To wonder how schools can realistically reopen when there is still a killer virus about with no vaccine?

[JustCantShakeIt]

I’m not talking about them reopening now, in May or June or even September.

Who is prepared to send their DC into a school with hundreds of other DC, where social distancing and keeping a germ free environment is literally impossible, even with the best wills in the world, when there is a life threatening disease floating about which is highly transmittable and you have no guarantee it won’t make your DC severely ill or die.

Social distancing just between parents will be impossible at my DC’s school of over 500 where we all have to wait outside the main gates at pick up time.

Don’t get me wrong, I’m desperate for schools to reopen before my DC turn completely feral, but I don’t see how that can happen until we have a vaccine. We’re being told to stay home and keep our distance now due to the risk, the risk will be the same next month or in 5 months won’t it?

Good luck with getting a class of five year olds to keep masks on all day.

The thread has become a bit overly focussed on teachers and my comment was more general and aimed at those who are loftily saying 'there's no way my child will be going in and I will keep them at home until they're 18 if need be'. It's a luxury very few people can afford.

I understand the point of view of teachers and the close proximity to small children. I suppose you can tell them to wash their hands though and stand over them whilst they do. Poor supermarket check out staff have to touch the products you've handled and take your cash. I mean we can make a case for lots of jobs which put people at the front line of exposure can't we?
Is anyone saying buses shouldn't run for a 18 months too?

Bigger classrooms to allow more spacing

Where are they going to come from? We have 21 classes in our primary school. I don't think the one village hall is going to quite cut it somehow!

Some of the quality standards that are currently adhered to may have to be relaxed for the duration

I think this goes without saying, and SATS need to be cancelled too.

flexing of class sizes to allow for people being off sick

So instead of 30 children crammed into a classroom we could have 60?

and using trainee teachers as teachers

Trainee teachers already do teach, alongside their studies. That's why teacher training is so hard (I haven't done it, I'm a TA, but I've seen plenty go through it).

Oh and if and when there is a vaccine you know who will be last to get it? Your children.

Actually I think, if they follow the pattern as with flu vaccines, children will be the first in line after the vulnerable precisely because they are so good at spreading diseases around.

If we still need to practice social distancing, there is no way any school can re-open.
Primary would be bad enough, with the little ones not really understanding why they need to do it.
For all students, though, social distancing wouldn't work.
I've estimated I would need the classroom I have to be at least four times as big to allow for it - and that's without giving me space to go to students to help them.
There's just not the room to do it.

I actually have teaching experience, though not a PGCE.

I taught for a year in a private school after a longer spell teaching undergrads at university following a PhD.

So I wouldn’t be exactly walking off the street, no. That’s just me speaking for myself.

With your, extensive experience you should definitely volunteer to be a TA. You need a PGCE to do a teachers job.

Is the idea of children being super spreaders based on any factual evidence it is it just a theory?

With your, extensive experience you should definitely volunteer to be a TA. You need a PGCE to do a teachers job.

I’ll volunteer for whatever will take me if it helps pay my bills during the recession we’re on the brink of.

You don’t get paid for, volunteering...

Ok then, I’ll apply for the job

if they’re looking for people

'Well tonight thank God it's theeeeeem' (NHS staff, supermarket workers. healthcare assistants, bus drivers, tube drivers, warehouse workers, council sanitary workers. etc) 'Insteeeeeeeeeead of uuuuuuuuuuusssssss!' (teachers)

I'll say it again for the hard of understanding. Sit up straight, tuck your chair in, stop fiddling and pay attention.

Teaching staff are still going into work, putting themselves at risk, to look after keyworkers' children. This includes going in through the holidays for which we are not paid. This is not about teachers not wanting to put themselves out!

Go for it but unless the TA’s don’t want to come back you’ll just be covering them

I’ll volunteer for whatever will take me if it helps pay my bills during the recession we’re on the brink of

I doubt there’ll be many TA posts going when this is over. The recession will hit education and health massively. That’s always, always what happens.

School funding will be (further) cut. The teachers so many people on this thread are slating are going to be working harder than ever keeping your children safe and providing their education.

That’s what we’re doing now. We’re working in school and at home.

But sure. We’re not prepared to do our bit.

The difference is they get the flu vaccine in school every year

Well sure.

What I’m saying is my priority will be providing for my family and I’m open to anything that will achieve that. Jobs are going to be hella thin on the ground for potentially quite some time.

Thank you nobody.

TEACHERS ARE GOING INTO WORK. RIGHT NOW.
THROUGH THEIR UNPAID HOLIDAYS.

I'm not sure what is so difficult to understand about this.

Is anyone saying buses shouldn't run for a 18 months too?

No, but they are saying the drivers should be better protected, and that is more doable for them than it is for staff in school.

I doubt there’ll be many TA posts going when this is over. The recession will hit education and health massively.

There probably won’t be, no.

But my own industry may never recover from this.

Tasty

Are you not too busy volunteering for the nhs at great personal risk to be on here trolling teachers?

As I said, they wouldn't take me, as I answered their questions honestly, and because they had www.england.nhs.uk/participation/get-involved/volunteering/nhs-volunteer-responders/ so many other volunteers^ that they could take or leave anyone who declared any health complaint.

Yes, I'd try again like a shot if they asked for school volunteers.
No, I don't suppose I'd be anywhere near as good as those with training (same as I was with the NHS volunteering).
The difference?

I'm fecking willing. For the country.

Not trolling. Just willing.

Is the idea of children being super spreaders based on any factual evidence it is it just a theory?

Maybe ask the people who decided it was worth giving them all the flu vaccine to stop them from spreading flu?

We're fucking willing.
We're working.
We're not happy about how our safety is being considered.
We are entitled to voice that.
But we're still working.

What I’m saying is my priority will be providing for my family and I’m open to anything that will achieve that. Jobs are going to be hella thin on the ground for potentially quite some time.

In all seriousness, there are a lot of jobs going in agriculture and food processing that they are struggling to fill without bringing people in from other countries to do them.

Maybe ask the people who decided it was worth giving them all the flu vaccine to stop them from spreading flu?

This isn’t the flu.

It’s a genuine question.

In all seriousness, there are a lot of jobs going in agriculture and food processing that they are struggling to fill without bringing people in from other countries to do them.

I live in the middle of a city, but in theory, yes, open to that too.