What will trigger closure for school?

[TooManyOutbreaks]

DDs year 2, aged 6.

This week alone I’ve had 4 close contact emails from school, last week we had 8.

There’s 3 classes per year and it’s getting a bit much. I have to work, and the constant emails is just too much, its constant, 2 or 3 or more times a day at the moment.

I am not blaming school, but this is our class/year groups second outbreak this academic year, they closed in November for 10 school days due to an outbreak in the class. Some of the poor children have had it 2 times (from talking to their parents, school have told me nothing) in 4 or 5 months. One poor girl has had it 4 times since September 2020 (her mum says she was fine the last 2 times, it was more like a tummy bug).

But it feels like they’re hanging on by a thread and I'm just waiting for the email or text to say they're closing to Year 2 again.

I am not scared of Covid, I am scared that yet again my DDs education will be distrupted. She didn’t cope with home learning in November or in January 2021 – she has some SN which means she can’t access home learning (not diagnosed until after the last lockdown) but she’s not eligible for a place while there’s an outbreak in her class or year.

It keeps going round. The year group has several sets of twins spread across the classes, as well as siblings in other year groups, so even though we’re back in class bubbles it’s not stopping it spreading.

I’m a single parent, if I wasn’t and didn’t need to work to keep a roof over our head I’d homeschool DD for sure.

Other year groups have it just as bad from what I can tell, I know Year 4 closed in October right before half term.

Ours has closed due to lack of staff. I'm pretty pissed as they have been silent on cases. It may have resulted in parents testing and isolating thus reducing the spread.

Now they have Years 11-13 out of school in critical exam years as a fire break. Teachers too ill to set work and no online teaching.

@TooManyOutbreaks I think it's too early to conclude the likelihood of reinfections with the omicron variant. Most people will develop some immunity after catching omicron - how long this lasts is still unknown.

But if most cases are very mild, why shouldn't children and teachers continue going to school?

Today 13:06 Oblomov22

I too had to check this wasn't a zombie thread. No school problems, barely any cases I know in any of the 10 schools near us.

How would you know of cases in 10 schools, I mean that nicely just in DS school we don’t get informed of cases it would only be through child I suppose . Don’t even know if they do close contacts anymore .

Now they have Years 11-13 out of school in critical exam years as a fire break. Teachers too ill to set work and no online teaching.

That should have been better planned - absolute priority should be given to exam years!!

My dc's year 6 class has 10 children in it today (usually 30). School have told us to start daily testing from yesterday but that's it.

We have had 7 children in my dd's y1 class test positive in the past week. I asked and at 50% they would consider the class as reaching "outbreak" status. This would mean reverting to online. It's whipping around the school as a whole but no mention of closure yet. We're in the SE.

Where I’m a school governor, it was decided last night to close Reception. Too many teachers are off and no supply teachers available.

Now they have Years 11-13 out of school in critical exam years as a fire break. Teachers too ill to set work and no online teaching.

“That should have been better planned - absolute priority should be given to exam years!!”

How would that work @Blubells? Would testing kids especially when high outbreaks not be reasonable . I say that as a parent of 15 yr old due to sit exams in may .

Teachers too ill to set work

I thought everyone was saying that Covid is now no worse than a cold and testing isn't needed?

If teachers are too ill to work, rather than being absent due to isolation, then that suggests Covid is more serious than is being said.

How does that tally with people wanting testing to be scrapped. Surely a teacher with covid too ill to teach would be too ill whether they tested or not??

How would that work @Blubells? Would testing kids especially when high outbreaks not be reasonable . I say that as a parent of 15 yr old due to sit exams in may .

I mean that exam years should be prioritised. So if there's just one Biology teacher, he/she should teach exam years rather than years 7,8,9 etc.

If teachers are too ill to work, rather than being absent due to isolation, then that suggests Covid is more serious than is being said.

Yes if would. They must be very unlucky.

If children and teachers are well enough to go into school, they should imo.

So if they are well enough, they should go in and spread the virus, potentially to the people who may not be well enough?
Lovely.

Same situation here.
Email after email.
School have said they will reintroduce bubbles and other measures before closing but they can’t be far off just due to the number of staff exposed.
Dreading it. They are gearing up for home learning (as confirmed by another email). I can’t work with DC at home. It’s just awful.

