Are secondary schools currently closing due to covid or just ours?

[altmember]

My daughter's secondary school (she's in yr 8) has been closing to year groups on a rotational basis since the beginning of October. They said it was because of staff shortages due to covid and other illnesses. Apparently staff numbers are 1/3rd down, so they can't accommodate all the kids in at once.
So two out of 5 year groups has been 'working from home', on average about 2 days per week for the last month.

A month ago cases in the community were particularly high (peaked about 1100 per 100k), so the school being on it's knees wasn't surprising then. But cases have been progressively dropping since, and we're now down to about 300 per 100k locally. The school was struggling more and more getting towards half term, but they were confident the fire break effect of the half term week off would get things back to normal. Well, they've been back for 3 days and now the school has announced year group closures starting again today (Thursday).

Obviously, I can understand the school's predicament, but if it carries on like this it's going to be pretty detrimental to their education. Yet I've not heard of any other schools in the area suffering like this, and covid cases are broadly similar. So why is our school getting absolutely hammered?

There's been little in the local or national media about it. Is this a common thing, happening all over the UK and just being kept quiet?

This is really offensive OP. Lots of kids are coming into school with covid : 1/3 of them may well have it. Some of them come in with blatant symptoms, many are no doubt asymptomatic. teachers are more likely to LFT than lots of the kids, too....

Yes, staff will be off for other reasons: other illnesses, trips (Ofsted, government and parents wanted them back remember?), training, injuries, sport fixtures... the other bug that is going round which knocks us all for six...

But many recent studies coming out suggest a very high positivity rate in teens, and that tecahers are now at heightened risk of Covid. We have tot kae at elast 10 days off rmember form symptoms/positive test.

May I remind you, upthread I said teachers are high attenders. Teachers are less likely to take time off work than many people in many other jobs. It's just you notice the impact.

Campaign for better mitigations!

Not closing in my area despite high infection rates. Each week over the last month or so several off in sons class. Teacher and ta are fine though. Its carried on as pretty much normal really apart from different children put week to week.
Local hospital is coping despite high levels of community infection. The vaccine certainly appears to be doing its job and cutting significant symptoms and death rates.

@NinjaTuna

We,'ve just dropped 25% now 773 but it will climb again after half term. I'm proper cross with the ripped off Covid infested visitors coming down here, pulling every trick in the book to get their holiday, being hideous to the locals. And I'm furious with the locals and up country investors now turning every garage and bungalow into an Air BNB. I hope the whole lot crashes down and everyone gets back to the med.

What part of the country is this? Sounds awful

@Novemberchild2 North Cornwall. They cancelled the secondary school in school vaccinations so today three of us, that I know of, did a 50mile round trip, to our nearest vaccine point with our teens. I couldn't take extra kids because a parent had to be there for consent. Limited appointments that clashed with the fireworks at the same location.
Our teens have been well and truly shafted down here. (Boomers can access third booster via local GPS)

@NinjaTuna

South West here. After a previously quiet Covid our local schools have closed this term. All the year 13 &11 were out in June working and have continuously picked up Covid from tourists. By end the end of summer the year 12 &10s were also working and have now gone back to school but it's majorly in the school population. The vaccine for the younger kids has been cancelled and they be only just offered it to the older ones. A few older ones are vaccinated by driving 52 mile trip, no public transport, between 3pm and 6pm. Obviously no 16 year old selling ice creams for £5 an hour managed that. But it's ok my Brexit voting boomer parents have had their booster at the local surgery and can't understand what all the fuss is about.

How exactly do you know that people were being infected by tourists?

Our school has a LOT of staff and children off sick with covid at the moment and are changing procedures to reflect that. They don’t really know what to do but are convinced that government guidance means that if someone in the class has covid, everyone else has to come in or be fined for non-attendance.

The government hasn’t updated its guidelines so a common thing is parents insisting “they don’t need a test its just a cold.” Because they don’t know that the delta variant symptoms are more cold like.

It’s a mess

Well I our area it is the older generation being left behind. Or at least the non tech savvy ones. Both qualifying dds have had the opportunity to have their vaccine either in school or walk in.
Yet ECV relatives are overdue their booster. Also as a carer mine was due too. Only found out on here they are taking bookings. No contact at all from GP or whoever sends invite.
12 to 15 year old s don't even have to travel as done in school. Everyone else has to travel.

@NinjaTuna did you really think Cornwall was going to escape indefinitely? You are just going through what most of us having been going for for 18 months now - at least high case rates didnt hit you til vaccines were invented and distributed. And bloody right the elderly who are at most actually risk of serious illness and death can get a booster at the gp.