Huffpost - leak on School Guidance

[PatriciaHolm]

www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/entry/school-reopening-whole-year-bubbles-full-guidance-covid_uk_5ef9dd4ac5b6ca97091288e4?oo9&guccounter=1

Full document due this week, but some "highlights"...(I use the word advisedly)

• secondary bubbles of up to 240 children (essentially a year group) -No in-class social distancing requirement for primary pupils, with secondary pupils advised to stay 1m apart but not at all times -Teachers advised to keep 2m away from pupils, at the front of the class, and away from colleagues as much as possible as if in a supermarket

• Compulsory engagement with the NHS Test and Trace system, with whole classes or year groups liable to be sent home if a pupil tests positive, but whole school closure not seen as generally necessary

-No face coverings for pupils or teachers, on Public Health England advice, as they “interfere” with teaching and learning -Children seated facing forwards in same direction and not at circular tables, with pupils wearing normal uniform and washing hands throughout the day -Teachers advised to spend no more than 15 minutes at any one time closer than 1m to anyone - Fines of up to £120 for parents whose children fail to attend school. In contrast with the “softly softly” approach taken during full lockdown the message will be “education is not optional”

• Heads told not to put in any staff rota or physical distancing that would require extra space or make it impossible for all pupils to return full-time.

- Contingency plans for some or all of the school being put in local lockdown and any temporary return to “remote” teaching needing to be of a high quality -Some subjects for some or all pupils may have to be suspended for two terms to allow catch-up on core subjects such as English and maths, with a full spread of subjects returning in the summer term of of 2021 -Some pupils may have to drop some GSCEs altogether in Year 11 to allow them to catch up and achieve better grades in English and maths. GCSEs and A-levels to take place as planned next summer but with some “adaptations” - First year pupils at secondary school may have to be re-taught English and maths from their final year syllabus at primary level

I do wonder if teachers would support blended learning for their own children? Or if they'd need their children to be in school full time while they're at work

For secondary children I think blended learning could be great for the motivated kids that will do well anyway. For the kids who are less likely to be motivated the education gap will just widen.

The primary schools near me seem to be managing SD for the upper years very well

It’s going brilliantly in my school but that’s because there are so few children in. We are also focusing on wellbeing and social/emotional health.

Once everyone is back full time as ‘before’, with the focus being on ‘Catch up’ and pressure about phonics screening, SATs, times tables tests etc, I feel it will be very different.

Once everyone is back full time as ‘before’, with the focus being on ‘Catch up’ and pressure about phonics screening, SATs, times tables tests etc, I feel it will be very different.

Yes this is my concern too - and it's likely to be highly counterproductive I think - both in terms of the spread of the virus and in terms of child wellbeing.

I don't want a clap.
I want all children and teachers wearing masks.
Safety first.
We don't have any children with hearing difficulties in our school but if there was then the whole class could have clear face shields instead of masks.
My life is valuable to me, my DH and my 4 children.
I should be entitled to the same protection at work as all the other workers in the country, but instead I am expected to be in close contact with many others (15 now 32 in September) for many hours, no social distancing, on an enclosed space, the windows don't open only the door, there is no sink in the classroom, toilets are inadequate, I am often performing intimate care (Yr R TA) and the government says I should not wear a mask and neither should those around me.

Children aren't oblivious to how coronavirus is spread and my DD is very aware that, while she is unlikely to be very ill, she could easily pass it on to someone who could be extremely ill or die. What about children whose parents are vulnerable? Can we really expect them to return to schooling as normal in September knowing they could expose their parents?

This and

"I want all children and teachers wearing masks.

I should be entitled to the same protection at work as all the other workers in the country, but instead I am expected to be in close contact with many others (15 now 32 in September) for many hours, no social distancing, on an enclosed space, the windows don't open only the door, there is no sink in the classroom, toilets are inadequate..."

This.

With bells on.

I think they are hero's

At the start of all this, a nurse rejected being called a hero. She said if you call us heroes it makes it more acceptable when we die - I think there's some truth to that.

We have the Health and Safety at Work Act, why isn't it being used by unions? Employers should do everything possible to keep their staff safe at work. Why are teachers the exception?

@sunflowerProsecco
I am a TA too. You should have PPE for intimate care. It is part of our LAs risk assessment. We have aprons, gloves, masks and visors in our medical room and outside the toilets for this purpose.

Look at the picture at the top of this article - schoolchildren with masks and perspex screens. There's no reason, none, we couldn't do this here other than the government not wanting the cost - but I suspect the cost of more infection and more hospital admissions would be greater than the cost of measures which will prevent it.

www.ft.com/content/d68d6292-0486-4bfc-bf5c-54ce850a3f7a

I think it seeming difficult because it's unusual is a poor reason to cause more illness and death. If people really can't cope with masks there are visors or screens as an option.

I've been wearing a mask a lot in certain situations recently - it's weird at first but once you get used to it's completely fine - I've had several very long conversations with absolutely no problem (but for those who would have a problem - clear visors are the solution).

