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.

@noblegiraffe

The morality-vacuum that is Boris Johnson lecturing teachers who, unlike him, actually serve other people and not just themselves, about moral duty in order to try to guilt-trip us into accepting his less-than-adequate leadership on this is pretty despicable.

Spot on

I'm a TA in an infant school. I'm 50, asthmatic and a bit overweight. I'm really worried!

I largely worked from home throughout lockdown because I was put in the vulnerable group but I went in for a week at the end of term when my school allowed our year 2s to have a 'last day' at school.

We only had 15 children at a time. In front of the parents, it was all SD etc but then it just went to pot! One teacher didn't even sanitize the children's hands before she gave them a snack to eat.

Staff didn't acknowledge SD (the ones that had become blasé from being in school throughout). It really worried me.

We're going back in September with even less measures in place! Year group bubbles instead of bubbles of 15 and as I work across the year group, I've gone from being super careful since March, to now being in close proximity to 60 children and four adults.

The windows barely open and we're not supposed to have doors open for safeguarding reasons.

My DD is going into year 11 and I imagine her situation will be very similar.

So yeah, I'm vulnerable and I'm scared.

This is how it's going in America

www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/us/coronavirus-students.html

www.mirror.co.uk/news/us-news/97000-children-test-positive-coronavirus-22494909

The reports that haven't been published yet in the uk. The phe is the one waiting to be released.

www.independent.co.uk/news/education/coronavirus-schools-primary-secondary-pupils-risk-phe-latest-a9664086.html

Those are just 3 random papers I have chosen. Others media outlets around the globe are publishing similar headlines.

Interesting read that also mentions how to try and reduce the spread in school
rs-delve.github.io/reports/2020/07/24/balancing-the-risk-of-pupils-returning-to-schools.html

Found the above on
www.gloucestershire.gov.uk/schoolsnet/school-provision-during-covid-19-crisis/dfe-and-other-national-guidance/

@IndiaPlace

More than £40 million is being handed to local transport authorities next term to ease pressure on public transport as children return to school in September.

Picking up from earlier...great, except we just don't have the coaches.

Due to previous government cuts in homeschool transport funding, many companies went into administration or closed because the funding provided didn't make school transport contracts viable.

There are no buses.

This is true.

So a lot of kids as we know use public transport. Many of these companies are also crippled because of free transport for all. If they don't have the buses/drivers then tough.

Although isn't the advice to also not use them unless you really have to.

If I was these transport companies I wouldn't be doing jack shit until I see the cash in the account and the full terms of the scheme. Chances are like tutoring, laptops, free travel for all etc, it will come with a lot of restrictions and get out clauses.

Although come September this will be the transport people fault because they don't like the terms.

My SEN school has never closed was and all the children were in. It wasn't possible to socially distance due to the nature of our children. No PPE, just washing hands and lots of antibacterial spray. None of us including the children have caught the virus.

Couldn't there be some sort of regular testing in schools? Guess that's too many tests...
Why aren't teachers/ school staff getting any ppe? I can understand little children maybe being scared but surely secondary children could cope with a teacher in a mask/visor.
Also, I am finding it hard to believe what we're being told nowadays. It's often contradictory, makes no sense and doesn't follow what other countries who have been successful, have done.

None of us including the children have caught the virus.

Which tells you that community transmission was low due to lockdown and therefore there wasn’t any virus in your community to catch.

The issue is in September there won’t be a lockdown so community transmission will be a greater issue, and the number of adults and children in schools will skyrocket. It’s then more likely that an adult or child will bring the virus into a school and due to the complete lack of mitigation measures, it will spread fast.

@Sibsmum

Couldn't there be some sort of regular testing in schools? Guess that's too many tests... Why aren't teachers/ school staff getting any ppe? I can understand little children maybe being scared but surely secondary children could cope with a teacher in a mask/visor. Also, I am finding it hard to believe what we're being told nowadays. It's often contradictory, makes no sense and doesn't follow what other countries who have been successful, have done.

Because there is a psychological argument here that has taken precidence.

The Government has consistently stated that schools are safe. It's essential that the general public believe this to be the case because the Government need people to be back at work for the economy. They also need to look like they care about education because to do otherwise, at this time, would be political suicide. That's why a part-time or blended learning model has been disregarded.

Putting stronger safety measures in place, especially PPE, contradicts the "schools are safe" message. It makes it far more difficult for parents to believe that if they have to provide masks for the children or classrooms look like a scene from a plague drama. The Government won't risk that.

@noblegiraffe
It’s then more likely that an adult or child will bring the virus into a school and due to the complete lack of mitigation measures, it will spread fast.

Made worse by the fact that children are often asymptomatic so will be school even when they have the virus. Adults in an office, on the other hand, would be staying at home with symptoms.

