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Original poster

Imposing restrictions in school again? PHE letter to Local Authority

76 replies

kessiebird · 23/10/2021 07:03

We live in one Local Authority (A). My DD attends school over the border in neighbouring LA (B) , my DS attends a specialist secondary school in yet another LA (C). All within 20 mins drive or 30 mins on the bus, it's not as bad as it sounds!

Yesterday neighboring LA (B) , on the basis of PHE advice, wrote out to both my DDs primary and her feeder secondary, to ask them to reimpose some restrictions. Secondary school tour after half term is cancelled and no nativity at primary. Letter on secondary school website tightening up all measures in that school. Nothing from my DS's school in LA (C).

Is this just one LA, or did anyone else get school letters starting to reimpose restrictions?

Did a face to face tour of a secondary in LA (A) last week but the secondary feeder school in LA(B) is DD's first choice. I really wanted to go and visit. Wondering if I'm BU and this is happening country wide? Or if its worth writing to LA (B)?

Yesterday the school letters felt familiarly depressing 😵

OP posts:
GnomeyGnome · 23/10/2021 07:07

All seems normal at our schools at the moment, primary and secondary in 2 different LA's. Could there be a particularly steep rise in cases in LA (B) so they're being extra cautious?

PotteringAlong · 23/10/2021 07:11

I teach in a secondary school and 2 weeks ago we were told by the LA / PHE to return to our Covid protocols because of the high number of cases in our school. So we’re back to masks / no group work / assemblies online etc etc.

I’m hoping that half term will be a natural circuit breaker and things will settle soon

Waxonwaxoff0 · 23/10/2021 07:14

No restrictions at DS's primary. Cases have gone down in our local area over the last week surprisingly. There have been Covid cases at the school but in children not staff so far. They aren't doing whole school assemblies though.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 23/10/2021 07:15

We're a primary in a high case area (duff testing centre), but have low case rates in actual school. We've just gone back to masks, no assemblies, reduced phase mixing and online meetings.

Original poster
kessiebird · 23/10/2021 07:20

Had a look at the letters / newsletter and this could be local public health not PHE (think that body changed names anyway?). So yes, could just be in LA (B) which is, in a way, reassuring. The person who cancelled the tour said 'its advice from Public Health England' which set the panic in!

OP posts:
WreckTangled · 23/10/2021 07:28

Our secondary school emailed to say PHE advised them they didn't need to do anything (30 confirmed cases) but they're requesting masks between lessons. Our primary school had its first ever case (teacher) last week and all assemblies, school disco etc were cancelled plus back to bubbles.

I think the next half term there'll be back to more restrictions in schools as it seems there's way more cases here than ever before.

ProfYaffle · 23/10/2021 07:36

Last year our school had masks all the time - even in lessons - and very low rates.

Made masks optional this year - rates shot up.

Re-introduced masks 2 weeks ago - rates declined again.

It's not an instruction from the LEA though, it's the Head's decision.

CarrieBlue · 23/10/2021 07:36

How will writing a letter to the school help? They have to follow the instructions they are given. They will be far more disappointed than you that they have to work in even more difficult conditions, although maybe relieved that there’s some small protection for the staff and students finally.

Unless you were going to write to express support for them of course.

MissyB1 · 23/10/2021 07:39

Restrictions were imposed at the school I work at last week, positive tests are scarily high amongst kids and staff. Half term now so hoping things settle down a bit.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/10/2021 07:42

We got a letter from both high school (masks now mandatory after half term) and primary (they will relax rules after half term as planned but keep an eye on whether christmas plays etc can go ahead and staff will wear masks when moving around the school).

GoodnightGrandma · 23/10/2021 07:43

I had an email saying that masks in communal areas after half them again, in line with other schools in the area.

CeeceeBloomingdale · 23/10/2021 07:43

Ti add I don't think rates are particularly notable at the high school but more across the borough as a whole. The high school had huge number of cases in june/july and appears that many still have a natural immunity from that.

