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

Thank you for that info @Oldbagface. We have been told that we have to send the younger two in as I was never in receipt of a shielding letter. If I had been they may have been able to offer more flexibility. So where my younger two are concerned we are going to have to risk it I think .
Still completely undecided about my eldest.

@SmileEachDay

Inside Science has a really clear explanation of Covid symptoms in children.

Could you summarise please?

YADNBU

Maths teacher - I do not have space at front of my class to be 2m from students. Already Maths and English department short staffed due to staff not returning. 3 cover supervisors down too. While I want to be back with my classes I am dreading the workload due to staff absence.

WhyNotMe40

I’ve linked to it - the CV in schools bit is the first half - about 15 mins. (followed by an interesting thing about sea creature autopsy’s)

I don't envy you @Beebityboo. I only have one school age child now. We've tossed up even until yesterday. We are now firm. He won't be going back. We are now quite relieved in the sense that we have made a final decision and have things in place.

I really hope whatever you decide gives you some peace

Schools aren't safe. It's just nonsense. There are already many cases of Covid-19 among pupils and staff at Scottish schools, though every single one of these clusters is apparently "community, rather than school-based". www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-53833823

goats - so you'll understand that in the instance of most Primary Schools, there's a resource called Parents - given a lot of Parents have their Work curtailed due to having dc and fitting in School Terms/Hours doesn't quite 'gel' with most employments.

Even OP is PT and she's a Teacher, without the 'worries' of school holiday childcare that most working parents face or inhibits many parents from fully working.

Many of these Parents would freely take up cleaning, marshalling, etc FOC to open up their DCs school. Any usual disinterest in the PTA, Guvnors, etc does not equate to a similar disinterest and lack of enthusiasm for opening up their dc's school.

Anyway, I'm off now - work to do - and I'm probably just giving many here a target to aim their frustrations/vitriol at.

Rather than my intentions of coming up with some practical suggetions that educators can run with, extrapolate, use as a point to expand their own practical ideas....

Bye for Now

Thanks Smile

@HateIsNotGood

goats - so you'll understand that in the instance of most Primary Schools, there's a resource called Parents - given a lot of Parents have their Work curtailed due to having dc and fitting in School Terms/Hours doesn't quite 'gel' with most employments.

Even OP is PT and she's a Teacher, without the 'worries' of school holiday childcare that most working parents face or inhibits many parents from fully working.

Many of these Parents would freely take up cleaning, marshalling, etc FOC to open up their DCs school. Any usual disinterest in the PTA, Guvnors, etc does not equate to a similar disinterest and lack of enthusiasm for opening up their dc's school.

Anyway, I'm off now - work to do - and I'm probably just giving many here a target to aim their frustrations/vitriol at.

Rather than my intentions of coming up with some practical suggetions that educators can run with, extrapolate, use as a point to expand their own practical ideas....

Bye for Now

Aaand here we are again. School staff don't have to sacrifice their own health for parents to work. If you think we'll get paid when our own DCs bubbles close you're wrong.

Schools are also receiving packs of PPE to use in the very limited circumstances it may be required, such as when it is not possible for a staff member to maintain 2m distance from a pupil with a suspected case of coronavirus

This is from the guidance. What about the times we can’t be 2m away from an an asymptomatic child who has CV?

No one who has listened even halfway carefully to them over Covid - and for the previous 10 years in terms of education - could have any faith. They are slippery, unethical and completely ignorant about how schools work
You're quite right there.
Nobody who has been paying attention for the last 10 years can seriously believe the government care about school staff or students.

I think that's why it's so insulting to see these useless politicians passing the buck yet again and trying to stir up parents Vs teachers conflict to distract from their failings.

Both parents and teachers should have a united front in holding the government to account over their handling of education.

Our attendance policy states 97% attendance.
But then goes on to say children to be kept at home if they have cold & the head teacher even said sniffles when I queried whether keeping them off with a cold (we're normally told to send them in unless temp / really bad) would affect their attendance

The government saying all pupils in & wanting attendance as it was really isn't going to work this year - attendance especially.

A link to a petition mandating face coverings in schools:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/330227

Not a perfect solution, but may go some way to offering protection for students and staff when social distancing is not possible.

Well the guidance about tier 2 interventions is an interesting read (what an exciting Friday a evening I lead!)

So AR and SS will never close.

SS being the schools that have the most vulnerable children and often up to 30% will be ECV. And the settings which have multiple adults per class and no SD!

But it also recognised secondary school pupils as a risk because of their activities outside of schools. Glad they've finally realised it isn't only teachers who dare leave their house at a weekend!

I'm sure there are HT nationally really pleased to have this land on their desk BH weekend!

Basically

Dear HT,

I've finally realised that schools opening may be an issue so we've come up with a 4 point plan B which you must implement by 3rd September.

Have a lovely weekend

Boris and chums

Love how it says governors should have regard to HT's work-life balance. Not sure the Government have had any regard of it sending this out late on a Friday night.

I also note they state that if a pupil can't access remote learning they may be deemed vulnerable and will be able to come into school. Maybe if they had delivered on their laptop scheme they may not have so many pupils having to go in.

@itsgettingweird
*So AR and SS will never close.

SS being the schools that have the most vulnerable children and often up to 30% will be ECV. And the settings which have multiple adults per class and no SD!*

SS will never close? I'm going to have to read the damn guidance again carefully this time

MarshaBradyo

The ones that I know of have either already spoken to their heads about not going back. so the heads already now and may/will have spoken to agencies.

The ones that haven't spoken to their heads will be doing so next week when they go back in.

So I suspect that whether they walk out, or are talking in to staying for a while or permanently will depend on the response from their head.

The DfE have already updated the guidance that they released at 9:30pm this evening, removing an entire, crucial paragraph about sending bubbles home.

It didn’t even last two hours.

@noblegiraffe

The DfE have already updated the guidance that they released at 9:30pm this evening, removing an entire, crucial paragraph about sending bubbles home.

It didn’t even last two hours.

Just nicked that for another thread.

The BBC are reporting it incorrectly!

TBF to the BBC, they probably didn’t expect the guidance to be updated again within a few hours and will now have to go back and redo their work.

I thought it was the BBC being incompetent, but not this time!

@noblegiraffe

The DfE have already updated the guidance that they released at 9:30pm this evening, removing an entire, crucial paragraph about sending bubbles home.

It didn’t even last two hours.

Do you think this is deliberate, so it gets widely reported that bubbles will close with one case?

It feels too incompetent for words to change guidance two hours after release.