Our school had a whole class nearly out but didn't close the remaining students or others in the year down

I don't test my children. If they had symptoms I would, but no symptoms I don't. Even when covid was in the house.

I know, how awful of me. Oh well.

We're on daily tests due to the constant emails, it's distressing for DD

So, what happens if you just don't test? I wouldn't continually subject my DC to something they found distressing

@Comedycook

We're on daily tests due to the constant emails, it's distressing for DD

So, what happens if you just don't test? I wouldn't continually subject my DC to something they found distressing

@Comedycook They do ask the children if they've been tested, and I don't feel comfortable asking DD to lie. I don't know what would happen if DD did say she hadn't done a test, but the texts and emails about testing is constant.

Like I said in my OP I would consider homeschooling if i could afford to not work.

They do ask the children if they've been tested, and I don't feel comfortable asking DD to lie

Oh I see. Personally I think that's absolutely outrageous. But anyway, what would happen if the child said that no, they hadn't been tested?

DS's year group closed last term for 10 days and reverted to remote learning, other years groups also did the same at other times. He is Y12.

“If teachers are too ill to work, rather than being absent due to isolation, then that suggests Covid is more serious than is being said.”

I don’t know.. my brother had it 2 weeks (unvaccinated) bad gastro problems was going to go to hospital it was getting that bad it was a 11 days before he went back to work , his wife who’s tripple jabbed had really bad headache on and off but none of them would here been well enough to work not even online . I know a few who have been un jabbed and it’s been been mild so they’ve said anyway . It’s so different for everyone, I’m just aware now it’s not a little sniffle for everyone.

Yes @Blubells they could swap staff around but if they can’t get supply staff in who manages yr7/8 classes . Just praying dd class don’t end up online so far so good all her staff seem to ok for now .

So if they are well enough, they should go in and spread the virus, potentially to the people who may not be well enough?

This will always be a risk in life unfortunately - that some people (luckily very, very few) will die when contracting a cold or virus. Flu kills many of the older generation. Usually when they're in hospital or care homes with other ailments.
Death is part of life and that's sad. We take risks in life everyday.

Covid isn't going to go away, but the vaccines are working really well.

So....given the economy is fucked and this is going to cause serious repercussions (remember, don't moan when the cost of everything is going up left right and centre) our children are losing out on an education, people are off in all industries with what amounts to cold symptoms which is causing untold disruption....hospitalisations are at a manageable level....what do YOU suggest happens now?

Are you happy to test and isolate forever? And deal with the ramifications of that? Because it isn't going to stop killing a small percentage of people, same as flu hasn't.

Of course no-one is happy with this - it sucks - but life is very unfair.

This isn't meant to sound like a heartless post and I feel huge sympathy for the stress anyone who is Cv or has a cv family member is going through. But we have to be realistic. Testing and isolating cannot continue forever & in my opinion just kicks the can further down the road.

They do ask the children if they've been tested, and I don't feel comfortable asking DD to lie. I don't know what would happen if DD did say she hadn't done a test, but the texts and emails about testing is constant.

That's outrageous. We'll look back on things like this in horror - feeling pressure to perform invasive tests on our young children and for what? What amounts to a cold/flu and is going to keep circulating til kingdom come?

If I were you Op (well, to be honest I just wouldn't test) I'd just sweep it quickly round her nostril (ie don't stick it up). Then it won't distress her but she also won't have to "lie".

@ILookAtTheFloor

I don't test my children. If they had symptoms I would, but no symptoms I don't. Even when covid was in the house.

I know, how awful of me. Oh well.

No symptoms for you may mean terrible symptoms for someone who catches it for you.

No symptoms for you may mean terrible symptoms for someone who catches it for you.

Such is life...were you worried about passing on your cold pre-covid? How many people have you killed when you had another virus that was mild for you and you say, got on a bus? Maybe there was an elderly person on there who ended up dying because you sneezed and it infected them?

See where thinking like this leads you...

Why are people saying you can return on day 5 with 2 negatives?
You cannot. First negative needs to be on day 5. Second is on day 6. So you can leave from day 6, not day 5.