Schools Reopening?

[ClimbDad]

A major, peer reviewed study into transmission in South Korea has established that tweens and teenagers spread the SARSCOV2 virus more than any other age group.

The study involved more than 65,000 people and used South Korea’s exceptionally effective contact tracing system to look at who brought the virus into households. Tweens and teenagers were the highest index case age group. Younger children transmitted at the same rate as 20-somethings.

This is a large scale, rigorous piece of research that proves children are effective at transmitting the virus. It was conducted in a country that implements strict social distancing and mask wearing among children. The authors say the rate of transmission would have been higher if children weren’t subjected to those measures.

Plans to reopen schools more or less as normal in September will place many lives at risk, and increase the likelihood schools will have to close again. The government needs to acknowledge schools will be highly efficient vectors of viral transmission and change its reopening plans.

Published Paper:
wwwnc.cdc.gov/eid/article/26/10/20-1315_article

Article on the paper:

www.bloombergquint.com/business/covid-19-spread-fastest-by-teens-and-tweens-korea-study-finds

RobustRemoteSchool

Ok. Well I’m really sorry your DS hasn’t had what he needs from school.
Thank you for your honesty in admitting you don’t have a background in education.
What I’m frustrated about is that you (And oh so many others) are writing long threads explaining what you think should happen - in some detail - with no background in education.

It’s like mansplaining, but with teaching.

I’ve never worked in an office - so I wouldn’t tell you how your office should manage Covid, or anything else - because that would make me a total dick.

Can you see how I might feel?

*"Why not make school attendance optional?"
*
Probably for the same reason it's not optional for the rest of the time!

@mumsneedwine - thanks I agree that it’s a real concern that the plans for ‘all back to school as normal’ don’t seem sensible - which is why I’m so keen for a focus on the backup plans for remote learning.

I’m really pleased that the DoE guidance covers this but I’m afraid that unless it’s discussed by parents it will go unnoticed.

Would remote schooling work better if a school was 100% closed -eg in the even of a full local lockdown.

Parents should be part of the conversation with schools - what would need to happen for all lessons to go online in the event of full local lockdown. Do teachers have the tech? Could the PTA help etc?

@tootiredtospeak

What a thread to compare yourself to young innocent men being sent to war is ridiculous. What a bunch of arseholes. If you dont want to do it you have a choice leave...those poor young men did not have that choice.

Agree!

This thread is full of emotive language and reference presented as fact.

Robust I think we'll be doing some extensive consultations with our parents. No names, no packdrill but genuinely trying to find out how the lockdown learning went, if the work wasn't done, why not and how we can get better engagement next time. Sadly, some of our parents will not even engage with this. We did a consultation at the beginning of lockdaown and they were dead set against live lessons. The reality is of course that for some of our families, any engagement with school work at home is seen as an imposition.

As a parent I won't be sending DC back. DC has ADHD and is being assessed for ASD. There is no way (even if it was allowed) that he would wear a mask or SD.

He would not cope with any of it. He tells me he's much happier at home as he doesn't have to pretend.

I have a shielded older child. The risk does'nt end on 1st August. I will deregister very regretfully.

Teachers have a bloody hard job. I don't think people realise how knackering it is. My mum was a teacher so I know how hard they work.

It's as though the government just think fuck it.

I will be devastated to lose our school place, but what other choice do we have?

@SmileEachDay - the thing is what I’m agitating for is that this new Government guidance is actually implemented in practice - I haven’t written it myself!!

I feel that being a taxpayer/citizen/parent qualifies me to express an opinion on schools!

So many people in offices (myself included) have adapted to remote working during lockdown - I think there is a bit of overlap.

As it happens I suspect my DS will be fine as I’ve been able to support him from home - he has less privileged classmates who have literally been doing practically zero work. Whereas in other local schools they’ve been doing some online live lessons and some where the teacher is available at set times in Google Classrooms.

You have c&p some govt guidance. You’ve mixed it up with some of your own suggestions- “would it be better if one teacher set work and others were available”.

The Smorgasbord isn’t helpful. It’s infuriating because you don’t work in a school - plus, different approaches work in different contexts.

Of course you can express your opinion - as a parent or a taxpayer - but don’t confuse that with being an expert.

ClimbDad

Lot of opinions on this thread.

Here’s a suggestion: why not make school attendance optional?

Those who choose to have their children learn at home ensure their kids keep up through digital learning, and regular assessments test whether standards are being met.

