1600 paediatricians have written to the prime minister

[havefunpeleton]

Demanding schools reopen or risk scarring a generation. Reported in Times today.

I am hoping this will be the push needed to ensure this madness ends and all our children can go back to school full time in September.

No. I'm asking the question if you can sue for catching a virus at work

And I gave my opinion on an opinion forum. You don't seem to understand how it works

But there is a legal section if that helps.

Thanks for your opinion lol. It was a serious question though

Stop bickering???
Translation: stop disagreeing with me and accept that unions are evil child tormentors, that teachers haven’t done enough and that schools and everyone who works in them should ignore government instructions and just open full time for every child.
Preferably all Summer.
Preferably for no pay.
Do you want a fulsome apology as well? Should we all be put in stocks for daring to displease our ‘customers’?

Pigeon999 great- you again. Spouting your bullshit about the unions. It's so boring. As teachers keep telling you, these are GOVERNMENT decisions. The unions have represented members to ensure that safety measures have been put in place- you know, Covidsafe- like every other business has been asked to do.
Stop spouting your bullshit and direct your anger at the Government- not the unions and not the teachers.

@FrippEnos

Am a lawyer

The duty of care is about reasonableness. You have to take reasonable steps to protect employees. Obviously what is reasonable depends on the circumstances.

If, for example, people are allowed to do more socially etc, the wider economy is open, people can sit in restaurants etc, then what is reasonable is likely to change. Eg in a hotbed of virus, part time school very reasonable but where risks extremely low, not very reasonable to expect to deliver only half the timetable in person etc.

The only way to give all children a chance of fair education is to drop the social distancing. My DCs (y2 & y4) can not go to school because half classes of yN, yR, y1, y6 & KW take up the full capacity of the avaliable space and rooms. There is no space or staff for them to be appropriately educated.

Secondaries can not hope to social distance or "bubble" 1000-2000 students and have them taught by specialist staff. It is either business as usual or continued substandard education that polarises advantage and disadvantage.

If I still taught I would happily go back in with normal timetabling. I would happily resume my usual supporting in the DC's school with mixed classes. As a teacher you always are exposed to whatever bugs are circulating and your immune system adapts accordingly. Teaching never has been risk free.

Children need their peers for social development and collaborative learning is a vital part of education as is rolemodelling from peers.

Months and months of social distancing and isolation from their peers is frankly cruel to children. It is denying their needs abd their rights to an education.

If I'd written a year ago "AIBU to keep my child off school, keep them in the house, only allow them out for a bike ride/ walk, and distance them from extended family and friends for 3-6 months" I would have been told unaminously that I was being not only inreasonable but abusive too.

At present the costs of social distancing on young people are causing far more damage than the virus we are trying to protect ourselves from. More teenagers have died from suicide since March than Coronavirus.

I am a teacher Jimmy currently working full time in school as is every other member of staff.

Stop bickering because it doesn’t help the national tragedy that is the nation’s children not being in school.

Work together to sort the problem.

And re suing for catching virus at work, I guess the answer is maybe, but you may have to prove:

1. that is where you caught it; and
2. employer didn't take reasonable steps to keep you safe.

How can you prove 1) if you are also shopping, seeing some relatives etc and generally exposing yourself in your spare time. Which is where I think we "could" be in September.

Havefunpeleton you appear to be rewriting history. The problem was that the Government made shit decisions about schools without consulting unions. You really have zero idea of what has been happening and are just looking to put blame on the unions and schools.

Thanks @nicenames

So if an employer has done a risk assessment and their employee catches CV. Unlikely case would be successful?

If an employee did wish to sue. On what grounds could they?

And yes I did also wonder about proof

If I still taught I would happily go back in with normal timetabling. I would happily resume my usual supporting in the DC's school with mixed classes. As a teacher you always are exposed to whatever bugs are circulating and your immune system adapts accordingly. Teaching never has been risk free.
FFS, we're not talking about the common cold here! This is COVID-19!!! A virus which effectively closed down the entire globe.
I don't see many other workplaces, like hospitals , airports and shops saying, fuck it, nothing's risk-free, let's carry on. Why the fuck do you think the world went into lockdown, at huge economic and social cost?

Apple
We are all working.
How are you ‘working together to solve the problem?’
You are following your head’s instructions who in turn is following government guidelines. Don’t talk bollocks. You have no power to help solve any problems.

For those who want schools back with no SD - the latest phe stats say 24 outbreaks in schools for the last week they monitored, the same as hospitals. That's with all the SD measures in place.
Care homes were about a hundred.

No I’m just suggesting instead of bickering on here as to whose fault it is maybe you’d be better placed to think of some ways to get all kids back properly in Sep which absolutely needs to happen.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog you'll have to put that into context! So lower than community spread. But still transmission in school?

An outbreak is only 2 or more people at the same place. The point is, unsurprisingly, with schools opening more, they are becoming more significant as a source of outbreaks. So if schools went back with no SD, there would be more, and larger outbreaks.

In other words, the reason teachers and kids haven't been getting it is because they're out of circulation. Put them back into circulation and the obvious happens.

Interesting thanks. I guess that's a discussion on a different post as to whether ppe is effective. And whether SD ever truly happens in schools.

24 cases in a week does seem well in line with community transmission though?

@havefunpeleton

No one can ever say anything is safe *@Hearhoovesthinkzebras* Sad but that's life. No such thing as safe. It's about reducing risk. My question was can you sue if you catch a virus at work... seems unlikely

Sorry, explain how admitting 30 children into a class for six hours abandoning the society distancing that everyone else has to abide by and denying PPE that employees in other jobs where SD can't be followed is reducing risk? Where exactly are you reducing risk?

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras it was a question specifically aimed at mumsnetters with a legal background. Feel free to ignore if that's not you

@mumneedswine

Please explain how you are v likely to infect your students just because your DD works on a Covid ward? That's utter bollocks

@havefunpeleton

24 cases in a week does seem well in line with community transmission though?

The pp didn't say 24 cases. They said 24 outbreaks - who knows how many cases within each outbreak.

@havefunpeleton

Demanding schools reopen or risk scarring a generation. Reported in Times today.

I am hoping this will be the push needed to ensure this madness ends and all our children can go back to school full time in September.

So do I.