social distancing at lunch in a primary school...

[lotusbiscuit]

I work as a midday supervisor in a primary school.

They have a system whereby they tick each child's name off a list when they go to have lunch, in case a parent rings up to check.

We had a meeting about keeping apart from the children, like the teachers are.

Yet today, I had to go up to every child while they were eating to get their name to tick off this list which as far as I know, gets shredded. I could not hear and had to bend right down to hear them. Seven classes of 30.

All the staff social distancing, from eachother, from the kids. Except me.

Thoughts please.

Were you wearing a mask? Ask your manager to do a specific risk assessment for you. I used to work as a mid day and it can get very noisy in a food hall!! you should be provided with a mask and maybe a visor.

Can you not wear a visor?

Tomorrow, you need to bring this to the head's attention so that a different way can be done, achieving the same outcome but so that you can distance as much as you can.

Sometimes the best of plans can be laid, but until they are acted on we don't know about any pitfalls. We are returning to full school tomorrow and fully expect that some of our returning plans/risk assessment will need to be changed and reworked in the next week as problems are highlighted.

Tell your line manager and ask for report as pp said. It could be an over sight, someone not realised etc.

It has been 'discouraged' but sod it I might.

I'm right to feel a bit vulnerable? Everybody skirting the kids except me. Nobody seemed to care, I questioned it and asked if the class teacher / TA could tick their names off the list as they know them but that took too much time. I felt dispensable today.

@milkysmum

Can you not wear a visor?

What will this achieve?

The class teacher is not your line manager. You need to take it to your line manager which I think would be the head in this case. Explain the problem and they will sort it. They won't know that it is a problem until you highlight it. You are not dispensable, but they cannot help you unless you tell them. Personally, I'd give the head a phone call tomorrow after school has started, but as much time before your shift as possible so that something can be in place from tomorrow lunchtime.

Is there no queueing system for lunch? Our MSAs have classes line up when it's their turn, and tick them off the list as they head into the dinner hall. No need to get close to the children. They say their names, and you'll remember them all after a little time. It's probably the most socially-distanced MSA task there is. The other MSAs are face-in with cutting jacket potatoes, soothing cuts and bruises and holding hands of unsure little ones.

@MrsMariaReynolds I was told this took too long, hence me doing it while they ate.

Partly, it's the 'talk' over the reality.
Everyone keeping themselves safe whilst watching me talking closely to over 100 kids.

You can't distance getting names, it's impossible.

I don’t understand the point in the task OP. How many parents call up to ask if their children have eaten their meal to make this a worthwhile task?

Rosie, I have worked in four different primary schools and of them did this - here is a staff member standing by the queue and she ticks the names of the children just before they get their meal. I am not sure if all schools do this but it's common practice.