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

@ChloeDecker

Actually to play devils advocate our secondary was shut completely as they sent a very emotionally persuasive letter to appeal for all children to stay away, to be left at home or with relatives. Other schools had a large percentage in.

They may have written that at the start but they would have had children in at some point and the teachers (including you if you are a teacher) would have still been teaching them. And they still would have had Year 10 and 12 physically in if secondary and Reception, Year 1 and Year 6 if Primary. To write an inflammatory blanket statement that Schools closed is just plain wrong and no one can play devils advocate on that fact, surely?

And appealing to the government is exactly what teachers and support staff are doing.

If you read back for context, I asked what we should all do and a helpful template was provided for those of us who want to support. A lot of this discussion is not really helping anyone although I appreciate many people are under a lot of stress and may need to just vent. Year 10 got 1 day a week for 2 of the last 3 weeks.

You should write fiction professionally because you are really good at making stuff up

Which parts do you think I’ve made up? Genuinely intrigued!

You could start your own thread about the NHS?

Why would I do that? I don’t need to complain about the NHS. Nobody expected the pandemic, we’re getting through as best we can.

But unfortunately your thread resulted in a lot of teachers complaining about going into work after Xmas mixing, and claiming it’s unfair the NHS are fully equipped with PPE, have the ability to reduce non essential services etc, while teachers are fully exposed to covid and at high risk. There seems to be a lot of misunderstanding about the NHS and negativity towards those who work in healthcare.

I strongly believe education is essential and schools should not be closed unless there is no other option. Yes teachers should be provided with PPE if their school allows it. Clearly some schools do allow masks.

Alternatively you could have not put some much detritus in your post and hoped that you wouldn't have been picked up on it

Do tell me which parts you consider ‘detritus’

A lot of this discussion is not really helping anyone
I agree and that goes both ways, including some of your posts.

Clearly some schools do allow masks.

But none of them do in classrooms, as per the government guidance.

they sent a very emotionally persuasive letter to appeal for all children to stay away, to be left at home or with relatives

We got a letter like that too. Only send your child to school if you’re a keyworker who absolutely can’t work from home. Ideally they should be at home or with a relative. Implying sending them to school should be a last resort. And wraparound care folded completely (in my area at least), so NHS workers on shifts had no chance of working to rota. There’s no point sending your child to school for 6 hours if you have an hour’s commute each way and are supposed to be there by 8am! Also age groups were mixed, children had limited opportunities to socialise with their peer group or be taught by their usual teacher. I hope we don’t end up in a situation like that again.

I find the anti-NHS narrative running through this thread really disturbing

Me too!

I'm a parent and I agree 100%

My mum has cancer and I legit dont need anymore bubble mixing than necessary.

@RattleOfBars
This part of your post...

But unfortunately your thread resulted in a lot of teachers complaining about going into work after Xmas mixing, and claiming it’s unfair the NHS are fully equipped with PPE, have the ability to reduce non essential services etc, while teachers are fully exposed to covid and at high risk.

I haven't heard teachers claim it's unfair that NHS are fully equipped with PPE. All school staff I know wish the NHS to be fully equipped. We have stated that we are concerned that we have are not allowed to wear PPE.

You are twisting what people are saying and missing the point spectacularly. Teachers don't begrudge the NHS for their PPE or ability to reduce services, we are just asking for similar protection for ourselves.

I find it so dispiriting that there is yet another thread where teachers present themselves as martyrs and misrepresent the profession. I am a secondary teacher in more than one subject, see hundreds of children a week and want schools to remain open even though it is impossible to meet the impossible ‘Covid secure’ standard that dine on here seem to feel entitled to. Probably want their own unicorn too.
On my school we have a light touch on ‘Covid measures’ but the only teacher who had been positive was one who was paranoid about masks long before they were a thing. No-one objects if a child wears a mask in class but most don’t and I certainly don’t-I want to try to give kids a normal lesson to take their minds off the ridiculous hysteria elsewhere.
A few children are isolating for various reasons and we include them in lessons where they join his Zoom and I use my iPad for the meeting do they are not visible to other classmates but can participate/this takes seconds to set up and is not intrusive or disruptive.
No year groups have been sent home -SLT although far from perfect in other ways do not over-reach the advice -they keep children in school rather than taking the last option to send them home.
Education is too important to be abandoned because of the irrational expectations of a tiny minority of activists with an agenda.And to set themselves up as as exposed as NHS - just staggeringly deluded.

‘I have a lot of respect for teachers, but I think expecting to get the same PPE and extra measures is unrealistic’

I suppose at least you have finally admitted that teachers and school staff don’t need to be protected in their place of work. Everyone can read that now

No, I’ve said many times I think teachers should have access to PPE. But wanting visors and aprons is unrealistic, because they won’t protect you unless you’re dealing with bodily fluids splashing in your face. And if schools have banned masks you need to be putting your case to them.

‘NHS staff aren’t just wearing PPE to protect ourselves, we’re wearing it to protect our patients’

And teachers just teach in a vacuum!?

Children are low risk of complications from covid. A teacher in PPE won’t protect your class unless you change it after every individual contact. Hospitals are full of vulnerable, high risk, unwell elderly patients who could die if they catch covid. Hence the emphasis on PPE in hospitals, to reduce cross contamination.

it so dispiriting that there is yet another thread where teachers present themselves as martyrs and misrepresent the profession

Who has done that?

No year groups have been sent home -SLT although far from perfect in other ways do not over-reach the advice -they keep children in school rather than taking the last option to send them home

You don’t know what you’re talking about. PHE advice has changed from “bubbles” to close contacts. It’s not your school making decisions.

