The lowest levels of flu in 25 years last year means our window of opportunity hasn't really opened yet. Image by Lienhard Schulz.
When we launched last year we were impatient. We thought we had a short window of opportunity in which to get the project going. We thought we needed to have the project up and running as soon as possible before the winter set in. As it turned out the lowest levels of flu in 25 years meant our window of opportunity still hasn’t really opened yet.
We are back again to see if school illness absence data can provide a good early warning of flu in the wider community.
It is important to learn from past mistakes so we are doing a few things a little differently this academic year. Our mantra for these improvements is Earlier, Simpler & Clearer.
Earlier
We did everything too late last year. This year we have the benefit of the site having been already built and the lesson plans already written. On Thursday 6th September we are launching the site to teachers already registered. A week later those who haven’t already registered will be invited to do so.
Data collection will start on October 1st. Although the more often you can provide data the better don’t worry if it isn’t every week. As soon as we notice any potential outbreak we’ll email and let you know to get up to date and start looking at the data more carefully.
Simpler
We slipped into a common mistake last year. We thought the more we gave you to do the better. Not any longer. We’re examining every aspect of the project and simplifying it if we can. Gone for starters is the Outbreak Investigation. You can still do this but it is no longer an integral part of the project. We would rather a greater focus on the data analysis. As a result of no Outbreak Investigation we have simplified the consent process. Sure, you still need to get your Headteacher permission to run the project, but you don’t need to provide a parental opt-out. It also means we can relax some of the anonymity procedures we had in place. This year it will be easier to see what other schools are doing (without compromising your identity) and that will make you and your students feel part of a larger project.
We’re also dropping the Ask the Scientists feature. Last year it got used a little like a mini-I’m a Scientist event. This year we’d just encourage you to use the Lab Logs. Any questions asked there will get answered by Dr Rob and his team.
Finally we’re simplifying the registration process. Once you’ve registered you can complete your school profile and have a look around the site. We ask you, though, not to upload any data until you have sent in your signed consent forms.
Clearer
You’ll have to be the judge on this. We’ve reviewed everything on the site and tried to work out what was useful or not and removed it. We’ll send you short weekly updates about the project – tips from other teachers, flu news from Dr Rob, any admin updates from the project team. Just reply to any of them if you have questions or feedback for us.
Please use the comments section to give us any feedback or email us with questions.