I think it's unacceptable that such simple measures that can reduce transmission rates by up to 95% are not being taken - it is an unacceptable risk to expect teachers to take as it is an ENTIRELY unnecessary risk when masks or visors or perspex screens would reduce the risk so much.

And plenty of other schools worldwide manage schooling perfectly fine whilst using these measures. It's a failure of imagination and a failure of care for teachers and students.

Also - they can't have it both ways. They can't be 'oh the poor children, think of their education' and then send them back in a situation which is highly likely to result in another lockdown / too many staff being absent due to sickness which will further disrupt their learning. If they send them back as normal this WILL happen it's basic biology (seriously, government ministers need remedial biology).

@langbarred is that seriously your vision for how school children should be educated here??? Wow. Shame there's no funding for mental health to unpick what that would do to the children.

I saw numerous reports of NHS frontline workers moving into temporary accommodation rather than risk taking the virus home to their families. I'm going to be exposed to numerous massive bubbles of potential virus carriers. I don't understand how it will be any different from usual if we have the 2000 kids back at school. Moving through narrow corridors. Cramming through the one or two doors unto the school building. If we do have to keep to 1m distancing they won't all fit. Why is it 18 year olds anywhere else need the 1m+ to keep people safe but the ones in sixth form will be magically protected

You don't think their mental health would be affected by their bubbles closing on a regular basis then? Especially if they are whole year groups.

Many people were concerned about how children would cope with having to social distance in their class, sitting at separate desk and that they would be traumatised. I am not a teacher but am involved with schools, all the reports we have had from the schools I deal with are that the children are thriving and love their individual space. This is in Primary schools. They love the small class sizes too. Will be a shock when going back to 30+ in a class.

That picture looks like secondary school. Children are adaptable. Yes I am sure some children will find that difficult, but just think how many children find a normal classroom stressful if they have sensory issues, with having to sit in groups, people moving around, the noise. Children without sensory issues can find a busy classroom stressful or distracting. Those children might find their own desk bubble preferable.

Just like remote learning some children have struggled, some have thrived. My DS is one of the latter, he will probably struggle when back in school, he would probably quite like to be in a classroom like that!

The clear screen version is better. It won’t happen as expensive but it’s not bad.

My daughter would love this kind of measures - she hates being spat at by the boys or bogies flicked at her and hates group work. Will be much happier sitting alone and working alone and will probably thrive much more in that environment.

Also, as I said before, most children know how the virus is spread and are concerned for their relatives. My daughter for one would feel happier going back if measures were clearly in place to stop spread. She is anxious about going back and the chance of catching it and passing it on. If there are NO measures her anxiety will be through the roof - she knows the guidance up to now has been 2m apart - how's she going to feel going back knowing they are not adhering to that rule?

I would have thought the anxiety issues for children would be far greater if the message is 'we're sending you back like lab rats with nothing to stop you catching coronavirus and passing it on to vulnerable relatives'.

And I think mental health of children will be far more affected by having ill relatives, ill teachers, relatives who die or relatives that have lifelong chronic illness following coronavirus (there are increasing numbers of people who are STILL ILL 12 weeks after catching coronavirus) - but no, it's a mask that's going to cause mental health issues.

Ridiculous.

Do we think mental health issues in children in S Korea (282 deaths from coronavirus) who wear facemasks are greater than mental health issues in children in the UK (at least 44 000 deaths).

I don’t agree that children would suffer more with protective screens in place. The opposite - disruption to families, teachers and dc is worse.

And what is completely being ignored here is that many children are anxious about the virus and would feel less anxious with proper safety measures.

I think secondary school kids are aware enough to know that doing nothing increases the risk. Especially as a number of them in my school (with a high BAME population) have had relatives seriously ill in hospital or that have died as a result of catching Covid.

So noone thinks that sitting children in perspex boxes just in case they have germs is a total overreaction? I'm assuming then that none of you are going to be getting on an aeroplane with hundreds of other people this summer? Children can't catch or spread something they don't have, and the overall incidence is now so low that it's very unlikely that any given person has it. And yes the mental health implications of "stay in your box because you might have germs" is terrifying to me. I'll be ducking out of this conversation now, I suspect there's no rational discussion to be had anymore about where there's a reasonable halfway house.

It’s a screen not a box and is no more terrifying than a trip to Sainsbury’s with screens. I find this children are terrified of Perspex and masks etc a complete overreaction. Absolutely bonkers.

Whether it is worth it due to children not spreading it is another issue.

You have to wear masks on planes don’t you?

We could resolve this issue for teachers and children if teachers could use a visor. It will not terrify children and I’m so irritated that we are so backwards when it comes to it here.

@ineedaholidaynow - my DS is in keyworker school. As you say he is one of the ones who finds the individual desks, quieter class, more outside breaks much easier than ‘normal’ school ( he has some SEN including sensory). My youngest with no SEN also finds it easier! It’s a very sad testament to what the reduction in real funding has done to education that ‘normal’ school is so crowded and noisy ( and actually inaccessible or extremely stressful to many children with SEND)

Eldest couldn’t wear a mask due to the sensory issue but I assume there would be exemptions. He does need to follow facial expressions but agree clear mask for teachers would assist with this.