This is the senior school reality.

[Morfin]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/world-us-canada-53759662/students-from-georgia-school-district-in-viral-photo-speak-out

I've posted before about how our media post misleading images of SD in schools. This is a fair reflection of what our senior schools will look like . Would you be happy being one of those people in the picture, with no mask?

@Orchidflower1 I don't tend to bother imagining scenarios like that which will realistically never happen.

@SengaStrawberry I definitely what kids back I have 4. Including one going into y11 this year. I think it's very important kids get back to education but I would still like a little more safety. Just because I ask for this people like you scream I'm a school closer which is completely inaccurate.

@Mintjulia

To be fair, that looks like no thought has gone into social distancing at all.

Our school has created outside (tented) class rooms and dining areas for the first half term at least, staggered lunch breaks, distanced pick-up & drop-offs, a one way system, removed the use of lockers etc.

We need to get children back to school but it can be done a lot more carefully than this.

When my teen ds goes back it will be worse than the newspaper image as the corridors are smaller, they are slightly bigger than the ones in houses.

His school doesn't have enough outside space for tents. Lunch is already staggered from 11:45 - 1: 45, no funds to pay for the lunch staff to work more hours. No one way system because of the design of the school. No wash stations outside the classroom because realistically this would just be a bowl of soapy water for the class of 30 pupils to use.

I'm not confident the school can open safely, I've been in the building several times and a bit familiar of the layout.

In secondary, staggered starts/finishes are a logistical nightmare, and not helped by the fact they haven't been given any additional money to pay staff overtime.

No I wouldn't be happy. Slightly overweight, white woman in her fifties here and my anxiety about returning to FE teaching next week is growing daily. I have spent 5 months diligently avoiding social situations, wearing a mask in public, staying 2 metres away in every interaction with people yet in two weeks I will be teaching 18 adults in a classroom that's 4 metre square for 4.5 hrs per day with no PPE.
I did an IKEA shop to just get out the other day and I was tearful and anxious when I realized I would have none of the protection that their staff got in a huge warehouse with no extended contact with people. (By the way IKEA managed SD excellently and was super clean).
My plan is to ask GP for some beta blockers as I know I'm being put in a risky environment and my only recourse is to try and suppress the very natural bodily response to it so I can function okay.

I am confident that won't happen. I have a next door neighbour I rarely see or speak too. They are younger than me. I am young, fit and healthy. I haven't spent any time with older people since March. I have seen my inlaws in their garden at a 2m distance. I keep my distance from anyone I don't live with.

I have pre schoolers (DS1 starting reception in September) so I'm conscious I have no skin in this particular game but there were a lot of similar threads when nurseries reopened at the beginning of June. People were very surprised when I sent both my DC back on the first day.

Case numbers were much higher then (still several thousand a day with less testing) and there were numerous threads saying children were being used as science experiments, it would be a disaster etc. That has not come to pass despite a very small number of outbreaks which is to be expected. That's with zero social distancing of any kind.

I understand and the caution and I'm not saying there isn't room for more measures but it isn't inevitable that it will be a total disaster.

The reality is schools have to open in September. This has caused enough disruption and affected those in education enough. The A level results disaster shows we need to get them back before more happens they have sacrificed enough

So it becomes a matter of what we can do to make it as safe as possible to reduce spread.

Fines definitely shouldnt be happening and families should be given the choice for next term not to go to school and revisit for the Spring term as a minimum.

But in my area (on boundary lines) one side has had 1 case in the last week the other 6 cases so I feel fairly confident.

There shouldnt be a one size fits all approach - those areas with higher numbers need more

@Orchidflower1

Ok so the people saying they’re not bothered about catching Covid- imagine for one awful minute that you and you next door neighbour both get it and both need treatment. However there is only space for one of you. You’d obviously be happy for your neighbour to have the spot wouldn’t you 🤔

Things like this used to happen years ago. across all hospitals. Still probably happens in some Trusts.

