Boarding schools - how on earth can they do social distancing or bubbling?

[nostaples]

Surely they will be hotbeds for virus spreading. And they won't be able to do any extra curricular activities. Surely amongst the most dangerous environments for pupils and teachers that can be?

neu.org.uk/coronavirus-residential-establishments

'Is it safe for my boarding school to re-open?
The NEU is particularly concerned by the enhanced exposure to potential risk for our members working in residential schools and colleges, for the pupils, and their families. '

'There are specific issues for residential establishments because your entire establishment or building should self-isolate if a resident shows symptoms. The Government accepts that supporting children and young people during self-isolation will be a complex task.'

I have seen and read that guidance. I have read it again now and still can't see where it says boarding schools are particularly high risk for transmission like care homes. The NEU may have said this, but the unions seem intent on throwing up reasons why schools can't reopen.

I have not said or implied this. Nor is this the case or why on earth would I? How odd and rude.

I don't mean you don't want to host them in general, but bearing in mind that you have started a thread constantly comparing boarding schools to prisons and care homes and talking about how people are kidding themselves if they don't accept that boarding schools are particularly high risk, I assumed that you weren't comfortable with hosting them at the current time. Is that not the case?

@nostaples

'And what is your solution?'

How completely bizarre that you would imagine I would have one or that there is one or that this is my job.

I think it is bizarre starting a thread saying how bad it will be without coming up with ideas. I see this a lot on MN and just seems an excuse for a moan. What should boarding schools do? Close? Just give up? Why have you singled them out to state they have a high risk?

I wish people would stop moaning at things unless they have an idea on how to make it better. Very negative way to live your life.

@HostaFireAndIce you seem to struggle quite a lot with interpreting basic information - either struggling to find it or questioning its existence or possibly projecting your own insecurities on to other posts.

It IS the case that boarding schools are high risk. They compare to prisons and care homes and hospitals because they are all residential settings into which people come in and out. Such settings are well understood to be particularly high risk for transmitting any sort of illness. The tiniest bit of research will confirm this.

I am not moaning, merely stating a concern. It is patently obvious that there is no easy solution but that doesn't mean the concern isn't there or that I haven't got the right to express it.

As somebody who hosts international students during exeat weekends and holidays and then those students, having mingled with my family, other international students and the local community, return to school obviously I have a particular interest in this.

The student currently with us has not been able to return home for nearly a year sadly and has been with us for months because of the dangers. It will be less easy for students to travel home internationally in future because of quarantining rules. Clearly this is a concern generally and which will affect me and the students I care for directly.

@HostaFireAndIce to be even more clear, one of the problems particular to residential settings is the difficulty of self-isolating. If a child or teacher at a non residential school displayed symptoms, they could be sent home to self isolate. Surely you see how this would be impossible for a Chinese student for example? Staff would have to look after this child, not a family who would also self isolate in a non residential school. Those staff members would then work with other children, staff and mix with their own family. It would be extremely hard to separate the child from other children. Are you getting this now?

As other posters have mentioned, the levels of security necessary to prevent COVID, would certainly make boarding school less fun.

But there are particular issues for international students as I have already outlined.

Even if you have separate bubbles of 50 as one poster said her school had or 12 in the case of another, all of those children would have to isolate together as opposed to sending them to family houses. If one of them had it, transmission in a residential setting would be very much more likely amongst them and the staff looking after them (with further transmission therefore likely) than if a bubble in a non residential school had a case. Every time one child in the bubble had symptoms the rest of the bubble would have to isolate because this would be the equivalent of a 'household' in a non residential setting.

Are you getting this now?

Well, to misquote Chandler Bing, could you BE any more condescending?

Is there a point to your thread? I mean, what do you hope to achieve by it? That those of us who teach in boarding schools are going to say: do you know what? I shan't go back to work because nostaples has enlightened me about the dangers? Or that parents of boarders will decide similarly?

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross

Is it really not clear that my point is to express concern about safety and transmission in boarding schools with a particular interest in the safety and wellbeing of the international students whom I host (and by extension my own family and community).

I was hoping that my concerns might be at least partially allayed but being told that a) I'm wrong to be concerned b)I'm wrong to express concerns c) there is actually no problem d) to express concerns = moaning and so on has had completely and totally the opposite effect.

The lack of concern for and understanding of the particular problems faced by international students in boarding schools is troubling.

What an odd thread.

OP, it sounds as if you are frustrated with having had an overseas border living with you for such a long time.

I share your frustration about Covid generally. However, I think you're misdirecting your ire here.

My final boarder is due to return to school next weekend, and can't wait.

Er, no @BoardingSchoolMater the student has been a delight.

Once again, I’m concerned about said student’s health and well-being and that of other boarders, particularly international students, and their teachers, on return to school and return to my home.

Not sure why that’s so difficult to understand, given the context.

Perhaps you missed the part where I explained the student hasn’t been able to see his parents in nearly a year?

Extraordinary lack of empathy here really.

