How do teachers feel about schools being open in Sept?

[Meangallery]

So kid's education is to get priority, schools are to open in Sept and if infections rise the Government will close down everything else.

Will the Unions tolerate this? It feels like teachers will be on the frontline next year...

I’m worried. It’s a low level worry at the moment but it is ramping up.

Here’s the list so you can all worry with me:

• we are supposed to be doing hand, face, space right? We have two toilet blocks for 1500 students and one toilet block for 150 staff. How am I supposed to wash my hands often enough? We do have gel but that is not as effective as hand washing.

• students won’t be wearing face covering and nor will we. Our rooms don’t allow windows to be opened more than an inch. They are also very hot. There will be no air circulation.

• there are 32 students in most of our groups. There are often only exactly 32 seats crammed into a classroom. How am I supposed to get space? Or enforce space?

• if and when school closes for outbreaks we’ll have to go to online learning. We are good at this. We did it all of lockdown. What about the schools who aren’t set up? Should their Yr11 sit GCSEs at the same time as mine?

• we have many staff over 50 with underlying health conditions. What happens if the government extend shielding for the over 50s. We won’t be able to open.

• there is no continuity of education being provided. Just wishful thinking. What do we do about children who are in and out of school for lockdowns and isolation? Some will be worse hit than others. It will be total chaos.

I’m also worried that DD is staring school in a different county. Would any closures cross county lines. What do I do about that?

@phatsandsmall

Department of education have stated no teachers or students are allowed to wear ppe in school unless it's because a child is in isolation waiting to go home due to covid symptoms. They are only to be worn on public transport to and from school where applicable

Where have they said that PPE is strictly not allowed? Surely they don’t have the authority to decide that?

Where have they said that PPE is strictly not allowed?

In the schools’ guidance.

The Government can quite literally get to fuck.

It's not just that it's the stuffy classrooms and keeping windows closed to preserve heat. Personally I'd say, increase heat and keep windows open. Encourage more warm clothing.
It's a real issue however for many people to encourage waste.... Heat flooding out window. But we are in a pandemic.

I can't understand why visors at the very least can't be warn.
And I'd have visors before lunch. All dc then take off, large bucket... And fresh clean visors after lunch. It just means at the very least all that spittle is contained and sneezes and coughs can't travel as far.
I know visors are not perfect but surely better than nothing with sneezes and coughs contamination entire classrooms no one can escape from? Surely that also means less viral load?

The government should provide funding for hand sanitiser (similar to the ones seen all over hospitals) to be installed outside of each classroom, in the entry points, reception etc.
These could be installed in all schools during the summer holidays.

I don't think it unreasonable for this basic measure to be done to enable teachers and pupils to at least keep hands clean.
The cleaning staff can top them up every morning. This is just a basic really.

Assuming the govt insists schools open in September, what can we, as parents, do to help teachers?

Make sure kids know and adhere to good hygiene obviously. Maintain social distancing too. What else?

@Mintjulia

Assuming the govt insists schools open in September, what can we, as parents, do to help teachers?

Make sure kids know and adhere to good hygiene obviously. Maintain social distancing too. What else?

Support us if it comes to industrial action.

There was an idea being mooted of one week in and one week home learning.

I thought that was an excellent compromise.
I understand not everyone's work would be able to fit round that but ours could. It means dh can go into office one week then one at home working. It means dc can be spread out in schools and bubbles kept small.

All schools in this day and age should be able to give some sort of proper home learning via screens.
Some have not even tried to get hold of smart phones or lap tops from the community, instead blaming the government for only giving out 1 or 2 laptops.

Many settings asked parents, do you have old tech around we can use!

One week in, one at home.

@Mintjulia

Assuming the govt insists schools open in September, what can we, as parents, do to help teachers?

Make sure kids know and adhere to good hygiene obviously. Maintain social distancing too. What else?

Yes to the good hygiene.

I think it’s going to come down to schools closing. I hope that parents won’t blame the schools for that.

@Ohsuchaperfectday

It's not just that it's the stuffy classrooms and keeping windows closed to preserve heat. Personally I'd say, increase heat and keep windows open. Encourage more warm clothing. It's a real issue however for many people to encourage waste.... Heat flooding out window. But we are in a pandemic.

I can't understand why visors at the very least can't be warn.
And I'd have visors before lunch. All dc then take off, large bucket... And fresh clean visors after lunch. It just means at the very least all that spittle is contained and sneezes and coughs can't travel as far.
I know visors are not perfect but surely better than nothing with sneezes and coughs contamination entire classrooms no one can escape from? Surely that also means less viral load?

My school can only afford to have the heating on on the mornings as our budget is so tight. We would never be allowed to have windows open and the heating on.

@Fedup21

Where have they said that PPE is strictly not allowed?

In the schools’ guidance.

Its in the guidance for returning back to school in september. Masks are seen as a distraction where it comes to students and an obstruction to teaching when teachers wear them. The information is widely available for you to fact check. If you work in a school or have children in one it will be written in to their policies to staff and children for returning to school. Its not up to individual schools to decide on how and when ppe is used- the government have stated thats how it will be for everyone. Quite possibly private schools could use their discretion on it but don't hold me to that.

