The government have fucked up the re-opening of schools

[noblegiraffe]

They have, haven't they?

Back in June their five tests for reopening schools were:

First we must protect the NHS’s ability to cope, and be sure that it can continue to provide critical care and specialist treatment right across the whole of the United Kingdom.

Second, we need to see daily death rates from coronavirus coming down.

Third, we need to have reliable data that shows the rate of infection is decreasing to manageable levels.

Four, we need to be confident that testing capacity and PPE is being managed, with supply able to meet, not just today’s demand, but future demand.

And fifth, and perhaps most crucially, we need to be confident that any changes we do make will not risk a second peak of infections.

I'm pretty sure I know the reason for not reminding people of those five tests this time round, but particularly test 4 - capacity within the testing system.

I was listening to the radio today about how the lack of testing is damaging the NHS's capacity to reopen services as nurses with symptoms cannot get tests and therefore cannot return to work. The same goes for schools - if teachers cannot get tests, either for themselves or for family members with symptoms, then they cannot go to work. This has been the case even with priority referrals.

There also seems to be utter chaos around who gets sent home when there is a positive test. Some schools are sending home a year group, others close contacts. Teachers often have no idea if they'll be sent home if one of their pupils tests positive.

But surely the government are tracking cases in schools carefully? No, it turns out they're not even storing that data. schoolsweek.co.uk/its-official-dfe-doesnt-know-how-many-schools-have-covid-cases

And a survey suggests that covid protection measures in some schools are poor. www.tes.com/news/third-teachers-lack-soap-and-water-school

So with an abysmal test and trace system, less than adequate measures to prevent the spread, and a department that isn't on top of its brief we can expect more disruption to come.

Even if your own kids' school is fine so far, parents really shouldn't be happy with this state of affairs, particularly the lack of testing capacity that will mean children will be out of school or missing a teacher unnecessarily.

YABU: The government have done a sterling job
YANBU: The government have not done a sterling job

@millymollymoomoo

I didn’t vote as I don’t like the choices Schools need to be open with all children in. End of HTH

But I don't want my children in this mess!

They stand a far greater chance of remaining open of the government gets its shitshow in order.

Not sure what you mean by end of, in this context.

Repeat what year are they? Can you take them out, if younger Oak Academy is pretty good.

Teaching my class of 34 teenagers in a tiny room without much ventilation, I won't be surprised if the same starts happening in my school. No social distancing is non existent in the corridors and teenagers think wearing a mask on their chin is ok! Already pockets of children home in most of the classes I have taught today awaiting a test or results.

Once unis start back next week it’s game over

I’d like the threshold assessed. Eg 1 or two positive cases and 200 etc students sent home.

@ineedaholidaynow

The Government *@BeingATwatItsABingThing*

Then I agree with you.

My city has the highest number of schools affected.

Just bought textbooks for everyone of my ds year 10 course. It’s stupid to think schools can even stay open despit them being promised ‘Covid secure’ and safe by 🤡

@noblegiraffe people can't get tests because too many are going for them with snotty noses and sore throats not a temprature or cough or loss of smell or taste.
You need to think about going off with stress I think, you are clearly very stressed about all of this and you aren't doing yourself or your pupils any good.

@millymollymoomoo do you think there could be improvements on how schools have gone back and a better testing system so not so many pupils have to be off whilst waiting for test results.

I have Y11 DC I want him to be in school as much as possible not spending weeks on end at home every time the bubble bursts

We have sent over a dozen kids home with covid symptoms today, and we're not one of these Schools who are sending them home just for a sniffle. Several staff at home as they need tests for themselves or their DC and can't get them. Several other schools within spitting distance have had to send year groups home due to students and /or staff testing positive so it's only a matter of time before it's our turn.

What really worries me is that we're not allowed to ask for proof of negative tests. We just have to take Parents word for it and since no one can get a test for love nor money I imagine some will be tempted to lie so they can send their kids in so they can get back to work.

It's a complete mess.

My children were back at school for a week and now have Covid so it hasn’t been a great start for me.

This is what operation moonshot is all about. Crazily optimistic announcement to hide the underperformance relating to previous announcements.

