How are schools doing?

[Januarypip]

I know news is cases are falling but at DS school it's gone CRAZY.

Basically half the school are positive, including kids and teachers previously infected. Bubbles are shut as there aren't enough staff. It's a Primary school.

Is this the same for others or just here?

It's so strange how we use to hear when there was one case and now we hear nothing, I don't see why schools can't give more information about cases.

Large secondary SW. My kids told me yesterday that approx 8 - 10 kids were missing from their classes yesterday (same in 2 different year groups). School haven't told us any case nos

@Im2022

Primary is riddled. But the children all have mild illness, not even an illness. A bit of a runny nose and that’s it. Some children have had it twice.

I hope this builds up immunity. I think it’s lucky omicron came along. A less severe form of the virus to unleash on the youngsters.

That's not the case for every child unfortunately. Recently I have heard of 2 cases where the child has been very ill and one was admitted to hospital. Absolutely fit and well before hand. We also don't know the long term effects. We are not 'lucky' that this has been 'unleashed' on our children. They have been royally let down by the government. No surprise.

Cases every week in primary! DS keeps being sent home for a cough but it's never covid.

Almost 75% of the children in DD's year 1 class are off. The whole school are now daily testing, today will be her 11th day testing in a row. PHE (as was) have extended how long they want everyone to test for, as more cases kept arriving.

In contrast, my very large secondary school has about 10 students off (0.75%) and a couple of staff.

Half of DDs Y1 class are off now.

My school struggling to stay open so doing 1/2 days for lots of younger years. Another local school has closed 3 year groups( primary) my dc school has lots of cases too. Dire. Public Health England have told all my school children to get PCR if possible.

Secondary schools here (Northern Ireland) are doing better now than before Christmas but it is running wild through Primary schools and nursery. My 8 year old got switched to remote learning for the rest of this week due to staff shortages and my 3 year olds nursery has cluster cases with staff and many children out sick.

@twinkletoesimnot
You’ve “heard” but not seen? How many cases of severe illness amongst children are there per 100? Anyone can get severely ill from flu or any other infection, but these cases are luckily rare.
Sorry, but in our school of 600 pupils, I’ve not heard one child who has ended up in hospital after infection.

Omicron is exceptionally virulent, but a less severe form of covid. This is what usually happens to coronaviruses, as they need hosts to stay alive so they can stay alive. I hate this government and they’ve fucked up royally in every way, but we should be welcoming this chance to build up immunity naturally for our children at least.

But they don't really build immunity do they? There's reinfections locally from december.... so the dusruption will just continue?

Also if only10 are in teachers will need ti catch up others when they come back etc.

My daughter has been pretty ill with it, vomiting from the headache, fevers/shivery and is still exhausted. She goes to school looking like a zombie.

30% of primary are positive, 8% of secondary. Leeds.

Our kids (prep and senior school) are mostly fine, a few off. Adults on the other hand... We're up to 24 off. Most are only mildly ill and so are doing live lessons from home, a few including me are quite unwell. Cover is nuts, and a few classes have had to be collapsed into others.

My DD Special School has been closed all of this week as they have around 35 cases (staff/pupils)

Not the best!

Currently have all but 3 positive in one class. It's shut.

This has been the case for most classes where a case has been.

It drives me nuts hearing all these people spouting about how great removing masks are and we are coming out of this. We may well be but children's education is not. They are still suffering the most out of this.

London primary, we had a wave in December (which included DD2) and another one now. Several cases in both DCs’ classes. Many teachers have had it but not all.

So far not heard of anyone being seriously ill. Kids are either a bit coldy or asymptomatic. Almost nobody is getting a clear LFT on day 5/6 though so that seems a bit of a pointless rule change.

Our primary had 59 off yesterday with Covid, and a dozen of staff as well. Even supply staff is out with it. Only advice has been to carry on... 🤷‍♀️ These poor children. The disruption is just constant.

Our local secondaries and primaries have approx 50% attendance for staff and students due to covid. Many have sent year groups home.
Think it’s widely accepted now that schools are riddled with cases. After my 3 kids tested positive, track and trace called me on 3 occasions to complete the form over the phone and each time they said almost all recent cases were being traced back to schools now.

It's the worst it's ever been here (we have escaped fairly lightly up until now). We're really struggling to staff all of the classes this week. Most of the children are ok to return after a week but just struggle a little with poor energy levels and concentration for a few weeks after infection. We have one who has been very ill, now discharged from hospital thankfully but it's looking like a long road to get them well enough to come back to school.

It took having 20 percent of my daughter’s primary year group having covid for school to notify us of cases. My daughter has just had it for the second time in five weeks.

we should be welcoming this chance to build up immunity naturally for our children at least.

Let's hope it is building immunity.
At the moment we know you can get it again, so it really depends on how long that immunity lasts for.

I teach and I'm off at the moment with covid for the second time. Been mainly in bed for a week so far though hoping antivirals make the symptoms improved very soon.

School were notifying of cases, but have effectively now said it's continual. Various year groups in and out of bubbles. Breakfast club cancelled as organiser been too ill to return. There are lots of varying symptoms of covid in kids - posting this link to a symptom gallery in case useful for anyone. www.longcovidkids.org/long-covid-kids-symptom-gallery

My primary is awful. Loads of us are off with it. My son's is just as bad as is my nephew's. I think lack of reporting is an issue as people are doing LFTs and not officially reporting on it.

KS1 at DC's school is half empty, remainders of classes being taught in hall with a TA because teachers all off.
No one is getting negative tests or well enough to come back before the 10 days isolation (I'm friends with one of the teachers so know this).
KS2 is managing to carry on, but teachers have lost their PPA time to cover and having to do hybrid learning again for kids at home. At least one child and one staff member hospitalised in a small rural primary.
Lots of the teachers and kids had delta 2 months ago. All staff are saying that omicron has been much worse for them than delta, and more staff are unable to teach online because they are too ill with it (maybe because vaccines don't work so well?)