To think the idea that schools won’t be back full time by September is an absolute disgrace?

[LovingLivingInLockdown]

The government and teaching unions need to pull their fingers out. There should be no excuses.

The effects of 6 months out of school is going to be damaging enough, both educationally and mentally for hundreds of thousands of children. Not to mention the unnoticed abuse and neglect.

Teachers should be wearing PPE with spit screens if they are vulnerable and this should be being organised now. Temporary classrooms should be being built in playgrounds and school fields. Random testing routines in all schools should be being devised as well as guidelines regarding children’s contact with others outside of school and home. Whatever it takes, it must be done.

Our society expects parents to work while their DC are at school and if they want to get the economy moving again, schools being back by September should be non negotiable surely?

We’re there any cases of teachers contracting the virus from pupils before lockdown?

Um, yes ? Remember the people coming back from skiing in Northern Italy at the beginning of the outbreak here and falling ill ? My family member was teaching in a school that had families involved in that and she caught it 2 weeks before lockdown, and another friend’s son developed it in a different school that had also had families involved in the same source and that school had teachers develop it before lockdown.

So that’s my tiny, immediate pool of reference with two schools involved and teachers falling ill.

but fuck the staff, families they spread to, staff families etc etc right

Nearly half of all deaths are in the 85+ group.

Vast majority of people aren't at risk..those that are can shield.

Life is not risk free...how much longer can we go on like this?

I am not worried in the least about my children getting Covid at school. Not in the least. I am far more worried about the long term effects this void in their education will have. And on the knock on effects on the economy, on the nation's health etc. All of those outweigh in miles any risk of Covid on children. Interestingly I have just read an article on the BBC about suicide in young people and sadly there is far more risk of that than catching Covid. That's the reality. I think if parents are worried though then provided then can give an education at home then parents should be free to make that decision.

I don't think we will end up with a lack of teachers. I suspect on the contrary we will find more people going into the profession. There is going to be an absolute tsunami of job losses soon. Mass unemployment. Maybe that will be to the education sector's benefit.

@TheOnlyLivingBoyInNewCross this is a link to the faqs for one of the unions which says the normal curriculum has been suspended

neu.org.uk/advice/coronavirus-distance-learning-faqs

It’s like it’s discouraging it’s teachers from teaching, really odd.

The unions have been telling their members not to do anything: not to mark work, not to provide virtual lessons, not to go into school.

They have indeed. It has made me so angry. As you say, loads of teachers and schools are ignoring this and trying to keep providing as much as they can but the fact is that the teachers and schools which aren't are doing so with the full backing of the unions.

Nobody wants teachers to die. People want their children to be educated. Teachers should be provided with adequate PPE, as are all other sectors where the staff are at risk and can't always social distance have been - NHS, care home staff.

I think what this debate has shown in the inherent lack of intelligence and critical thinking of many. I've noticed all the Facebook huns, love to spout shit like "better to keep them off, can't be too careful babe, better safe than sorry hun".

Ffs. Anyone with a functioning brain can analyse the statistics and see children aren't at high risk.

I dont want my kids back at school till it's much safer. I dont understand why so many parents seem to want to put their kids at risk

When, in your opinion, will this be then? Are you waiting for the vaccine? Meanwhile, their peers at school whose parents have realised that the risk to their children is tiny, steam ahead in their education??

Formerbabe couldn’t agree more.
To go a step further, those that have weighed up the risk and decided to send their children back get judged for it!

The health sector has risen to the challenge - education needs to as well

This is divisive nonsense. The health sector have been brilliant, they have risen to the challenge by shutting down except for Covid and emergencies.

They are opening back up gradually, with the caveat that if numbers rise, they shut down again.

How, exactly, is that so very different to how schools have reacted? Schools have had precisely no extra funding for staff working through holidays. We have no funding for additional space a la Nightingale hospitals.

@TabbyMumz

"Iam not worried about my children catchinn covid. They have more chance of being struck by lightning than dying of covid. " Why do you think that when it's still everywhere?

Because it doesn't cause a serious illness in children? Certainly no worse than chicken pox which in the UK is considered an acceptable risk for children. I am 42 and possibly in vulnerable category due to weight and I'm also happy to take my chances. As a pp said... life isn't risk free... we can't hide forever.

this is a link to the faqs for one of the unions which says the normal curriculum has been suspended

I know - I've seen that link numerous times now but no-one seems able to provide what I'm asking for which is a link to the DfE documentation stating that the curriculum has been suspended.

That "curriculum suspended" line is trotted out an awful lot as a reason for teachers not providing lessons, etc, but I can't find anyone who can provide evidence that this is what the DfE has stated!

The irony of those saying it isn't safe is that they will happily I assume go into a car. Cross a road. Eat (risk of choking!!!). Do all these things which have inherent risks. But won't go back to school until it is "safe". It will never be safe.

This is the latest NEU communication with the govt.

Where in here are they encouraging anything remotely negative?

It's all very well saying children "have" to go back to school in September. But you can say it as loudly as you like - it's very unlikely to happen. For all the reasons given on this thread.

But still people are saying they have to go back - are their comprehension skills that poor?

The virus will still be here in September. Social distancing will still be in place. Classrooms are too small to accommodate entire classes and keep everyone safe,

Just because children can be asymptomatic or not likely to catch it (apparently) doesn't mean that the adults in the school won't. Their safety is as important as the children's.

