownies or gymnastics where kids from other schools attend?

Nice to see some schools are keeping their parents informed.

Are we not concerned our media is not fot for purpose as its not exactly holding the government to account if its going along with government policy of downplaying covid in children and schools?
Is decent investigative journalism and being impartial gone?

Yes they do go to groups with children from other school, but the information about the number of cases in other schools wouldn’t stop me from sending them to those groups.

I can't wait for the day the media stops reporting the daily covid stats, until that day people will find it hard to learn to live with the virus which we know we have no choice but to do.

I've been inundated with school emails this week, thankfully other than the schedule for lft testing for eldest DD there has not been one covid mention.

I dont need to know, I dont honestly care. If my kids get sick I'll deal with it.

@Wellbythebloodyhell

The media was a main driver of whipping people up in a frenzy and causing fear in order make people stick to restrictions or follow guidance. The narrative has now changed were expected to carry on as normal and treat it like any other illness and the media response reflects that. Also perhaps there's more news worthy things going on in the world to report on than how many LFTS were done across the country. Not sure why you'd NEED to know what's happening in any other schools than the ones your dc attend

Newsworthy? FGS We have no idea how this will affect children's health later on. Its an utter shit show. I cannot believe how many people think its acceptable to let a virus that works as russian roulette rip through schools without mitigations. Its a f*ng disgrace.

We know where you're coming from. We know you want all schools closed, forever. And for nobody to get ill, ever.

That's interesting, you're the second person this morning to claim a lie about me in order to try to discredit me. Was there a memo?

NOONE wants schools to close.
We just want to keep our kids as safe as possible and the teachers.

Mitigations are what we want. Not to just let it rip.

Ok then, @neveradullmoment99, how does knowing there are 2, 12, 52, 202 cases of covid in your child's school help you "keep your kids as safe as possible".

What type of stories do people want to see?

I feel like some are missing the anxiety from the emotional pull of it all.

I did read an email from Tim re Zoe who said cases not going up from schools, early days. There isn’t the big hit people expected / are looking for.

I’m so pleased dc are back and very happy, I don’t need emotive ramping up in press. If you want stats they are there.

The amount of people wanting to hide their heads in the sand, on this thread, is mind blowing.

Yes, just wish it all away. If we can’t see it, it’s not happening.

@Kiduknot

The amount of people wanting to hide their heads in the sand, on this thread, is mind blowing.

Yes, just wish it all away. If we can’t see it, it’s not happening.

What is happening in your view?

What big story is being missed.

Local secondary school - staggered breaks, online assemblies and parents’ meetings. Cases are still rising, however.

What type of stories do people want to see?

Honest ones, don't you?

Do you think the government has clearly stated its aim for schools this term? Why they have stopped household isolations for kids even though unvaccinated?

@Kiduknot

The amount of people wanting to hide their heads in the sand, on this thread, is mind blowing.

Yes, just wish it all away. If we can’t see it, it’s not happening.

It's not about hiding your head in the sand.

I'm well aware that there are cases in my children's school. I'm happy to comply with the rules about getting them PCR tested if they are a close contact.

However, the daily emails saying that a case has been identified in my child's year group of 210 people is pointless. As would be daily updates in newsletters, twitter, the local news. What are you supposed to do with that information?

My own teen is healthier than usual - no hacking cough, no missed days due to fever in months. Seems like the hand washing and general awareness have reduced illness going round.

I’m nervous about winter but with GCSEs soon I’d much rather she was there.

I hope they start a weekly newsletter detailing every illness, pox, norovirus, flu, tonsillitis and I'm sure I'm missing others that we need to hear about on a weekly basis.

@Kiduknot

The amount of people wanting to hide their heads in the sand, on this thread, is mind blowing.

Yes, just wish it all away. If we can’t see it, it’s not happening.

So what do you want to happen then? Endless lockdowns?

Anyone can access stats and info, even if it’s not delivered in a heightened emotive press story.

If there was something hidden it would end up as a Twitter story, as so much does when someone ‘uncovers’ something.

@Wizzbangfizz

I hope they start a weekly newsletter detailing every illness, pox, norovirus, flu, tonsillitis and I'm sure I'm missing others that we need to hear about on a weekly basis.

Meningitis, glandular fever, measles, mumps...

Maybe they should put parents' illnesses in the newsletters too, after all they are sending their kids into school and who knows how many might be infected.

Definitely a suppression, my dd has it and no covid letter has gone out.

I really don't mins phasing out the information but next year please.
I'm always very nervous about winter, my df has been stuck on an ambulance for hours trying to access a and e before, my dd was once on a ward struggling to find breathing monitors pre covid. I'd like to know what's going on.

Even on mumsnet two posts, one involving a two month old baby with possible covid... Ambulance Taking hours to get to them.

I do believe after this winter they are going to be armed with so much more data on vaccines, varient, what works, do we need boosters etc.. How to treat it..

But I will feel very anxious if they surpress data now.

My dd is +. I'm at work and other dc at school.

Newsworthy?
FGS
We have no idea how this will affect children's health later on.
Its an utter shit show.
I cannot believe how many people think its acceptable to let a virus that works as russian roulette rip through schools without mitigations.
Its a fng disgrace.*

A virus that's so bad for children they don't even know they have it most of the time hence mass asymptomatic testing!
And as for newsworthy there's crisis' going on all over the world right now far bigger than covid in schools