Journalist questions on daily briefing re schools just aren’t good enough.

[M0ck0ni0n]

When they actually ask them(which is rare)they don’t follow up when fobbed off to get any answers.

The BBC reporter today just looked bored and when he and more importantly parents didn't receive any answers to his question he just followed it up with a football question.

So sick of it and our weak government who just don’t sort this massive problem for children out.

I don’t expect school staff to work where it is unsafe, but I do want to see a situation where all students get at least some time in school, and a plan for the future.

I really feel even a couple of days a week would make such a difference, particularly in primary. Or at the very least we need some direction for what it’ll be like in September, be that full or part time schooling, rotas or whatever. And we need that information now, not drip fed at the end of August.

If you listen to the government you’d believe my son is back at school (reception) but he’s not, the school has no space for Reception or year 1 (let alone other year groups) and seemingly is getting no support locally or nationally to solve that.

You’d believe my year 10 is back, she isn’t. She’s going back for 1 day this week and 1 day in 3 weeks time. I however am working full time in my primary school. It’s nuts.

@freshcutflowers

What about *@Elderflowervioletrose* ‘s question everyone? Should social distancing end everywhere in the case of schools opening normally? Why should other workers have to socially distance if school staff do not have to?

I'll bite, might regret this but here goes.

No, schools going back doesn't mean everything should just go back to normal and everyone else stop social distance. It's important to limit interactions as much as possible still. However at this stage we need to be looking at the risk/benefit ratio of our interactions and deciding what needs to still be limited and what should be reassumed. It's not the case that stopping social distancing in one place stops the benefits in other areas.

For office staff who can work from home the benefit of returning to the currently office doesn't make sense as the benefit is small so keeping them at home is the best course of action. For school children it is vastly beneficial for most of them to be in school at least some of the time and the risk to teachers and the risk to children and teachers (in general) is small enough to be outweighed by that. This doesn't mean sensible precautions (increased handwashing, no assembly, limiting interactions between groups shouldn't take place), it's about reducing risk not eliminating it altogether (which is unfeasible in this case unless we stay lockdowned semi permanently).

It sounds cold to put it down on paper like that because we are looking at societal risk as opposed to individual risk but that's what the government need to do. I still find it bizarre that getting all children back to school (even it was part time this term) doesn't appear to above golf courses and sports direct in the agenda.

Every other industry has had to adapt and change, or fail

Every school, state or independent has had to adapt and change.
Before this I'd never done remote teaching. None of the teachers I work with or know if had. We have learnt as we've gone along.
Even more importantly none of the children had either, nor had their parents.

We had very little notice. We also thought we'd have at least a week or two longer as everyone said Easter closing, and at the start of March few people, especially the Government, were taking it seriously and were not planning for closure in the whole.

I believe our school have stepped up and adapted well. Many staff have been in school throughout and most are not working FT in school with classes. A minority are at home, myself included, due to medical reasons. But I am still working FT hours, longer in fact.

Schools can only act on Government instructions., and their LEA's instructions.

We've provided 5 lessons of work a day, all core subjects produced by school staff. We can only provide it and resound tomorrow what we get back. We can't force parents to do it.

We are currently working on plans to return FT in September. But the Government also need plans for other scenarios too.

On the whole schools get no more notice of what's happening than the general public. And the guidance normally comes later and changes at least once or twice every week.

I completely agree with Littlebelina. There is this tendency to say "well if this is open then everything should be open". We have to weigh up the risks and benefits. If we have to have social distancing in offices and shops for months and months, do we just never open schools to more children?

I'd prefer a rota system for everyone to nothing. I'd like to see standards for home learning and guidance for schools. Rather than forcing every school to come up with their own plan and give Heads even more to do. I'd like to see funding to deliver home learning. I'd like to see more kids who can't access learning at home in school. I'd like to see PLANS from the Government rather than continued unrealistic ambitions and directions that change at 8pm on a Sunday night.

Many schools have adapted and it is good.

The provision is hugely varied however.

If a school does no remote learning, no marking, no contact, just emailed work with many links what are the downward pressures that means that happens?

