Page 10 | Masks all day in school

ihearttc · 2020-08-31T11:25:09+00:00

Furious just about sums up how I feel at the moment. Just had an email from DS1’s school (he is going into Y11) saying they will be required to wear masks all day long in school from the minute they get inside the school gates to when they leave. They are allowed to take them off to eat lunch but will need to be put back on immediately. Before I fire off an email to the school, just wondered how I stand legally with refusing to give permission for him to wear one all day long? It’s completely against the DofE guidance which states corridors and transitions only. We live rurally and are in a very very low Covid area for what’s its worth, no where near areas on local lockdown.

noblegiraffe · 31/08/2020 13:03

Maybe you should wait and see if it’s a problem before firing off ‘angry emails’ to heads who have enough shit to deal with right now.

As you said, there’s no reason for your kid not to wear one and other countries seem to manage.

Maybe you’ll be smug as your kid’s school stays open as others close or maybe the rules on masks will be relaxed as problems arise.

Give it some time.

Bridecilla · 31/08/2020 13:03

and ideally I'd like my students (late teens and adults) to mask up in the corridors and to enter the classroom. Happy for them to de-mask once seated and put them back on if they need to get up for whatever reason.

cptartapp · 31/08/2020 13:03

Some of us can only dream of online teaching every day. Most of DS teachers said it was too difficult (they had their own school age DC at home!). Only two bothered, and that for the last six weeks.
I don't care what he has to wear. Get them back.

Bridecilla · 31/08/2020 12:59

Leave it be. It's way easier with teens to start with a hard rule and scale it down if things go well than to start with a softly softly approach and try to scale up if when the shit hits the fan

ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 12:57

Because he hasn't lost 6 months of teaching time from March to September. How many pupils go to school from mid July to August (in England). How many schools provide so much school work for summer holidays that children will need to study 8.30 to 3.30 every weekday in the holidays?

Todaythiscouldbe · 31/08/2020 12:57

@FourTeaFallOut

Is there any reason why posters keep doing this? He has lost six months worth of teaching provision, from March to September. That might be equivalent to 12 weeks of teaching time but no one is getting March to September back. If we want to be really dickish we could take out all the weekends too and whittle it down by several more, how about we take out the average number of sick days in that time, and dinner hours and on and on we go until we can convince ourselves that March to September was hardly relevant at all? We could really gaslight the fuckers in to thinking that their children haven't been fucked over at all.

Exactly this, I'm fed up of hearing that 6 months hasn't been missed, it absolutely has!

Original poster

ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:56

@itsgettingweird
Ok, it’s 6 months since he has been in school. 6 months since he has had any actual input from a teacher. 6 months since he has learnt anything new. 6 months since he has been taught anything that he hasn’t taught himself.
They have received no zoom lessons and no face to face teaching at all apart from 1 hour “meeting” with their form tutor to check they were still alive (yes their exact words).
I work in a school, I’m aware of the guidance. My issue is that other schools have chosen to wear masks in corridors only as per the guidance. I’m been in school throughout with no social distancing and no mask wearing.

OP posts:

FourTeaFallOut · 31/08/2020 12:54

Is there any reason why posters keep doing this? He has lost six months worth of teaching provision, from March to September. That might be equivalent to 12 weeks of teaching time but no one is getting March to September back. If we want to be really dickish we could take out all the weekends too and whittle it down by several more, how about we take out the average number of sick days in that time, and dinner hours and on and on we go until we can convince ourselves that March to September was hardly relevant at all? We could really gaslight the fuckers in to thinking that their children haven't been fucked over at all.

Todaythiscouldbe · 31/08/2020 12:51

@topofthewardrobe

Six months? They've been out since just before the Easter holiday. They've missed about twelve-thirteen weeks of teaching.

Have they ? Schools have been providing teaching remotely for the gcse years haven't they ? Mine was having online lessons all day except the last three weeks when the year tens were in school

Lucky you! My year 10 had nothing. A few PowerPoint presentations to read through. A couple of online quizzes (not set by school), no contact from any teacher at all.

Augustbreeze · 31/08/2020 12:51

It might feel like a positive when other secondaries start sending children home as they've got several confirmed cases, but his stays open because the masks have limited airborne transmission?

Original poster

ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:50

Clearly it’s just me then! Think it’s just the last straw of the school being exceptionally useless in their handling of the whole thing.

