To ask if you are happy with the protection levels at school?

[MissMissICantDoThis]

I am a teacher so feel that I have some insight into what is going on in schools and I am feeling increasingly worried about the 'second wave'.

We have guidelines at our school and they mainly protect us adults. In reality, I couldn't do my job without breaking the guidelines and putting myself at risk. I accept this and felt that I accepted the risk in general. In my circle it is generally 'brave face and no complaining' attitude so I do not hear anyone talking about it.

I have mixed feelings for my own children. My son seems genuinely scared for the adults in the family and I am doing my best to support this.

I do not think that they will close schools again. The damage that the last lockdown did is evident. However, I am increasingly in favour of closing them again for a circuit breaker at least. The scientific evidence is so mixed that I do not know what to believe and wonder if the government are purposely being vague to avoid lockdown. Death rates are inevitably down compared to the first wave now that they only count deaths within 28 days yet they announced that it can take several weeks for someone to become critically ill.

My friend has a worried child too and she has said that if necessary, she will take her child out and face the fine. Is anyone else's child really worried? How do you feel about this?

I am genuinely prepared to accept that I am on half term and have spent more time watching the news than I normally would. Am I allowing myself to be scaremongered?

DC seem content and tbf, that's what matters to me. Protecting their mental health, I mean.

DS says conditions are often cold but insists he can manage. I imagine the staff are struggling not to be freezing with all the doors & windows wide open. The kids bundled up in hats gloves coats but I don't know if staff get to wrap up the same. Fire doors must be open all day. Somehow that's now perfectly safe. Someone tell me why they ever had fire doors?

The classes are now all mixed ability & maybe the staff enjoy the challenge of teaching multi-level, how primary school kids learn, or telling kids off for teasing anyone who is a 'swot'. tbf, they sorted this problem out for DS so far.

The teachers move rooms each period change over; I imagine this is stressful since they don't have a proper room where to keep own work documents. Maybe they carry baskets with them or somesuch. The changeover takes about 20 seconds, staff only scooch to classroom next door, in case someone assumes the kids have constant riots due to lack of supervision.

DS (yr8) much wanted to do catering GCSE so I hope that can still happen in future. Like science & drama, it's rather changed in how it's taught.

DS (yr12) doesn't seem to have any comments, although he had a paddy about finding the only mask he doesn't feel embarrassed to wear (found it, luckily).

@noblegiraffe

I heard that Belgium is having to rope in parents to stand in front of classes due to so many teachers being off with covid.

A good opportunity for all those happy with how safe schools are should that situation arise here.

You are happy that your children will not be badly affected by coronavirus should they catch it at school. Great and absolutely correct given the evidence. I am the same.
However, I am well aware of all the previously shielding teachers at their school, and I worry for them. I worry for my children's terminally ill grandad, and what little time they have left with him. I worry about visiting their grandmother who lives alone and relies on us, and who has COPD and lupus. I worry about the long term implications of my children's education should their teachers become.ill, or leave. I worry about my 3 colleagues who are currently having treatment for cancer, and still teaching. I worry about the 2 teachers in my department on immunosuppression for different conditions.

It's all about the wider picture...

I think it's ask relevant that they haven't updated the Covid symptom list for young kids. There's a lot of evidence that in young children that rashes and stomach upsets are frequently a symptom but politics...

Those posters skeptical of fact that those happy with situation don’t actually have to be in classrooms and therefore think that is why we are happy with seem to forget something fairly significant

OUR children are going in. And whilst I don’t speak for everyone, certainly from my perspective - I regard my children as a heck of a lot more precious that me!

DH is support staff & cant wfh however I agree with the above, if I thought my children were at serious risk I would not send them to school. By sending them in & DH working in a separate school environment I'm not exactly not going to come be able to hide from the virus am I?

OUR children are going in

What you are completely failing to appreciate, sodamncold is that you are sending your kid in knowing that kids mostly get a mild case or are asymptomatic and so you're happy with that risk for your kid.

You are completely ignoring other people's entirely valid concerns or safety considerations because they don't apply to you.

Screw everyone else so long as you're ok, right?

Converseley I'm pretty happy with d's college and all the precautions they are taking. But they are lucky to have modern, well ventilated facilities and can work in small fixed teams.

Yes we are very pleased with our school, everyone is doing a great job and we have had no cases whatsoever (huge school 900 plus pupils)

No I'm not happy with them but dont see how it can be improved other than having one week on one week off which isnt viable realy

everyone is doing a great job and we have had no cases whatsoever

How do you know everyone is doing a great job if there hasn't been a case in the school to test the measures? What you've been is lucky.

No I'm not happy with them but dont see how it can be improved other than having one week on one week off which isnt viable realy

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4059472-Ways-to-make-schools-safer-without-closing-them

Whole thread of suggestions here.

My OP was:

"We could start with an effective test and trace system, which we were told was essential for the safe re-opening of schools, but we opened without.

We could move onto making sure that all classrooms have windows. And then that those windows open. A national WEAR A VEST campaign to stop parents and kid complaining that it's cold. Germany have just invested a large amount of money in improving ventilation in schools, the UK should follow them.

Masks. Why do the government keep insisting they're not needed in corridors (from the comfort of a socially distanced parliament) and that it's impossible to use them in classrooms when the rest of the world seem to manage? What lessons can we learn from the international experience?

Marquees/covers on the playgrounds so that kids aren't inside for wet break. I know that wet break caused a whole year group to be sent home in a local school as it was uncontrolled indoor close contact.

For it to be mandatory (not simply 'where possible') that classrooms are arranged so that teachers are 2m from the kids when teaching. If smaller class sizes are needed to facilitate this, then solutions must be found even if the government needs to pay money for bigger spaces.

