Why not masks for all in secondary schools ?

[countryroses]

Why not ?

Explicitly ruled out in DfE guidance.

I know @Piggywaspushed. I suppose just wishful thinking that the Government may finally see sense when it comes to education

I wouldn't think Ladbrokes would accept odds on that...

We definitely can't record lessons. We don't have the infrastructure and we have too many students for whom that would be dangerous.

@MrsHamlet

In my head it has safeguarding nightmare written all over it! I'm not sure I'd want my classroom broadcast and available for replay. Can you imagine the parental complaints!

@Hercwasonaroll yep! It's a safeguarding disaster waiting to happen. All of my online lessons last term were recorded but we didn't have video for exactly that reason. It only takes one slip up for a child to be at huge risk.

I’m a teacher. I can’t hear what people say when they wear masks, so that would be interesting. And how would you be able tell if a child was quietly chatting to their neighbour? + huge potential for all sorts of fun and games. And very tricky for children with sen of various types.

I assume they are recording the teacher not the class, and as students are staying in their desks they won't be recorded as such. I assume it will be similar to the way they recorded lessons when doing the remote lessons last term.

I know one of the MATS in our area is also looking at the way lessons could be taught in one school and shared live with other schools across the MAT, and this was being looked at before COVID. It is still in the early planning stage and obviously requires sufficient technology.

No child will be chatting quietly through a mask!

Lots of potential for the silly noises brigade to hide behind them too.

Given latest WHO advice, it’s only a matter of time in secondaries.
Our Sixth Form College requires masks when moving about campus. Students don’t have to wear them in their classroom bubbles but may do so if they wish to, which our child will be doing.

I can't envisage where a camera could be placed so that students could only see me and not the class. You'd need to include the board in the shot, so must be at the back of the room as side on you couldn't see the board. But then all the students heads at least would be in it.

My lessons were recorded on my phone last term...

Is it state or private?

Oh horrors. I'm imagining a recording of my bottom set Year 9 last year, that would be awful! We have some very colourful characters. I imagine there are a few schools that wouldn't want the finer moments of their hard-hitters broadcast to parents. Live recordings would prove an eye-opener to many!

I'm thinking of the audio as much as the visual!

Maybe they will edit it before releasing the video.

@ineedaholidaynow Please say private? Surely no state school has time/resources for video editing?!

It's private. I don't have details of how it works, they have just said there will be webcams in the classrooms. Cameras were used when they had live lessons in the summer term.

But I am assuming the MAT who is looking at broadcasting lessons across schools will have similar issues that you are concerned about. I assume they would cherry pick who is in the classroom or record the lesson in an empty classroom. Again I don't know details about this, was just chatting with someone the other day who mentioned it.

@Judystilldreamsofhorses

I teach in FE and masks will be required for everyone in corridors and communal areas. Classrooms have been configured with 2M distance between students - so a pre-Covid class of 30 will now be group A and group B, 15 students in each - and from the lecturer. Lecturers can wear visors if they want, but H&S are confident in the precautions in place.

We’re doing a blended learning approach so the number of students (and staff) in the building will be hugely reduced. (Instead of doing four full days in, I will do two half days of face-to-face and the rest remote teaching from home.)

Interestingly, staff, including security, are not allowed to challenge anyone without a mask, due to people potentially having hidden disabilities. So who knows how many students will comply.

I work in FE and I am facing something very different induction day will see 3000 new students arriving at college in their first day all at the same time. When we start teaching we will have classes up to 25 no SD for students even if they are over 18. Staff strongly encouraged not to wear masks. All classes will have a full timetable staff are rightfully very worried. The over factor will be the impact on public transport of these students all arriving for 9 am starts.

Hercwasonaroll

We have also had webcams put in in all pcs.

The program that we will be trained to use (LOL) allows for teacher in screen, teacher full screen or ppt (or whatever) to be put so that it is the only thing on the screen and then talked over.

But it depends on the program that you use.

@Hummmmming gosh, what a difference. That sounds so stressful for you. I am in Scotland, not sure if that changes things? My college offers a mixture of vocational and HE courses, and pretty much all over 18s, so I think they have worked along the lines of universities rather than schools. I went in briefly this week for the first time in five months, and was very impressed by how well the campus has been made “Covid safe”, although after WFH since March I am still nervous about going in to teach.

Fripp that sounds OK but I still wouldn't want a lesson with pupils in being recorded and sent home even audio only. I teach maths so only use ppt for questions, the rest is visualiser or board work. Some of our visualisers can record which would be ok for short explanations. However any sort of behaviour management mentioning students names or them speaking wouldn't be suitable.

We definitely can't record lessons. We don't have the infrastructure and we have too many students for whom that would be dangerous.

I am not sure I understand this. Recording equipment is cheap. At one end everyone has a phone or a cheap laptop+ webcam will do the job. It may not be Hollywood quality but that is not important.

The camera would be pointed at you, not the children. Can you explain more the risk to the children?

However any sort of behaviour management mentioning students names or them speaking wouldn't be suitable.

Is having people not physically in the classroom hearing, “Egbert, sit down and shut up!” the main problem? Is this a problem for you the teacher or Egbert?

@notevenat20

I've explained above re placement of the camera. How can it just be pointed at me? I'm standing at the board and move between 2 boards. So the camera will need to be at the back of the room to incorporate me and the board. Which then has to include student heads as the angle is impossible not to. Unless you're going to employ someone as a camera person to track me all lesson? Or get a video editor in?

How do I set up a phone to record me, while I'm teaching? Even a webcam is a fixed position and if attached to a screen then useless for where I will stand. I think you're imagining teachers sit at a desk and teach. They don't.

The risks are:
*students that have escaped violence or been fostered adopted being found
*Even audio only, you'd still be using student names. If a behaviour incident occurs it wouldn't be right for that to be broadcast
*parents would have to agree to their child being broadcast, personally I wouldn't

It's the fact it's permanently recorded and can be referred back to by pupils and parents. It's not the sit down and be quiet stuff I'm bothered about. It's if a student tells me to F off or equivalent and the whole process after that is videoed for parents to pick apart. Also not fair on the student who told me to F off. Usually as a one off pupils forget. If it's recorded it'll be played back.

Hercwasonaroll

It raises interesting questions. Some of the objections are I think just that people don’t like change. It is worth noting that many nurseries are now routinely videoed with the video available to parents over the Internet. Although the children are younger, there is a lot of similarity.