Headteacher has posted this to facebook

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The headteacher at my DCs school has posted this to Facebook. He says that social distancing is impossible and unless we would be happy to let our DC play in a supermarket for hours to 'not even think about' bringing them to school. I have 2 expected back on June 1st. AIBU to keep them off after this?

m.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=10222994594279008&id=1403891361

Yes, but those stats in isolation and without further detail are meaningless.

Did those who died die from or with Covid?
Did they have pre-existing health conditions?
Were they actively working in schools at the time they contracted the virus? (they may have been on LTS due to other medical issues - we have staff in our organisation who are still employed by us, but have been off for anything up to a year for med reasons, I'm sure most organisations, schools included will have similar).

Also what was the total death rate for those working in schools in that period? And how does that compare to the same period in 2019?

We don't know the answer to any of these questions and unfortunately, absent that information there's limited context to that stat. Certainly not enough to assess whether a) children can or have passed the virus to school staff, or even each other and b) whether school staff are at any greater risk than say care workers or those in supermarkets, or any of the other occupations currently working in close proximity to the public.

We don't know the answer to any of these questions and unfortunately, absent that information there's limited context to that stat. Certainly not enough to assess whether a) children can or have passed the virus to school staff, or even each other and b) whether school staff are at any greater risk than say care workers or those in supermarkets, or any of the other occupations currently working in close proximity to the public.

Exactly! We don't know!! Sorry but I don't want to be the governments guinea pig.

It seems pretty clear that the Government wants to get low-paid worker - those who can't work from home - back to work.

And that plenty of workers who are struggling with working from home and/or have financial worries are keen to get back.

Those who are working already and have been exposed to potential risk through contact with colleagues and the public, may feel that others are being 'precious' and worrying unduly.

But we don't know what the effects of a) the increased socialisation around schools and b) the increased social contact through parents going back to work - often on buses and trains - on Coronavirus. But it seems likely that, as with other countries, infections will rise again.

Perhaps when the Government says I can safely have my relatives round for a cup of tea, I'll be more willing to think it's time for the children to get back to school?

The reason there haven't been any mini outbreaks is there are very few children, minimal staff and social distancing adhered to. The problem is that as the number of children increases social distancing goes out the window

I know my daughters primary school only has 8 children attending at the moment and social distancing is working well as I asked the teacher

My DC have been at school throughout, and they are socially distanced in the classroom and at lunchtime. However, they all go out and kick a ball around together, or play in the sandpit, and come hometime all crowd round the door together looking out for their parent. So if you asked our school they'd say they're doing social distancing, and they are, but not all the time.

There have been no instances of covid as far as I know, in staff or pupils. In my DCs school some attend because parents are keyworkers, but more because they are vulnerable, and so possibly not adhering to social distancing etc outside of school: e.g. one family of 5 kids are living between at least 3 homes in varying combinations, sometimes swapping on a daily basis, travelling in cars with adults they don't live with etc, so could be seen as a higher risk. So though there are few kids in school at the moment that doesn't necessarily mean it's going to be more risky when you add in more DC.

www.tes.com/news/dfe-teachers-go-without-ppe-or-social-distancing?fbclid=IwAR3UtQxZi1bZHddjZTkuIEufVIR2GMeYTRa6_jemjzRIgm7ojBa0QVqH5Qo