Campaigners appeal for published list of Sheffield schools with Covid outbreaks

The group, called Boycott Return to Unsafe Schools (BRTUS), has been tracking schools which have announced cases or outbreaks of Covid-19.

Using letters from schools sent in by parents, they have created a map which shows all the closures up to the end of last half term, however say that there are now ‘so many’ that they are unable to keep updating it.

This week in Sheffield both Birley Academy and Fir Vale Academy sent year groups home due to staff and student needing to self-isolate.

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Parents involved in the group in Sheffield have asked the council to publish an official full list of the affected schools, however say they have in the past been told this is not possible due to GDPR laws.

They are now lobbying the council to publish a list once again.

Campaigner Jennifer Mohammed Jones said: “They say there are no outbreaks in Sheffield schools. Evidence says otherwise and until they publish the schools affected, as they do in Wales so no they can't keep hiding behind GDPR, then no one is buying it.

“The cases on the map are from the beginning of term after summer, until the end of the last half term.

“There have been more cases since then, from the start of this new term, but the group are no longer mapping as there was so many it became unsustainable.

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“I think most people will agree that the map proves the point that schools are not 'covid safe' and that there are indeed outbreaks in schools.”

When asked about the publication of a list of affected schools Greg Fell, Director of Public Health at Sheffield City Council said: “At this time we are unable to give a definitive figure of the numbers of schools with confirmed COVID-19 cases.

"The figure is changing on a daily basis and schools will report confirmed cases of COVID-19 to a number of different places, not just Sheffield City Council.

"What we are able to confirm is that we are mainly seeing single cases or small clusters among pupils and staff in schools rather than outbreaks with larger numbers of cases.

"This reflects the fact that the majority of virus transmission is in the community and relates to households rather than transmission taking place in the classroom.

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"We are confident that our schools are taking all appropriate measures, including isolating cases and contact bubbles. All settings are also receiving advice and support from the Department for Education, Sheffield City Council’s Public Health Team and Public Health England.”

Ms Mohammed Jones said: “He's absolutely stoic about not naming which schools. It's ridiculous. Wales is under the same GDPR rules as us so he needs to stop hiding behind that and he needs to realise that transparency would decrease anxiety in parents and school staff.

“At the moment we're all in a very unpleasant anxious kind of ‘limbo’, for want of a better word.

“The not knowing is not only worrying parents but older pupils too. It's bad for our mental health.”