The government is trying to make you think schools will be socially distanced

[noblegiraffe]

The government are currently running a (well publicised) propaganda campaign to say that schools are safe. They are using social media influencers, journalists and friendly scientists (firmly ignoring any unfriendly ones like the Royal Society). Branwen Jefferys of the BBC tweeted “So how high is government anxiety about school return? A PR company acting on behalf of the Cabinet office is now emailing media offering experts to support the “messaging”. Strange way to approach news journalists ..”

And just about every news outlet running stories about schools seems to be rotating stock footage of half empty classrooms with teachers miles away from the kids. There have even been photos of kids getting temperature checks (not allowed). I was watching Sky news where a commentator was saying how awful it was that kids would be sent back to socially distanced schools. The PM gave a rambling speech to carefully spaced kids in a library. And in a visit to a classroom it’s clear that the kids were all shoved down one end in order to give some lovely spaced kids at the other end for the PM to pose in front of.
metro.co.uk/2020/08/27/boris-johnson-staged-school-visit-social-distancing-13188600/

Matt Hancock was on the news saying it was really important for teachers to stay 2m from the kids to avoid spreading the virus between all the bubbles they’ll be working in, despite knowing that this will be utterly and hopelessly impossible.

Why are the government lying? Why are they sending the ‘right’ experts to the press? Why are kids being spread out for staged photo shoots instead of honest pictures?

And why are the press largely going along with it?

Schools are going back, in a lot of cases to an estate that is unfit for purpose. Old buildings, no ventilation, large class sizes. Pupils will be crammed in facing a teacher who won’t be able to stand 2m from them. If it’s so safe, why aren’t they showing and acknowledging the reality?

YABU: what they are doing is fine and there are perfectly reasonable explanations for all the suggestions of socially distanced classrooms and schools in the media

YANBU: the lying liars are lying to us again

The options are there though. Those that feel their DCs will be fine can allow them to return. Others like yourself who are clearly anxious should keep their DCs at home and make alternative arrangements for their education ie home schooling or tutoring. Everyone has very different opinions on this Covid/schooling situation. There is no wrong or right way; you just have to do what’s right for you and your DCs.

Those that feel their DCs will be fine can allow them to return. Others like yourself who are clearly anxious should keep their DCs at home and make alternative arrangements for their education ie home schooling or tutoring.

Well this completely ignores the point of the OP. Are parents being enabled to make a reasoned decision about the relative safety of a return to school for their DC by a campaign of reality?

Or are they being led to a particular decision by a misrepresentation of reality?

I completely agree and rant about it every time it comes on the news. Another thing I'm not sure that you mentioned is they keep saying 'work has been going on through the summer to ensure schools are safe,' but, while I have done some work over the summer, it hasn't been related to safety - our risk assessment was done before we closed in July and, due to lack of funding and the nature of the government's plans, there hasn't been extensive physical work to do because it's basically just back to normal. No money to do things like add sinks so it hasn't been done. They've added some hand sanitiser units and made sure all desks face the front and maybe put up some one-way arrows, but that hardly constitutes 'working all summer to ensure it's covid secure.'

I saw that idiot Nick Gibb say something like he'd seen a school where they'd 'widened the pavement'?! Utter bollocks and I'm sick of the lies.

I think the risk to my children is very small - see new study out today.

On recent reports there have been several head teachers proclaiming all will be fine - are they lying too?

On the other hand surely most parents can work things out for themselves - we know how many kids are in our DC's classes, we know the size of a classroom - it's fairly obvious that for the vast majority of lessons, kids are going to be crammed in just as they always have been.

I think the risk to my children is very small

Why are the government lying to us? If it is fine as things will be, why are they not showing that?

On the other hand surely most parents can work things out for themselves

Is it acceptable that you are being fed misinformation by the government during a public health emergency?

On recent reports there have been several head teachers proclaiming all will be fine

And they have been proudly showing shots of crammed corridors and classrooms to back that up?

It’s fine for kids. The government is trying to make sure people believe it’s fine for parents and school workers too.

I think we all know about the state of our DC schools and can make a decision based on that. So no, they are not outright lying...
I have 2 DC at different schools, very different approach to the safe return. We also talk about how they can keep themselves safe based around this.

Surely it's not hard for parents to figure out themselves what school is going to be like. I'm under no illusions that school is going to be socially distanced, a picture in the media isn't going to convince me paid you'd have to be an idiot to believe anything the government says anyway.

Ultimately and honestly, I think any alternatives such as continued closure of schools or part time schooling would be so disruptive and difficult to coordinate that sometimes not perfect solutions are needed.

This is one of those times.

@AutumnLeavesSeptember

I think the risk to my children is very small - see new study out today.

If it’s fine, why are the government and media spending a lot of time and coverage showing carefully taken photos and videos of socially distanced schools? With children spaced apart, staff in visors and temperature checks at the door?