PTAs need to provide soap and other cleaning materials. More resources at lunchtime and drop off/pick up to ease the load on teachers a little.

Most parents want the schools to stay open, we need to do what we can to support that.

Problem is a lot of the funding for PTAs will drop off as can't do the cake sales, raffle tickets at school concerts etc.

One of the schools I work with has been complaining for years about the draughty windows, and they are horrendous. Sods law is that they are going to be fixed over the holidays, but probably fixed shut as that was cheaper than replacing them.

Going back won't be teaching like it was before. Lots of the challenges of remote learning will still be there despite being present in the same room, as teachers cannot approach students and work as closely as necessary.

The obvious trade off of being present in the same room is the transmission of the virus. The government are wrong to say other workplaces should be covid secure and staff should be protected from service users by mitigations (physical distance, limits on numbers/turn taking and face coverings), but not afford the same protection to schools.

Safety will be compromised and education will still be compromised.

Someone earlier mentioned parents sending ill children in, for fear of fines, and I think that’s a real concern. Also, staff will go in when ill, for fear of the whole absence monitoring procedures - it’s already happened in a school near me, where a staff member came in, obviously unwell, and had to be send home. He was scared about calling in sick.

I teach at university not in a school so my view is only marginally relevant. But, although I like normal teaching very much (and often as much as the research which is meant to justify my existence), I discovered that I absolutely hated online teaching. I'm hoping to teach in person in October but, if not, I'm going to take sabbatical or unpaid leave until I see the lay of the land. I realise that this may not be an option for teachers in schools, so I can only say courage! And we appreciate you.

For a variety of reasons (including a positive antibody test and the people I live with) covid doesn't worry me personally. I'm probably at the extreme end of the spectrum here. But regardless of where you are on the covid-worry spectrum, there's the additional problem that online teaching is a completely different job from the one I signed up for. I think this is specific to teaching because meetings, my research, my roles on various committees etc proceed more or less as before. If I thought this was going to go on for five years, I would be looking to switch careers. After each online class I felt as if I had been of little help to anyone, while simultaneously having my soul sucked dry!

@SpookyNoise

Someone earlier mentioned parents sending ill children in, for fear of fines, and I think that’s a real concern. Also, staff will go in when ill, for fear of the whole absence monitoring procedures - it’s already happened in a school near me, where a staff member came in, obviously unwell, and had to be send home. He was scared about calling in sick.

This.

Although if DH or I are ill we will not go in regardless.

I think children who are obviously ill, with whatever, will be quickly sent home

We have put hand sanitisers outside every classroom, KS3 being taught in tutor group bubbles and changed the timetable to minimise student numbers in corridors. Doors and windows permanently open, staff and students can wear masks if they want to, zoned areas of the outside space, each year group in different areas of the school. It has been a huge undertaking... I will be so gutted if we can't open!

@SleeplessWB

We have put hand sanitisers outside every classroom, KS3 being taught in tutor group bubbles and changed the timetable to minimise student numbers in corridors. Doors and windows permanently open, staff and students can wear masks if they want to, zoned areas of the outside space, each year group in different areas of the school. It has been a huge undertaking... I will be so gutted if we can't open!

Appreciate that but all undone by siblings/transport to school/social groups... It's merely a tick boxing exercise and can't mitigate against cross transmission.

phatsandsmall

It’s guidance only. At my school we are continuing with saying that staff and children can wear PPE including masks if they choose to. When some year groups returned in June we had a sizeable minority of Year 6 children from the BAME community who wore masks. It was fine, teaching continued as normal.

I saw someone mention the possibility of over 50s having to isolate. Personally I think that’s unlikely BUT if that were the case that would leave my school being staffed by 10 people, one of whom is the caretaker and 3 of whom are dinner ladies. So six teachers and TAs. All SLT, office staff and cleaners are over 50........

I DO NOT want school shutting down again. I worked right through lockdown but it was horrible. However, I think it is inevitable sadly.

Can’t wait! Haven’t stopped as we stayed open the whole way through but happy to know I’ll have a full class and can deliver full curriculum. Slightly annoyed at the necessary changes and worries about how we’ll support children without getting too near them. Also worried about ensuring our support staff are safe as they tend to have prolonged periods next to individuals comparatively.
Won’t be wearing a mask - it’s individual choice in our school and I can’t see how I could deliver a lesson with one on.

@Useruseruserusee

phatsandsmall

It’s guidance only. At my school we are continuing with saying that staff and children can wear PPE including masks if they choose to. When some year groups returned in June we had a sizeable minority of Year 6 children from the BAME community who wore masks. It was fine, teaching continued as normal.

Weird that the gov.co.uk is sharing the wrong information then regarding this and all schools sharing it are informing their staff and students with incorrect information quoted also by Gavin Williamson the education secretary 🤷‍♀️