Schools communication with parents about covid cases despite spike in cases

[Cet73]

So my dd in secondary school and we have no notifications about anything related to the number of covid cases within the school. Now I know others have commented on this and that schools no longer responsible for track & trace BUT I am aware of a lot of cases via peers of dd and mums, who doing the track & tracing PLUS really shocked today as in our area in Hampshire, according to the ZOE app, cases are up 600 from last week and the spike is extremely sharp from last week - possibly the highest number this year.

I wondered if many your kids schools, as cases have risen a lot, are communicating with parents about it and if any schools re introducing mitigations like face coverings.

I appreciate that covid not as serious in children and that life needs to return to normal, however my dd (year 10) just returned to school today after a week off with a non-covid cold/fluey bug (PCR and several LFTs negative) and both my children have other health problems (not CEV) but health issues which mean they often have to take time off school. I wish at least we could be better informed by the school and personally, I would welcome the return of face coverings whilst the cases are so high (although appreciate many don't agree with this).

The vaccination is being rolled out at dd school next week, but I am sure many, through out the UK, won't be able to have it if they are unwell with another cold type bug or with covid (how many weeks after do you need to wait for vaccine after getting covid??)

Kc

Just reminding people that this is the government’s fault, not teachers.
The government have hidden case numbers in schools since the pandemic started. Schools are of course ideal conditions for COVID to spread with poor ventilation, lots of people very close together for the whole day and lots of shouting etc.

Mine are at different secondaries, but we don't hear as it would be like trying to hold back the tide there are so many.

One third of each of their forms have had it now, including both my DCs at different times (one passed it to me).

I can't relate to the poster on here whose school has only reported the first case, because there have been hundreds here! DC2 had 7 isolations between Sept and Dec last year and DC1, four. Both were Y10 then.

I just know it's rife, but expecting to hear about every case would be too much to ask, and I'm not sure what it would achieve anyway.

If you've had Covid you must wait 28 days before you can have the vaccination, so one of mine won't be eligible and I hope he doesn't catch it again for GCSES next spring.

@Lemonsole

Has *@delilahbucket* had Covid? She's pretty judgemental about everyone else from her cosy soapbox.

I'm double jabbed. I'm also really ill. I believe in living with the virus - but I also believe that I should have the right to the same level of protection in my workplace as anyone else.

Knowing numbers helps parents to realise when other measures have become appropriate or - as in the case of this area - imperative.

What protection is it you think everyone else has? There are absolutely zero mitigation measures in my workplace. Everybody just cracking on.

Our school notifies parents of new cases within the year group.
One class of 29 has 11 positives. The class ‘bubble’ is still open and all those siblings of positive cases are in school still.
I don't know at what point phe intervenes but i should imagine our school is close. Or at least that yr group.

[quote Lemonsole]@Cet73 I'm a teacher absent with covid in your area. I recognise the figures.
It's so worrying. I feel awful, and it's all because policy seems to be for all of us in Education to catch it. [/quote]
I hope you are not too unwell with covid and get very better soon.

I did end up sending an email to school to enquire and unexpectedly it was passed on to the Head teacher who replied who acknowledged cases rises in our area but they hadn't been such a spike in cases within the school.

But given we had had no covid information (apart from to do with the vaccinations) since start of term thought it a coincidence that following my reply from head teacher was an email to all parents with update on the covid guidelines re when keep children off etc and that they will be continuing with LFTs as that's where they are finding out about the majority of cases amongst pupils. Plus which I surprised about a bit, was along lines even if child ill with non covid symptoms, to keep them off . So by including that I think they must be concerned by how many kids off school (like my dd with best part of week off for other coldy virus) . And the head Teacher states they regularly update public health etc and am get impressions that the school we change mitigations such as face coverings for all, if public health say they need to? Or can individual schools decide on this?

Get well soon.

@Cet73
what would you do with the info if you got it

We have information provided if it is a child our own child's class and the school ask if suspected pcr before return.

As it stands I've had a text from youngest DS primary who now havnt had a case for 2 weeks so are asking people to remain sensible, act as necessary and keep school informed.

Oldests school have had a few cases, ask them to wear masks on public transport and lateral flow twice a week ongoing.