ChipsNCurry · 23/10/2021 07:45

We had a letter from DC high school to say PHE have advised masks in communal areas - so between lessons but not sitting at desks, no mixing of the year groups- so no assemblies or shared lunch breaks and if a kid is living with a COVID positive person they must do an lft every day for 10 days and pcr on day 3-5.

We're in an area where COVID rates are rising quickly.

Original poster
kessiebird · 23/10/2021 07:48

@CarrieBlue

How will writing a letter to the school help? They have to follow the instructions they are given. They will be far more disappointed than you that they have to work in even more difficult conditions, although maybe relieved that there’s some small protection for the staff and students finally.

Unless you were going to write to express support for them of course.

I was really polite to the school when they phoned me as I immediately understood they were acting on public health advice. In my OP I'd mused on writing to the LA not the school. I was trying to establish if they are the only LA doing this, it appears not. Yesterday it felt like the missed opportunities for children and young people are going on and on...
OP posts:
CarrieBlue · 23/10/2021 08:19

Yesterday it felt like the missed opportunities for children and young people are going on and on...

Yeah, global pandemics can have that effect when the government encourages you to think it’s all over and we can pretend it never happened.

I still don’t get what you were trying to achieve by writing to the LA either. I’d be delighted if our LA imposed much more stringent conditions here, sadly open evenings have taken place as usual (well, other than the headteacher’s speech taking place 3 times instead of 2 so numbers in the hall could be reduced from dangerously overcrowded to merely totally packed).

DialsMavis · 23/10/2021 08:45

We had this letter forwarded from DDs primary yesterday in an email saying they would be putting enhanced measures in place for a couple of weeks. Secondary tour last week was cancelled due to high number of cases in the school. We are technically south west but not sure if our area was affected by the testing balls up.

Topttumps · 23/10/2021 09:50

Both Primary and Secondary in our school have reimposed restrictions. Too late IMO as dd has missed valuable year 11 Teaching time as two of her teachers are sadly off sick.

Original poster
kessiebird · 23/10/2021 12:42

Thanks for the replies, much better to have a national picture. Thought it may have been this particular LA being a little over cautious but appears not. Will try to make the most of what the DC can do, at least the schools are not closed and I suppose this could reduce the risk of that. DC are Year 6 and Year 11 so any closures will have far greater impact than restrictions. Just felt a little meh last night.
Hope half term is a circuit breaker too. 🤞

OP posts:
Iggly · 23/10/2021 12:45

Yesterday it felt like the missed opportunities for children and young people are going on and on...

I’d rather that they brought back mask wearing and other measures so keep cases down so that schools stay open.

The more covid cases we have, the higher chance that teachers are off sick which is incredibly disruptive.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 23/10/2021 13:22

Yesterday it felt like the missed opportunities for children and young people are going on and on

They will miss even more if schools have to close.

DementedPanda · 23/10/2021 14:21

Yes, back to bubbles and masks again here for all schools.

JanglyBeads · 23/10/2021 14:37

Look on the LA website Covid section! But sounds like individual schools’ arrangements (probably on advice of PH)

Watapalava · 23/10/2021 14:59

They’re shooting themselves in foot round here

Now masks have been announced new achool, all kids in dds year 11 have refused the asymptomatic testing (school tests them 2/wk on site)

I don’t blame them - “ok let’s test you asymptomatically and when we see you have covid (which you didn’t even know you had as you feel great), you have to stay in and miss vital gcse work - oh and now all your mates have to wear a mask”

As if kids are not going to see the link eventually!

TravelLost · 23/10/2021 15:02

Where I am it has been a school by school approach.
Basically any school that has seen a massive increase of cases has been told to wear mask in classrooms/trip restrictions etc…,

I suspect that your LA B has been particularly bad… but the other two not as bad

TravelLost · 23/10/2021 15:04

As gar as I know it’s still PHE (or whatever their new name is) that is telling schools to increase measures etc…
Just like they were the ones to tell them to send all bubbles back home.

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