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

We currently have a one way system set up for the Y12 and Y10 but when we are back it can't happen. We are only using certain areas of school and our department, that we aren't allowed us use right now, is a complete deadend. The corridors are so crammed that staff with risk assessments (pregnant and one with arthritis) aren't allowed to use the corridors when students do. That is going to be hilarious in September with them all in. That and the fact that already have 2 sittings for lunch and students have to queue outside in the rain to use the dining hall as there isn't enough room in the corridors.

@theld - that is interesting what you say about staff catching Covid. On my ward of 12 patients only 2 have not had it yet (I'm a patient). Although 4 were asymptomatic. Much less percentage of staff have had it despite little ppe - effect of handwashing perhaps? Of course in the normal course of events we are spending a lot of time in close quarters, hugging/comforting each other, all together at meal times in the small dining room. And sitting/lying together on the sofa in the lounge.

@Langbannedforsafeguardingkids - that may be the case in general hospitals but not in psychiatric hospitals. Patients here do not have to wear a mask while on the ward. They are meant to when going beyond the hospital grounds but few do.

@Hearhoovesthinkzebras - on my ward when a new patient arrives they isolate in their room while awaiting test results. This protects patients but staff not as much. The patient could well be on 1:1 so need a staff member with them at all times. If not staff will still have to have contact with the patient even if they test positive for Covid.

I think temperature taking would be a good idea. Masks for all would be beneficial as long as worn properly, not fiddled with - not sure how likely that is for DC?

Also myself and other parents in my DD's class I'm sure would be happy to supply hand gel or liquid soap for their DC/the class to use. Luckily all the classrooms (primary) have sinks in them.

Masked pupils and bunsen burners - that will go well

Bubbles of 300 teenagers moving around a school - that will go well

Big comps with 1500 pupils no longer able to provide for different ability students - that will go well

Boarding schools - that will go well

The guidelines are little more than kite flying

Staggered start times
How will that work with buses and trains ?
Hundreds of kids get the bus together
hundreds of them hang around waiting for their start time

Hooves -yes cedar is correct isolation is for the protection of patients from other patients not the protection of staff as staff still obviously still have to look after the people in isolation. Acutely ill and often confused people on medical or psych wards usually will not comply with wearing masks.

The NHS is trying to do Covid free green elective admission and outpatient zones where you get tested before admission and wear a mask etc etc but we still have a majority of emergency admissions and these will be either amber (unknown) or red (Covid positive or symptomatic). These patients still pose a risk to staff but we are OK taking that risk because it is not a huge one and mitigation is in place. We've been doing it all along so we feel safer now than we did in March/ April.

I do think it should be reassuring for teachers that healthcare workers are no longer dying in the numbers that they were. By analogy I do think teachers can be safe with appropriate risk assessments and changes to working practices as have happened in the NHS. Not 100% safe but safe enough to go to work.

Cedar- I'm sorry you are not well. I do think you are right that handwashing is a big deal. Hands are by far a bigger source than breathing it in. People are unaware of how often they touch their faces. I reckon masks work mainly by stopping you touching your face less than by preventing things being breathed in. Healthcare staff have had it drilled in for years 'wash your hands, wash your hands' you will fail any exam or assessment if that's not your first and last action and we have had spot checks for years with UV machines. Healthcare people are really good at washing hands and it does work.

They are indeed theld. There are also a LOT of often specially designed) sinks in healthcare establishments. In my school, I think it 6 for every 1000 people.

I do think they should look at mobile sink units for schools. They have got a bank of them in our hospital reception area and I've seen them on news reports of schools overseas.
That would be a useful and I think practical idea.

Yes, me too but there is no funding for any extra cleaning etc unless there is an outbreak. it's like the proverbial bolted horse!

@TheId

I think that's what teachers are asking for - risk assessments and change in working practices but they aren't happening. Why should they be reassured by the NHS? I went for an outpatient appointment on Tuesday - on arrival, before entering the building I had to put on a mask and my temperature was checked and a full Covid questionnaire was completed by a nurse in PPE who stood two metres away. Then they took me into the dept - receptionist was wearing a mask. I went into the consultation where both clinicians had full PPE on and sat two metres from me and each other. How were all of those staff at greater risk than a teacher?

As for washing hands how often will teachers be able to do that?

Sensible response from the NEU neu.org.uk/press-releases/coronavirus-guidance-schools-september

Hooves- I have patiently explained to you in my previous post that your experience in an outpatient dept recently does not reflect the level of risk experienced by the vast majority of NHS staff who have been working on inpatient units (as outpatients was shut) throughout the pandemic placing themselves at much greater risk than teachers will be in September. Doing close proximity work with bodily fluids on a higher risk population.

I do think the comparison is valid
If staff can go to work on NHS inpatient units then teachers can go to work in schools

I do agree that we should lobby for changes to proposals where they don't make sense. I would support teachers wearing masks and schools having money assigned for extra cleaning etc but a blanket no return to school or 'blended learning' is not acceptable to the vast majority of parents and pupils. We need to find ways to make this work. There is still time to get things right before Sept.

A level of risk needs to be accepted by education as it has been in health. It is not a huge level of risk any longer.

This part of the NEU response is very true If the Government could build and staff the Nightingale hospitals then it should be able to build and staff Nightingale classrooms to ensure our children can get back to school

We all have the right to home educate anyway- i'm assuming you'd have to actually withdraw your child to avoid a fine.

Would you support students wearing masks as well, Theld? That seems to be by far the best option to stop students spreading it amongst themselves as well as to staff?