There are a few parts to getting testing right. Triaging to get the right people tested - based on clinical guidelines. A working computer system to allocate tests. Functioning testing process. Lab capacity to process tests.

But none of them are rocket science, nor is the need for them a surprise. The government could have started a thread on mumsnet in June and would have been told things like 'kids get colds, this will need to be factored into the triage process'.

And where the fuck is Dido Harding? She's gone awfully quiet.

No I think schools should never have closed. It's ridiculous.

@MarshaBradyo

I’d like the threshold assessed. Eg 1 or two positive cases and 200 etc students sent home.

Gosh I don't, that will just spread it round even more!

You need to think about going off with stress I think, you are clearly very stressed about all of this and you aren't doing yourself or your pupils any good.

Oh do back off.Rather a lot of us agree with her.

In case you missed the link

schoolsweek.co.uk/its-official-dfe-doesnt-know-how-many-schools-have-covid-cases/amp/?fbclid=IwAR1vNAIKV2mabtvlBpiHu1FLKwdKlhrySaHeFDQhyFbOP7QcRzrrk2UNDnI

@Mippi

My children were back at school for a week and now have Covid so it hasn’t been a great start for me.

@Mippi

Hope your family are all ok and recover soon.

No I think schools should never have closed.

Not sure how that goes with the question posed. Surely you can want that and still recognise the government is fucking it up?

And where the fuck is Dido Harding? She's gone awfully quiet.

Each school seems to follow the rules differently. One local to me says children don't need to stay at home with a cough unless you would have kept them home pre lockdown. If they don't have a temperature too then they can go in as normal. They also only close a class if there is a case and disregard siblings.

‘You need to think about going off with stress I think, you are clearly very stressed about all of this and you aren't doing yourself or your pupils any good’

Try teaching atm....

They have completely fucking utterly cocked up in the most specfucktacular fashion...
I am massively sleep deprived, so forgive my sweariness.

On all the previous schools opening up threads, I posted about medically vulnerable ds...10 years old, previously shielded, with complex needs, should we send in? Will we get fined? What about de registering?

No. Fucking. Point

8 days ds had back at school. 8 days...
Sunday night wakes up coughing, temperature of 38.4. Call in Monday morning, tell them we'll try to get test. Call dd1 and 2s secondary, explain situation. Dh calls his men at work tells them he'll be back when he can get a test....
Go online..Nothing..Call 119...Bupkis...back online Naff all. No tests anywhere.

Ds typically has 5 or 6 ish episodes of illness over the Winter months, usually with at least one or 2 hospital trips. With no tests, that means dh only getting ssp for potentially 70ish days, yr 9 and 10 dds potentially missing 84 days of school.

Or we keep ds home, get fined, he stays well..hopefully no hospital trips...and dh and dds can at least carry on as much as possible.

I am beyond fucked off (possibly partly because I have spent 2 nights sat up with a poorly ds propped up on me)

[quote FlamingoorPigeon]@noblegiraffe people can't get tests because too many are going for them with snotty noses and sore throats not a temprature or cough or loss of smell or taste.
You need to think about going off with stress I think, you are clearly very stressed about all of this and you aren't doing yourself or your pupils any good.[/quote]
The Government told us that we have capacity for 350,000 tests per day. We are currently testings between 150,000 to 200,000 per day. That's running at 42% to 57%. If the Government is being honest with us then we should have over a hundred thousand free test spaces every single day.

Our issue is not their lie about people testing when they don't need to. That's them trying to shift the blame again. Our issue is the lies that they have told us about the testing system.

It's not a global problem either: Italy and Germany are doing loads of our testing for us because, unlike us, their leadership created an effective, sustainable testing system. Our Government gave contracts to their friends without even checking if they could fulfil them.

emoji that poster is a TA -and leading world expert in schools because none of the ones she knows of are affected

[quote FlamingoorPigeon]@noblegiraffe people can't get tests because too many are going for them with snotty noses and sore throats not a temprature or cough or loss of smell or taste.
You need to think about going off with stress I think, you are clearly very stressed about all of this and you aren't doing yourself or your pupils any good.[/quote]
Those are the symptoms children testing positive have. No point in using adult symptom checker for children