@Sibsmum

Couldn't there be some sort of regular testing in schools? Guess that's too many tests... Why aren't teachers/ school staff getting any ppe? I can understand little children maybe being scared but surely secondary children could cope with a teacher in a mask/visor. Also, I am finding it hard to believe what we're being told nowadays. It's often contradictory, makes no sense and doesn't follow what other countries who have been successful, have done.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/inews.co.uk/news/health/schools-covid-19-coronavirus-tests-routine-ministers-reject-574926/amp

Government say no.

Schools are safe remember, because the government say they are.

Move along now please, there’s nothing to see here.

@Sibsmum

Couldn't there be some sort of regular testing in schools? Guess that's too many tests... Why aren't teachers/ school staff getting any ppe? I can understand little children maybe being scared but surely secondary children could cope with a teacher in a mask/visor. Also, I am finding it hard to believe what we're being told nowadays. It's often contradictory, makes no sense and doesn't follow what other countries who have been successful, have done.

I heartily agree with what you say. The Children's Comissioner called for testing yesterday but was shouted down.

I'd be interested to know how many people who don't give a shit about teachers are working from home themselves or working outside home but with PPE and social distancing (and I in life hospitals, care homes and supermarkets in that).

My ds is a swimmer.

They returned to training last night for the first time since lockdown.

10 max per lane. 2m distances. No diving. If they stop facing over end of pool. No changing rooms.

This was what the government demanded to ensure pools were safe and they even delayed the opening because they said risks were there.

All these swimmers are going to be in bubbles over 150 in 3 different schools and 2 colleges with limited SD etc in 3 weeks time.

They use chlorine to clean in hospitals!

This is where I struggle. Why is the science apparently so different in different places? Why are these kids perfectly safe to kid in school and not at a pool etc?

What was even funnier was watching a bunch of 13-19yo who have all been mixing in one form of another and some of the older ones car sharing to the venue and then having to keep distant when there

@Icequeen01

My SEN school has never closed was and all the children were in. It wasn't possible to socially distance due to the nature of our children. No PPE, just washing hands and lots of antibacterial spray. None of us including the children have caught the virus.

Your school was lucky. The one I used to work in, they did have to close before May half term. Managed to re-open in July but of course many parents were reluctant to send in their DC's and had about a third in.

It's that school that make me worried for a lot of those in education. Parents would send in their kids ill. They'd walk in quietly, drop and go.

Because of the health conditions of some of the pupils, we were very aware of infection control. We were all given anti-bac to carry on us with those extendable cord things. If we didn't have it on us we would get a bollocking for it,

Then one year the country had a bad flu season. Descended on us around October, finally fucked off around February/March.

And of course, all the mild stuff, all the sniffles and coughs, the temperatures, the sore throats that run rampant every year from around October to March in a lot of schools and other workplaces. But at least other workplaces have been given decent guidelines to help stop the spread.

THe cleaning equipment in the bathrooms is it left on the side or locked in a cupboard and they key out of reach of the students? Mainstream especially at secondary, even behind a little locked cupboard, cleaning stuff cannot be left in the toilets btw,

The main plan of mainstream opening full time is that the pupils move as little as possible, and staff will leaving the students unattended. As we know, cannot leave students inside the classes. And cleaning products within the class have to be stored correctly.

Corona hasn't done away with basic H&S unlike what the government would have us believe.

Even school nurses in sen schools are pissed off. If they assigned anywhere else they are treated as NHS. In schools, well all that shit isn't needed.

Yup car pooling. How many who went back in the little bubbles were carpooling?

Not that many if any. The majority of the country was at home and could do the school run themselves instead of Cheryl's mum on Monday, Samuels dad on Wednesday, and Nickie for from number 26 on a Friday.

In order for those parents who cannot wfh, they will have to use these various ad-hoc arrangements. Yes I know but it's only supposed to be a restricted number, what's the school going to do when a teacher realised Timmies older sister is picking up Timmie and friends and are walking out of the gates? Never know, Timmies parent might work elsewhere in another school or is a vet nurse!!

@itsgettingweird

My ds is a swimmer.

They returned to training last night for the first time since lockdown.

10 max per lane. 2m distances. No diving. If they stop facing over end of pool. No changing rooms.

This was what the government demanded to ensure pools were safe and they even delayed the opening because they said risks were there.

All these swimmers are going to be in bubbles over 150 in 3 different schools and 2 colleges with limited SD etc in 3 weeks time.

They use chlorine to clean in hospitals!

This is where I struggle. Why is the science apparently so different in different places? Why are these kids perfectly safe to kid in school and not at a pool etc?

What was even funnier was watching a bunch of 13-19yo who have all been mixing in one form of another and some of the older ones car sharing to the venue and then having to keep distant when there

I think because schools are such a BIG thing-a real hot potato, they simply don’t know where to start. So rather than talking to heads, or the unions, or scientists-months ago-to plan a sensible, safe and properly funded return, what they’ve done is just ignored it for months.

