Just been told dd’s school is only opening for year six

[gingajewel]

Just having a rant! Just had communication from the school that only year six will be in on 1st June and it has really annoyed me! How can things ever go back to how they need to be when schools are ignoring government guidelines! And yes I’m prepared to be flamed but it has annoyed me that I now need to tell my place of work that I still can’t go back to work!

I think it's the virus causing the problems. The school is trying to deal with it in the best way they can

And when will you deem it safe? September? Christmas? Next August? Never?

I keep seeing this ridiculous argument being trotted out.

When the death toll is much lower than it is now. When we know more about the disease. When we have anti-gen testing. When we have reliable track and trace. When we have effective plans for social distancing, like workers in other spheres.

But regardless, THIS IS NOT FOR TEACHERS TO SORT OUT. Why are we being given the responsibility of getting the country back open again? The UK is not ready yet. Opening schools (and other places) too soon will be catastrophic in terms of our death toll soaring again.

The BMA is a Union, it’s not some great medical or scientific authority on covid. Of course many senior doctors are members, but Trade unions do tend to support each other. A statement from the Royal Colleges would be more powerful. BTW I fully support teachers.

What do you mean keep changing the science they're following?

Well, herd immunity, for a start. And that loss of smell/taste wasn't a symptom worth noting.

"We'll follow the science"
Not stopping people flying in and/or putting them into quarantine until recently.
Letting the elderly flood back into care homes without testing, so it spreads like wild fire in that environment all over the country.
Spending a shitload on antibody tests that didn't work.
Fucking up testing, but it's okay that their numbers match up because it counts when they're posted at least.
The fucking idiot in charge bragging about shaking hands with Covid patients then shock getting it himself.
Oh now, losing your sense of smell and taste are included as official symptoms. All these weeks later.
Do I need to continue?
"Science" my arse, what suits politicians agendas more like.
Real science being genuinely reported, real doctors, yes. Let's go with that rather than the fucking loose spiel we've been drip fed. The scientists and doctors are the ones who deserve their voices being heard.

If you're worried about education the most literate country in the world is Finland and children don't start formal school until they are 7. If it is childcare you are after maybe consider other options than mixing with lots of children.

I read earlier that 50 schools in France have had to close back down after positive CV19 tests (caveat - I've only seen this reported on Sky news, maybe a MNer in France can confirm whether it's accurate).

I think schools and DOE are fumbling their way through this - that's not a direct criticism just an observation.

We are absolutely fumbling our way around this because at no point were the DFE or teaching unions engaged with by the government to provide significant professional input into this huge decision to reopen schools.

The guidance schools have been given us convoluted and contradictory and will result in children having a very sad and alien environment thrust upon them for only 6 weeks before summer holidays.

It's madness.

There has been no transparency in the 'science' that they are basing this on and no good reasoning as to why in every other situation the government are advising social distancing/use of personal PPE but not in classrooms.

Schools are very very concerned as the government has effectively washed their hands of any responsibility by changing their rhetoric to 'stay alert'.

So when people start dying as a result of a school becoming a covid-19 hotspot, the school will not have been alert enough...

They probably carried out a risk assessment and found year six plus Key workers’ children are all they have room for.

More than meets the eye, I cannot understand why they didn’t ask the teaching unions?

My school isn’t taking y6. They say they haven’t the room. They haven’t actually canvassed opinion on who wants to send their kids back. I think they haven’t the will.

@gingajewel Whilst I totally understand why the school may not have room and mostly oppose schools opening, I do have huge amounts of sympathy for you. It’s a really thought position to be in and I hope you work it out.

Despite keeping our kids home I in no way judge those who want or need to send their children to school, I understand we all have different families, work and children.

If anything one of the main reasons I regret then opening is the fact this will put many in a tough situation with their employer. And I feel bad about that for others.

I hope you can figure this out.

In a weird way this has fully convinced me to keep mine home (I’m freelance so can work round it) in the hope it makes room for other children whose parents need the space more.

Good luck and stay safe.

It's a horrible situation and one that none of us want.

We all want to get back to our lovely classes.
But it's just got to be safe.

There are going to be people that desperately need the childcare that schools obviously provide more than others and we have been open for those people all the time. Keyworkers have had their children looked after.

It's so wrong that the government are putting any of us in this situation.

Now (after a nearly 16 hours day on online live teaching/marking/feedback/phoning parents/chasing documents/homeschooling my own children at the same time/. More marking etc etc I'm finally going to bed.

Mine is year 10 and we've just been told they will get some teacher time but no idea how much or what it would look like yet
He has exams next year so I think it's important he gets to go in and his school should be able to manage it as they don't have a year 12 ( no with form ) and very few keyworker children
But it is what it is I suppose

@CallmeAngelina

Yes! And they stressed the importance of the R until it went up then it wasn’t important anymore according to Harries, they showed the international comparison slides and called then useful until they made us look bad, they ditched testing and tracing (a very bad move) then changed their mind and are slowly trying to bring it back, they said quarantining arrivals wouldn’t help but are now planning to do so, the pm said shake people’s hands, the day SAGE said don’t shake people’s hands, they said don’t wear masks, then maybe wear masks, now wear masks sometimes, if you look at SAGE minutes from pre lockdown they say closing schools will make a significant difference, now they’re saying opening them won’t, pre lockdown they said stopping mass gatherings wouldn’t make a difference and let them go ahead, then changed their mind and stopped then.

And they’re refusing to listen to teachers who are trained experts in their field.

And they refer to countries with far fewer cases as a reason they open schools even though they literally say comparisons with other countries isn’t useful when it comes to the death toll. What!,

Ooooh but aren’t we all refusing to listen to scientists who are trained experts in their field?

Just to repeat again that despite my views on this I do support all parents’ views on this and understand why some want children back,

Don’t let them divide us over this.

@morethanmeetstheeye excess deaths figures you are quoting may not be from corona itself they may end up being related ie people not seeking treatment early enough , other illness not being spotted etc
Lockdown it self brings issues

I’m listening to all the scientists, including the govs and the rest of the science community. True science takes evidence from many sources.

I work in MH and I’d say this last two weeks we are seeing an uptick in suicide

So do my other half and my mum. They’re seeing mental health issues caused by the lockdown, Covid itself, the worry about Covid, worry of lockdown easing, worry of being forced back to work, grief. It’s a tough horrid time for so many reasons as I’m sure you know.

MH is a tough job at the best of times, hope you’re doing ok while helping others to do ok,

Not really, I’ve had to pretty much ditch my job to concentrate on my Kids because they are really suffering now from lack of peer interaction.

@morethanmeetstheeye you need to do some more research per capita we don't have the highest death rate in Europe and we also report all deaths many others don't
You cant make a like for like comparison you seem like your just reciting newspaper headlines without looking into things , such as goverment massaging the figures when the ons figures are clearly there for all to see as they are all the time
Re : Ppe what do teachers want ? Would they be happy with just a cotton mask or do they want medical grade that Drs and nurses actually dealing with covid patients desperately need at moment ?
What are police , prison officers , social workers using ? These are all professions that get spat at and such like and also could be dealing with a lot more than just the same 15 humans a day , also jobs where social distancing isn't practical

Also regarding infection rates it's two weeks away we hope to have infections down and even the government said these are suggested dates if things still aren't looking any better then he could easily say they aren't going back so I think parents need to be prepared for this scenario anyway as even if your school is ready if advice is then not to open we have to be prepared

Yes, do you listen to the daily briefing? I listen every day and it’s been clear for some time that the uk is reporting all deaths in all settings.

Many countries are reporting only hospital deaths. I thought this was widely known.