Teachers: What is your school doing?

[noblegiraffe]

The DfE have said DO NOT CLOSE YOUR SCHOOL. Ofqual have said KEEP PREPARING FOR EXAMS AS NORMAL

My school seem to have taken this as an instruction to just keep on trucking. They might have put some posters up in the toilets about handwashing tbf.

Other schools, from what I can tell on here, are gearing up to teach lessons remotely, cancelling trips, stopping assemblies, wiping door handles with disinfectant, making kids wash their hands before lunch.

I can’t see much chat about it on edutwitter, even after the Times article suggesting that A-levels might be postponed and GCSEs put back to September.

The DfE posted a new helpline for Coronavirus late last night.

Primary here. Nothing at all even been mentioned.

I am not a teacher but I know my child (6) is not being encouraged to wash hands more and that soap doesn’t get refilled.

At my school we've had a few posters and more emphasis on handwashing, and that's all.

Deep cleaning means nothing elder : it honestly is the clean one would normally expect. It highlights how low level a routine clean is , which requires only a swilling of toilets and mopping of hallway floors daily.

Door handles etc are usually not done at all, perhaps during the holiday.

Primary - hand washing is much more talked about and the cleaners have been more thorough on door handles etc. No prep for remote working as far as I can tell. I’m not sure how I would manage that with a 1 year old at home but I could send some worksheets/activities out a few times a day.

Massive cartons have soap have appeared everywhere aswell.

Our cleaners are now cleaning door handles and bannisters --with filthy cloths also used
for toilets and desks 🤢--

All we’ve been told is that we definitely won’t close. No possibility. We’ll remain open and the head will continue to isolate in their office (nothing new there...). Our SLT compete to see who can be sickest and remain in school anyway so we’re fucked.

Tebolla, if your cleaners are doing that they need reporting, seriously!

Sounds like my school tebolla.

noble has pointed it out before but there si this macho 'we never close' culture in lots of schools. They have to follow government instructions, though!

I think British people may be a little more instinctively anti authority / individualist than the Chinese/Japanese/ Koreans and maybe even Italians who may have lived through dictatorships and military government or at least have a cultural memory.

The minister in charge of insisting that schools remain open no matter what should be forced to do impromptu visits to secondary schools every day, including a lunch with the students, and no one should hold open doors for him.

I teach in FE/HE - huge college. We had an email last week which basically reiterated government advice about handwashing, and that's been it. Students keep asking questions about exams, and about possible closures, but staff don't know what to tell them. We do have a lot of cleaners, and I've noticed them wiping down keypads on rooms a bit more, but there is such a huge throughput of people that I'm not sure how well things can be kept on top of.

Staff here don't have their own classrooms, so we're constantly moving about the building, using lifts, walking up and down stairs etc. All our students bring their own laptops, so I am constantly touching people's machines as I help them with work/read what they've written etc, and then can't wash my hands until I get a break. I have antibac wipes in my bag (no hand santiser anywhere in town!) but can't just be whipping them out every 30 seconds.

I predict closing a few days early for Easter, so "something" has been done. Minimal disruption and seems likely that may coincide with the peak period.

My 10 year old didn't want to go to school today having heard on the news there are now cases in our town.

Her school don't seem to have mentioned it to the children and I am curious if other schools have. Obviously hand washing is being pushed in a lot of schools now but what about talking about their fears? perhaps not with the little ones but by year 5/6 lots of children will be aware of the news and will have worries and concerns they might not want to share with their parents (such as if their parents fall into the over 50 category so therefore going by the news will be more likely to be affected etc). I know it would be hard to give children this opportunity to discuss it without potentially panicking children who were otherwise not bothered but I do think they could do some reassurance and then say if they have any concerns to speak to Miss or Mr whoever? are any schools doing this?

oh and definitely no teacher bashing from me with this, I wouldn't be surprised if half the staff in schools are turning into cleaners as well as doing everything else, the last thing staff want is to catch it themselves or spreading around their class so I expect there are plenty trying to keep things as clean as they are able (with no time or cleaning products!)

I wondered about closing early for Easter too, even an extra week or possibly two could have a marked effect BUT only if people are told not to then travel around everywhere spreading it more

Any secondary schools cancelling parents evening?

I worry, that if our government does nothing, people will approach Easter as usual and travel all across the country and globe visiting friends and family for 2 weeks which will make things kick off massively. If schools close early and warnings are given, I think that people will act in a different way.

At the very least now, they should be

1. Telling people to WFH where possible.
2. Cancelling school fines so that parents can choose to keep their children at home where they wish.
3. Cancel large gatherings

I also want them to start testing people with symptoms no matter whether they’ve been on holiday or not. People are catching the virus from trips to the U.K. FFS, it’s here!!

Parents' evenings still scheduled at my schools, DS's school , and DH's.

Fed up if they try to fine me I with go nuts.
They are going against almost all other countries for the economy.
Social distancing so taking any kids out that can be.

Coinciding with peak would be too late as the peak would continue for all those still incubating it.

Can someone please do a petition to get them to allow us to remove dc free of fines?

All schools in Qatar have now closed with only 18 cases in the country.

If schools close I can see hundreds of children ascending on soft plays and spreading their germs round more than they would in school....

I don't think schools will be fining people!

The fear of the fine is quite a big thing on MN : but I don't know of any schools local to me that routinely fine families.

Just wait for the first ‘I’m voluntarily taking my kid out of school, can you set them some work’ request.