Parents to be supported/sanctioned to avoid kids being sent into school with symptoms or when they're supposed to be isolating.

The government to update its list of symptoms for children requiring a test to include the main ones that children experience, instead of the adult symptoms which they mainly don't.

Regular testing in schools, particularly when there are outbreaks, to enable more effective isolation.

Vulnerable kids to be allowed the option of staying at home. Schooling could be provided by Oak Academy (why spend millions on it and not use it?) and the army of 'catch-up tutors' to provide feedback on work (or ECV teachers also permitted to stay at home)"

@WhyNotMe40 it's not either or though. I worry about the wider picture too, one of my inlaws died from Covid so I'm not under any illusion as to what it is.

My mother has a lung condition & heart problems. Whether my children are in school or not I would still worry & restrict physical contact.

Screw everyone else so long as you're ok, right?

But at @noblegiraffe how do you know if @Sodamncold isn't at risk herself or has extended family that could be?

how do you know if @Sodamncold isn't at risk herself or has extended family that could be?

That's true. I'm assuming she's not an idiot. Could be wrong.

Agree @noblegiraffe

And to add to that, there needs to be some set laws/rules provided and not just guidance.

Guidance means that teachers are subject to their leaderships interpretation. Myself and 4 friends teach within a 1 mile radius with similar school settings and our experience differs widely. If the SLT are not sympathetic to covid then the "covid secure" banner is simply to save face.

[quote wehowitch]@WhyNotMe40 it's not either or though. I worry about the wider picture too, one of my inlaws died from Covid so I'm not under any illusion as to what it is.

My mother has a lung condition & heart problems. Whether my children are in school or not I would still worry & restrict physical contact.

Screw everyone else so long as you're ok, right?

But at @noblegiraffe how do you know if @Sodamncold isn't at risk herself or has extended family that could be?
[/quote]
But if you can see the wider picture - do you support implementation of effective mitigations in schools? Because it would seem a lot of people don't as "kids are fine".

@noblegiraffe

OUR children are going in

What you are completely failing to appreciate, sodamncold is that you are sending your kid in knowing that kids mostly get a mild case or are asymptomatic and so you're happy with that risk for your kid.

You are completely ignoring other people's entirely valid concerns or safety considerations because they don't apply to you.

Screw everyone else so long as you're ok, right?

If my child wasn’t fit and healthy, I wouldn’t send them in.

I wouldn’t expect schools to move heaven and earth for my children.

I’m a teacher and see students and staff very worried every day. When two year 11s Tested positive at my school they identified close contacts (apparently using seating plans) and sent 40 kids home. Students were visibly upset, knowing they’d been sitting with the positive cases and worrying about vulnerable family members. There’s no support for people (staff and students) who are struggling. Lots of gaslighting about how teachers are maintaining social distancing in classrooms that are far too small under normal circumstances never mind now.
I really don’t want schools to close . I want them to have money and expertise to make conditions safer for everyone.
I would like support for staff so we can better support students and families.

These threads always go down the same path.

If you prefer your kids to stay in school you must be selfish & not care about anyone else. And you can't possibly have any health concerns or family that do.

Except that's just not true.

However it's half term & I want to do something nice with my dc so I will leave you to it.

I would also prefer my kids in school. But I also want them to be allowed to wear masks, and for the teachers to wear masks, and I want government funded air purifiers, and smaller class sizes etc

@MissMissICantDoThis

Agree *@noblegiraffe*

And to add to that, there needs to be some set laws/rules provided and not just guidance.

Guidance means that teachers are subject to their leaderships interpretation. Myself and 4 friends teach within a 1 mile radius with similar school settings and our experience differs widely. If the SLT are not sympathetic to covid then the "covid secure" banner is simply to save face.

Exactly. I have ds, dd and dh all teaching/learning in college. The difference in approach between them is astounding.

"Did nobody else read this?! If we don't actually doing something to stop spread in schools (instead of just hiding the data like Ecosse suggests) then schools will close anyway due to lack of staff. And if they get staff, who knows which subject teachers will be "teaching" what, as it will be all hands on deck!"

I suspect that this has been the government's end game all along. They'll place the responsibility of keeping schools open at all costs into the hands of local trusts and authorities and wash their hands of any responsibility when they'll inevitability have to close due to staffing issues--all because of not being able to deliver schools a Covid-safe environment. After all, Boris only promised that ALL schools would OPEN in September. He never promised for how long...

I don't know what it's really like inside school although I know they do have measures in place. When I collect DD though, if there is no teacher on the gate, they crowd through the gate (it's a single gate, half the school comes through that one and the other half come through the double gate at the other side) and then they just stand, barely even through the gate, in huge groups waiting for others, so that those still trying to come through the gate can't get out, and they're so close together in a huge crowd. They often do have a teacher on the gate who moves them along but any days they don't, it's chaotic.

I’m happy with what my kids school has put in place.

No children have been off at all in term 1.

My daughter isn’t scared of covid. One of her friends parents has just been a confirmed case and she didn’t bat an eyelid when I told her. No need to put fear in everyone.

If you prefer your kids to stay in school you must be selfish & not care about anyone else.

This is nonsense. I don't think there's anyone who wouldn't prefer kids to stay in school. What they do want is for schools to be safer than they are now.

**
I suspect that this has been the government's end game all along. They'll place the responsibility of keeping schools open at all costs into the hands of local trusts and authorities and wash their hands of any responsibility when they'll inevitability have to close due to staffing issues--all because of not being able to deliver schools a Covid-safe environment. After all, Boris only promised that ALL schools would OPEN in September. He never promised for how long...**

Absolutely this.... and if it happens then we will be back to the days where continued education is only a luxury for some. I despair for our children especially at exam stage.