Have you had an official Covid outbreak at your school this year? If so, what happens next?

[Plastictattoo]

Finding it hard to find information about what happens when a class has an outbreak. It is counted as an outbreak when there are 5 or more cases or 10% of the class are confirmed positive cases in a week.
This has happened in my setting. The only advice I can find suggests we increase testing - only we don’t test as we are primary. Or we bring back mask wearing- only we can’t wear masks as we are primary. We have asked that all children go for. PCR . Some have, most haven’t.
In the mean time the children in my class and consequently their families are at risk as am I and the other members of staff.
Any others with experience or advice? TIA

In primary, not a lot at the moment. The school can restart bubbles to limit spread. If you are unvaccinated you may need to self isolate. Children can see each other outside of school, have sleepovers, attend brownies, Cubs etc, so limited actions for within school.

Thanks. It seems that as a profession, we are expected to just keep on working in circumstances where other workplaces would have been shut down.

We have significantly more than five cases. We’ve reintroduced masks.

We’re on 10 cases in one primary class. We can’t introduce masks as we are primary.

In a primary

• all children in the yeargroup asked to PCR;
• adults all wearing masks in corridors and close contact spaces with other adults and optional for very close contact with children
• class rather than school assemblies

Singing outdoors (doable until today...)

Primary here too. We've asked parents in badly affected year groups to obtain PCR tests for their children. The worst affected class is bubbled - lunch in classroom, separate area at playtime, no whole school assembly.

Classes with only 1-2 cases are continuing as normal. No masks for anyone at any time.

The government contingency document says you should consider holding lessons outdoors (lovely weather for it), open windows so long as it's not too cold, and clean the light switches.

At least you know where your cases are. Weve got loads of kids off - I had 7 off last week, some back today coughing and snotting everywhere. Today I asked who has ever had a covid test, none of the recently or currently ill have had one.

The reality is there won't be any big measures to prevent the spread in primary schools, because all adults have now been offered vaccines, and primary school children are at extremely low risk from Covid. Covid is now endemic, many medical professionals feel it's actually better for children to be exposed to it to build immunity.

Plastic tattoo that's not true. There are simply fewer outbreaks in other settings because the vast majority of adults are vaccinated so it's simply doesn't spread as much.

DH has been working in a busy office since August. No distancing or masks. Staff are all vaccinated and they've only had one case.

But @DeepaBeesKit, presumably if there was a significant outbreak, staff in that busy office would be told to work from home until it was under control?

@DeepaBeesKit, but if there had been 10 cases in a week at your DP’s office, would they still be carrying on as normal?

Secondary here. 40 student cases and 40 PCR awaiting results.
.
Neighbouring school just as bad….
Some staff still aren’t keeping windows open

I'm primary. We have 3 classes that each have 5+ cases. These classes are each in their own bubble. They don't mix at all indoors with the other children (though they do share toilets and playground). This lasts for 10 days, providing there are no new cases. All children and staff are asked to get a PCR and staff have to do frequent LFTs.

Significant outbreak in my school. Bubbles reintroduced, though not as rigid as before. Masks in corridors, option to wear them in classroom. Parents asked to take lateral flow tests as they are quicker. I'm doing daily LFTs and already had one close contact PCR. I think school wil only close when there are no staff, probably next week! We have several double jabbed staff ill for the second time

If it makes you feel any better, I am in a school overseas. Since term started 5 weeks ago, we have had only the first two days without any cases. We had 8 new cases last week. Six teachers have already had it. Four were specialists who teach a subject across several classes.

Our pupils sit 1m apart, only go to breaks with their own class, no assemblies or gatherings of any sort, all staff wear masks 100% of the time and all pupils Y2 and up wear masks except for PE and while eating. Vaccination is permitted from age 3 up.

Bringing back masks in the UK won't solve your problems, I suspect.

18 off in one class with “official “ outbreak, class are a bubble but rest of school with cases below “ outbreak” carry on as normal .This includes whole school assemblies with parents invited and whole school events across two sites.

Had 5+ cases in one y7 class. They were segregated off, kept in one classroom with their own toilets and break time areas. They had an earlier lunch away from the rest of the school. PHE commented that this was "exemplary".

Staff told to do LFTs either the evening before or the morning that they come into school every day. Not sure about the kids - we had 9000 test kits delivered a couple of weeks ago but with daily testing, they will soon all be used up.

We've done absolutely nothing. I've had 8 off in my year 10 and 11 classes. At one time about 7 in my year 8 class. 8 members of staff off.

Nothing is being done at all.

But the thing is cases don't matter now. Its endemic, we know this. We don't even measure flu cases.

What matters is hospitalizations/deaths. Those are far lower than peak and currently dropping.

The most important thing is to convince vaccine refusers to have the vaccine

@DeepaBeesKit, but if there had been 10 cases in a week at your DP’s office, would they still be carrying on as normal?

Um, yes. They really were against the lockdowns and basically only implemented stuff when forced to. So they would expect/allow anyone testing positive to isolate etc but certainly would not close the office etc.

DeepaBeesKit, but if there had been 10 cases in a week at your DP’s office, would they still be carrying on as normal?

Um, yes. They really were against the lockdowns and basically only implemented stuff when forced to. So they would expect/allow anyone testing positive to isolate etc but certainly would not close the office etc.*

Oh come on, I don't think schools should close again or anything like that. But you can't just have loads of teachers off and safely run a school. It's nothing like an office situation.

The government promised they would make sure that schools could safely open. It isn't safe when you have 10teachers off sick isolating and people running round like headless chickens trying to cover it all.

Anything would be better than nothing.

schoolsweek.co.uk/quarter-of-schools-surpass-dfe-contingency-thresholds-requiring-stricter-covid-measures/?fbclid=IwAR2EaNJ4RahgEgk6X24pLSoIHTsKoYrDbXDAWem_YjobQ9_1NDgOBNFZeHw