Schools should close for 2 weeks after the Christmas mixing

[OverTheRainbow88]

I think that schools should remain closed for face to face teaching 2-3 weeks after the end of the period in which Boris will allow families to all mix.

I don’t want to be in a classroom with 30 different kids 5 times a day who’ve mixed inside with all different family members and friends.

I say online learning until mid Jan, if Boris will allow us all to mix at Christmas

@CallmeAngelina

"Most of the health workers didn’t choose to work in an environment of infection yet are doing so with good grace and professionalism."

And PPE.

PPE won’t do anything if you work on a Covid ward with positive Covid patients. Some teachers honestly need a dose of reality do you think that cuts it? A thin blue mask and apron and a pair of gloves? People are wearing the same PPE as the nurses to do their food shop FGS!

You can always switch roles if your that envious of “PPE”.

caringcarer

Teachers should get over themselves and get on with their job unless CEV with letter.

I see that you chose your name as an ironic twist.

I used to teach for over 25 years and if I was still working I would just get on with my job instead of constantly trying to find reasons for staying at home.

Its probably a good job that you gave up teaching if your comprehension skills are so lacking that this is what you think that you have read from teachers.

and if I was still working I would just get on with my job

Yes, so easy to say from the safety of your home.

Teachers should get over themselves and get on with their job unless CEV with letter.

Teachers are getting on with their job. What did you think they were doing? Just taking time off whenever they didn't feel like going in?

like so many others we're opting not to see family this year, its not like the virus knows its Christmas!

We are finding it nearly impossible to deliver a curriculum in any meaningful way because of student absence.

We’ve had large groups isolating because of of positive cases in school plus many, many individuals isolating because of family members with positive tests or because they have had to get tests themselves.

We are making all lessons available online but only a handful are accessing them; this means kids have no bloody clue what is going on when they get back.

It’s impossible to plan around this because it’s different children off every day. Some multiple times.

I really hope those of you saying “schools should just carry on as they are” don’t think it is in any way business as usual - it is fragmented and teachers are having to modify things substantially as they go along.

My worry is that this will continue through Jan and Feb, the government will lead the shout that schools have been “open” and exams will go on regardless - that really will be damaging for Y11 and 13.

A period of blended or online learning would allow schools to stabilise, help get numbers down and would force the government to address the exams issue a bit more seriously.

The ppe mentioned for nurses is the same mask as you do your shopping in, a thin plastic pinny and disposable gloves.

That's including working with confirmed positive cases, a ward full of them. Exactly the same ppe as working with covid negative.

Only in full protection if doing an aerosol generated procedure.

@RattleOfBars

Shop workers are working all over Xmas and hundreds of people pass through the supermarket. Doctors and Nurses are working in hospitals full of sick people, Nurseries are remaining open too, also bin people, Firemen, the Police

I find it strange that so many teachers feel it’s unsafe to go into work, when so many other professionals worked throughout the pandemic (including in the beginning when even hospitals lacked appropriate PPE!) Maybe it’s because the schools were closed for so long, now they’re open teachers are experiencing risks too! Just like all the other people who risk covid on a daily basis. If you’re clinically vulnerable I understand why you don’t want to risk it. But if you’re fit and healthy covid isn’t a huge risk to you. Most of my (NHS) team have had covid, we were antigen tested and a few of us had positive results despite no symptoms.

We don’t lobby for hospitals, shops, emergency services to close for 2 weeks, why schools?

Yes that's exactly it. We have had all this time off and have only just realised the reality of covid.

You have no idea. Clown.

@1FootInTheRave

Feel free to start a thread about that, this one is about schools and that doesn’t need to be compared to other professions. It’s not a competition of who’s got it worse/who is most at risk.

We want safer schools, wouldn’t that help you as a nurse?

I don't want to miss out on 2-3 weeks of work for the sake of spending Xmas together. I'd rather not mix.

Has any teachers died from covid that they caught while working? My 3 dc have only had one case at school and that was an adult.

@Meowmeow2020

Has any teachers died from covid that they caught while working? My 3 dc have only had one case at school and that was an adult.

During the first wave yes.

How does anyone really know where they caught it from?
Sometimes there are people who know they've just been really limited in their interactions, and the balance of probabilities leads them to assume it's from a particular place.
But there are two young teachers in icu at the moment and posters on other threads reporting of teachers they know who have died, yes.

Has any teachers died from covid that they caught while working?

You need to raise your bar. “Not dying” isn’t an ok measure.

@Meowmeow2020

Has any teachers died from covid that they caught while working? My 3 dc have only had one case at school and that was an adult.

who knows? but they may have picked it up school and unknowingly passed it on.....and then killed someone....or maybe 2 or 3

This is interesting www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/latest
It seems teachers are not more a risk then retail assistants ?

@Louiselouie0890

I don't want to miss out on 2-3 weeks of work for the sake of spending Xmas together. I'd rather not mix.

yes we would rather that too

I 100% agree OP but I know that a lot of other parents will not feel that way - everyone is so adamant that they won’t be mixing but I know for a fact most of the families in my class definitely will

YABU. How about we use this year as an opportunity to do things differently- maybe question all the getting into debt, buying piles of tat that no one wants and stop shaming all the people that are lonely every day of the year by going on about how its worse to be alone at Xmas. Lockdown over Xmas, enjoy being on holiday if you are, start the New Year afresh with low Covid rates and schools open. That would be a positive approach.

@Meowmeow2020

This is interesting www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/latest It seems teachers are not more a risk then retail assistants ?

Given that the data is from when schools were closed, then that’s hardly surprising.

Latest data puts them at same as or higher risk than frontline NHS workers.

@Meowmeow2020

This is interesting www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/latest It seems teachers are not more a risk then retail assistants ?

Given the lack of testing in schools or the shambles that is the tracking data. Most people would find it difficult to trust the data.

But then I find it interesting that you are happy to ignore the knock on affect of a teacher getting covid.

Can you link as couldnt find anything? Not newspapers etc tho proper data

@Meowmeow2020

This is interesting www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/latest It seems teachers are not more a risk then retail assistants ?

Amazing what things can seem unless you look into more detail at the data. This has been discussed a lot on here and the ONS are under fire at the moment for splitting up the ‘teacher’ and school staff categories. Put together and it in fact says the complete opposite.

I think they should close before Christmas too to avoid transmitting the virus to the grandparents. Specially secondary that don't impede parents going to work.

The ONS has been reported to the UK Statistics Authority

twitter.com/sarahdrasmussen/status/1330294388354899969?s=21