We have two thirds of 4 year groups out under this advice. Close contacts of the children with positive cases.

Education is too important to be abandoned because of the irrational expectations of a tiny minority of activists with an agenda

Activists? What ARE you talking about? Out of interest, what kind of school are you a teacher in?

Whatever the rights and wrongs / pros and cons , I don't think that numbers will come down really low again whilst schools are open . I understand arguments from all directions , but if numbers are to get down to the lows we saw in the summer then education provision for children who can safely be left at home whilst parents work needs to be closed for a couple of weeks either before or after Christmas.

"But unfortunately your thread resulted in a lot of teachers complaining about going into work after Xmas mixing, and claiming it’s unfair the NHS are fully equipped with PPE, have the ability to reduce non essential services etc, while teachers are fully exposed to covid and at high risk"

I don't think anyone is complaining about NHS having full ppe. I posted earlier in the thread contrasting the measures the government has taken for the NHS whilst simultaneously making none for education staff who statistically are at least as likely to be infected, whils being told by the government and various ministers that schools are safe.

I also pointed out some simple measures that could be taken. Closing schools was not one of them

As I parent it's a big fat NO from me!

Unless a child is symptomatic or tests positive, they should be attending school.

The schools have been closed enough this year already!

I work full-time (key worker) and it's a bloody logistical nightmare when the DC are unwell, let alone when the schools are closed "just in case"

Am sure there will be many who disagree with my view!

@SmileEachDay, Just ignore that poster.

Susanwouldntlikeit
You don't sound like you have seen the inside of a classroom as often as the underside of a bridge.

"Unless a child is symptomatic or tests positive, they should be attending school."
Well, you're out of touch, I'm afraid, because PHE/DfE advice is that groups/bubbles must not attend school if they have been in close contact with someone who tests positive. Hundreds of thousands of children are currently out of school due to this self-isolation, whether you approve or not.

@Susanwouldntlikeit

I find it so dispiriting that there is yet another thread where teachers present themselves as martyrs and misrepresent the profession. I am a secondary teacher in more than one subject, see hundreds of children a week and want schools to remain open even though it is impossible to meet the impossible ‘Covid secure’ standard that dine on here seem to feel entitled to. Probably want their own unicorn too. On my school we have a light touch on ‘Covid measures’ but the only teacher who had been positive was one who was paranoid about masks long before they were a thing. No-one objects if a child wears a mask in class but most don’t and I certainly don’t-I want to try to give kids a normal lesson to take their minds off the ridiculous hysteria elsewhere. A few children are isolating for various reasons and we include them in lessons where they join his Zoom and I use my iPad for the meeting do they are not visible to other classmates but can participate/this takes seconds to set up and is not intrusive or disruptive. No year groups have been sent home -SLT although far from perfect in other ways do not over-reach the advice -they keep children in school rather than taking the last option to send them home. Education is too important to be abandoned because of the irrational expectations of a tiny minority of activists with an agenda.And to set themselves up as as exposed as NHS - just staggeringly deluded.

Hmm, and you're a teacher... sounds like you're a mask denier as well. Ironically, the tone if your post is far more hysterical than any that I have read so far in this thread

@ChloeDecker

Clearly you’ve not read back, it is a long thread. A few of us have stated that children ARE wearing masks in classrooms in our schools. That’s everywhere inside all day everyday and they have been doing so for weeks. The guidance is not absolute and allows individual risk assessments

[quote BungleandGeorge]@ChloeDecker

Clearly you’ve not read back, it is a long thread. A few of us have stated that children ARE wearing masks in classrooms in our schools. That’s everywhere inside all day everyday and they have been doing so for weeks. The guidance is not absolute and allows individual risk assessments[/quote]
You know I have been on this thread for a long time so no need to write such a patronising post.
You don’t specifically state in this thread in classrooms and just say free to wear masks if they want to and I have checked back carefully and can’t see anyone else which specifically says classrooms. Corridors etc yes but that is not the same thing and the government guidance specifically states not to wear masks when teaching in a classroom and even gives reasons why.
You have also stated previously that your school has also kept assemblies etc going and this is very much in the rare minority.
Just like RattleofBars eventually conceded that they were taking about hospital staff etc. it should surely go both ways when talking about exceptions.
Safety measures in schools and all other workplaces should be the norm and not the exception.

Children are low risk of complications from covid.
I teach 18 year old adults (incidently, 4 of them have tested positive. They were boyfriend/girlfriend couples who obviously aren’t socially distancing. They passed it on to 6 other Year 13s.

teacher in PPE won’t protect your class unless you change it after every individual contact.
Which is why it would be nice if the government supplied a decent amount of protective measures instead of just pretending schools are ‘Covid Safe’ and turning a blind eye

Hospitals are full of vulnerable, high risk, unwell elderly patients who could die if they catch covid. Hence the emphasis on PPE in hospitals, to reduce cross contamination.
Completely understandable and no one is saying they shouldn’t. Schools are full of older staff it should be noted, including those in their 60s and 70s (our premises assistant is 71)

Any job that does not even provide basic protective measures for their employees should be spoken about. It’s such a shame that you continue to speak out in opposition to this. We should all be in this together.

RattleOfBars

Do tell me which parts you consider ‘detritus’

That you pretty much posted a retraction of some of your previous points, Or that you are intentional misinterpreting what teachers and others are posting.

@Susanwouldntlikeit, I think many of us feel that you're the one misrepresenting the profession. What are you intending to achieve, from your ivory tower of the private sector, in deliberately denigrating and sneering at teachers in the state sector, who are battling situations that you clearly can't even imagine?