Covid/school closure. Children made to feel so unwelcome

[Lettuceforlunch]

Has anyone else had this? AIBU? I’ve never known a school be so ultra conservative in their interpretation of the rules around Covid. I’m at the stage where I think they’re now using it as an excuse not to have the children in. This week they’ve had all of four year groups out because of two confirmed cases in two individual classes. They’re in class bubbles FGS! Or at least, that’s what parents have been told.

[TheTallOakTrees]

@Lettuceforlunch have you seen the study that was published today? The study is covered on the BBC website below.

//www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-57766717

"Data from the first 12 months of the pandemic in England shows 25 under-18s died from Covid, putting the overall risk of death at around two in a million children, scientists estimate.

Those living with chronic illnesses and neuro-disabilities were most at risk."

Perhaps the vaccine will be offered to those children considered most at risk urgently?

[slumbum]

Our school shut several years because there was a visitor dance teacher who taught all 4 of the years that are currently self isolating. Unfortunately these things are going to happen

[KatherineOfGaunt]

Yeah its those sitting in nice offices away from the coal face

They're not in office, they're working from home! And the picture in their head says "There's easily 2m at the front of every classroom, it's fine" without actually going into some schools and measuring.

[Barbie222]

@Lettuceforlunch

They’re clearly not ALL doing their best! Some are, some won’t, as is human nature.

Come on OP you can surely see why you're being handed your arse now.

[Barbie222]

Also the teachers never isolate which has never added up to me.

No, that is the correct advice. Teachers are 2m away at secondary except everyone knows that's unworkable

[StaffRepFeistyClub]

@Ohmygoshandfolly

Also the teachers never isolate which has never added up to me. The positive case was front row and the teacher stands directly in front of the front row but he’s still in school. They also have teachers and TA’s regularly swapping classes, mingling with each other etc. They’re clearly not following the rules or they’re bending them.

Yep we have to provide cover so staff do swop bubbles. Plus at secondary it would be impossible, esp for smaller departments , to keep staff within one or two year groups.

[StaffRepFeistyClub]

[quote Lilibet2022]@StaffRepFeistyClub is that even possible? Can they do that through the app surely that can only be done if they've tested positive and there's evidence?[/quote]
Well clearly someone claimed a positive test and it was pop pop pop

[Awalkintime]

[quote yeahdarling]@Awalkintime

Absolutely agree. My class of 5 year olds are impossible to distance from. People making such rules have clearly no idea![/quote]
Yeah its those sitting in nice offices away from the coal face that think it is possible and then the armchair critics on here complain about why teachers are not following these impossible rules.

[echt]

@superduster

My son's school makes really poor provision for home learning - no live teaching or videos at all, no worksheets. Just lists of tasks.

However I still agree with them sending home year groups with cases. I'd rather he was home and I have to teach him than being at school and ending up ill and potentially infecting vulnerable people.

So have you raised this with your son's school?

[superduster]

My son's school makes really poor provision for home learning - no live teaching or videos at all, no worksheets. Just lists of tasks.

However I still agree with them sending home year groups with cases. I'd rather he was home and I have to teach him than being at school and ending up ill and potentially infecting vulnerable people.

[yeahdarling]

@Awalkintime

Absolutely agree. My class of 5 year olds are impossible to distance from. People making such rules have clearly no idea!

[Awalkintime]

AliceLivesHere
I love it when people use the word hysteria to try and discredit someone. Pathetic attempt.

I didn't say that you said that at all. I read it perfectly well. You said you thought it was good that councils were challenging it and hoped yours would too - in other words that challenging a school with 1 member of staff is acceptable when it really isn't.

And you might call people drama llamas but when kids in your school are in hospital and people are preparing for deaths of their relatives because 1 person sent their kid in with symptoms all week then it isn't a drama at all. I think you lack empathy when people dying is ok for you.

When staff are off dealing with bereavement, you'll probably complain then asking why they dare take time to grieve. We are not robots.

[ChicChaos]

Ah OP, I get the impression that you are already disappointed in the school's provision for your child and this is just another thing on top of it. On this occasion, I don't think you can blame the school because as other posters have said it's not the school that makes the decision - they contact Public Health England who advise them.

