Self-isolation for school students could end in the autumn
It’s great to have our children back in school again and not only learning in person but being able to socialise with friends and return to a sense of normality.
However, a staggeringly high number of students are being forced to take more time away from school to self-isolate when another student in their ‘bubble’ is tested positive for COVID-19, something that many are calling to end.
The Daily Telegraph reports that: “Almost 250,000 pupils are off school as a result of Covid, even though just 9,000 have tested positive for the virus.
“They include 172,000 children forced to self-isolate because of a case at school, with others self-isolating because of contacts outside the school gates, or because cases were suspected.
“The number has quadrupled in the space of a week and new figures due on Tuesday are expected to show a further rise.”
Concerns about just how high this number is in comparison to the number of positive cases and the fact that students are again facing home-learning are fuelling calls for the self-isolation policy to be reformed soon to ensure students are not being kept out of school any longer than completely necessary.
One such person calling for these reforms is newly elected Children’s Commissioner, Dame Rachel de Souza. Talking to The Daily Telegraph, she said: “With bubbles, I think everybody would like it if we could get back to normal, as soon as possible. Obviously, we have to be safe, and we have to take advice, but it’s very, very restrictive. All these children going in and out of self-isolation; that is a really big issue, and it’s incredibly frustrating for children and teachers.”
It’s not just de Souza that has voiced concern on this, many other politicians and charities have also spoken up. One notable voice has been former Labour Education Secretary Lord Blunkett, who has expressed the disconnect between crowds of football fans attending the Euros in Wembley and children being forced to isolate when they show no signs of being infected.
He explained to The Telegraph: “You don’t have to be over-optimistic to understand that because one student in a particular group has tested positive, that you don’t have to send everyone else home. Continuing to test, as we are currently doing for the FIFA top brass, can ensure that anyone who shows signs of having Covid-19 can be isolated quickly and easily.”
So, what is the solution?
Schools Minister Nick Gibb has told the BBC that he and other ministers would be looking at data from an on-site testing pilot scheme currently taking place in secondary schools to see whether more rigorous testing could be an effective alternative to self-isolation.
Explaining how the system might work, Gibb explains: “where somebody who has come into contact with somebody with Covid, instead of self-isolating, takes a test every day, and if they are negative they can go into school.”
Talking about when we may see these changes, the BBC report: “There is a recognition that any change must be announced before the end of term, so it can be implemented after the summer break.”
It’s also worth noting that it is unclear if on-site testing does come into place, whether it will be applied to primary schools as well as secondary schools.
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