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

After the exam fiasco I wouldn't be surprised by anything

It feels too incompetent for words to change guidance two hours after release
With the exams they released information about how people would be able to appeal using mock grades and then withdrew it a couple of hours later.

*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.*

I wish I could say unbelievable but sadly I can’t

Asked this on another thread but maybe someone here might be able to answer it.

Why are APs and Special schools excluded from the tier 4 stage?

I know it's one school but surely the DfE have seen the news/updates regarding the Special School in Dundee which was up to 38 cases (including community cases - which I'm taking to mean parents/carers etc) as part of that 'outbreak not in school'.

Even the CMO’s letter is misleading. The reporting of the PHE report is misleading.

The PHE report shows children DO transmit it, makes no allowances for asymptomatic transmission and lists the following as weaknesses as the study. It’s propaganda to say this proves ANYTHING about full undistanced schools

Excerpt

There are, however, important limitations when considering the generalisability of our findings. Educational settings opened after national lockdown when SARS-CoV-2 incidence was low and only in regions with low community transmission. Settings that opened had stringent social distancing and infection control measures in please and, in addition to school attendance not being mandatory, there were strict protocols for class and bubble sizes,
11

which may not be achievable when schools opening fully in the next academic year (and indeed, updated schools guidance now recognises that bubble size may need to be increased from September to ensure that a full range of activities is feasible). Only 1.6 million of the 8.9 million students nationally attended any educational setting during the summer mini-term.20 Additionally, very few secondary schools opened (and those that did, did so with small class sizes) during the summer mini-term and our results, therefore, are not likely to be generalisable to secondary schools, especially since the risk of infection, disease and transmission is likely to be higher in older than younger children.19,21 Moreover, each situation was risk-assessed on a case-by-case basis and only a few settings were selected for wider testing. The risk-based approach was considered more pragmatic and allowed objective evaluation of the recommended national approach to isolate affected bubbles by monitoring the educational setting for additional cases.7 Identification of additional cases following wider testing highlights the importance of enhanced surveillance to better understand infection and transmission in educational settings. Finally, whole genome sequencing could help determine whether the outbreaks were caused by the same strain or due to multiple separate introductions into the educational setting and will be pursued for a sample of outbreaks where mass testing was undertaken.

There is almost no risk to our children. The risk is that opening schools generally increases the transmission of the virus. But this is true for everything we do or open up.

The argument, that I agree with, is that we should restrict almost everything else first before we close schools. For example, the govt could ban all social mixing outside school.

There is a furrow on Twitter about that very thing shit!

furore spellcheck woes!

Do we think someone at the DfE reads Twitter to see what teachers think, rather than asking them beforehand? Then goes 'oh shit, bugger, wank' and changes the guidance?

@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.

I hope somewhere someone is saving all this.

When we get to the inevitable enquiry I'd like questions asked about why these things change.

@Shitfuckoh

Asked this on another thread but maybe someone here might be able to answer it.

Why are APs and Special schools excluded from the tier 4 stage?

I know it's one school but surely the DfE have seen the news/updates regarding the Special School in Dundee which was up to 38 cases (including community cases - which I'm taking to mean parents/carers etc) as part of that 'outbreak not in school'.

I think it's because on original close down they actually wanted/stated all children on ehcp to remain in school.

This way I guess schools don't get to make that choice?

I'm FE so been back in for 2 weeks with students in next week. We have no way to get the class sizes distanced. It is impossible to help a student from 2m - yesterday most of management had a breakdown and were just found wandering around holding two taped together metre sticks looking dazed and occasionally muttering "2m is a lot bigger than it sounds". We have a third of the college expected in Tuesday AM for induction and the plan seems to be set on fire hourly as to what we can/can't do and where they will go. Cant wait for Tuesday...

What's most interesting is the different messaging from Hancock and Boris side.

Right at the start I defended Hancock and said I felt he was doing a good job. I said I didn't think he looked comfy over care home stuff and his whole body language changed when he had to spew out the party line about protective ring. He always spoke so comfortably at briefings and felt he genuinely did care and want to help.

I've was and have been ripped to shreds for this

But now there is more reports Hancock is saying things against the party line.

I still think despite the limitations for him to act he actually cares the most and would be the one to fight for better.

Hancock at least doesn't look like it is all a jolly parlour game to him.

@itsgettingweird

Yes. My sons school closed the Monday following general closures due to a lack of staff. I suspect if they can't close due to local lockdowns, closing due to staffing issues is likely - especially as if there own children aren't at school then they'll have issues regarding their (primary aged) DC.
Well I for 1 if it came to it, would be taking my DC with an EHCP out of school until it was considered 'safe' for his siblings to return too. Otherwise I would end up with a severely anxious, worried, confused child with no way of him understanding why things are as they are.

@notevenat20

Hancock at least doesn't look like it is all a jolly parlour game to him.

He looked genuinely overwhelmed at the start. So tired and harrowed.

I felt some empathy for him.

Itsgettingweird - I thought the same about Hancock. I thought he was at least trying and looks like it matter to him.
The others - well we are just concepts to them, not people - just pawns and numbers in a game.

@noblegiraffe don’t suppose you have the disappeared paragraph do you?

@SmileEachDay

It is very useful that bubbles now don't have to be sent home. Also what is the legal status of the guidance? Can schools ignore it because it is not a statutory instrument unlike the mask rules for shops which are?

Thanks mother

Are they trying to be shit?

There was once during early stages when during a briefing someone asked Hancock something. He genuinely said it was a good point but asked for a day to go away and sort it and report back.

Following day he looked so uncomfortable as he basically had to say 'tough'. You could tell he didn't agree but had been overruled.

I said on a thread once I felt they were throwing him under the bus and was eaten alive

Also I don't know if people noticed but he's the only one who never looked comfortable defending Cummings and in the end all those who could brazen out the clusterfuck were wheeled out and he wasn't.

When you watch Gav et al brazening out obviously shitshows and then watch Hancock there is an obvious difference.

I'm glad I've finally found some people who agree!

Yep, the deleted paragraph WHICH NO LONGER APPLIES FOLKS, DON’T GET THIS INTO YOUR HEADS was:

“If a suspected case of coronavirus occurs in a school, the pupil or staff member will be asked to self-isolate and get tested while the school continues working as normal with its existing protective measures in place. If a case is confirmed, local public health officials will work with the school to take appropriate measures, including asking all members of a pupil’s bubble to isolate for 14 days and access remote education while other pupils continue attending."

It was the paragraph which stuck out on my skim read so I copied it onto another thread for discussion. How that managed to get posted if it wasn’t meant to is beyond me.

I’m glad that paragraph is gone. The new one is the same as it was before iirc

The BBC article has also changed now although headline still the same. They have taken down that paragraph too.