Practical suggestions are what's needed not foot stamping and saying it has to happen. It won't.

We absolutely want to be back, scrap social distancing and bubbles in school. Just staggered drop off pick up and no assemblies. Every single member of staff at our school wants this. Evidently our parents do too as attendance rates for the year groups we are open for are in the low 90% which, allowing for 2 % sheilders, is normal for our school.

Not all parents want them back. Even with the measures proposed now our school had 3 out of 60 reception children and 5 out of 60 year ones. This is in a community where most families have a sahp. It suggests to me that many of the people sending them in are doing so because they have no other choice. I'm really not sure how we'll instill any confidence if we simply fling the doors open and get rid of the (already very sketchy) safety measures we have in place.

We need a plan and action now, the government needs to reinvest in education to make it happen. We (a state school) are so poorly resourced; we lost over half of our teaching assistants last year, we have literally no money- staff end up buying many of their own resources like paper and glue sticks, and we walk through dark corridors because we don't want to spend the money on electricity unless we have to. We need more hand washing facilities, ppe for staff, porta cabins to give us more space. None of this is down to teachers and unions to provide.

Yanbu. They need to scrap social distancing in schools, it isn't workable.

please tell me why does covid need to play nice and vanish is sept? Modelling suggests second wave in winter.All these dates put in place are hilarious

I wouldn't describe a virus that has killed 50,000 as hilarious dav and secondly the modelling suggests a second wave in MID DECEMBER.

With almost no cases or none at all by September. So where is the reasoning to keep schools closed beyond September on the off chance of a second wave three and a half months later?!

It does not make sense, and will not happen.

Tabby CoVid not everywhere! We haven't even had a single infection case here for over two weeks. Your view of the risk now seems out of date. Deregister your children, problem solved, and then you won't be charged with non attendance in September.

Three months after lockdown, there is still no Government plan or action to get our children back into school! shameful! but no surprise, their children are privately educated and have kept up their schooling.

However, i sincerely hope Johnson is planning on how to educate children IF there is a second wave of CV, because if there is, just sending children back home again in November, won't cut it.

pigeon999 where have you heard that CV will be gone by September or that children don't get or spread CV ?

[quote Davincitoad]@catfeets

Teachers are not saying the are fucking special get a life. It’s not a race to the bottom. Why are teachers always the ones to have to be the worst off for the public to feel happy. Everyone should have Ppe. To say one sector doesn’t doesn’t mean that you can just say well teachers can’t. This is disgusting. Other sectors can fight for themselves we can fight for yourselves as well. People literally willing teaching staff to die because they have a chip on their shoulder it’s no wonder no one wants to join the profession.[/quote]
When you say PPE it really won’t prevent anything it will not prevent you from getting Covid. I work on a hospital ward and the PPE give is a THIN plastic apron (sleeveless). And just standard latex gloves. A blue THIN mask.
Most likely the cheapest and they do not work to be honest.

However we do have resources to change them constantly on shift between to stop cross infection too between each person

It’s not as simple for teachers to just be given PPE.

You would need a different type of mask to protect you against COVID. You need to be tested & trained to wear them.

The kids will not be able to understand what you are saying with a mask on your face. Many times I’ve taken mine off to communicate with someone as they didn’t know what I was saying clearly.

Saying you need PPE is about as likely as more classrooms I doubt it will happen.

Scrap social distancing in schools, it won’t work anyway. Teachers provided with PPE.

Health sector has risen to the challenge by:
Constructing addition field hospitals in short amounts of time (I work in aid, so I know what this takes)
Compressing years of vaccine development work into months
Recruiting former staff to come back and support
Adapting provision internally within hospitals to ‘Covid free’ and ‘Covid affected’
GP appointments remotely
Etc etc etc

They have been pragmatic and done what they can within the limitations they have.

Not seeing the same willingness in education - quite the contrary in fact. And Govt’s performance has been shameful. Where is the plan??

The kids will not be able to understand what you are saying with a mask on your face.

Visors strike me as a much better option for schools.

I don't think we will end up with a lack of teachers. I suspect on the contrary we will find more people going into the profession. There is going to be an absolute tsunami of job losses soon. Mass unemployment. Maybe that will be to the education sector's benefit.

Yes because people going into teaching just because they've lost their job works out so well.

Of the people actively choosing teaching as a career, 40% quit within 5 years. The dropout rate is huge.

People who didn't even really want to do it in the first place won't last 5 minutes. The first teenager chucking a chair at them and the first parent calling them a "f*"!ING #@&£" for putting their kid in detention and they'll wondering why they started.

Then you're responsible for the results, despite the fact you ultimately can't actually control what these kids write in an exam. You also know how the hell that some of these kids go through affects them dreadfully. Results are all though, get those GCSE grades. Positive residuals please!

But then again as your school is doing you know you won't get the pay rise anyway, no matter how good you are or how hard you work. You're stuck on mainscale.

I look forward to seeing all these keeno new recruits signing up for PGCE over summer.

Signed, a teacher who worked in the "real world" before teaching.

I don't think we will end up with a lack of teachers. I suspect on the contrary we will find more people going into the profession. There is going to be an absolute tsunami of job losses soon. Mass unemployment. Maybe that will be to the education sector's benefit.

Actually I totally agree with this.

What’s coming will be far far worse from an unemployment POV than anything we’ve seen before. Teachings security will be very attractive to many and recent grads will have little else to tempt them out there.