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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Corona Cohort Y12 into Y13, braving the storm of the third wave

986 replies

Monkey2001 · 20/06/2021 11:24

Supportive thread for parents of Y12 students going into Y13.

Previous thread - www.mumsnet.com/Talk/secondary/4240252-Thread-16-Corona-Cohort-Year-12-2021-Zooming-through-Summer-Term

OP posts:
Seeline · 03/07/2021 12:25

DDs school seem far more targeted on SI students. As far as I am aware no whole year groups have been sent home. In L6 only very select groups (usually no more than 12-15) have been sent home to isolate. One of the teachers tested +ve this week - I think his tutor group was sent home, but definitely not all his teaching classes. They do have seating plans for each lesson which are stuck to so I am wondering whether they just rely on that?

Original poster
Monkey2001 · 03/07/2021 12:43

@Piggywaspushed my judgy pants were uncomfortable too! She has done a PCR test and doing regular LFTs though.

OP posts:
icanbewhatiwant · 03/07/2021 13:10

@Bovrilly I'm glad someone else has left the engine running. It's not just Ds. I told him the car might be on fire on his return 😂 He still shrugged.

@Monkey2001 yes I agree I should make him drive to Norwich. But he says he's not going then. I think we will have to have a compromise next time. He can drive one way and I'll drive the other. Though I'd rather be in my car than his too. But he needs to do it. There's not that many weeks until his test, he definitely wouldn't pass yet. We had to cancel this Monday's lesson as he has a collapsed timetable from Monday. So not getting the afternoon off. I think we may be cancelling the following week too, same reason.

Original poster
Monkey2001 · 03/07/2021 13:13

@Seeline I think our school dropped their guard who rules relaxed. They allow people to use the common room and library, so I think they are not monitoring in all places, which means that all 300 are told to isolate for 2 cases. That explains why the people told to isolate are not prepared to miss out on major things.

2 friends have now confirmed that Track and Trace ask you to SI even if your contact was the other side of a wall! A teacher friend has experienced it in school and another friend's DS was told to isolate when the neighbours had it, but the DS had not been out of the house in the time window which the contact was supposed to have occurred, so the bluetooth had come through the wall of the house nextdoor!

OP posts:
Heifer · 03/07/2021 14:44

DDs school still sticking to masks everywhere they can't social distance so they are targeting too, although when they had 5 in 1 day in Yr10 the whole year group sent home and told to take a PCR test.

I don't expect great things next week, there are lots of "get togethers" this weekend in gardens. I have to admit that DD went out last night and off out shortly too, with the same group of 10 but 2 of them do go to a different school... Not great I admit as the numbers are rising here amongst the young, but I don't feel I can't say no after all this time, it's outside and the same people as at school (mostly). Both husband and I have had both jabs and although I've been very careful as I really don't want it I just feel it's time to let go a little (well not me, but DDs).

Zandathepanda · 03/07/2021 14:59

I am conflicted as although Dd has had the 2 jabs she is still vulnerable. I don’t know if it was a coincidence but as soon as the masks went in school a few weeks ago, she got tonsillitis and despite 2 different antibiotics she’s still poorly. She did go in for 1 lesson last week but needs to catch up with mock exams and coursework before it’s too overwhelming. So, with half the year isolating and no masks nor bubbles, and still no online lessons it does feel like I am sending her in to a cauldron. I wish they could just go online so I didn’t have this dilemma.

PaddingtonPaddington · 03/07/2021 15:11

@crazycrofter having the same experience as you with the provisional licence, but think DDs got sent off a week later. It’s now well over the 6 weeks. I tried the bot which wasn’t helpful either. There is also a thread in the teenagers topic with lots of others experiencing the same thing and unable to get to speak to anyone at the Dvla. As monkey said hopefully our DC will get to the top of the pile eventually...

Orangecinnamon21 · 03/07/2021 15:56

I didn't want to say earlier but Dd college has had very few cases and no SI. They wear masks all the time inside and don't hang around anywhere. Canteens etc have not been open. It could just be our area , but we have been very very lucky all throughout the pandemic.

Orangecinnamon21 · 03/07/2021 15:57

I'm just trying to make a tenuous link I guess. If it was anything I would say it was the mask wearing and lack of younger ones perhaps?

Zandathepanda · 03/07/2021 16:36

Dd wore a mask to her lesson as she’s still coughing and apologised to her teacher! A Mori survey PCR came through the post for her and we were laughing at the questions because it obviously doesn’t cater for her condition nor tonsillitis and there’s no comment box to explain. From the answers you could deduce she’s got covid and has been spreading it round hospitals and her school! Half expecting a very cross Mori researcher to phone me up!

Oblomov21 · 04/07/2021 11:39

Just checking in, after a weeks ban. HmmBlush

5 cases at ds1's school. Warned him that we need to be careful, because if he gets told to isolate, in the next week or so, he could miss his driving test in a couple of weeks.

