Schools

[Carrotcakeforbreakfast]

I know this has been done 1000 times but my search function isn't working.

With the extended lockdown and daily numbers, when do you think the schools are likely to go back.
I believe lockdown won't end anytime soon but just wondering if anyone thinks schools opening will have changed?

I’m not going back to work until my union advises me that it is safe to do so.

They have written to the government about this, and l will follow their guidelines.

Is the government going to roll out testing for school staff and PPE? Can they do that in 3 weeks? No. By June or July? No.Can they do it by September? Possibly.

Wow people really don't like teachers much on mumsnet actually people don't like teachers much at all and it's those vile attitudes that put me off becoming one and I'm sure I'm not the only one. They are already doing amazing work, putting themselves at risk caring for key-worker children, they too have families who they go home to and are scared of passing the virus back too.

Also forgetting about the incredibly hard working teachers for a moment: what about the children? 2 weeks is nowhere near long enough for them (as has been mentioned before) and anyone who thinks differently doesn't really have a clue - yes alot of children have had a long 'break' at home. Literally stuck at home with no social interaction with their peers, very limited outside time and picking up on their parents stress because children do that. But what about key worker children who have been in the school - not so much learning but still not having a rest as such. What about children of teachers? What about the children who have been sent to relatives because their parents are frontline workers and haven't seen their parents in weeks?

Yeah, absolutely shocking attitudes on here....

And l don’t know why September is revered as some sort of miracle. The virus will probably be worse in Autumn.

@FlamingoAndJohn I'm have no issue with people who cannot work at the moment "doing nothing" at home and being paid for it be they teachers or museum workers or whatever else.

I'm not bashing teachers - I am specifically challenging any government employee who is unwilling to be flexible and help as required for the good of wider society whilst we are in unprecedented times. Insisting you must have a 6 week break in a pandemic is not OK. Would you think the same if we were in a war time situation?

The teachers I know personally are happy to work during the summer if required.

We are in effect in a wartime period.

As a teacher l used to work 3 dats a week. I’m now working 5 and making scrubs in the evening. Is that enough ‘flexibility’ Snog?

Or maybe l should work 24 hours a day?🤷🏼‍♀️

But @snog you still refuse to acknowledge that your proposed idea of an extra long term will not be in the best interest OF THE CHILDREN.

Teachers aren’t all working the same. Primary teachers I work with are working flat out- remotely, flexibly and in school.They will need their break in order to recharge for Sep as will many key worker children who didn’t have an Easter break.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince working 24 hours a day was not my suggestion as you know. Flexibility around taking a 6 week break is what I am talking about- I suggested a two week break instead. Are you willing to be flexible on the summer break?

@FlamingoAndJohn we are not concerned here with what is in the best interest of the children, that is clearly not the appropriate way to make decisions in a pandemic. We need to make decisions in the best interest of society as a whole.

Snog I’m already doing the equivalent of double my weekly job.

Why would l want to give up my unpaid holidays to do more?

Teachers have been more flexible than most sectors. Their job has completely changed and they are still working.They’ve stepped up to the plate with little support from government providing home learning and childcare, they have already given up their Easter holiday. I suspect there will be a need for a week in school over the summer without children as the amount of work needed to prepare for Sep will be huge.

Look this person isn’t satisfied that they goaded and goaded until people got upset and left the thread. Their posts have been no stop teacher bashing and they should be ashamed of themselves. Don’t engage.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince I don't know really, maybe the same reason that frontline medical staff are doing this?

We’ll see if all frontline have zero time off until Sep without getting paid for extra hours they do.

I'm shocked at the attitudes of some of the teachers. I work in the NHS and we are using students about to qualify, recently retired workers, and volunteers to provide additional cover. And no one would imagine refusing to work additional hours, or arguing the fact our leave has been cancelled. I'd be ashamed to hear anyone who did in this time despite the fact we are putting our lives at risk.

I agree @elephantsumbrellas

Astonishing lack of insight.

Snog you are not challenging any government employee though. You are only out to challenge teachers.

I'd love to see your threads asking the civil servants, local authority services and anyone else who is still being paid as they have a government job and are not currently working from home and are being paid. Teachers are doing none of the above.

Maybe you need to start a thread about some social services teams who are asking schools to take on full safeguarding responsibilities for their most vulnerable children and now think a phone call every 4 weeks is the right way to keep in touch because it's a national pandemic?

