Anyone else worried about school staff?

[Sibsmum]

I am sorting uniforms and other school things for September start and I am just thinking that I have heard a lot about children's safety but very little if anything about the safety of school staff.
It looks like they have no ppe and in secondary will be teaching lots of kids from lots of bubbles. Then there are the catering staff, exposed to everyone, TA's and other admin and support staff, cleaners and site staff. How are they being kept safe? Or are they just expendable because were desperate to get our Dc back ?
I feel a bit guilty that I hadn't considered that at all.

Measures are being put in place but they're like spitting in the wind. Staggered drop off and pick up times...less mixing of parents on school grounds but fine 2 metres further down the road. Bubbles of 30 in primary...but siblings in different classes, staff who work with different groups, layout of classrooms so have to go through one to access another so bubbles burst. Teachers in theory to teach from front keeping 2m from children...but that's not going to happen in primary for long as we can't check work, help, suggest improvements, use discreet behavioural management strategies, help a 4 year old who has wet themself. No singing lessons, no assemblies. Lots of hand washing. That's about it really.

*How are they being kept safe?

They aren't.

Or are they just expendable because were desperate to get our Dc back?

Yes, that’s it.*

This. And the magic of wishful thinking. I really, really hope we've got rates down enough that it will be enough.

My point about unions is that in my experience ( have had 2 phone calls from my union rep during lockdown- nothing prior in my 7 years of being a member) they want to cause disruption and anxiety in their members where generally there is none. You only have to look at how many teachers and support staff on this thread and others, who say they are happy to go back with the measures we already have in place. When I spoke to my union rep she was only interested in my concerns about returning not what measures my school had taken. I told her that I had seen and had input to our schools risk assessment and plan as had all the staff in the school and that I knew of no one who was unhappy. Obviously not all schools will be like mine but I know that two other local school schools to me have taken the same approach of getting staff input to risk assessments etc.

I’d rather we went back as normal than the shambolic pretence at safety measures that won’t actually improve safety in the slightest (bubbles at secondary ffs? Are they on glue?) but will make my job much, much harder.

If we went back as normal then at least they would be acknowledging that they don’t give a shit about teacher safety instead of this fucking gaslighting.

Secondary school:

“Kids don’t transmit it to adults” - don’t be so stupid

“Kids in bubbles” - don’t be so stupid

“Teachers 2m from kids at the front of the class” - don’t be so stupid

“Extra hand washing” - don’t be so stupid

“Extra cleaning” - don’t be so stupid

“Teachers can wear masks” - even if they could (don’t be so stupid) we need the kids to wear them

Anything else?

@noblegiraffe

Secondary school:

“Kids don’t transmit it to adults” - don’t be so stupid

“Kids in bubbles” - don’t be so stupid

“Teachers 2m from kids at the front of the class” - don’t be so stupid

“Extra hand washing” - don’t be so stupid

“Extra cleaning” - don’t be so stupid

“Teachers can wear masks” - even if they could (don’t be so stupid) we need the kids to wear them

Anything else?

Covid is an airborne virus.

Not in school buildings it's not.

Come on now - don't be stupid

All my colleagues on this thread saying they don't want to wear a mask....what about protecting the vulnerable? There will be many of your colleagues and students (we have cancer sufferers, a young lady with CF and many type 1 diabetics-and that's just the kids!) that need the extra protection.

You know....just like in every other public space.

I am so shocked at how openly selfish people are. I hope you are none of my actual colleagues.

I work in a secondary school. I'm not worried about my own safety but that's because I'm healthy and in a role where its relatively easy to socially distance most of the time. I worry for my colleagues who are older and have pre-existing health conditions, bubbles of 280+ kids is a joke and the classrooms aren't big enough for SD. They all want to go back though- I don't know a single member of school staff who doesn't want schools to reopen in September. My main worry is how we will keep the school open with staff having to self-isolate due to normal coughs/colds that do the rounds every year. Last winter my whole team had a hacking cough that lingered for about 6 weeks. It didn't stop any of us coming to work but under the new rules this wouldn't be allowed. Many of us also have young DC and if they get sent home from nursery/primary school someone has to be there to look after them. My DD has hayfever that makes her cough and her primary school have been very clear that they will be erring on the side of caution when it comes to sending kids home with anything that could possibly be a potential Corona symptom. Half her Year 1 class seem to have streaming noses and coughs at any given time usually so some of them will hardly ever be in!

I'm a TA in a primary school. I work 1 to 1 with children who have additional needs.
I don't WANT to wear a mask because
a) my charges need the added input of facial expressions etc to help them process what I am saying
b) I am struggling to hear others when they wear masks - I am not classed as having hearing loss but I need additional input to help me process what people are saying
c) wearing a mask makes me want to cry (huge levels of panic etc which I suck up for short periods but would struggle with all day)
I WILL wear a mask if required but I am not looking forward to it!

I would happily wear a visor though.

I'm school admin, and I'm worried. I was classed as vulnerable but not bad enough to be shielded. Im also 49 and work with many staff who are 50+. There is no way in our school rooms that teachers can be 2m away from students. Conversely there is also no way the job they do, can be done with masks as they are music staff. I particularly worry for the singing, woodwind and brass students and staff.

