Masks for a school meeting

[Bubblesbath]

I’ve got a meeting booked at DSs secondary school for the day they go back after Easter.
Do visitors to schools need to wear masks when in a meeting if we can sit 2 meters apart? The meeting will be approximately 3 hours and stressful full so the thought of wearing a mask for the duration is adding to the stress.

Yes, you will be asked to wear a mask. I’ve worn a mask in school all day since September. It’s about the only mitigation to the risk we have to take everyday. Maybe try building up to wearing one for longer periods of time over the Easter holidays so it doesn’t feel so strange.

Yep, they're definitely doing EHCP reviews virtually. If there's paperwork then they can either send this out in advance or share their screen during the meeting.

If you go in, you'll have to wear the mask. It's not fair on everyone else if you don't.
Honestly though, I would not be spending 2 hours in a school or anywhere else at the moment unless I really had to.

Just tell them you need a room with a window that an open and you can sit 2m away.
Masks are only required where 2m not possible.

What other people have said: wear your mask when you come in, but once seated (in the ventilated school hall presumably, with 2-3 metres between you) you might be able to take it off. We’ve done similar meetings in my school, but to be fair must have been done over Teams.

We did Ds's assessment meeting for his first EHCP online. The caseworker just shared her screen, so everyone attending could see the paperwork.

For those questioning the length of the meeting, EHCP meetings can take ages. Ds's was nearly 3 hours and they still rushed through some of it.

[quote Bubblesbath]@mindutopia it’s an EHCP annual review, we have a lot of paperwork to go through - the last one took 2 hours and didn’t have the changes this one needs.[/quote]
Senco here. You should be sent all the paperwork 2 weeks before the review to give yourself time to read it all, and also not waste time in the meeting. The meeting should be child centred, so it’s inappropriate to be sat reading reams of papers in front of the child. Contact the Senco, tell them to send you the paperwork now, and if they are unable to do so, tell them the meeting will have to be rescheduled as you need time beforehand to read through it all and take advice. This is set out in the Code of Practice.
An annual review should really be a celebration of what progress your child is making. If there are massive issues from any party, this should have been raised well before the review. Will your child be attending and take part?

Just echoing what Soontobe60 said and to add that I've run Annual review meetings online over the last year, so it absolutely can be done. It's also meant that the LA have actually attended. Amazing!

@Soontobe60 we may invite DS in for part of the meeting, not for the whole thing. It’s not going to be a straightforward review as I want to move DS to specialist provision, I only received the final from last years review last week and will be appealing section F and I after I’ve had the annual review this year.

I’ll email the SENCO at the end of the holiday and ask what the mask situation will be. It was one of the professionals involved who wanted to have an in person meeting.

Yes but then check with person you are meeting with about taking them off in the room.

Order some lateral flow tests and do one in the morning. The staff will all be testing. If nobody has covid why do people need to wear masks?

When I’ve had meetings in school I’ve worn a mask in the corridors etc but been able to take it off in the actual meeting, the room was big enough to distance. I’d contact the person you’re meeting with and ask - 3 hours in a sensitive meeting is quite tricky with masks. If it’s causing you anxiety already if they won’t let you take your mask off I’d say the meeting needs to be moved online. Lots of very tricky meetings are being held online at the moment, with preparation there’s no reason a review could be held that way too.

@Bubblesbath

I’ve got a meeting booked at DSs secondary school for the day they go back after Easter. Do visitors to schools need to wear masks when in a meeting if we can sit 2 meters apart? The meeting will be approximately 3 hours and stressful full so the thought of wearing a mask for the duration is adding to the stress.

In my school, yes you would be expected to wear a mask unless genuinely exempt. We probably wouldn't quiz you on it but would hope you would do so if you are able to.

We have clinically vulnerable staff and pupils so would expect visitors to o what they can to mitigate any potential,risk.

The staff would also be in masks,

@TheChosenTwo

I would ask if you would be allowed to wear a visor. Our music teacher who comes in wears one (I think she may also wear a face mask actually). I recently attended an EHCP review and the parents joined us via Teams, we aren’t currently allowing parents in to the school unless it’s something that can’t be discussed via telephone/email/video call.

A visor, without a mask, is pointless. It does nothing to reduce the transmission.

Fwiw as staff on the odd times we have face to face meetings in school with anyone, including other staff from school, outside of our 'bubble then we all wear masks, even if sat 2m apart.

The odd time it is a 'within bubble' meeting we only remove masks if sat 2m apart, otherwise we have masks on.

At my school, you would be able to remove your mask once everyone was seated.

@byvirtue

Order some lateral flow tests and do one in the morning. The staff will all be testing. If nobody has covid why do people need to wear masks?

As long as neither party has a false negative (there’s about a 50% chance of that). I’d not trust that to keep me infection free. And lft are not mandatory for staff so you can’t assume that ‘staff will all be testing’.