Comparing inpatient services to ordinary schools doesn't seem fair. We can't do 'blended healthcare' for inpatients so whilst the risks are higher for staff, the consequences of not doing it are significant. Adaptations made to outpatient care and GPs like reduced contacts, telephone appointments and pausing elective surgery made sense in the risk Vs consequences balance.

Services for children have been managed much the same; foster care homes and residential special schools have stayed open throughout. Almost all schools stayed open to some students who needed a place. Social workers have continued to visit the most vulnerable children in their family homes. Education has continued for most in some form, largely through home learning (which has variously been done well and badly, as I'm sure outpatient services have also).

Going into the autumn both the NHS and education will need to find a balance. Should GP services continue to offer telemedicine? Are we back to a full schedule of elective surgeries? Should we just open schools and crack on, as this guidance is suggesting?

Blended learning is not ideal, but quite doable for KS3/4 where the idea of 'bubbles' is clearly nonsense. And certainly better than multiple outbreaks with the disruption and the risk to staff, students and their families.

@TheId

Hooves- I have patiently explained to you in my previous post that your experience in an outpatient dept recently does not reflect the level of risk experienced by the vast majority of NHS staff who have been working on inpatient units (as outpatients was shut) throughout the pandemic placing themselves at much greater risk than teachers will be in September. Doing close proximity work with bodily fluids on a higher risk population.

I do think the comparison is valid
If staff can go to work on NHS inpatient units then teachers can go to work in schools

I do agree that we should lobby for changes to proposals where they don't make sense. I would support teachers wearing masks and schools having money assigned for extra cleaning etc but a blanket no return to school or 'blended learning' is not acceptable to the vast majority of parents and pupils. We need to find ways to make this work. There is still time to get things right before Sept.

A level of risk needs to be accepted by education as it has been in health. It is not a huge level of risk any longer.

You might have patiently explained the situation in in patient units. That is a different risk level. Same as if we discuss PPE on the ICU.

I'm talking about the use of PPE in outpatients. Most of the staff that I saw wearing PPE in outpatients had no non socially distanced contact with patients. They spoke to a patient for no longer than thirty seconds at a fair distance, over two metres. There was no need, as far as I could see, for them to be in PPE. Most of the staff were outside and sing escorted a patient into the foyer. Why can't we compare them with teachers? If hospital management have decided that staff who are stood outside, checking temperatures and completing questionnaires need to be protected by wearing masks and having the patient wear a mask and having access to hand sanitizer then where is the argument for teachers to have no PPE, to have less than recommended social distancing, to be in a room with thirty people not wearing masks for an hour at a time and to be exposed to tens of people every day?

It looks like the start point for the guidelines is 'what can we do without spending any money' and the answer in secondary is staggered starts and tell teachers to social distance. Toilets and handwashing are a huge challenge. We can have hand sanitizer everywhere but it's not as effective as soap and water. Currently we have 25% of year 10 in and we're dividing them in 4 and each group has a separate toilet block. With 100% of the school and staff in its going to be very difficult. 2 female staff stalls in my block and frequently a queue at break time. With staggered breaks when are staff going to even get time to go for a wee?

We are opposite a leisure centre that's presumably not in use, why can't we use the space there too allow more distancing ? Portable toilet blocks and additional sinks?

I'm very low risk, so personally not terribly worried, probably already had it, but we are already short of teachers and people will leave if they don't feel safe.

I have a friend who works in a hospital library - for medical staff research, not patients.
The librarians and library assistants have to wear masks (supplied by the NHS and discarded every time they are taken off to eat or drink) whenever there is more than one person in the library.
They are not re-opening the physical library from 6 July, and currently have no plans to reopen as they cannot do so safely, in NHS terms.
She cannot believe the difference in the guidance for schools, contrasting how different her life would have been if she had remained as a school librarian.
NB. Much of the librarians' work is conducting online searches for medical staff, so they are working FT on that from home. Library assistants have tidied and carried out an audit of the stock, and done so again... No real work to do now and no furlough.

@RuffleCrow

We all have the right to home educate anyway- i'm assuming you'd have to actually withdraw your child to avoid a fine.

Eventually they'll get to a place where they are told to go in or action will be taken, but presumably not immediately.

Schools will have to be a bit patient, the whole world is a mess and for example a school child who helps care for a parent who is in an at-risk group is not going to be helped by being forced in if the family is worried, but nor are they going to be helped by having to deregister to avoid fines.

People's lives are so varied and complicated, a one-size response won't help.

The govt was very clear they are leaving fines to heads - and I think in part because however tough the govt want to look, the reality is some families won't be confident to go back for very understandable reasons. Heads may be happy to fine for holidays but not many want to fine worried families.

I think some kids themselves will have a lot of worry, especially if they know people who died or were hospitalised.

The scale of the issues really worries me! Teachers must be absolutely desperate to see some of their pupils again just to check how they are, and I don't mean just the ones in very worrying, possibly abusive situations. Beyond that very important group are huge numbers of families who are in difficult circumstances, things like money, housing, health concerns.

Heads may be happy to fine for holidays but not many want to fine worried families.

That's a brave head that'd fine one family but not another. Lawsuit...

That's a brave head that'd fine one family but not another. Lawsuit

It can only be this way. Obviously a policy will help define things. But there will be lots of absences whilst Covid is still present. Some will be due to test and trace, some due to mental health issues. The only way forward I can see would be a policy that allows for this with fines only for persistent offenders where cases can be proven.