My DD's secondary school has had very few cases but has had one recently and I was surprised that they had to send the whole year home rather than just close contacts. It does seem to be the advice school are getting at the moment.

Does your child like the school? As a parent, the feeling that your child is in a school that you don't think is doing a good job is hard to deal with so I hope you can find a way forward that suits you both.

[roguetomato]

If you really believe school are making excuse not to have children in school, and you can't trust that they are doing their best they can in this uncertain times, maybe the school isn't the place for your dc. Change school. Home school. There are many choices.

[Awalkintime]

@yeahdarling

One school a friend works in has told the staff that they must stay 2m away from the children at all times and therefore shouldn't need to isolate at all. If they get covid it hasn't come from school...!

Yeah we have been told to too but it really is impossible.

When a 4 year old hurts themselves should we leave them on the floor hurt or help them? When a child doesn't understand their work, should we leave them or go and remodel it to them? When a child is happy to see you and runs and hugs you should we shout at them to get away? No we don't. It is impossible to stay away from them.

We got told this and when we got a case we were told we shouldn't need to isolate because we should've been staying away. It is impossible to teach that way. While we try and keep a distance as often as possible, there are times when that can't be done.

[yeahdarling]

And people saying it's crap is rather insulting to school staff who have isolated time and time again with their class bubbles.

[yeahdarling]

@RealhousewifeofStoke

‘I can assure you that primary school staff are absolutely isolating with their class bubbles’.

Makes me laugh when teachers post crap like this with absolute certainty. That may be true in your setting but it’s certainly not universal.

3 full classes sent home here this week because the two teachers who tested positive had arranged an awards ceremony in the assembly hall for classes that they don’t even teach!

It's not crap.

I also don't understand the point in your second paragraph. School staff can move between bubbles. That's the guidance.

[Lilibet2022]

They’re clearly not ALL doing their best! Some are, some won’t, as is human nature.

They're not doing their best because there's infections getting into schools through no fault of their own?

[Lettuceforlunch]

They’re clearly not ALL doing their best! Some are, some won’t, as is human nature.

[RealhousewifeofStoke]

‘I can assure you that primary school staff are absolutely isolating with their class bubbles’.

Makes me laugh when teachers post crap like this with absolute certainty. That may be true in your setting but it’s certainly not universal.

3 full classes sent home here this week because the two teachers who tested positive had arranged an awards ceremony in the assembly hall for classes that they don’t even teach!

[Lilibet2022]

@skinnytailedsquirrel I wasn't aware of that one do you have a link please I'd like to read. Interestingly Jeremy Vine tested positive back at Christmas and I remember him stating he knew where he'd got it from and the contact he had with the person was and I quote 'so fleeting it is frightening'

[Lilibet2022]

Get real. Do you really believe that all are doing their best?

I do believe the teachers are doing their best. They've taught throughout the pandemic and have sacrificed mixing with their own families so they could still come back and safely teach ours. The explosion of the cases now isn't the failure or the schools. It's the failure of the government to implement a proper mitigation policy to minimise the risk and spread of infection.

[Skinnytailedsquirrel]

The India variant is extremely contagious so if there is one child infected there will be many many more and all school staff will be at risk too. Did you read about the Sydney case? One women sitting outside a cafe and an infected person walked past her. No contact. She's infected.

[yeahdarling]

One school a friend works in has told the staff that they must stay 2m away from the children at all times and therefore shouldn't need to isolate at all. If they get covid it hasn't come from school...!

[AliceLivesHere]

[quote Basil2021]**@Lettuceforlunch* @AliceLivesHere* just stop being horrible to teachers. They’re doing their best.
You know, I am beginning to think that people who are rude about teachers and say how lazy they are etc are basically the same as people who are rude to waiters in restaurants when their food is late. Rude, entitled and basically bullies.

Teachers are not your servants. Leave us alone.[/quote]
Actually some teachers are doing their best and some aren't. They are not all shining stars and they are not all useless. As with all walks of life there are the ones that go above and beyond the middle most and then the shirkers. Get real. Do you really believe that all are doing their best. I can only speak to my personal experience and frankly it has not been good enough for some.

As for waiters I tip the friendly efficient ones well and no not rude, however why accept rubbish service. It is possible to be assertive and express views over service, don't have to do the sit and nod all good and moan to others later that so many seem to do.