If a significant proportion of parents opt for digital learning, class sizes at school will be reduced, making the environment safer for students and teachers, and making it easier for schools to implement infection control measures. Risk is reduced for everyone.

This with massive bells on. I've been saying this for weeks

Schools need to open.

I'm a teacher
I'm also vulnerable / on the shielding list.
I will be working and my children will be going (and have been going this half term)

As horrible as covid is, there is , in my opinion no excuse to damage children's education, mental health and social development any further. Enough has been done already. Everyone needs to be back in school in September. If there are children who are extremely at risk from covid then appropriate and rigorous provision needs to be made for them but , unless that's the case children ALL need to be back.

^Agreed

@RobustRemoteSchool I agree that remote schooling capacity needs to be a big focus this term and I also agree that many schools didn't do as much as they could, reading the evidence on here.

The main stumbling block to keeping everyone happy with remote education is, of course, the vast disparity between what parents want. Some parents want their child to make the most progress possible. This will for younger children likely involve more or less constant supervision and parental help. Some (lots in this group) want their child entertained and kept quiet and busy while parents work. This will mostly be low level tasks which won't progress children and will leave them behind. Some will be threatened and angry at any amount of online schooling and will not engage under any circumstances.

Depending on the majority of parents at your school, you may be stuck with an option that everyone wants except you, and the proposed plans to improve the online offer will in some schools require lots of parents to upskill their tech knowledge way beyond a level at which they are comfortable, alienating them further. You've got to go with whatever results in the maximum engagement for your community.

What scaremongering garbage. I am sick of seeing posts like this. This virus is, on the whole, a mild illness, and it is not going anywhere any time soon. The sooner we accept and learn to live around it the better. Distance learning as a serious alternative to a proper education is an utterly ridiculous proposition.

OP if you want to lock yourself away in an airtight sanitised cage for the next forever then crack on. The rest of us would quite like to do all we can to get back to some level of normality.

What scaremongering garbage. I am sick of seeing posts like this. This virus is, on the whole, a mild illness, and it is not going anywhere any time soon. The sooner we accept and learn to live around it the better. Distance learning as a serious alternative to a proper education is an utterly ridiculous proposition.

OP if you want to lock yourself away in an airtight sanitised cage for the next forever then crack on. The rest of us would quite like to do all we can to get back to some level of normality.

@Juststopswimming I won't pass your comments on to my colleagues families, 2 of whom are dead. Or the children of 3 parent nurses who have also died. Or the student who now has long time health issues from this. Mild illness it is not.

I do not mean to be flippant and I am very sorry for your losses - but the reality is that the overall risk of dying from covid is low.
Should schools be shut because flu can kill? Or because chicken pox can kill?

@Juststopswimming Yes. Because it's not just about deaths. This is a virus that is proving to leave long term damage and has been called our generations polio. Read the science.

So shall we keep everything shut until there are 0 cases anywhere?

No. But we can add precautions to try and keep risk to a minimum. Masks are such an easy solution that work in other countries.

@Juststopswimming

So shall we keep everything shut until there are 0 cases anywhere?

Why do some posters persist in trotting out this line as though it's a binary choice? There are many shades of grey between one extreme and the other.

@Juststopswimming

I do not mean to be flippant and I am very sorry for your losses - but the reality is that the overall risk of dying from covid is low. Should schools be shut because flu can kill? Or because chicken pox can kill?

Two of my young and healthy friends now have heart conditions following Covid infections. @mumsneedwine is right, you need to pay more attention to what’s happening. This virus is leaving a significant number of debilitated people in its wake. And we still don’t know about longer-term impact.

Well I would have thought most would know that if it was made a choice, then children with parents who possibly didn't care about education might not go back as well, hence making it compulsory.

Good grief, most children will have been off school for six weeks come September. We don't know how it will pan out but we have to try! All this for a virus that is mild to non-existent to most. Not acceptable at all.

I used to work in a school and would have been back in a flash. As it is my office will be phasing staff back in from next month (without masks) and I have absolutely no objection to that.

*six months

What is an acceptable level of infections/deaths though?! Because I'm reasonably comfortable with the 0.002% risk in my area at the moment. I'm far less comfortable with my kids missing any more school

So shall we keep everything shut until there are 0 cases anywhere?

Does it have to be all or nothing? You don’t think there could be something in between?