Whole school bubbles being made to self-isolate?

Well I work in a nursery and If we have anyone with positive testing we will probably have to shut that room for 14 days. How we are supposed to run businesses in this present day is unbelievable.

I’m assuming this is primary ? In secondary it could be about 200! I don’t know what the solution is honestly but I’m assuming these are government guidelines ?

It was never safe to open schools as they did. The Government lied and the media was full of propaganda.
All those photos of teachers and kids in PPE, temperatures being taken, classrooms half empty etc.
None of that is possible. There is no social distancing.
The Union were demonised by the Government, but they didn't bite
The Unions wanted part time rotas and blended learning.
The Government wanted everyone back with no changes allowed. They had months to sort it out.
All of this is sadly innevitable.

Our great nephew is 17.He had three days back at school and is now having to isolate for 14 days as someone in his year has tested positive for Covid.The school has already suggested that a third year in sixth form may be an option as so much work has been missed.

Yes, guidelines, but is it actual law - are they absolutely required to do it?

I predict a really disrupted year ahead if this is the law

One of the mothers interviewed had four children - two now back at home, and two still at school!

Surely if they had rotas this would mean fewer students needing to isolate ?

Lucca, yes, and crucially it would allow social distancing.
Fewer teachers would be affected too.
The kids would also get a better education as the class sizes would be smaller.
Teachers could have provided online learning for those pupils at home and the ones isolating. Vulnerable pupils and teachers could study and work from home.
The government said no to all of this.

This happened at a secondary school local to me. Whole school closed for two days for deep clean. Then the "year bubble" of 100 pupils had to self isolate for two weeks.

Lucca

Surely if they had rotas this would mean fewer students needing to isolate ?

But where would they get enough teachers from?

So if all of year 3 say have to stay home ...how about their siblings in year 6? Am now depressed....
I feel I should go on the religion thread and get people to pray for a vaccine.

Our great nephew has to isolate.Younger brother,same school still attending school.Mum can go to work,shopping etc?‍♀️

So if all of year 3 say have to stay home ...how about their siblings in year 6?
No because in all likelihood the year 3 kid hasn't got it anyway, so pointless keeping the sibling home.
Obviously if the year 3 kid were the sufferer or carrier then that would be a different matter.

Ellianne

Lucca

Surely if they had rotas this would mean fewer students needing to isolate ?

But where would they get enough teachers from?

The staff would teach the pupils who are in school and the remaining pupils would do prepared work at home. This is what's happening anyway when whole classes or bubbles are sent home, but at least it could be planned and families would know when the pupils would be at home.

It wouldn't be perfect, but it would be manageable and minimise the risk of infection and the chaos some schools and families are now facing.

As FannyCornforth has written, the current situation was predictable and avoidable.

Ellianne

^So if all of year 3 say have to stay home ...how about their siblings in year 6?^
No because in all likelihood the year 3 kid hasn't got it anyway, so pointless keeping the sibling home.
Obviously if the year 3 kid were the sufferer or carrier then that would be a different matter.

But you wouldn't know, unless the child could be tested, which can't be done now. Your suggestion is the very reason the infection spreads. Nobody should be playing Russian roulette with people's health.

But would it be their own teacher, because what if that teacher were home isolating with the other rota group?
I'm not familiar with the workings of secondary, but primary need the same teacher.

Riverwalk

I've just heard on the Today programme two mothers, separate schools, reporting how their children are now self-isolating for the next two weeks as two children in their respective bubbles have tested positive for Covid. Whole year group bubbles can be around 90 children.

Surely this can't be the right thing to do? I understand though that this is the rule.

How are children to get an education if they can be sent home at any time - it could happen continuously, they go back and then someone else tests positive.

I'm so flabbergasted can't think of anything else to say, but something must be done!

Yes, something must be done. School groups must attend in rotas, so that social distancing can be achieved.

PS. A "bubble" (year group) in my local comprehensive is 300.

Ellianne

But would it be their own teacher, because what if that teacher were home isolating with the other rota group?
I'm not familiar with the workings of secondary, but primary need the same teacher.

Yes, it's obvious you don't know how secondary schools work. A secondary pupil typically has 10-15 different teachers in a week. A self-isolating teacher could, in any case, work from home, possibly supervising Zoom sessions.

Secondary pupils, especially older ones, can't stay with the same classes for every lesson because they will have chosen different options and will be in different sets.

If a secondary teacher is infected, it's likely he/she has had contact with 150 pupils in a day.

People were warned, but they weren't listening.

This was absolutely inevitable and the utter cattastrophck that is the testing 'organisation' isn't helping.

(*thanks mumsnet ?)

Hi, FannyCornforth. Nice to see you jumping straight in...

Oh dear. Complete formatting fail.

I think that all the deep cleaning stuff is a red herring. Ditto handwashing to a certain extent.
What's the point if every one is cheek by jowl in poorly ventilated rooms breathing all over each other for hours on end?
In secondaries kids have to wear masks in corridors where there is one way system, but not in classrooms where they are actually in much closer proximity for prolonged periods of time.
It's shocking.

I think if primary classes were split into two groups of 15 and attended alternative weeks with a deep clean over the weekend bubbles could be smaller. One week in school with their class teacher then a week at home working on topics introduced the previous week. No need for extra teachers. I realise this would be very difficult for working parents but may mean less children having to isolate if there is a case in a bubble.

Yes, it's obvious you don't know how secondary schools work.

An uncalled for comment growstuff. At least I was trying to show some humility by asking a question against a "know it all" attitude of some people.
But let's not allow this to derail the issue.