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.

The 2m rule is to keep children AND adults working with them safe. It helps prevent the spread of the virus.

Why would anyone want to make schools and those in them less safe?

Weird logic.

[quote twinnywinny14]@havefunpeleton but this is the issue, for as many people who say it’s safe there are as many saying it’s not. It’s also not just the children to worry about here. The government are effectively saying it’s safe for schools to open on the basis they’ve set out but for many schools that plan is impossible to deliver. The concern here is the lack of plan for moving forward[/quote]
this down to a lack of understanding of statistics and risk. What is "safe" ? Does it mean you can garuntee there will absolutely no possible adverse outcome from something? If that is what people mean by safe (and sadly it does seem to have become the new meaing of this word) then actually school was NEVER safe. There was always a chance a child could become ill, they could catch meningitis for example, or be knocked down on their way to school. The could catch influenza and pass it to a vulnerable relaitve who may die of the disease. But overall, it was always considered that these risks were outweighed by the many, many benifits of children being at school and the possible risks to them of not being at school.
The risks of a child beoming seriously unwell with COVID have been proven to miniscule. They have more chance of ebing killed by lightening!
Similarly, and this is what has got laost, the chances of a healthy non vulnerable adult becoming seriously unwell or dying form COVID are actually really small.
The current infection rates make the chances of children transmitting this to adults also really small.
The risks however to chlidren continuing to be denied an educaiton and social interaction at school and signifcant and growing by the day.
At some point we all have to face the facts that the risks of schools remaining closed outweight the risks of chilren going back.

The 2m rule is going to be scrapped! So you won't have that fig leaf to work with for much longer.

@havefunpeleton what relevance is my job? I work in a private day nursery and???

@DomDoesWotHeWants l
Pigeon has pointed the finger at the unions not individual teachers. And Pigeon has also I note recognised that some teachers are doing an excellent job. Dismissing this as teacher bashing is idiotic.

The unions are partly to blame. Their initial stance of resistance to online teaching/communication with children by phone etc was hugely damaging both to the reputation of teachers (those who followed it unthinkingly at least) and to the children who just felt invisible to school.

As a negotiating stance it was terrible. If they had encouraged remote replication of the benefits of school there would be far less of an outcry now

@DomDoesWotHeWants

Proposing 2m social distancing in a school is actually the weirdest logic I've heard for some time! It obviously cannot work!

If I'm sure I heard right the secretary of education is doing the briefing tomorrow.

@pigeon999

I am afraid dom that the virus may not 'go away' for the next twenty years, shall we keep the schools closed between now and then?

Seriously?

Your position is flawed, and will be more evident as the weeks pass the infection rate drops to nothing.

There you go again making things up.

I didn't say the schools should remain closed. I've never thought that.

They will be open to all but on a part time basis. Get used to it.

And stop the teacher hatred. It isn't their fault, no matter how much you try to pretend it is. You fool no one.

'The shielding' will also be allowed to live normally in two weeks time, so why are the schools still closed??

Pubs, restaurants, hotels, cinemas and all the rest will all be open in two weeks, everything except for schools. It is a serious problem in terms of perception. How is the pub more important than our children's education?

I actually can not believe this has happened.

@Weepinggreenwillow I completely understand your point, but part of the problem here is also about parents confidence. Some schools who are open have very few turn out for those eligible pupils, that has nothing to do with the schools it’s down to parents. The DFE have told schools they cannot use local ‘public’ spaces such as village halls and should only make plans that require no additional staff or budget, the government are not helping here are they?

[quote havefunpeleton]@DomDoesWotHeWants

Proposing 2m social distancing in a school is actually the weirdest logic I've heard for some time! It obviously cannot work![/quote]
So how do you suggest we prevent the spread?

Or do you think school staff should just take the risk?

Not. Going. To. Happen.

Distancing will have to be maintained as best it can be by keeping classes to under 15.

Dom our schools is reopening full time in September, I expect yours will be too. No matter how much you would like to work part time?!!!

Why would they be only open 'part time'? For what reason, we will have zero deaths and very very low or no infection in the community by September. Would you please tell me what possible reason there would be to only be part time?

dom so are you saying that if a vaccine isn't found or covid doesn't just vanish children will never be properly educated again? Because that is the logic of your post.

Dom I dont see any teacher hatred on this thread. And quite honestly I will NOT "get used to it" Where my children, and millions more across the country, are suffering and their needs are being ignored by this government I absolutely will NOT get used to it. I will fight for my children with every ounce of energy I have. As would most parents I would imaginge.

The 2m rule will be scrapped altogether, and then you can have normal classes again, perfect! Solution solved.

I just hope they have the sense to keep the no fines rule for parents who decide to send their children back that soon for health concerns

@pigeon999 oh we are all back to normal in 2 weeks are we? That’s good to know! So will we still be social distancing? And will we be able to have 30 people in an office all day with no social distancing between them?

You might also consider writing to the teachers unions. They, along with at least some local authorities, are delaying schools reopening. That isn't to say the government is blameless but they are not the only ones to blame for the current situation.

So many parents were up in arms weeks ago when it was first announced schools were opening saying their DC were being treated as guinea pigs

@pigeon999 it’s not the 2m rule causing the issues for schools though is it? Some schools are not operating this with youngest pupils anyway but they still cannot open to all pupils- do you understand the reasons why?

'the problem is that the teachers unions and large academy chains seem to have undue influence'

Yes the paediatricians should have written an open letter to unions, schools and parents!:The government are actually advocating schools open for some year groups and many kids in those groups aren't back yet.

If they'd just said yes everyone back no restrictions in place and there'd been a resurgence there would be outrage, obviously they had to start slowly and see how things went you'd think paediatricians would know this.

@Toomanycats99 yes I’ve filled in forms for one of mine to try and get a place for some of the summer. No mention of social distancing or if will go ahead, places allocated first come first served and still taking bookings. They’re also at CM two days a week. Rules for CM were changing every five mins too. There’s just a lack of a cohesive overall plan.

twinny yes that is about the strength of it.

I'm pleased that letter has been sent. Along with other people writing/speaking.

It's crazy that there is so much discussion around shops/hairdressers/pubs/cinemas etc. But schools are on the back burner. In fact,it's bloody outrageous.

I teach and was back in school with some Y10 pupils the other day. In school, we have to have social distancing etc. However, as I watched a few arrive, they arrived walking side by side (not even 1m apart), chatting away etc. I can bet a lot of teens will now be meeting to go to primark etc. but can't go to school.

The govt. I think, need to announce that the plan is for normal schooling in September, provided that the current data trends continue.

So many children and young people are and have missed out on so much. We need to work to getting them back to school as they know it.

We will either reduce the distance to 1m in line with everyone else and WHO or we will scrap it altogether in schools etc.

We can not continue with the pointless 2m because it is unworkable in many settings, not just schools.