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

@Chloemol

Ffs i am so sick of these posts

Schools have to go back, they are limited in what they can do, as most are full, don’t have room for extra buildings. Etc etc

However parents do have a choice. If you don’t like what your child’s school is going to do de register then and home school

Why come on to deliberately moan that you hate these posts? Just scroll on by instead of the salty "ffs" as though your dislike of them should mean that everyone be banned from having the option to begin a thread.

OP of course schools can't socially distance pupils; my teenagers school was build only a couple of years ago so the corridors are wide and the plan of the school means it's probably easier for them to at least try, but I'm under no illusion that there'll be social distancing in place. However, as pp's have said, our children desperately need to get back to school and the alternative is to de-register them and provide an alternative. 5 months at home has shown me (despite 8 years teaching) that I can't (and don't want) to teach them. Schools have to reopen, children have to go back, and as parents we have to try and work out how we can be ok with this.

@AutumnLeavesSeptember

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

I'm sure most kids will be fine. But what about who they take the virus home to? Teenagers spread it at the same rate as adults. And what about all the adult employees of the school - are they not entitled to the same precautions and mitigations as every other worker in the country?

Some people on this thread really love lies as long as it serves their own agenda ("kids need to go back so it's OK to pretend schools are COVID-safe").
Post-truth indeed.

There's enough evidence from other places that schools are highly unlikely to become super hubs causing deaths to spike.

You sound like you are in a panic. Maybe you could look at being signed off for MH reasons given that you are clearly not going to cope with being in a classroom any time soon. Yes it will piss off the HT but they won't want your anxiety stressing out the children either. As time goes by and you see it being fine then you can reintegrate.

Our school have done a really good video and FAQ page of how things are going to work.
They are aiming for teachers to have space from the children in the classroom, but are using measures other than social distancing for the children - hygiene, year 'bubbles', staggered breaks, no touching.
I think they have been as clear as they can be.

I haven't been watching the news / reading the papers too much on the education stuff as it is too stressful so don't really know what the government/media is pushing.

I’m a teacher.What do you suggest for me? You could have led with that rather than what about the poor children... If you’re concerned about your own safety then discuss with SLT and risk assess for yourself. Wear a mask/sanitise the hell out of yourself and belongings. Am not without sympathy but there are ways to manage. DH is a doctor and has managed to stay safe despite seeing COVID + patients and not brought it home🤷‍♀️

I am just waiting for all the threads in a few weeks time when parents will be complaining that their school has closed due to lack of teachers as they are either off sick or self isolating

Yep. I almost expect a cry for school staff to be the only people to not need to self isolate or be off for a cough/temperature as it’s just too hard and difficult to cope if they do.

Ffs i am so sick of these posts

So don't read them. The title was pretty clear. Hide the thread or scroll by.

There are plenty of threads on MN I don't want to read, so I scroll by them. It's a pretty simple thing to do.

Reality for my school (state 1250 pupils):

-Year groups zoned but within their classrooms there will not be any SD for pupils or teachers, the rooms aren’t large enough for this.
-No ventilation as the windows only open a fraction due to health and safety regs and all doors open onto corridors, not outside.
-No staggered starts or end of day due to transportation.
-No masks or visors, only for first aiders.
-6 toilets for all members of staff. One 20 minute break all day so no realise hand washing.
-15 toilets for the pupils and 6 sinks. Pupils maybe zoned but their facilities aren’t. Again no extra break so no regular hand washing.
-Sanitiser bottle in each classroom.
-No assemblies
-Go to school in kit on PE day.

That is all we could do in line with guidance as we have a 6 form entry school which was built to accommodate 4 forms and we haven’t been provided with extra funding.

Many schools have stipulated staff aren’t allowed to wear masks

@noblegiraffe

If you are worried don’t send your kids in.

I'm a teacher. What do you suggest for me?

Your choices are clear: go to work or resign. Or ask your doctor to sign you off because of the anxiety you have been displaying on MN for several months now.

If you can’t cope you need to find a different job. The answer to your anxiety is not for all schools to remain closed indefinitely.

Honestly, I'm fearful that you are right.
My daughter believes that she will be sharing a desk when she goes back. I am unsure.
She is concerned that the teachers will not allow her to use hand sanitiser, because she was warned not to about 2 weeks before the schools closed. She was told off infront of the whole class, and told of course the schools would not close and she was stupid for believing they would.

There is a lot of fear in my child, her peers that shes spoken with, and us parents, but on the flip side, these same children have had their mental health affected by this lockdown. It doesnt matter how hard I've tried to keep her happy and safe, she was craved normality and her old routine back.

So what can we do? I think we have to allow them back, but prepare them to tell teachers that they are uncomfortable if they are unable to social distance adequately or provisions arent made to help protect them from the virus.

