I tried phoning the Department of Education but they're closed. Everyone is working from home.

[jomartin281271]

The Department of Education realise there is a pandemic sweeping the globe, so their staff are working from home. And before anyone says that's because of the nasty old unions, it's a bit more complicated than that. The government realise they have a duty of care to civil service workers, and if they force people to come into the office and they subsequently die or end up with long covid, the government could be sued. So why are our children being squashed into tiny classrooms?

If only the appropriate response to this was a simple .....

Or teachers - older, more liable to become ill - having to be in there with them ...?

Because they can carry out their work at home to a same or better standard, children can not be educated at home to the same or better standard. Simple.

If more people are working from home they are not mixing with others transmitting the virus, surely that helps schools as children with parents wfh are less likely to bring it into schools.
The more everyone else can stay at home the safer it is for children in schools

What uhoh said

Sick of hearing 'simple'. This whole thing is complicated.

What is true is that social distancing is the only way we have now of stopping the virus spreading.

@latticechaos reducing the rest of community transmission will also help massively though

The Dept is not closed. Most of us are working at home. The offices are however being opened up as of beginning of August.
If you had tried to call the dept I assume you used one of the helpline numbers which are the standard way of contacting the dept.

Children are being squashed in tiny classrooms because school from home just isn’t viable for most. Long term, not going back to school is far worse for these kids than the risk of Covid. Stop comparing adult dofE workers with school kids for a start!

I know let's never send the kids back to school.
We can have a whole generation of poorly educated kids but that's fine, right?

I'm a social worker. Maybe I should just not bother with my elderly clients at all, let them have their falls, fester and die so I can start at home in a little bubble..?

Life has to go on!

[quote Uhoh2020]@latticechaos reducing the rest of community transmission will also help massively though[/quote]
Well it would help, if it was happening.

Over 1500 cases today, and not due to increased testing?

But @Uhoh2020 but how many people on here are saying they have given up on social distancing or having friends and families round because they have done their own risk assessment. How does that help schools?

Tinlove are you in a room with 30 elderlu people who arent wearing masks for several hours?

Thought not.

@Time2change2 aren’t there any adults in school, like teachers?

. Stop comparing adult dofE workers with school kids for a start!

OK let's compare adult dofE workers with adult teaching staff then.

Some jobs can't be done from home. I can't WFH.

I wonder how many other adults work in buildings that have their windows painted shut?

Your argument is ridiculous, you know exactly why Dept of Education and millions of other office workers can work from home. They are office based jobs that can be done from home to the same (or possibly) better standard. That means millions of office workers are not travelling to and from work, which means it is reducing the number potentially spreading covid.

A lot of people are concerned about children in schools but honestly at least have a strong argument (and there are quite a few) rather than the stupid, ridiculous reason you are giving here.

Assuming you have kids going to school. Schools have been preparing. Schools will make necessary adjustments as needed. Why are people in that mentality that they can do better because they have a kid or 4. FFS school staff have not been in the Bahamas since lockdown or over the summer. They been making arrangements. If you have concerns call the school. No point being pissed of because there's no one in civil service to answer your arsey questions. If it bothers you that much write a bloody letter the education secretary. Look at the stats, listen to WHO, Listen to the scientists. If you don't want to send your kids back then don't. Make an informed decision

Am I the only that worries about my child going back to school next week? I live in London, everyone seems so cool with it...

Who were you actually trying to call? Presumably you weren’t expecting all 6000 or so of them to answer?

So rather than those who can work from home to the same standard staying at home, you'd rather they went back to work for the sake of it? Surely that increases the risk of teachers coming into contact with Covid?

Schools have been putting in measures but they are not really going to cut it if the virus gets in the school

What were you calling them about? I bet they have stopped answering the phones because every call for the last five months has turned out to be someone moaning about a government policy that the people answering the phones have no say in, no control over and no power to change.

Call your MP instead. Though I have the feeling they might be working from home too.

Because office workers can do there jobs from home, children cannot be educated from home as the period March to July shows (and even teachers accept this or they wouldn’t be calling for changes to the year 19 exam syllabus to take into account lost learning!). It’s about everyone who can work from home doing so to make it safer for those who cannot (not just teachers, doctors, factory workers, bin men are all not working from home!)

The Government are trying to get people back into their offices, but obviously not all their own staff!