Teachers could be superspreaders due to lack of mitigation measures admits Matt Hancock

[noblegiraffe]

Ok, he didn’t say it outright, but he admitted that what was hoped to stop coronavirus spreading in schools was teachers maintaining 2m distance from pupils at all times.

Teachers have been saying for months that this is impossible due to small classrooms where there just isn’t enough space to be 2m away from your front row of students. It’s also impossible to support a child from 2m away when you need to see what they are doing, but literally zero thought has been given to this.

But that’s it. That’s all the protection that will be given to teachers - an impossible directive to social distance.

Matt Hancock said this morning “The principle is that we want to keep certain teachers socially distanced from the pupils because there are all sorts of circumstances where a teacher might need to teach classes that are in different bubbles within the school.”

Secondary teachers will routinely be teaching all year groups in a school. Supply teachers will be going between schools.

“My answer to you is that it is the social distancing between the teacher and pupils which is the goal here, but our total focus is on getting the schools back”

Getting the schools back. Not getting them back safely. Not ensuring that they stay open and that staff and pupils stay safe.

www.tes.com/news/hancock-keep-supply-teachers-distanced-pupils

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@RufustheSniggeringReindeer if you have to follow the rules of other adults in school you should be in your 2m safe area at the front of the hall and not move from there[/quote]
I completely agree

But what if they need a pen or a tissue or the loo or they want to throw up or someone keeps talking to them or kicking them or someone throws a paper airplane

We’ll obviously do whatever we are told and one way round might be that we wear a mask...or indeed as you say we all stand at the front

I’m sure there will be guidelines at some point...theres always a guideline 😀

Thanks mrshamlet

We are quite ghostlike ickabod 🤔

Ds2 was told by friends that if an invigilator pauses by their Desk its because we are having a ‘the ugliest child in the hall’ competition...and you’ve won 😀

I'm a secondary TA. I have no idea how my job will look when I go back. I normally work across all year groups and sit next to the child I'm with. I'm scared tbh.

Probably issued at 11pm the night before the exams start!

@ineedaholidaynow

Probably issued at 11pm the night before the exams start!

Abso-bloody-lutely

Ds2 was told by friends that if an invigilator pauses by their Desk its because we are having a ‘the ugliest child in the hall’ competition...and you’ve won 😀

I always wondered if you played games, although perhaps not the ugliest child in the hall. It must be so tedious.

@NeurotrashWarrior

I'm PPA SEN.

Working across bubbles but with 2-4 staff tas in each aswell.

Same here. I'm behaviour support and PPA and first aider.

I'm everywhere and most likely my behaviour support and first aid will be quite heavy in return as 50% of students were off whole lock down.

30% of those extremely clinically vulnerable but the other 20% were parents deciding.

Even those who were in didn't have pressures of full curriculum, lots of outside time, and classes/bubbles of max 5 where as usually it's 8-9.

Also mostly 4-5 staff per class of 5 rather than the 3-4 per 8-9 we'll have on return.

God it can be soooooooooo boring 😀

Don’t tend to play games with other invigilators...sometimes puzzles though

One invigilator tried to see how many childrens name were alcoholic drinks...

Rufus no only I agree.

Also you have situations like my ds where he gets reader and scribe.

As much as my ds loves a social distance I'm not sure how well it would work for an exam! Plus it's always in a small room. Not to mention for longer with the extra time!

Within two weeks of children going back to school in Florida, 9000 children were diagnosed with covid and 600 were hospitalised.

www.newsweek.com/nearly-9000-florida-children-diagnosed-coronavirus-two-weeks-schools-reopen-1527587?fbclid=IwAR2bcky7xoCyDCWqXs9x4jV2uJqGmg4nFi-ntepdU5aqYRpkyMuiOooLoxM

Blimey, Feenie!!!!

Also what about fighting. Kids fight in school all the time and teachers usually break them up.

My Ds is constantly receiving threats from a boy at school that when he goes back he is going to batter him.

Ds will protect himself of course. The boy probably hasn't considered the massive growth spurt my ds has had in the last six months or even know that he is a rather excellent mixed martial artist.

He will protect himself from the violence but what about the virus. And what about the staff who will no doubt need to get close and personal.

It's pretty worrying. They had the same send 'em back approach as he - no SD to speak of, no mandatory masks.

here

Well, back in June, when we opened up for all year groups, anyone who broke SD by dangerous behaviour was sent straight home, no debate.
Not sure we'll still be able to do that now

I work in a specialist school with SEMH students. On a daily basis we can be spat at, hit, kicked etc by children from age 6 to 19. I'm terrified.

Surely classrooms are communal areas. Different classes/teachers in an out. Different kids traipsing past as doors need to be left open for ventilation. The whole school is a communal area

@Appuskidu

I don’t think primary is particularly low risk either, actually. All teachers in my school can go in all classes. They’ll be mixing-maths sets, phonics sets, duties etc

Secondary have it worse, but primary definitely aren’t in a bubble of 30, no mixing.

After listening to this radio programme today, no I don't think primaries are as safe as they've been saying!

www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/m000lyz4

Or you could send out flying drones to catch any cheaters rufus

@StaffAssociationRepresentative

Surely classrooms are communal areas. Different classes/teachers in an out. Different kids traipsing past as doors need to be left open for ventilation. The whole school is a communal area

Exactly what I think.

It’ll be teachers faults; teenagers faults; parents faults. It most certainly won’t be the DfE’s or Govt’s fault!! Nothing ever is.

To be fair, the Florida figures reflect that local state of community transmission there, which is what scientists are saying here too.

Therefore at the moment school should be relatively safe, in most areas - if there's no virus about it can't be spread.

Whether this is the case in a few weeks is another matter entirely.

Complacency is the biggest threat to the way out of this.

@NotDonna

It’ll be teachers faults; teenagers faults; parents faults. It most certainly won’t be the DfE’s or Govt’s fault!! Nothing ever is.

Absolutely right.

DfE rating = Requires Improvement

I work in a school. It is quite frankly impossible to teach children from 2 metres.