I'm so angry with how the Government has just dumped schools into this shit. It pisses me off that if you raise concerns about how schooling is happening at the moment you are accused of teacher bashing. I am NOT teacher bashing. All my anger is at a Government who have no plan for delivering an education to our children. They keep promising that the kids will be able to go back, while providing ever changing guidance that anyone can see is never going to work. And they don't have any back up plans for how to support delivering remote education if needed.

My year sixer is back - but only 2 days a week 🙄

Agree it’s a disgrace. Football and golf clubs but not schools. Very clear whose in charge isn’t it 🙄🙄🙄

Written to MP fwiw

@Aragog
The constant updates are insane. Parents need to look more on the gov site and see the constant changes.

@M0ck0ni0n journos and some scientists were very vocal about the restrictions reporters can ask. It all started to come out when the scientists stopped showing up.

Parliament and global news sources on twitter are good ones to follow. Along with some of the scientists etc. Since cv twitter have gotten better at removing fake news, and of course it’s all easy to verify by doing online searches. It’s also a fab way to see what other countries are doing and of course, what the world thinks of how the UK are handling it.

I’d say tweet your MPs instead of emailing but a lot of them have locked their accounts to new posts.

I don't get the constant comparisons with other open places. Most are in no way comparable at all.

Golf clubs - indoor areas are closed. Max of 4 people playing together. All social distanced. Lots of measures in place. All outdoor.

Zoo - only outdoor areas open. SD in place. Lots of other measures in place too. Staff in masks and gloves. Indoor enclosed areas closed.

Shops - SD with restricted numbers should be in place. People constantly moving so not face to face for very long. The ones I've been in have tolls behind screens and/or staff in masks.

@Aragog

I don't get the constant comparisons with other open places. Most are in no way comparable at all.

Golf clubs - indoor areas are closed. Max of 4 people playing together. All social distanced. Lots of measures in place. All outdoor.

Zoo - only outdoor areas open. SD in place. Lots of other measures in place too. Staff in masks and gloves. Indoor enclosed areas closed.

Shops - SD with restricted numbers should be in place. People constantly moving so not face to face for very long. The ones I've been in have tolls behind screens and/or staff in masks.

It's about how much wiggle room you have. As we move out of lockdown everything we do increases interactions and the risk of the virus spreading. Imagine you've got a limit amount of money, you can spend it on lots of little things (golf clubs, non essential shops, beer gardens etc) or one big item (schools). Once you've done your big necessary spend, hopefully all goes well and you can save a bit more "cash" to spend on little luxuries later. The fact the government have (largely) chosen to spend their wiggle room on other stuff as opposed to education tells us what they think of education and children.

But surely @Littlebelina most of the things opened are either outside or limited time with the same people. Offices and other workplaces should be practising social distancing and complying to other rules.

Schools are primarily indoors and and a long period of time with the same people. In workplaces it has been advised that people shouldn't be working facing anyone, back to back is best. I don't suppose it works too well with a teacher not facing the class.

This is also why spending time indoors with other households is only being brought in very gradually as that is the most riskiest as people will be in close confinement for long periods of time.

Right, it's not that opening schools is more or less risky than golf club (because schools clearly do confer more risk). It's about what risks are worth taking because they offer the greatest benefits and your risk as a whole (again large scale society risks not individual risks as these are the ones governments need to take)

Looking at in context of the bloody R number. Say it was 0.5 and opening schools more is thought to add an increase of 0.4 and golf clubs/shops 0.2. Do you open the golf clubs and shops and say that's it now schools can't open more or do you open the schools as they are the priority? Or if the R was 0.6, do you open the golf clubs now and sack off the schools even though the R might drop to 0.5 next week allowing you to open the schools (and remember the clock is ticking more for the schools are opposed to the golf clubs as this term is finishing and next year rapidly approaching)

Anyway my point was opening golf clubs, shops, pubs etc does have an effect on schools opening as this is a complex situation where one component however small can influence another.

littlebelina not sure if you've read it but htis article discusses what you are saying :
blogs.bmj.com/bmj/2020/06/02/sebastian-walsh-we-are-asking-the-wrong-questions-about-easing-lockdown/

I had weepinggreen, thank you

Lets hope there some sensible questions today

I really hope so. Some huge holes in their plans.