Zandathepanda · 04/07/2021 12:54

Oblomov21 this is the problem isn’t it. Pupils and parents have got events lined up after all this time and it feels like it’s almost a dead cert that if they go to school they have to isolate for 10 days at some point. Or worse, what happened to an acquaintance, test positive the last few days of isolation then have to isolate for another 10! We haven’t got holidays planned but I would be seriously considering what to do from the 13th onwards.

EwwSprouts · 04/07/2021 14:27

DS has tested positive, he's fine apart from snotty. We got centre court tickets in the ballot :(
I know it's a luxury & am very grateful to have been vaccinated.

EverythingDelegated · 04/07/2021 14:46

Sorry to hear that "Eww*. We are worried too as we are going away a week to the day after the DCs break up and I'm convinced they're going to end up having to SI. It wasn't so bad in lockdown but when you have a long awaited holiday, celebration, event tickets and you know its almost certainly only going to be mild now it's much harder to bear.

Piggywaspushed · 04/07/2021 14:57

Oh, hope he will be OK and recover quickly sprouts. Sorry about the tickets Sad.

Original poster
Monkey2001 · 04/07/2021 15:07

@EwwSprouts ouch, that is unlucky.

@Oblomov21 if your DS has the Covid app, tell him to uninstall it so he does not get a contact from Track and Trace which could be somebody through a wall!

DS preparing for UCAT (medicine admissions). I said I thought that now mocks were over he could do an hour a day of UCAT instead. He was outraged and said he had not done an hour a day for the mocks Hmm. Our poor kids have not really has a change to get a good work ethic.

OP posts:
Fiddlersgreen · 04/07/2021 15:16

Oh no @EwwSprouts I’m so sorry to hear this! Such bad timing with the Wimbledon tickets too.

DS2 is now showing no symptoms at all and we are on day 8 of our isolation with him. The rest of us have had negative lateral flows today so hoping we can be free on Wednesday!
Am I right in thinking DS2 is now not meant to take lateral flows for 90 days after his positive result?
Am wondering how that will work with regards to testing before an event etc Hmm

Oblomov21 · 04/07/2021 15:45

Sorry to test that Eww.

I don't know what others are planning to do / suggest?

As delegated says:
"when you have a long awaited holiday, celebration, event tickets" ....

Friends of mine are going on a "self imposed lockdown", from the last day of the school term (23rd July) so thry aren’t positive for a longed for cruise.

Both my ds's always go to school, never ill, and had 100% record for every year in primary and secondary.

I know not else what to do. Other than to suggest to Ds1 in order to protect himself, he doesn't go, as of the week before his driving test. I suspect this would be met with a HmmConfusedShockAngrySad face.

This may sound ridiculous to anyone else on the planet. But teaching him to drive, trying to get a test, using other posters here's help to use 2 x apps to get a test in July rather than originally booked September, that I would focus so much on a driving test, rather than a holiday, health of the nation, not getting covid generally, but seriously it's been so painful, I myself can't bear the thought of him not sitting his test!

What is everyone else going to do? For ... holidays/events/things that are important to them?

EverythingDelegated · 04/07/2021 16:26

Honestly I don't know Oblomov. It's not just our holiday that's at stake, the builders will be starting our new kitchen that week and we have jiggles so many suppliers and tradespeople. The DCs won't want to stay off school, they have literally had one sick day each in secondary school. They won't want to not go to swimming, football etc either. DH and I have to go to work too.

Hopeful201 · 04/07/2021 17:29

@Oblomov21 I totally understand, so few things have gone ahead and the driving test has become a huge nightmare to get. My DS's test is in the school holidays, so I am hopeful the risk for him is gone!
@Monkey2001 my DS is driving me mad too. Although, they have only just finished mocks-I think they are tired and need a break. The trouble is although DS is bright, those tests need some practice. I've left it up to him, it is his future-I can't keep nagging!!

EwwSprouts · 04/07/2021 17:38

Thanks everyone for the commiserations. It's just a bit odd as DS is anther who's never off school. I've just done my first online grocery order as I kept going to the shops throughout on the basis others had far greater need of online shopping.

Alsoplayspiccolo · 04/07/2021 18:20

That’s really rough, Ewww, I’m so sorry - as if our teens haven’t missed out on enough already Flowers

Term finishes on Friday for us. Speech day will be online for parents, which makes me sad because I’m one of the (seemingly) minority of parents who genuinely love seeing other people’s kids get given prizes, and it’s always nice to see all the teachers in one place.

DD is off to Boardmasters in August and DS is off to a residential music course before then, so plenty of time between school ending and any positive tests BUT DD will almost certainly want to be out with large groups of friends, and DS and DH are off to the British Grand Prix at Silverstone…along with150,000 other people 😳

I’ve only just realised, to my shame, that none of us have the track and trace app Shock

Zandathepanda · 04/07/2021 18:31

Ewwsprouts commiserations. Tip: for online you can only get so many paracetamol and ibuprofen so you may want to add a pack on each time. We only get a weekly shop though.

Zandathepanda · 04/07/2021 18:32

…and I forgot Dd1 had taken my lockdown 1 stock-up to Uni!

EwwSprouts · 04/07/2021 19:25

Thanks Zanda. Useful to know. At the moment ice-cream is the preferred medication!

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