No, I didn't miss that, OP. Just that your posts seem to be more complaining/carping than empathetic (towards the child who hasn't seen his parents for nearly a year).

Would it be out of line to suggest that you could perhaps adopt a bit more of the positive attitudes that the boarding schools are themselves currently adopting?

[quote nostaples]@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross

Is it really not clear that my point is to express concern about safety and transmission in boarding schools with a particular interest in the safety and wellbeing of the international students whom I host (and by extension my own family and community).[/quote]
I’m not sure it was that clear, tbh. Certainly not from your initial posts - was a way down the thread you mentioned your international student and it hasn’t come across as concern for them.

[quote nostaples]@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross

Is it really not clear that my point is to express concern about safety and transmission in boarding schools with a particular interest in the safety and wellbeing of the international students whom I host (and by extension my own family and community).[/quote]
No, not clear from the tone of your posts at all that you wanted to express concern.

I would have thought that if you were in one place you were a lot less likely to catch it. Ok some staff may come in from outside but presumably they will be taking all the precautions WE ARE ALL SUPPOSED TO STILL BE DOING like keeping 2m apart, wearing masks in indoor spaces and washing hands regularly. And not going to raves .

Care homes were different because people with the virus were discharged home from hospitals (presumably very few children end up in hospital and anyway protocols are much stricter now than they were in March). I did wonder how it got into prisons though, presumably staff not taking enough care when outside.

With respect you are kidding yourselves if you think otherwise Other opinions are as equally valid as yours.

A boarding house will become a household so no need to socially distance

This is my first ever internet post - yes I am a dinosaur so forgive me if I get things wrong.

I am interested in hearing from other parents of boarding secondary children (or perhaps staff in these schools?) - I have a child in Y9 who started senior school this year and is adamantly pro-boarding (3 wonderful years in prep school already). However the impact of COVID and the school's choices around bubbling are really making me question the wisdom of continuing while these restrictions are in place. The whole point of boarding for us was the relationship building and the extra curricular - frankly they can do GCSEs anywhere, and yes the teaching may be better but a clever and motivated kid will make it regardless in my view.

This is not an easy logistical situation to address as although we are UK-based it is far from the school and we don't have any suitable local alternative. I appreciate there are people with strong views about whether or not children should board but I am particularly interested to discuss the impact of COVID restrictions.

In this school, children usually board in mixed age houses and the "household" that they could mix with was restricted in the September term to those of the same age in their house - approximately 14-18 children. In reality some of the overseas boarders were only attending virtually so it was a smaller number. They have now switched the boarding houses to accommodate children of one age group but have further reduced the "household" size to a maximum of 12 - they are only allowed in their dormitory of 4 and in a corridor which has 2 other rooms of 4. Other than that they may be in their allotted classroom at the appropriate time or in the dining room again at their allotted time. They have to sit in the dining hall and in their classrooms with people from that group of 12.

We are struggling to see how this will be different to/better than online learning at home. I understand that institutional risk management is a nightmare and they have to balance a lot but am I alone in feeling that they have lost the plot and are failing to offer anything approaching an acceptable experience? This is a campus school with its own site and a small number of day pupils who probably need to be separated into their own socially distanced group (but haven't been so far - and I've read the legitimate complaints of day school parents on this site) to protect the boarders... what am I missing?

I anticipate perhaps staff pointing out how difficult all this is but if they can't address this then the business model has exploded - how can a thinking parent choose this over home learning when extra-curricular activities are about to be allowed outside in the real world, but their choice to impose 50 odd bubbles means that children can't access their facilities or do activities offsite!?!

Help (constructively please!)

I can see the last three weeks of this term not being great, but probably no worse than last term. I doubt any school will segregate boarders from the day students and classes will run as normal, albeit with some overseas children working remotely.

However, I can see restrictions being lifted after Easter and from September, school reverting back to the old models. I would try not to worry, and look forward to when the kids can have a hug again.

Hmmm my girls are at a boarding school, certainly not a prison. They are cherished, encouraged and well cared for.

@nostaples to answer your actual question.. it depends on the measures the school has implemented & facilities they have available. At my DD's boarding school, they had some outbreaks last year - all traced back to weekend exeats... When the children return there will be some changes - for example: international students stay online, there will be no mixed age boarding, day girls encouraged to board ( they are a very small minority), bubbles of no more than 10. Bubbles won't share bathrooms or kitchens. Teachers teach behind Perspex screens & are socially distanced at all times (this was the case last term - not one teacher got Covid). Once back in school, no child will leave the campus until the end of term. If a student tests positives they go to the ''quarantine'' house. It will be really quite restrictive but hopefully with these measures they will very much limit the cases.

I know my BF’s son is having a very odd time but they are holding out for next year and hoping it doesn’t put him off in the meantime but they can’t help but wish it was very different for his first year boarding, and can see it is money down the drain in some ways re the experience they are struggling to pay for with amazing extra curricular and trips etc. Next year must surely be better for children everywhere?