Government reportedly considering schools going back in 3 weeks

[FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue]

On BBC News 24 now, article in tomorrow's Sunday Times says that ministers are considering schools going back in three weeks time. Plus allowing some shops and social gatherings, but not pubs and clubs.

minkows that is appalling, your poor DH. Do you not think the same would happen to teachers, though?

Some children, believe it or not, are nasty and abusive. they are possibly the DCs of the awful person who did that to your DH.

I have noticed that not all supermarkets are as careful as others. My local Sainsburys is doing a great job.

towers14

In what sense is this a "managed way"?

It is basically fuck it send them back.

Where is the talk of phased return?
Where is the talk of staggered times?

What is happening is the same as the decision to close schools. Which was basically kick them in to the deep end and watch the schools sort it out.

medics are expecting the summer to be fairly easy going

There is NO evidence for this WHATSOEVER.

People should invest more time in reading the inner pages (not their headline interestingly) that reveals what shambolic government and leadership went on in the lead up.

Oh hang on, it all ties up. The Times wants schools to go back ASAP. They also want rid of Boris. Why? Because Boris got ill and might be slightly less gung-ho about risking people’s health and overloading the NHS in the future. They want a leader who will push forward with their ‘back to normal ASAP and screw the NHS agenda’.

FrippEnos we have been told this morning by the education minister that there are currently no plans to reopen schools, and won’t be until the science says so. How is that ‘fuck it, send them back’? We have no idea what the plans are re phased returns or staggered times, because there are currently no plans to reopen schools.

@MinkowskisButterfly

I didn’t at any point say “all retail staff are safe” so don’t say “don’t you dare say” to me. I said the job environments are different.

Sorry to hear your husband has had adult customers coming a foot away from him.

I’m sure you can imagine the massively multiplied risk for teachers when 1000+ hyperactive, excited and unpredictable children are thronging round them.

Could you ask your husband if he would feel more safe at Asda with the precautions they have put in place (assuming they are attempting 2 metres social distancing, single adults, wiping trolleys, managing people in and out the shop (that’s Option 1)

OR

being at Asda with 1000+ under 16s, all friends and excited and running around, while he (and the other let’s say 40 adults) are responsible for them all. He would need to do that for 7 hours with them all in there. (that’s Option 2).

So, which Option would he feel would be safer, Option A or Option B?

Robert Halfon wants schools back asap : education minister. Gav can say what he likes but he is identified as a 'hawk'.

Don't think our school is. dcs have been sent work through for the next 6 weeks to do at home.

Why September? Definitely not why the 11th.
Do agree we cannot stay in lockdown forever though.

TIME

Time to develop antigen testing further.

Time to develop contact test further.

Time to develop antibody tests

Time to research TB vaccinator , Vit D , BAME , males being higher risk.

Time to get the R nought lower ( ok its looking below one already in community)

Time to develop drugs that aid healing ( not necessary cure) maybe protect lung damage

Time to research what is happening in other countries

Time to research asymptomatic cases and research covid 19 in general

Time to buy and produce some flaming
PPE!

Time to develop washing and hand gel facilities in schools. ( this should start now)

Time to assess the lay of the land to let parents make risk assessments as the curve lowers.

Time to look at the lasting effects. Are the lungs scares permanently? Any other lasting damage.

I am sure others can think of more.

HoffiCoffi13

Its not just about ministers and this is allegedly a senior ministers plan, its also about posters like towers and moon who just seem to think that these issues will sort themselves out.

I suspect that they are also the same type of people that would complain at the first opportunity about the lack of everything in the schools if their children did get ill.

Well, @AuntyClockWise one of our relatives work in a science lab. Essential workers as they are developing tests. However, their lab decided they were re-opening, having been on lockdown, with no social distancing.

The scientists refused to come in. You can sack them but it's not that easy to recruit scientists who have the necessary background and the general public haven't got the qualifications. All they wanted was workspace spread out. Guess what. They are now at work with facilities spread over two bases - social distancing. It took the lab a couple of days to sort out. Better that than no workforce.

It depends on the work being done. If you can recruit from the general population very quickly then demands can go unmet but if you can't then bosses have to find a way around things.

I heard some talk on TV over the weekend that there are rumblings that some NHS staff may ask to be reallocated to other departments if PPE isn't forthcoming. I'd hate the thought of that but I understand why they'd say it. I'm hoping it won't come to it.

However, from a school's point of view, putting kids on part time or coming in one week in three depending on their age group is an easy solution to teachers asking for social distancing measures. Where would you get teachers from if enough refused to go in otherwise?

1981m it doesn’t matter how much work they’ve prepared, state run schools will reopen when the government says they are to reopen.

I am so glad I am not a school timetabler. They must be having palpitations right now...

@FrippEnos
I'm saying it needs to be in a managed way. Years 10 & 12 first.
As there is no strategy published how have you arrived at "fuck it send them back"

Thinking about how long it takes to put together the timetable for September when you at least know how many staff you have!

I don't believe there is even half a plan in place to be honest.

The government closed schools and left us to fend for ourselves and get something in place with 2 working days to do it in.

They didn't have any ideas about how pupils were going to be fed and did a u turn in terms FSM as we initially included those who are in R-Yr 2 and get universal free school meals as well as those who are classed as disadvantaged because at some point their family were in receipt of FSM in the past 6 years before it was decided that this was not the plan.

Also the list of who was on this list of key workers came out at something like 11:50pm on the Thursday which gave us ONE DAY to sort through those parents including getting proof and figuring out how to staff the provision as well ensure we could enforce social distancing and ensure places were deep cleaned regularly.

It's been a shit show from the very beginning.

But if I have to go in and teach some year groups in Secondary, where do my primary age kids go? If they come under key worker kids, that could work. But school doesn't open until 8-and I have to be in my own school 20 miles away!!!

Years 10 & 12 first.

If schools reopen for education reasons it will be Y10 and 12 first. If they reopen for economic reasons it will be primary schools first.

@Piggywaspushed I'm not denying it would happen to teachers (and nurse and drs and police etc) but the idea that my husband is 'safe' because he is retail is what gets to me. Yes, he's not frontline or a teacher but he and his colleagues (and people manning transport etc) are at risk too, and people forget that.

I thought it was going to be after May half term? That seems like the most sensible option to me?

I’ve tried to describe one year group being back (just year 10). It’s not easy!!!!

@cauliflowersqueeze what precautions, if you also read my post you will see that they are SAYING they are putting these things into place but you walk into the store and it is a whole different ball game. There is no way to socially distance as the store is still crowded - it is impossible.

Hoffi - but I am assuming they are following what they have been told to do by those higher up the chain. Head teachers getting information from the LEA and LEA getting information from the Education secretary. I would say what teachers are being told and are doing would be a massive indication of when they will be returning rather than a newspaper. Schools will be the first to know so they can prepare accordingly.

I said that the job of a teacher and other jobs are different “Minkowski* and that the risk that teachers are at is massively higher due to the environment they work in. I’m sorry you can’t understand that.

I never said (and I don’t believe anyone else did either) that people in retail are “safe” but they are certainly safer than teachers or people working with 1000 young people.

I suspect we'll be told at around 9pm the night before we're expected to open.