I have also emailed our school and offered help, both through service (were involved in the construction industry with experience of clean rooms so could probably really help them set up for September)
And through donation of cleaning supplies and PPE.
In aware that many schools just do not have the budget for what is ideal. I'm sure many parents would help bridge that gap if it created a safer and calmer environment for their children.

If it really doesnt work, then I will have to educate from home, but I'm hoping that we dont need to as if we give up her place in her current school we wont get it again.

Without sounding too goady, what exactly do you want op? Pictures of crowded classrooms? I'm not sure what that would actually achieve and in any case term hasn't started where I am so they couldn't take those pictures local to me anyway. Are you asking for part time school ing- one week on/one week off, 2 days a week? Or to remain closed to most students?

My dc are primary age, we're having staggered starts and drop offs and bubbles of around 150 kids. I am under no illusion that little kids will socially distance in school.

Realistically, children are not going to social distance. It's not going to be possible to make then stay apart. The bubbles are the best option. I'm in primary and it's manageable, but secondary must be so hard to manage and schools will do their best to maintain bubbles I'm sure.

I agree totally with the theatre of showing half empty classrooms and saying that schools have been working through the summer. We have only been allowed in the building for the first and last week of the holidays!! But there's no money. This is what people voted for. Maybe next time people will vote for more money to public services.

Come on now, lets be realistic here...

In recent times when have you ever known of a government to be willingly completely truthful about anything which may paint themselves in anything less than a positive light??

This happens all the time, things are spun to seem more positive than thay are, statistics are provided or read in such a way as to make them seem less negative than they really are, and sometimes facts/data is released in such a convoluted way it’s just downright confusing to decipher for the majority of people.

We all need to be able to read between the lines and not just blindly accept anything this government or any government tell us. I do agree that yes we should be able to rely on government information and trust that it’s truthful, sadly that is not the case.

All that being said, I’m not saying everyone should keep their kids at home and not send them to school. I just think we should be aware of what the realities are here, and that things will not be quiet as well thought or as managed as the government claims. We also know that this situation is different for everyone, we all have to assess our own level of risk. Some schools will be better able to managed measures better than others, some of us will have vulnerable children or be vulnerable ourselves, and ultimately none of us, government included are going to really know what exactly will happen when children return to school until it actually happens.

Personally I’m sending mine back, I’m worried about it but think we need to bite the bullet and see how it goes. I’m cautiously optimistic, but at the same time would not at all be surprised if schools close again over the winter months.

I for one am not shocked with the government being economical with the truth, I am shocked at the level of it though. Sadly it’s the world we live in.

I think the risk to my children is very small -

Schools do not only contain children.

@Chloemol

So if you are a teacher and don’t like the plans then resign and find another profession

Schools our way are allowing teachers to wear masks

What a really silly comment. Your argument is so binary it’s completely pointless and immature. A throwing the baby out with the bath water with a dummy comment.

Op I agree. I am sick of hearing the twee adverts on the radio aimed at the kids. My daughter laughs as even she understands what they are doing.

@Aragog

I think the risk to my children is very small -

Schools do not only contain children.

It is luckily but what about the wider community and the impact of teacher snd family death on kids.

I think this thread clearly shows how fearful people have become. The lockdown slogans of staying in to stay safe were a little too successful, now many people are stuck in a fear mindset. Aside from the mental health crisis we are heading towards with children, we have had several children in our county die from abuse and neglect that may have been prevented if the children had been seen by teachers. The dangers of trapping children at home is far greater than the slim chance of children getting or suffering from Covid.

@MrsElijahMikaelson1 does your DH have to buy hand sanitiser etc himself for his place of work? Because that is what teachers will have to do when the budget runs dry in schools, as has already been illustrated by some posters on here.

Maybe some parents who think everything is fine and teachers shouldn’t be worried/complaining could put their hands in their pocket and help out.

Images are interesting. The ones from children in their own chalk circle and Thailand caused many aghast posts on here.

Then that corridor from US spread, even teen had seen it.

They’ve got the note right though for this. On other threads pp were lamenting only 90% wanted to go back. This will help fix that.

@noblegiraffe

Go and get yourself signed off sick then

Oh and pictures may show one thing. But if you actually read the articles it’s obvious that class sizes will be the normal ones, so therefore kids can’t be spaced out. Kids can wear masks, teachers visors, more hand washing etc. It’s a different way of working now
Covid isn’t going away, we need the kids back at school,

However you are allowed to be concerned, and if it’s not for you now then move onto something else and it’s no longer your problem

Without sounding too goady, what exactly do you want op? Pictures of crowded classrooms? I'm not sure what that would actually achieve and in any case term hasn't started where I am so they couldn't take those pictures local to me anyway.

A normal classroom-pre Covid, please.

I’m sure the whole country’s stock of schools pre-Covid weren’t all simultaneously stolen, lost or burnt in a fire over the summer. They could try looking for them.

@FudgeBrownie2019

Cos whilst these posts wind me up now, and yes I do normally scroll on past i know my post will wind up people like you!