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

The DfE and Big Gav The Muppet will not approve of that figure - it is off message

Tea I'm SS and we have good ventilation and large rooms. I however will move classes and am first aider.
Also think I've had it.

My concern is that it appears you can still get and possibly pass on. But asymptomatic.

In a school with vulnerable children who I'm dealing with closely for medical (pegs come out, seizures, respiratory etc) that I may pass it on unwittingly.

Despite actually being in while lockdown (after the 3 weeks off it took me to get well) we didn't have the most vulnerable children.

We are still waiting for confirmed guidance re suction.

I have brought myself a shield (school one crap and I wear glasses) and small sanitizer bottles I can keep filling.

For me it's the fact the government are already blaming teachers when Im worried myself of passing it on to someone vulnerable.

I've also had to update our bite policy. There is no guidance on this so I have myself made the decision it's immediate first aid and call GP/ 111 for advice. SLT agreed that.

@WhyNotMe40

Tomorrow I'm trying doubling my anti depressant dose. That I only started in April. It's the only thing I actually have control over.

I'm really sorry that this whole shitshow is affecting you so badly.

The only word of comfort I can offer is that I imagine attendance will be incredibly low so your classes of 30 (I predict) may hover at much lower numbers.

I had a cough that started on Wednesday - this meant that everyone in our house was under house arrest until I got a negative test today.

It also shows I suppose, however many Covid measures we practise, we can still pick bugs up (as I may not have Covid but I do have a cough, tight chest and headache)

How can they switch to online learning - Ofqual refuse to remove content from the GCSE’s except a few bits of practical work. It’s too much to expect our now year 11’s - who have missed so much new taught content since March - to take 10-11 GCSE’s from remote learning. Apparently they have to be ft in school to catch up.

What on earth would happen to students with limited IT access?? Would they just have to put up with failing all their GCSE’s?

Sorry to boast but I do have a laptop!

But it's a bloody brick and very old and purely because part of the training I run means I must keep up with the website.

I begged an old one and lovely IT man basically added spare parts from everywhere to give me one!

I just ordered ds one for college. I was surprised at how sleek and thin they are - even the cheap one I brought him!

@itsgettingweird

Tea I'm SS and we have good ventilation and large rooms. I however will move classes and am first aider. Also think I've had it.

My concern is that it appears you can still get and possibly pass on. But asymptomatic.

In a school with vulnerable children who I'm dealing with closely for medical (pegs come out, seizures, respiratory etc) that I may pass it on unwittingly.

Despite actually being in while lockdown (after the 3 weeks off it took me to get well) we didn't have the most vulnerable children.

We are still waiting for confirmed guidance re suction.

I have brought myself a shield (school one crap and I wear glasses) and small sanitizer bottles I can keep filling.

For me it's the fact the government are already blaming teachers when Im worried myself of passing it on to someone vulnerable.

I've also had to update our bite policy. There is no guidance on this so I have myself made the decision it's immediate first aid and call GP/ 111 for advice. SLT agreed that.

The subtle foundations that have been laid for 'teacher blaming' are utterly shocking aren't they 😡

We have a large RP and our bite and scratch policy echos yours. We don't have medically vulnerable children though, but I can appreciate your concerns about passing it on and the potential guilt.

@Lemons1571 what do you think will happen to Y11s if the Y11 bubble keeps bursting. At least if remote learning system is set up and in place, better than nothing.

Our lessons are being recorded for those Year 10-12 students who are not physically in class.

My sensible head says "I was working when I caught it before and no outbreak" by pastoral care head says "you have to protect at all costs".

Which I will.

You are right though - those of us who feel we have safer conditions (we do have PPE available because special) aren't immune to the concerns of blame.

I'm more anxious of blame than if catching it again!

@StaffAssociationRepresentative they are doing that at DS's school too

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

Feenie - you've misrepresented the figures. There were already 400+children hospitalised and it's increased by 160 since schools went back. There were already thousands diagnosed with covid before schools went back.

Not that I am not worried. DH is a secondary teacher. I want my teenage dc to be back at school but I would be happy with part time. If full time, I think they should have started with 2 weeks online. Teens, kids and families have been doing mass socialising over the school holidays. Two weeks online learning would have brought the contact down before they're all back in the school building mingling with even more people.

I want my teenage dc to be back at school but I would be happy with part time. If full time, I think they should have started with 2 weeks online.

I agree

@ineedaholidaynow the gap will widen probably. Private schools with small bubbles will have consistent teaching and adequate time and preparation to sit GCSE’s. State schools will have bursting bubbles and a muddle through approach with patchy provision all over the place.

Though it seems that there won’t be a Covid vaccine for the majority until autumn 2021. So how on earth all year 11’s are going to be able to physically sit their exams in school buildings with social distancing, well the mind boggles.

With the gap widening it would not be fair for the exams to be held if many pupils have not even been able to catch up the missing summer term never mind them having a disrupted winter term.

@ineedaholidaynow I really hope the end decision is something sensible. It stresses me out a bit thinking about DS sitting in the exams not recognising the material being examined. I do recognise I have no control over any of this though, and it is perhaps early days despite the Ofqual consultation decision.

I’d encourage people to look up their local cases per 100k people and translate that to chances of anyone in a school of (say) 1k or 2k students having Covid.

In my area the figure is well in single figures. So the chance of anyone in any school in the county having Covid is pretty tiny.

I appreciate there are areas where incidence is much higher.

I saw on the BBC that 17,500 children were tested in Scotland last week and there were only 48 positive cases, I'm hoping that means that it will go okay here too.
Probably not but I am literally terrified about my DC's going back and trying to find any reassurance I can that it will be ok.

@MNnicknameforCVthreads

I’d encourage people to look up their local cases per 100k people and translate that to chances of anyone in a school of (say) 1k or 2k students having Covid.

In my area the figure is well in single figures. So the chance of anyone in any school in the county having Covid is pretty tiny.

I appreciate there are areas where incidence is much higher.

Just done this using the gov dashboard for my local authority. About 10 students in my school it works out as

That's 10 students who will then spread it, of course.

Feenie - you've misrepresented the figures. There were already 400+children hospitalised and it's increased by 160 since schools went back. There were already thousands diagnosed with covid before schools went back.

I really didn't, if you read my post back. Thanks for explaining though. The fact remains that all those children are hospitalised with COVID, whether they caught it at school or not.

@WhyNotMe40. Are you in a local lockdown area? And/or teach in a massive school?

@Feenie

Feenie - you've misrepresented the figures. There were already 400+children hospitalised and it's increased by 160 since schools went back. There were already thousands diagnosed with covid before schools went back.

I really didn't, if you read my post back. Thanks for explaining though. The fact remains that all those children are hospitalised with COVID, whether they caught it at school or not.

Correct me if I'm wrong, but don't many American children mix at Summer Camp in the holidays? Similar proximity to each other as in schools. And either way, the figures surely prove that children can and do spread the virus amongst themselves and adults around them.

@polarisation

Tried to post Fig 3 from this paper: www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3223 Not sure if it will work!.

Physical distancing, masks, ventilation apparently aren't enough if you're in a high occupancy room for a long period of time.

I'm getting scared for DH going back

I want this rammed down the throats of Boris, Handjob and fucking Gavin Williamson.