I work in a school and currently living apart from my vulnerable family member to avoid them catching covid.
One kid last week in my class has passed it on to several others. Im still well at the moment but how likely is it that I’ll avoid it with the new batch? Especially since they are young and have been cuddling me. If I don’t get it from this lot, I’ll probably get it from the next lot of kids or adults they infect in the classroom.
It’s just a waiting game. I’d like to get back to mixing with my family but feel I can’t.

Oh and the class hasn’t been informed that they are mixing with positive cases and as they are young, they probably won’t be tested. May well be sent back to school before they are not contagious. How many of the others are asymotomatic? It’s a nightmare.

@HarebrightCedarmoon

What the fuck is happening with 12-15 vaccines anyway? Like most things, Johnson just announces things and the dumb, lazy traditional media thinks they have happened. Supposed to have started in September, not a whiff of them here.

Who knows? Our local authority had a website for parents to give consent, which promptly crashed as soon as it went live. It was off air for several days and was then relaunched and appeared to work. We were told vaccines to be given last Fri (1st Oct), which I was delighted about, but then due to the cock up with the consent website they're now saying 'some time in Nov', so not even before half term.

I have just checked and cases are going down in my local area. There seemed to be a spike during the summer but cases now seem to be falling. The spike over the summer is no where near the spike we had at the beginning of the year.

Our school haven’t given us any updates, so I have no idea if there are any positive cases or not.

From what I can see all teachers and TAs in my children’s years are in school, none have had any time off since the school opened. I don’t know about other years.

Occasionally I have noticed that I haven’t seen a parent/ child in the school playground but then they reappear after a few days talking about the nightmare of trying to arrange a PCR/ waiting for the results.

At the moment, I pe

Pressed sent too early, was going to say I have personally haven’t known anyone test positive since December/ January.

We have one class with 8 out, from 29.

Plus the teacher

@PeachesPumpkin

Just reminding people that this is the government’s fault, not teachers. The government have hidden case numbers in schools since the pandemic started. Schools are of course ideal conditions for COVID to spread with poor ventilation, lots of people very close together for the whole day and lots of shouting etc.

Yep.

One issue that I'm working with is that due to DfE guidance children attend school whilst awaiting test results.
So repeatedly children with COVID positive family members are in school.
They take the PCR test.
Test comes back as positive.
Parent has to collect the child from school.

Through following DfE guidance and no fault of the parent or school, the child might have been in school, with no mitigation for two or three days, passing COVID around.

I'm not sure that guidance has been interpreted correctly.

You're required to isolate until you get a negative PCR result if family members is positive.

@Porseb

I'm not sure that guidance has been interpreted correctly.

You're required to isolate until you get a negative PCR result if family members is positive.

Is this law or guidance?

As far as I am aware you are only ‘advised’ to get a PCR test but you don’t have to if you are under 18/ fully vaccinated (2 jabs).

You only have to isolate for 10 days (regardless of PCR) if you are over 18 and unvaccinated/ partially vaccinated (1 jab).

Of course as far as I am aware this is the rules/ guidance in England, probably different rules elsewhere.

@PeachesPumpkin

Just reminding people that this is the government’s fault, not teachers. The government have hidden case numbers in schools since the pandemic started. Schools are of course ideal conditions for COVID to spread with poor ventilation, lots of people very close together for the whole day and lots of shouting etc.

I agree with you. Other countries vaccinated their 12-15 year olds before removing restrictions. If the piss poor government had got their act together and done this then we wouldn’t be seeing this spike in cases in our schools and children would not be passing it on to all the people in their lives - parents, grandparents, siblings and the community.

We have masks all day now because PHE have said cases are alarmingly high. They do LFT every day in form and PHE sent a van to test all kids.
Last month ds said classes ranged from 20 to 14 people (out of 30!) Things seemed to have calmed down (25 in most classes now) but even vaccinated teachers are needing time off so a lot of substitutes.
Vaccinations are due to happen after half term here.

PHE have given secondary schools in our area different guidance to the National one- if someone in the household is positive then don't go to school. Not sure if this is the case in primaries as I don't have a child that age but it's the guidance for multiple secondaries here

There's cases in my school and my class. Parents not informed. I'm not allowed to disclose anything. A colleague is off with Covid and the children and parents keep asking. For data protection and medical privacy we cannot comment.