OP posts:

Greysparkles · 31/08/2020 12:50

The only people who think this is a good idea are those who haven't had to wear a mask for an extended period of time tbh.

itsgettingweird · 31/08/2020 12:50

@ihearttc

He has no actual reason not to wear one. I just think it is completely unnecessary for actual teaching time and will actually cause more problems with them constantly fiddling with them and touching their faces etc. No issue with wearing them during transitions around the school etc but I think its completely overkill for while they are trying to catch up with missing 6 months of their GCSE’s.

Let's break it down.

They haven't missed 6 months.

The actual number of weeks missed was 15.

They also should have had some input during this time and at least directions for study and some face to face time the last 5-6 weeks of term.

Secondary it's HTs discretion.

Please don't start firing off an angry email to a HT because the government decided to send out guidance they'd been asking for for 3 months on a Friday evening bank holiday weekend.

No one is clear if risks. Over 12's have to wear masks at all times in shops, museums etc when they are moving.

HT are erring on side of caution following the same within schools.

You probably would too if you had a document alongside the guidance - which also states absolutely NO funding will be provided for Covid measures - that if there is any Covid death of staff or even pupil your school will be investigated by HSE for liability.

ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 12:49

The revision work is down to the fact that the Government suspended the National Curriculum so in effect schools would not be teaching new stuff. However, some schools ignored this and carried on teaching the curriculum.

DancingCatGif · 31/08/2020 12:49

Meh, where I live even kindergarten students wear masks, and there are about 20 new cases in the whole country.

It's not the big staggering thing some people have made it out to be.

Original poster

ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:47

@topofthewardrobe
His school set revision work of stuff they had already learnt but absolutely no remote teaching at all. The mask wearing all day is just the last straw tbh.

OP posts:

ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 12:47

Not many schools set summer work, so he hasn't missed 6 months of work.

ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 12:46

He hasn't missed 6 months of GCSE work, even if the school were rubbish at providing work they haven't missed 6 months.

Original poster

ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:46

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross
His school have been useless tbh. He has done loads of work off his own back but school only set work over lockdown that they had already done so no new content. They shut the 20th March and they don’t go back until the end of next week (12th March). No summer work was set at all so yes it is basically 6 months.
He went back for 1 hour to see his form tutor in June and that was it. No zoom, no teams or anything.

OP posts:

ElizabethMainwaring · 31/08/2020 12:44

Classrooms are more crowded than corridors.
So why in corridors and not classrooms?
We need to protect the community.
It's a bloody nightmare and it's going to be very chaotic.

Incacat2 · 31/08/2020 12:43

Kids as young as 5 in many other countries are wearing them with no issues. He will be fine. There is utter hysteria in this country over mask wearing. I wish my Head was so forward thinking, because after tomorrow, my family is going to be in close daily contact with over 5,000 teenagers and staff, (2 secondary teachers and three kids at 3 different secondary schools.) Added to that, cases in Scotland are rapidly rising, 2 weeks after schools returned.

topofthewardrobe · 31/08/2020 12:42

Six months? They've been out since just before the Easter holiday. They've missed about twelve-thirteen weeks of teaching.

Have they ? Schools have been providing teaching remotely for the gcse years haven't they ? Mine was having online lessons all day except the last three weeks when the year tens were in school

Iminaglasscaseofemotion · 31/08/2020 12:41

I completely agree OP. If my dc school try to enforce this, I honestly think I'll consider pulling him out. He absolutely hates wearing a mask and we both end up with headaches if we have to wear them for any length of time. I had one on for 45 mins yesterday and had a migraine for 8 hours afterwards.

TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross · 31/08/2020 12:40

@ihearttc

He has no actual reason not to wear one. I just think it is completely unnecessary for actual teaching time and will actually cause more problems with them constantly fiddling with them and touching their faces etc. No issue with wearing them during transitions around the school etc but I think its completely overkill for while they are trying to catch up with missing 6 months of their GCSE’s.

Six months? They've been out since just before the Easter holiday. They've missed about twelve-thirteen weeks of teaching.

eeyore228 · 31/08/2020 12:39

I guess it also depends on why. They might be over cautious because of students who might be more at risk as an example. I’m not saying it’s ideal but before sending off a furious style email why not ask the reasoning behind and what you understand to be the case ie masks in corridors etc. That will give you a better idea.