Any secondary school pupil judged by school staff not competent to provide informed consent will not be offered enrolment. Overlapping confidence intervals indicate that there may not be a true difference between two estimates. We’ll send you a link to a feedback form. This is to detect new cases, monitor COVID-19 related absences from school, and assess the effectiveness of measures put in place to control the virus. All schools implemented a “bubble” system, though there was variation in whether this applied to class sizes (more common in primary schools) or year groups (more common in secondary schools). Unless otherwise stated, data in this bulletin are weighted so that the pupils and staff tested in each local authority are representative of the age, sex and ethnic background of all primary and secondary school pupils and staff in that local authority. The main findings from this analysis are consistent with other published analysis; there was no statistical evidence of a difference between school staff testing positive for coronavirus antibodies compared with the wider working-age population in the same local authorities. Following COVID-19 Infection Survey methods and further information, blood for the antibody test is not taken from anyone in the household where someone has symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection, or is currently self-isolating or shielding, for safety of study staff, potentially missing respondents who have antibodies. That’s why we all need to take responsibility for driving infections down if we want to keep schools open and safe for our children. Measures were categorised as strongly recommended based on researchers’ analysis of DfE guidance, described in greater detail in Measuring the data. Estimates have been weighted and are representative of the ethnicity, gender and age for all staff in the sampled local authorities. Within the schools with two or more cases, preliminary analysis suggests that around half of them had pupils testing positive for current infection in the same year group. A confidence interval gives an indication of the degree of uncertainty of an estimate, showing the precision of a sample estimate. This is presented in Figure 6, a heatmap for all measures in available in the dataset. The SIS design (which is concentrated in areas of England where COVID-19 infection was highest at the start of the academic year) meaning the data presented are not intended to be generalisable to England as a whole. Data for all 15 participating local authorities are provided separately (where the sample size allows). By Emma O Kelly. For pupils, 1.22% in secondary schools (95% confidence interval: 0.60% to 2.20%) and 0.94% in primary schools (95% confidence interval 0.44% to 1.76%) tested positive for current infection. Comparisons between groups should be done with caution because of the small sample size. Low response rates and pupils at home mean that we are unable to detect outbreaks within schools. "There is … Those tested in Round 1 and those tested in Round 2 are not necessarily the same individuals. Covid-19: Schools not 'high-risk' workplaces after all In Leeds, the rate for secondary school staff was more than four times that of the general population or 333 per cent higher. In Round 1 (3 to 19 November 2020), 12.63% of primary staff sampled tested positive for antibodies (95% confidence intervals: 9.74% to 16.00%) compared with 12.27% of secondary staff (95% confidence intervals: 10.58% to 14.13%). The sample size, for Round 1, was relatively small; the sample was increased to 121 schools in Round 2 and we plan to expand our sample for future rounds. It covers schools in 15 local authorities in England. Professor James Hargreaves, co-chief investigator of the study from LSHTM, said: The more information we can collect about infection rates within schools, the better understanding we have of their role in transmission within the wider community and how to minimise SARS-CoV2 transmission. Prof Semple, a member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, told BBC Breakfast: "The good news is we're finding quite low rates of … In Round 1 of testing, 9,732 (4,337 staff and 5,395 pupils) participated in at least one current COVID-19 infection or COVID-19 antibody test. School implementation of coronavirus control measures. Antibody positivity rates for staff tested in the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey have been compared with antibody positivity estimates of working-age adults (those aged 18 to 65 years) in the same local authorities sampled in the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey for overlapping time periods. Equivalent data for primary school staff can be found in the dataset that accompanies this bulletin. The COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey collects antibody test results from pupils using an oral fluid (saliva) sample, while staff provide a finger prick blood test. For further detail on weighting of participants please see our accompanying methodology article. Further data analysis will be done to investigate whether there was any potential link between cases in schools where we found two or more cases on the day of testing. In order to be comparable with the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey, data from the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey cover the same local authorities that provided consistent coverage across both school types in Round 1 and Round 2. A wider interval indicates more uncertainty in the estimate. These estimates can be found in the dataset that accompanies this bulletin. The following analysis looks at the responses from 105 schools about the Autumn term 2020, available in our accompanying dataset. Where schools had implemented measures, the implementation of most measures was reported as presenting “some” or “major” challenges. Added 'Use of the NHS COVID-19 app in schools and further education colleges' guidance to the 'Safe working and protective measures' section. Coronavirus cases in schools have plunged with just 33 reported in the last week. Pupils and staff have infection rates which mirror rates outside the school gates, a study found. However, the 95% confidence intervals indicate that these differences between pupils and staff and primary and secondary schools are not statistically significant. All content is available under the Open Government Licence v3.0, except where otherwise stated, /peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/covid19schoolsinfectionsurveyround2england/december2020, Table 1: Implementation of bubble system across school type, Percentage of staff testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) antibodies, Percentage of pupils testing positive for coronavirus (COVID-19) antibodies, Pupils and staff testing positive for current coronavirus (COVID-19) infection, Comparison with the Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, Infection control measures implemented in schools, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey: antibody data for the UK, Further information for Department for Education Guidance, COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey Round 2, critical worker and can access schools or educational settings, Coronavirus (COVID-19) Infection Survey, UK, COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey Round 2, England. Have you been asked to take part in the study? It will take only 2 minutes to fill in. Estimates of the percentage of pupils testing positive for antibodies for Round 1 are presented in Figure 3. The least commonly implemented measure was maintaining distance between pupils within bubbles. For pupils, the percentage testing positive for current infection was also higher in secondary schools (1.48%: 95% confidence interval: 1.10% to 1.98%) than in primary schools (0.89%: 95% confidence interval: 0.54% to 1.39%). This represents just over 40% of staff and around 15% of eligible pupils in the enrolled schools. The London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine (LSHTM) is a world-leading centre for research, postgraduate studies and continuing education in public and global health. We use some essential cookies to make this website work. Primary school "Strongly recommended" in DfE guidance. 