Patients left on beds in the corridors.
If the hospital hasn't got a bed spare, people are transferred/referred to another hospital.

And as the Army nicely demonstrated earlier this year, they can very quickly of course, make a hospital.

#BogrollBOGOF in a normal year those who are vulnerable to flu have a vaccination. Including children like my son and my friends son and as parents we both have it to.

Grandparents can already be protected by having the flu vaccine themselves. Many take it up, judging by the cues each year at my doctors flu clinics.

Also they started vaccinating children at school against flu a while ago now, so all those undern 10 years get offered it free at school every year now. This is a new national programme to follow them through school until all school children are offered the seasonal flu vaccine.

This isn't flu, there is no vaccine. Many more have already died then in a high flu season. Even healthy people have ended up with long term issue from it. I'm younger I may fight it off who knows, I still don't want it if I can avoid it. I have a long term health condition as it is (doesn't make me more vulnerable to covid), I don't need any more problems.

I thought pre schoolers seem better at fighting off the virus and don't spread it like older people including, teens?

Yes, it's Maddness and belies all other measures we are taking. I went to a musuem the other day, it was very well set up, all staff had visors, one way system, endless hand gel stations, no touching everything. Very few people there anyway.
And yet in two weeks, I too will be in small airless classrooms with a student body drawn from a very wide radius over the area. With absolutely, no ppe.

@PurpleDaisies

Some people don’t want kids back at school fully and are convinced it’s going to kill thousands. We get it. What’s the point or an alternative solution that actually also involves children getting a proper education?

Not at all. I absolutely think kids should be back at school. Schools should be smarter about social distancing than this.

They can't be in England. No money, no space. I'd be surprised if many secondaries managed more distanced corridors than the one in the picture.

@Letseatgrandma

No, definitely not.

I wonder if the press will still be using their stock photos of 8 tiny children spread out on separated tables across a classroom, wearing masks, for their September back to school articles?!

Whenever I see these pictures I'm more impressed with the journalist who did their research and found a classroom that's even big enough to SD 8!

@Kitcat122

Kids life chances are being ruined by the lack of education, for those from the poorest, chaotic homes education is their main chance of breaking the cycle of deprivation. Each extra month is a nail in the coffin as they do not have supportive parents, internet, laptops, educational trips etc - and before someone says well just they should return to school, if it's optional they have the kind of parents that won't send them, instead they are looking after younger siblings, maybe they are carers for their parents, they aren't always that identifiable either, it's not a case of free school meals = vulnerable, kids on higher incomes can be in this category.

Online school should be an option for those who prefer/can't attend (proper classes, marked work.) Vulnerable teachers should be redeployed to aforementioned online teaching but the remainder should be in school being taught and accept there will be outbreaks. Where needed vulnerable family members eg grandparents living with the family (unless they are the guardians) should be moved out temporarily if there's a school outbreak rather than shutting the school. Education matters.

If teachers want to wear n95 masks that should be their right (obviously if a child needs to lip read then their timetable needs to take into account which teachers are wearing masks) students can if they wish too in my opinion but neither compulsory.

Secondary schoolers have been royally fucked from this and will be paying it back for all their lives.
The government forgot about a couple of secondary school years completely. For months there was no links to anywhere for pupils/parents/carers unlike primary.

They have lost out on valuable learning needed to get through the exams.

Even when they did start thinking about secondary it was like an afterthought because of the new starters.

I agree fines shouldn't be given for those who want to carry on learning at home for a bit longer. Apparently the health list will be changed again and consultant paeds aren't willing to give letters. THat is of course if there is an appointment already booked for within the next few weeks.

However, I do think parents who send their kids in ill and especially with temps should be fined, and those doing the calpol thing before school a higher fine.

@SengaStrawberry

How many threads about this do there have to be?

Some people don’t want kids back at school fully and are convinced it’s going to kill thousands. We get it. What’s the point or an alternative solution that actually also involves children getting a proper education?

However many it takes to change things. Recommend boycott return to schools Facebook group too.

