Head of school I work for wants me to do cleaning to make up hours I can't do at mo

[babayjane67]

Hi all!
Sorry the titles bit long but couldn't think of a shorter one!
I work as a lunch time supervisor at my DDS school.we both went bk 3 wks ago as she's in yr6.i look after both her class bubbles,which is nearly the whole class of 29.
Anyway in normal times,I also do the breakfast club every day but obviously at the moment that's not possible.
When I went into work on Tues,the head caught me&said they're wanting to get everybody bk into school to make up for the hrs they're not working.one of the breakfast club girls is shielding so can't come bk but he's apparently talking to her about how it's going to work in September.
The other girl is coming bk on Mon being a lunch time supervisor for a new key worker kids bubble that will start.
He wants me to clean to make mine up.so all light switches,door handles,sinks in classrooms& toilets &all toilet seats throughout the school.desks too I think.
He said think about it&let me know tomorrow I'll come&find u.well he didn't though I did see him wandering round on Wed.i wasn't in yesterday as I've got a nasty ear infection at mo.we don't work Fridays as the kids only do half day so that a deep clean can be done of the school each week.
This morning I get an email detailing my cleaning schedule starting Mon&saying what equipment I will be using etc.not asking me if I wanna do it/have I thought about it&made a decision.no just this is yr schedule starting Mon let us know what side if the lunch time you want to do it.
I've got nothing against cleaning,I've been one as a job in the past.so I haven't got a problem with doing it as a job but I don't want to do it as fir a start I get asthma so that's why he said fir me to work with yr6 not the younger ones,as they can social distance better&they understand more.plus I really don't want to be cleaning their loo seats etc.Im not dealing with any little ones at mo in any capacity.ive got 2 GC the youngest being 4&I've had to keep away from them as he's got a low immune system as well as me with my asthma so I don't want to then be dealing with stuff like that where everyone sits,touches things&risk passing anything on.
My dp isn't happy about me doing either fir the same reasons&said he would have told the head no straight away!
I haven't replied to the email yet.
Aibu?

Yes mummy,I do but then pretty much everything is to be honest! It just has to play itself out.

Well it's a new virus so no one is 100% sure yet, but it's not true that it "just has to play itself out" on surfaces . It's similar in structure to other viruses, which we already know can be killed off with things like bleach and dettol. For example:

Does Dettol kill the Coronavirus (COVID-19)?
2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) is a new strain of coronavirus. It is not yet available for commercial testing.

Specific Dettol products have demonstrated effectiveness (>99.9% inactivation) against coronavirus strains from the same family as the 2019 Novel Coronavirus (COVID-19) in third party laboratory testing, when used in accordance with the directions for use. These products are:
Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Spray, Dettol Antibacterial Surface Cleanser Wipes, Dettol All-In-One Disinfectant Spray, and Dettol Disinfectant Liquid.

Given the structural similarities of the COVID-19 virus to the coronavirus strains tested previously (SARS-CoV, MERS-CoV, Human Coronavirus), and based on the evidence available to us, we would expect our Dettol products (listed above) to be effective against the new strain. Definitive scientific confirmation of this, as with all other commercially available virucides, can only be provided once testing against COVID-19 Coronavirus has been conducted, following release of the strain by relevant health authorities.

www.dettol.co.uk/about-us/understanding-coronavirus/

"Can’t use bleach in schools." Is another one of those lines that's trotted out all the time but isn't actually true.

Good practice not to use it routinely but it is allowed when needed.

No we really can’t use bleach in our school or any school I’ve worked in.

Some schools will have that rule but it is absolutely not banned

Using it in a spray at our massive school. Always follows guidelines to the letter.

We are all having to muck in OP and unless you have a letter from the government to be vulnerable then you should give it a go. Our headteacher was cleaning the tables with a mask on last week and is a diabetic.

It’s in our safety guidelines yes. But it’s certainly not something that can be sprayed during a school day with children around. At the moment we are cleaning around them so need to be safe and use wipes or a spray when they leave the room.

We’re not spraying round kids. Clean loos when they’ve left, ditto tables, empty corridors....

Lilgreen I agree 100%!!
Yes justgorgeous as I said in my last post of last night,I'm gonna do it.

It’s not what you agree but what is permitted and what your school is choosing to do which you will need to adhere to.

Frankly given what those working in hospitals are dealing with bellyaching over keeping children safe in schools which is a relatively low risk environment illustrates poor attitude imvho. Really thankful I work with the staff I do.

Good you’ve emailed. Do you realise antibacterial wipes are useless against a virus?

We have the Dettol ones which are thought to be effective, our local authority bought those specifically rather than cheaper generic ones.

I use a small amount of bleach when mopping the toilet floors once the children have gone home and flash spray with bleach on sinks in the corridors. Would never use it on desks though. There's no blanket ban as far as I know.

Couple of points - might have already been addressed as I’ve skim read.

You said you think the Head Teacher has been doing some of the cleaning and wondered why this can’t continue. It’s probably a case that they have to focus on developing and implementing plans on how the school will operate in September. How to staff of colleagues can’t come in. Cleaning is immediately important but his time is needed elsewhere. It’s not unreasonable to ask people to shift their duties to suit the needs of the school.

You say you don’t want to clean as you don’t want touch things the kids have touched. If that’s the case helping out in a classroom is probably more risky. He’s supplying gloves and an apron. Ask for a risk assessment to see if there’s anything further you need

We don’t clean after school, the cleaner does that, that’s why I’m talking about safer wipes and sprays during the day.

I would do it. Its temporary and brings in extra cash.

I can see both sides OP, cleaning products trigger issues with my breathing and can be very unpleasant, I can struggle to breathe from just using bleach.

However, we are in strange times and extra cleaning up after yourself is now the new norm, even going into supermarkets, we clean the trolleys!

Also, as someone who has recently received redundancy notices I'd be as keen as possible to just suck it up, if you can for these two weeks.

Recruitment is going to drop and there's going to be 100s of applications for any jobs that are going. Suck it up and be glad you've got a job

Oh do fuck off.

The OP is a lunchtime supervisor, not a cleaner.

All staff are cleaners under COVID. Heads, office staff, teachers, TAs....

ffs Im a senior carer on nights in a care home, we do cleaning as well as looking after residents.

I'd just get on with it if I were you although I think everyone should be mu king in and that includes teachers in and around theor own classrooms.

The OP is a lunchtime supervisor, not a cleaner.

Neither am I but for the sake of my own health and that of the children I'm wiping and spraying away.

All staff are cleaners under COVID. Heads, office staff, teachers, TAs

Do point me at that rule.

You’re really coming across as a team player here OP. Willing to anything to help in these unprecedented times. NOT!
Would have loved to have seen you in the war effort.
It’s bloody 2 weeks. So you’ve been taking your full pay all this time and are just not prepared to pitch in for 2 weeks?! I hope you’re top of the list for the heevho should job losses happen.

Necessity is the rule.

Pinki I do love people who don't actually bother to read the thread or at least the last few posts the op puts on.