91% of secondary schools reported implementing at least 12 of 15 strongly recommended measures; the least commonly implemented measure was maintaining distance between pupils within bubbles. By Ethan Shone. Data for all implementations are available in the accompanying dataset. Masking was required for all students and staff members at all schools, and rate of reported student mask-wearing was high (>92%). This is one of a suite of surveillance studies, which are being conducted to understand how many people have the coronavirus (COVID-19), and how the virus spreads in non-household populations. This will help to explain more of the variability in schools and identify factors associated with high or low levels of infection by including variables related to individuals, such as age, sex and ethnicity. Almost all primary schools included in the survey (38) reported implementing 10 measures strongly recommended in Department for Education (DfE) guidance. Caution should be taken as the type of antibody test is different and pupil antibody data from Round 2 are not yet available to see how this changed over the Autumn term. teachers, teaching assistants, support staff. In addition, it aims to examine attendance of pupils and staff, school implementation measures and undertake detailed outbreak investigations in some schools. Efforts to ensure symptomatic individuals stayed at home, enhanced cleaning and hygiene protocols, limiting gatherings (assemblies, sports, after-school activities), and staff distancing from other adults were near universally implemented across school types. The target population for this survey included maintained primary and secondary schools in England. The sampling strategy has since been updated to increase the number of schools in the local authorities within the sample. ... with infection rates reaching 0.5% in the north-west and north-east. In the majority of local authorities, a higher percentage of secondary school pupils tested positive for antibodies than primary school pupils. With this crucial collaboration between the scientists, school staff and pupils, and their parents, we hope to answer questions to ensure children’s education can continue in the safest way possible. This categorisation was done separately for primary and secondary schools as relative emphasis of importance of measures varied in the guidance for primary and secondary schools. Secondary schools more commonly than primary schools implemented measures to limit contact within the same bubble or class (for example, forward-facing desks, teacher remaining at front of class), but had lower implementation of measures to limit contact between bubbles. COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey Round 1, England: November 2020. Results for the COVID-19 Schools Infection Survey are only available for those who had enrolled on the survey and were present in the school building on the day of testing, under government guidelines you would not expect to see any participants reporting symptoms compatible with COVID-19 infection or under self-isolation. There is a presumption those individuals who are selected for the SIS will not be showing symptoms, as they would then not be attending school. Primary schools focused on limiting pupils mixing between bubbles, but less on limiting contacts between staff and pupil in the same bubble. Caution should be taken as this comparison does not control for any characteristic differences between school staff and the working-age population (for example, age and sex). Information on the implementation of infection control measures within schools is gained from a questionnaire, which is filled in by headteachers or their designated representatives. The collection methodology for antibody tests differ between the two studies. Good response rate for staff across school type and within local authority areas. Few secondary schools included in the survey (67) implemented all 15 measures strongly recommended in DfE guidance, although 91% reported implementing at least 12 of the measures. Dr Shamez Ladhani, a consultant at PHE and the study’s chief investigator, said: While there is still more research to be done, these results appear to show that the rate of infection among students and staff attending school closely mirrors what’s happening outside the school gates. Don’t include personal or financial information like your National Insurance number or credit card details. Those absent from school on the day of testing for non-COVID-19 infection reasons were unable to participate in the testing round, and those with symptomatic infections and those self-isolating would not be included. The sample design means the data presented are not intended to be representative of all schools in England. More than 100 of those are school staff. The category “not recommended” included measures that were explicitly mentioned as not recommended for a particular setting in the guidance. Low pupil response rates within schools will limit ability to generalise to pupils within the recruited schools, as those who participate may differ from those who do not. To help us improve GOV.UK, we’d like to know more about your visit today. Staff includes all employees working in the school e.g. 7 September 2020 Added 'Responsibility for … In order to ensure consistent comparisons only the 11 local authorities with coverage of both primary and secondary schools in the sample are included in the total figures provided. Reporting of incidence of COVID-19 seroconversion for primary and secondary school staff. We use this information to make the website work as well as possible and improve our services. In primary schools, consistent with DfE guidance, implementation efforts focused on limiting pupil mixing between bubbles, but less towards limiting contacts between staff and pupils in the same bubble. This is the latest release. Where possible, pupils from School Year 11 will not be offered enrolment because of public examinations at the end of the academic year. The confidence intervals around the above estimates all overlap. In secondary schools, 12.27% of staff tested positive for antibodies in Round 1 (95% confidence intervals: 10.58% to 14.13%) compared with 10.95% of pupils (95% confidence intervals: 8.78% to 13.45%). The measures were mapped to eight broad domains distilled from Department for Education (DfE) guidance: The research team also categorised measures based on their reading and interpretation of DfE guidance as: Measures were categorised as “strongly recommended” where the guidance conveyed an expectation that they should be widely implemented, and as “recommended” where they were recommended with qualification or acknowledgement that they may not be feasible to implement in some settings or for some groups. Comparisons in this study methodology for antibody tests differ between the CIS and the schools. Was observed, with 7 % –40 % of eligible pupils in coronavirus... The bulletin provides a short summary of the 22 local education authorities in Wales had no Covid cases secondary! 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