And to those posters rightly discussing the difference in home learning being received by pupils at the moment, considering the government gave us no notice of closing schools and we don't have enough PPE for health care workers, let alone enough tests for people - I am not sure the education department has the capacity to be explicit in terms of exactly what we need to do during this time.

The general government guidance is there - parents need to be holding the head teachers of these schools accountable or the CEOs of the trusts their children attend because the teachers are simply doing what they have been asked in terms of setting learning.

The furloughed scheme has been extended to the end of June so I can’t see anything happening before then at the earliest.

Daffodil101.

I have many medic friends : doctors, nurses, health care assistants. Due to where I live we have many medics living in our estate. Due to our school location many of our parents are hospital based staff - from doctors and consultants, to HCA to hospital and go admin staff.

They are working long days, extra hours in some cases. They aren't all able to take their holidays right now.

But all are having their holidays postponed - not cancelled.

Maybe different counties have different things going on. But none of the friends and people we know are being expected to work extra full weeks without pay, which is what some posters want. Teachers and TAs, and other school staff, can't take holidays at other times. They can't carry them over to next year.

Luckily all the medic friends of ours with children are really appreciated of the school provision for their children. They've been thankful for school to be open for their children and of the staff working voluntary for free over Easter to care for their younger ones.

As a school we've had some lovely lovely comments from parents and carers, and only one vaguely negative comment which was counterbalanced by other parents on the same social media.

To be fair though it's only MN I hear all this negativity about teachers and TAs, and schools.

Who has refused to do additional hours, schools have been open over Easter.

Do nurses not get paid overtime then?

And l don’t know why September is revered as some sort of miracle. The virus will probably be worse in Autumn.

RTFT then if you still don't agree come back with your reasoning why instead of making statements that have already been discussed.

The difference in terms of NHS staff is the fact that whilst you are like us, being asked to work longer hours - your holidays are being banked or rolled over. Ours are not. I'm not going to get the 2 weeks I've worked back - nor do I want it as I have worked off my own back and accept I've done that for free. I'm also happy to work the next half term, so that's another week I will be in.

If you are asking teachers to give up their 6 week holiday, when are they expected to take that? Or roll it over to? Or do you deem it not needed?

I would argue unless you are a teacher you don't know the level of mental and physical exhaustion we are left with at the end of a term or the end of a year. I'd also argue that I don't actually have 6 weeks off as I'm usually in sorting my room out the first week we finish as quite often cupboards etc need clearing and in back in at least the last week before we start sorting either a new classroom or planning etc for the first week back.

Therefore I do actually take those 4 weeks during the summer to recharge and spend some time with my own children. The same children who are quite often forgotten about as I constantly have to school work around them. Oh and I am also attempting to home school my own children at the same time as work full time and more whilst I am trying to keep some sort of normality for those in my school.

NHS frontline staff are ask being given some PPE. If we do as people are asking and open the doors to our schools next week for example, what protection are we offering staff? We have a school of over 900 pupils with 6 forms. We are a primary school. How are we going to enforce social distancing in rooms that barely fit 30 pupils in on a good day? We have social distancing at supermarkets but nothing in a school.

I'd argue with the death toll still horrific, those people are asking school staff to risk their lives and I, for one will not return to school under those circumstances.

What about the holiday clubs etc?

If we are allowed to relax the lockdown, then surely these businesses will want to be working and being paid too?

If schools are open no one will use them. They will go bust. They'll close and potentially not be available for other holidays for parents.

Or are they now important enough to the economy to be worth considering?

Dh and I are on the directors board for a drama company. They get their main income from after school clubs, holiday provision and also from providing term time and holiday provision for children who are struggling in main stream school. They are not eligible for many of the government payouts due to the way that type of business is classified. They are already struggling.
If they then lose their holiday provision income they will not survive this year.

I'd imagine there are an awful lot of companies in similar situations, and nurseries and child minders, etc. Not to mention the UK tourist industry who won't have anyone visiting.

Yep, I’ve spent the last 4 summer breaks writing up new material for new courses. Maybe had 2 weeks off?

And another new course running in September. So need to write that up too. How can l do that if I’m working?

Several nhs staff I know are working from home or not working. As somebody who works in a school and is still going in I’ve thus had more contact and risk than many of the NHS staff I know.