As many many threads have said it’s about a safer return not no return.

@minnieok
If not guardians where would they move to and who would fund it? Surely it's the vulnerable guardian themselves that should be looked after more?

Schools should be smarter about social distancing than this

No, this isn’t something that schools should be blamed for when they have been told to go back at full capacity, full time hours, with no loss of lesson time and no additional staffing allowed.

If things go back exactly the same as before, then Schools will look exactly as they did before.

If you had a large concert, with large numbers of people going, but you had no more space and you still had to start at exactly the same time, with all events taking place as normal, but no extra money was provided for additional staffing or systems to speed up flow of ‘traffic’, people couldn’t miss a minute of the concert and it had to end at the usual time

@Letseatgrandma

No, definitely not.

I wonder if the press will still be using their stock photos of 8 tiny children spread out on separated tables across a classroom, wearing masks, for their September back to school articles?!

I’ve seen ones with just four/five children in. Some parents will know it’s not the case but others won’t. I’d guess a lot don’t realise there will be no SD etc and just hand washing. Given it’s airbourne washing hands is only a tiny measure in reality.

Many just the free childcare or to not have to teach themselves, the bigger picture isn’t seen.

My children know the actions of theirs can affect others when it comes to the virus and understand it. I want them to have social responsibility not just look out for themselves. It’s a good life lesson.

Sorry, pressed send too soon.

If that was the situation, if wouldn’t be the venue’s fault that the concert looked the same as any previous concert...with no social distancing.

This isn’t a school’s fault-they are being asked to do the impossible.

All the people who don’t mind themselves or their teens getting this virus. I never really see anyone mention that this is a new virus we know so little about. It is possible this virus could live in the body and cause long term implications later in live we just don’t know.

It's really important to be explicit about the damage to children's lives that not having a proper schooling will cause. People at posh schools and from posh families will be fine of course. Are we really not willing to sacrifice going to the pub or even people's houses to save an entire generation?

I’m currently on holiday. I’m amazed at how little caution people extend. For example, crowding next to each other to watch something, not washing their hands in public toilets.

I was at a wedding on the first weekend in March, where I also noticed how people didn’t bother washing their hands in the loo.

The public are much less hygienic than I ever imagined. Why would we keep schools closed indefinitely? Because it would be indefinitely, given what I’ve observed. This virus will run and run no matter what we do about schools.

Really tired of listening to people saying it’s selfish to open schools because we should protect the vulnerable elderly.

Many vulnerable elderly are quite capable of making a decision to stay at home. School children can’t teach themselves.

Yes, I know, not all vulnerable people are elderly. Some are teachers too. That’s another matter, they should have additional layers of protection. But honestly, if the public can’t be bothered to wash their hands in public toilets, why should my kids pay for this with their education? And they call this ‘selfish.’

I am not worried about the virus, and even I think it's ludicrous that masks are being discouraged in schools. In my area teens were the first age group I noticed wearing masks outdoors, I think quite a few would wear them voluntarily in class, plus teachers which would reduce transmission at least a bit wouldn't it?

@Swelteringmeltering

Visors.

There is no reason why visors can't be worn.
They are not perfect but seeing as it lives in the throat and humans talk face to face, masks would offer some protection.

A bit of plastic? Catch sneezes, coughs and remind everyone we are still in a pandemic? I'm baffled as to why visors are not compulsory

Because used without a mask they are virtually useless.

Many schools don't have the facilities for the hand washing program.

When they arrive they are supposed to wash their hands. Before and after break/ lunch wash hands.

Many secondaries will still have a queue for the sinks by the time the first dull break starts. No running around outside, won't be able to go outside.

Although when they are finally allowed out of classrooms, feel sorry for the teachers who are constantly being asked why they cannot stay inside when it's raining/snowing/heatwave etc when we all know that we can.

I posted this on another thread a few days ago. Interesting read and talks about what happened to the pupil who took a picture like that, could even be the same person!

www.nytimes.com/2020/08/06/us/coronavirus-students.html