They’ve also deflected by piling vitriol on lazy teachers and unions in the press and blaming them for REFUSING to get back to work (we didn’t stop) and are just hoping that when it all goes wrong (which they know it will), people blame the schools instead.

What worries me as well, is the fact that during the winter terms it's easier to spot a child that isn't coughing and spluttering everywhere, so are the parents going to keep their child off every single time????

I very much doubt it because I wish I had a £ for every time a child has told me that they had been sick that morning or in the night etc but they've been sent in and told, 'You'll be ok, the teachers will look after you and ring me if you're sick'.

We're being thrown under the bus.

@rainbowstardrops
I completely agree.

My plan of opening would involve
Fines for parents dosing and sending
Fines for you will be ok, teacher will look after you.
Something harsher for the ones that are too busy to arrange for their to be collected.

Won't be able to let them rest quietly in the class somewhere. The child has to be taken out of the class and isolated preferably in a closed room alone depending on the age of the child.

Once schools do that, the sad face uniform breech stories will look even more ridiculous when they are replaced with the sad my child was in a class alone like they had leprosy or something.

@Tooshytoshine

Pre-puberty covid has different symptoms where it is a gastric illness rather than a respiratory one

It’s important to say that this is not true. Ds (10) had the “classic” cough, chest pain and fever. It did start with a one-off vomit, but after that it was respiratory symptoms, then inflammatory system symptoms.

[quote TaxTheRatFarms]@Tooshytoshine

Pre-puberty covid has different symptoms where it is a gastric illness rather than a respiratory one

It’s important to say that this is not true. Ds (10) had the “classic” cough, chest pain and fever. It did start with a one-off vomit, but after that it was respiratory symptoms, then inflammatory system symptoms.[/quote]
If it is truly a gastro illness in teens/preteens, then I dealt with around [checks medical book] 120 kids with it in March in addition to those coughing or with high temperatures. Then there would be the siblings and other family members.

Of course, they wouldn't have been tested for anything. They just had a tummy bug because they didn't have the only symptoms allowed for by the government. And at least 75% come by bus.

@canigooutyet yes exactly. So if we think a child could potentially have COVID symptoms, what do we do with them???

They can't stay in the class and potentially infect 29 other children and various members of staff and they can't go and sit in the office because again, they're potentially infecting staff - and most of us have children and families at home too!!!!

Oh and don't get me started on the parents saying they won't be there for ages because they're in the middle of doing their shopping, having lunch etc etc etc.

So I agree, there should be a firm plan in place because I read our COVID risk assessment that states that children won't be accepted if they arrive late, bubbles wouldn't be larger than 15 (during lockdown) blah blah blah and they were all disregarded.

I'd like people that don't work in schools to know what it's actually like and not totally believe all the 'measures' that will 'supposedly' be in place. Having said that, when I went in for the last week of term, it was such a godsend to actually have soap in the classrooms (I used to buy my own) and toilets and paper towels too!!!
I guess that's some kind of progress 🤷🏻‍♀️

I haven't read the whole thread, apologies. However, I have read that only 1 teacher has died from CV-19 and didn't catch it from a child at school.

The point is, children need to get back to school. I don't care if they're all in masks or bloody hazmat suits. But the economy needs to fully reopen and that includes children going back to school.

*I’d rather we went back as normal than the shambolic pretence at safety measures that won’t actually improve safety in the slightest ... 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.*

This post from noble yesterday sums up completely how I feel about it. Spot on.

I haven't read the whole thread, apologies. However, I have read that only 1 teacher has died from CV-19 and didn't catch it from a child at school.

Ah, yes -and because you read that, it must mean it’s true.

I haven't read the whole thread, apologies. However, I have read that only 1 teacher has died from CV-19 and didn't catch it from a child at school.

Oh, Jesus Christ.
May I suggest then, that you go away and educate yourself from one of the myriad of threads explaining just how wrong your statement is, and then come back with a useful contribution.

@rainbowstardrops
Don't get too excited about the soap.

I mainly worked around sen, and regardless of mainstream or specialist, the soap quickly runs out. And the bigger question of course then is what have the school had to cut to now give you all soap?

Assuming the fantasy of these magic doors and walls protects everyone, what will this now cost the staff financially? Far too many put their hands in their own pockets to buy stuff needed to educate to begin with.

We should be listening to what schools are saying, forget the shite the government is feeding you, and think back to last year, the year before. Think back to every year your child has spent in school.

How many conversations were something like?
How was school today Samantha?
Omg mum why do I have to go, there's only a couple of us in, the rest are off. All we are doing is watching movies anyway as our usual teacher isn't in either. Had to spend some of the day with Year whatever class.

Those normal school day things won't be allowed to happen. If the school do this, they will be blamed for closing the school down.

@DelilahfromDevon in the UK alone, back in May, when schools were closed to the majority of students and staff, 65 teachers died. Not just one. Do you have a link to the source of one teacher related death please?