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.

I haven't been able to remove her from school, I tried but they then called my ExH who refused permission to take her out so she's in school.

But they're now expecting 2 tests per day, one in the morning before school and one after school.

I can't do that too her it's not fair. They've said if she doesn't then she'll be sent home as if positive and not allowed to return for 10 days, so I'm going to see if they actually do it. I will do one test at night after school only on all but one day a week where I have no time at all to even sit down let alone test her as well.

There's been 12 more cases in her year this week, I've heard of 10 in Year 1, and 6 new cases in Reception, all have 3 classes per year. Year 6 are without a teacher (only 2 classes in that year).

So I think a closure is coming. Texts from school all start with "We have a growing number of covid cases in school and the local community"

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

Because some cases are not? Because all classrooms have CV children in them and some with CEV children. Or do they not matter?

@Sowhatifiam

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

Because some cases are not? Because all classrooms have CV children in them and some with CEV children. Or do they not matter?

So if a case is identified Why don’t they isolate Rather than ALL the children

stop testing, problem solved. I don't test my kids despite being emailed daily too.

@HariboMaroon

stop testing, problem solved. I don't test my kids despite being emailed daily too.

@HariboMaroon school ask the kids if they've been tested and if they haven't treat them as positive and send them home, I've not tested if they actually do yet.

I really feel for you OP. Our school is great in that we’ve only been asked to test once, last term, and that was a PCR. Never any talk of daily tests.
There is the occasional child isolating with Covid in his class. The school provides states online and we hear via WhatsApp but they aren’t emailing us and I’m not asked to do tests. Other parents are testing more frequently (but more like Sunday night before school it seems.. certainly not every day) but my DS absolutely won’t stand it. Daily would be intolerable.

@thewhatsit

I really feel for you OP. Our school is great in that we’ve only been asked to test once, last term, and that was a PCR. Never any talk of daily tests. There is the occasional child isolating with Covid in his class. The school provides states online and we hear via WhatsApp but they aren’t emailing us and I’m not asked to do tests. Other parents are testing more frequently (but more like Sunday night before school it seems.. certainly not every day) but my DS absolutely won’t stand it. Daily would be intolerable.

@thewhatsit I refuse to test twice per day, it's way too much, once a day is bad enough. We've had two more close contact emails today so we're on daily tests until at least next Sunday.

I will do her test every night after school apart from the one night I'm mad busy, her dad also refuses to do LFTs on her so she's actually missed 2 this weekend.

@Toanewstart22

So if a case is identifiedWhy don’t they isolateRather than ALL the children

I agree... No only would this be less disruptive for non-vulnerable pupils, it would be safer for the vulnerable pupils if Covid was allowed to transfer unencumbered, quickly and without isolations, and for the vulnerable to return 2-3 weeks later once the majority of pupils had had it.

Given the number of threads from teachers saying how much they hate their jobs
I’m not surprised by the school closures
They get a positive and probably jump for joy!

What a nasty post.
When I tested positive I most certainly did not jump for joy.
Our school has not yet closed. But only because myself and my colleagues have have worked bejond what is expected in our contracts - doing lunch duties ( which involves working through lunch without a break), missing PPA, teaching double classes.
Several staff, including myself, are not fully recovered and would have little difficulty getting a doctors note, but don't want to let down our colleagues and the children.

One of our schools has shut y 5/6 because there are no spare staff to cover it. Another school shut y5 for 1 day when teacher and most of kids were off. We currently have 2 family members isolating in their bedrooms. Just a waiting game now...

We’ve had a fair few cases but luckily no classes off

Dc had delta and seem ok re omicron so far

@Jessicabrassica

One of our schools has shut y 5/6 because there are no spare staff to cover it. Another school shut y5 for 1 day when teacher and most of kids were off. We currently have 2 family members isolating in their bedrooms. Just a waiting game now...

But if the isolation requirement was removed, the disruption would reduce significantly, and the wave would pass through the school much more quickly and thoroughly... The school's then "safe" and Covid -free until the autumn term in all likelihood.