The school have processes in place for normal teaching, and the music staff have been doing virtual lessons but obviously this is not as successful as in person. Also we have a number of orchestras, choirs and bands. I have already been told with current social distancing that rehearsals for these will be limited at best.

I will wait to hear more from my school what they plan but yes Im very worried but will return when the school opens. Because I dont teach but do have contact with students I will have a mask in readiness to wear at those times.

I don't know any teachers who don't want to go back.

That doesn't mean they can't also be worried about the way it's happening and how safe it actually is and how long they can remain open with the current plans.

I feel so sad for teachers - people are confusing worry for lack of want.

The reasons there are no proven cases of a school child transmitting it to a teacher are
a) schools were closed for ages, then running on very low numbers
b) people weren't/aren't being tested
c) there is never any cast-iron proof of who anyone actually caught it from!

I'm happy to go back to school, because I'm healthy and am pretty certain I already had the virus in early March (probably caught in school!). But I think masks should be worn and I'm fed up with the bollocks the government is spouting and fed up with the vicious, ignorant comments about teachers that some parents are spewing.

I work in a school (cleaner/midday supervisor). Been in more or less throughout until summer break.
More concerned about the extra cleaning workload when we start back than catching covid tbh.

Pingu thank you

TheSultanofPingu

Thank you for all your hard work. We could not open at all without people like you.

I work in a school. There definitely are outbreaks in school - check out this data here from PHE. These figure were from the end of July so when schools were operating with fewer pupils in bubbles of 15, so I can only see it getting worse in the autumn term .

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/903450/WeeklyyCOVID19SurveillanceeReportweekk30FINALLUPDATED.pdf

I'm anxious. I hated teaching from home so want to be back in school . But I've no idea what my school's plan is yet. They are probably waiting for further guidance. I think we are looking at a difficult term from September once bubbles burst, teachers isolate etc.

The only thing that really frustrates me with going back is the inconsistency with forward facing seating.

If children don't need to socially distance and can sit shoulder to shoulder, why do I need to have all 30 of them breathing at me when I am supposed to be distancing myself from them?

Thanks user and sunrise

Teacher in secondary school. I want to be back online teaching was horrid! But I am so worried not for my self but for my family who are vulnerable. I am a carer for them and without me though would be unable to function with any normality. I am in the middle of trying to find somewhere else to live As I cannot put them at risk but can not afford to rent and pay for mums carers. We still don’t know what schools are doing.
The children are the most important thing but my fear it is going to chaos and lead to another lockdown. Personally I thing a rota system is best for secondary for the first term as a test run

We still have zero idea of the plan for opening - head said, in a merry tone, that the final guidance (and let’s be honest: that changes like the wind) will be out on 15th August, so we will see.

I’ve worked in a secondary school throughout and even with limited numbers, we had a number of self isolating staff after contact with an adult case. If that happens again, with more students to look after, let alone teach, the school has a limited budget and supply is blooming expensive. The additional money for tutoring will come through, but be aware that the govt have withdrawn the existing intervention budget quietly, so we have will have less money than the headlines suggest.

In the US, more than 97,000 students have been tested positive in the last two weeks of July, although for some reason, Alabama counted people up to the age of 24 whilst others counted those up to 14 years.

With the best will in the world - and my colleagues and I have the best will - if they do regularly test students, I’m pretty sure that education will remain disrupted for some time.

And @TheSultanofPingu you and your colleagues are unsung stars, in my opinion.

Did you worry about supermarket workers ?

Did you worry about warehouse workers ?

Did you worry about delivery people ?

Did you worry about I.T. people ?

Did you worry about gas, electric and water workers ?

All of the above worked every day since March - what makes teachers so special ?

@TheSultanofPingu

I work in a school (cleaner/midday supervisor). Been in more or less throughout until summer break. More concerned about the extra cleaning workload when we start back than catching covid tbh.

THANKYOU.

An integral part of the running of the school and often overlooked.

@user1471530109

All my colleagues on this thread saying they don't want to wear a mask....what about protecting the vulnerable? There will be many of your colleagues and students (we have cancer sufferers, a young lady with CF and many type 1 diabetics-and that's just the kids!) that need the extra protection.

You know....just like in every other public space.

I am so shocked at how openly selfish people are. I hope you are none of my actual colleagues.

Exactly what you said.

@marinintheuk

Did you worry about supermarket workers ?

Did you worry about warehouse workers ?

Did you worry about delivery people ?

Did you worry about I.T. people ?

Did you worry about gas, electric and water workers ?

All of the above worked every day since March - what makes teachers so special ?

Supermarket workers are working behind large plastic screens and customers were queuing down the road throughout lockdown to massively limit numbers in the store.

Delivery people are not asking for signatures and are able to social diatance.

Nearly all of my male friends work in IT-all have worked from home since March.

I’m a teacher and also worked every day, at home or in school during March-May, but back full time since June.

Why do you think that teachers are so special that they don’t deserve any sort of risk mitigation?