If it’s all fine, why not show classrooms and schools as they are?

Why are they lying? Because they lie constantly, blatantly, and get away with it.

Ultimately and honestly, I think any alternatives such as continued closure of schools or part time schooling would be so disruptive and difficult to coordinate that sometimes not perfect solutions are needed.

This is one of those times.

This sums it up perfectly.

I agree with you that it is crazy to say schools will be socially distanced. There simply is not the space, there's no getting around that. You cannot magic up double the number of classrooms.
I'm not sure how many parents will be believing the government though, unless you've never been in a school, surely you'll know its not possible?

Ultimately and honestly, I think any alternatives such as continued closure of schools or part time schooling would be so disruptive and difficult to coordinate that sometimes not perfect solutions are needed.

I agree with this, and I think a lot of people do. So why don't they just say that? Say "Look, it's not possible because of course schools were not built to fit students at 2m distances. That would be a massive waste of space. But this is the best decision overall."

They made a promise (stupidly) that all children will go back to school full time.
That is what they are doing. They don’t care if the children are safe or the school is shut down 10 days later.
They can’t be seen to fuck this one up as well, and do another u turn.

Children as promised will be back in full time school in September.

This government lacks any type of integrity.

Why the press are going along with the ‘ children will be social distanced is anyone guess’

Parents do believe that children will be socially distanced at school. A friend of mine was a bit shocked when I explained that each class didn’t have their own toilets for a start.

We all just need to get on with it.

I have a big issue with the imagery being used in the media about the return to school.

Almost every photograph on a wide range for online media, from the BBC to the Daily Mail, show children sat at individual desks space out with lots of room. At most these photographs were taken during the lockdown or wider opening period.

Why are they not using ore Covid images??

Because that is essentially what schools are returning to.

I absolutely agree that our children need to be back at school but it should come with honesty about what schools will look like instead is using nice Covid secure pictures of space out classrooms and the use of the cosy safe word 'bubble.'

Let's start being honest. Next week schools go back pretty much as normal with some tweaks. In reality by the end of next week things in the majority of schools will look exactly the same as they did in February.

I think we all know about the state of our DC schools and can make a decision based on that. So no, they are not outright lying...

What decision are parents allowed to make? The government have reinstated school fines for non-attendance.

And posters telling a parent that they can home-school their kid as if that is an easy alternative to sending your kids to school is just bizarre.

I agree with you op. They keep showing primary schools 2m away from each other. They only show high school kids in corridors for some reason. Our High school hasnt suddenly managed to get extra classrooms or reduce the number of kids in each class. There will still be 3 kids to a desk meant for 2. There will be no social distancing. My child will be in a bubble of 250, which, come on, is not a bubble, its basically a whole town when you factor in their families that they are in contact with.

I completely agree the imagery of schools being shown is totally inaccurate. I have just watched a news clip showing socially distanced desks and 2m signs stuck on the floor. The reality is actually 30+ people crammed in to a small room for hours, sharing the same air and busy corridors and canteens.

This article explains the risk of 'stale air' and suggests people should not walk in to an unventilated room. What happens in a school where classrooms can often get stuffy and it can be difficult to open windows wide enough to be beneficial?

https://www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.bbc.co.uk/news/amp/explainers-53917432

My children will be returning to school, but I do not believe for one second the classrooms are Covid safe and I am concerned about it. Personally, I would much prefer a part time, socially distanced option.

Ultimately, the BBC should be showing us the facts. We should be learning from Scottish schools and finding ways to prevent spikes in cases. If you are unhappy with the portrayal of school return in the news, then I recommend logging and complaint:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/contact/complaints/make-a-complaint/#/Complaint

I know the situation and don’t take much notice of which photo the editor puts with words. In fact use radio for news anyway.

But I agree part time school, after the disruption already, is highly detrimental in an exam year particularly.

I'm not sure how many parents will be believing the government though, unless you've never been in a school, surely you'll know its not possible?

But some are believing it. I've seen and read enough parent questions regarding this in recent days to know that some parents do think the classrooms will be orderly spaced out rows, with minimal contact.

And this is the problem. Those parents will see the reality next week and blame their child's school for not following the rules!

@TheKeatingFive

Ultimately and honestly, I think any alternatives such as continued closure of schools or part time schooling would be so disruptive and difficult to coordinate that sometimes not perfect solutions are needed.

This is one of those times.

This sums it up perfectly.

I’m sure that won’t be much consolation if it was your vulnerable child, spouse, parent that ended up dead as a result of it.

It’s interesting though, isn’t it-that many other countries are finding better and safer solutions?

I find it quite abhorrent that our government have looked at our schools, seen that the problem looks ‘a bit big and hard‘, so have decided not to give them a penny extra, and instead settled on a policy of obfuscation and lies about how safe they are instead.