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

@MarshaBradyo

Are you aware that right at the beginning of this that the government vetoed rotas?

If they hadn't there would in most schools a rota system in place and ready to go.

To be fair on the Calpol comment Carl Heneghan , government's favourite epidemiologist, said this too. I don't actually see that as a criticism- I know exactly why parents do it!

As a teacher/ parent, I have a child with 100% attendance for his whole school career and have sent him in poorly quite a few times and I have also gone in ill. He wants to soldier on. We will have to change that mindset.

I'm really concerned about the deleted paragraph in the guidance as I think it needed to be there to ensure schools in general stay open. With less rigourous requirements, the virus is more likely to spread and then schools have to close completely.

I also think that rotas/blended learning/whatever you want to call it, is not the terrible thing some people think particularly for secondary students.( I work as a tutor and have had experience of the way different students have studied over lockdown)
Students could do consolidation work in their out of school weeks ( this needs to be done anyway) and could actually gain a lot from being in much smaller groups when in school. Arrangements do need to be made for some more vulnerable students to have support/ access to computers and internet etc, but if the government was willing to spend some money this could be achieved either in school or by opening up some "study centres" where certain students would be entitled to go for support and help. It could actually help students do much better than at present. You can't chuck a requirement to have a plan B at schools on the final summer bank holiday weekend though! That is ridiculous!

@Piggywaspushed

To be fair on the Calpol comment Carl Heneghan , government's favourite epidemiologist, said this too. I don't actually see that as a criticism- I know exactly why parents do it!

As a teacher/ parent, I have a child with 100% attendance for his whole school career and have sent him in poorly quite a few times and I have also gone in ill. He wants to soldier on. We will have to change that mindset.

Yes, this is something I’ve also brought up on threads previously. Parents were told to send their kids in with mild illnesses. Good attendance is rewarded, poor attendance is punished. Equally I’ve often seen teachers on here saying that they go in then they’re ill as it’s easier than briefing someone else on the days lessons. But I don’t think parents do it (generally) so that they can have a day at home watching TV without their kids. I remember one day in lockdown when I was sobbing after trying to homeschool my 2 older DC while looking after a clingy, teething baby who had been up 6 times the night before, reading a comment on here from a teacher saying ‘why should I be at risk just because you don’t want to look after your own kids?’. The comment wasn’t aimed at me, but in that moment it was like a punch in the face. Of course I want to look after my own kids. What I struggled to do was educate them (there’s a reason teachers are highly trained after all). Having said all that, teachers and school staff the right to be protected in the same way as everyone else. And the teacher bashing has been appalling. Instead of all blaming each other we need to blame the absolute shit show on a government who are fucking it up day after day after day. I want more for my children, and for the people who teach them. It’s clear it’s a job I couldn’t do!

I should have mentioned that as well as trying to educate them and look after said whinging baby, I was also trying to do my own full time job from home.

There is one teacher who keeps making that comment . I don't think it is the attitude of most of us.

But that attack attack attack on MN does rather instigate fight or flight responses.

@noblegiraffe

And remember, Marsha you’ve got a kid going into Y11. If you also had a kid in Y13 who had been massively screwed over by the results fiasco, you’d be feeling less kindly towards the DfE.

And if you’d had anything to do with schools re-opening in June and the late guidance (later than this set) and constant updates with no track changes, you wouldn’t have any sympathy at all.

Having a child going into Y11 makes me less sympathetic to the DfE, they have had a lot of time not physically in school (though with good education, no thanks to the DfE for that) and are (multiple U turns not withstanding) going to be doing exams which they haven't had adequate preparation for - because they have had to study at home teachers haven't had the chance to address misunderstandings as they don't have the opportunity to pick up what students don't understand as well remotely as they do in class where they can have conversations, discussions and Q&A.

With the multiple versions of guidance being issued and at ridiculous times the DfE are setting schools up to fail, are setting up Year 11s to have a harder time than necessary and making their exam year harder than it needs to be. They (the politicians) will then point the finger and say well you had the guidance and you fucked it up - to the teachers and the pupils.

@Kaktus

And one of the most disgusting things is the pitting people against each other... teachers and parents in particular. The teacher bashing on her has been absolutely shameful. Equally some of the comments about parents are awful... ‘parents will send kids in dosed up on calpol so they can spend their day watching daytime TV’ etc. In real life the parents I know will try their absolute best to ensure that they follow the rules given, while contending with lack of wrap around care/going back into the office themselves etc. It’s hard for everyone. And what we need is clear, evidence based direction from those whose job it is to give it. And if we don’t get that, then they need to be held to account.

That's a fair enough comment about calpol and tv.

In fact it was said today that the hardest kids to get back into school have been those in the most deprivation where 1 or often both parents don't work. Or LP families in poverty.

They probably the biggest cohort of people watching daytime tv

Nope - our school have said they cannot socially distance. Listen to the school not the government.

I think the best we can all hope for is to minimise transmission as far as possible. So, limit unnecessary movement and pay particular attention to danger areas (indoors). Spread out tables as much as is possible, and alter teaching style so there is less "heads together" stuff going on. They'll probably be fine outside playing in the open air, but again, limit these groups to "bubbles" where possible.
And ffs, fund a credible, accessible Plan B for home learning, as it WILL be happening to most schools at some point soon.

@ineedaholidaynow - thanks for the info.

[quote Chloemol]@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![/quote]
Little over-inflated ego there thinking you did anything but make yourself look a salty fool.

I gotta ask!

I keep seeing the expression "salty" on MN.

Now I'm usually behind the times and sassy was a thing way before I cottoned in 🤦🏼‍♀️

What does it mean?!

I keep seeing it too! Bugging me too.

"salty," when used as a slang term, can be used to describe someone who is "angry, agitated, or upset," as well as someone who is "mean, annoying, and repulsive." A more nuanced and specific definition of the word, which also comes from Urban Dictionary, details it as, "The act of being upset, angry, or bitter as result of being made fun of or embarassed.

My class are all sharing desks as they will be pretty much everywhere. They’re in rows but they’re 2 to a desk and 30 kids in a portacabin which is always cold and the windows don’t really open. I can teach at the front maybe 1m away from the front row but cannot support individual children from any kind of distance. I can’t wear a mask and the kids won’t be.

That’s the reality.

Just have to hope it’ll be ok. I will probably be alright if I get it but it impacts massively on being able to see my family. And some members of staff will absolutely not be fine if they get it. But what else can we really do?

year5teacher

I redid my seating plans yesterday,
All shoulder to shoulder. on desks that cannot be changed due to all the wiring and computers.

The workshop also only has benches that sit 8. No idea how that will work.

@FrippEnos

"salty," when used as a slang term, can be used to describe someone who is "angry, agitated, or upset," as well as someone who is "mean, annoying, and repulsive." A more nuanced and specific definition of the word, which also comes from Urban Dictionary, details it as, "The act of being upset, angry, or bitter as result of being made fun of or embarassed.

Thanks.

I can see my year 10/11's branding this about and I have to know what these things means to keep one step ahead 🤣

The BBC website is showing a socially distanced classroom in pictures AGAIN 🙄

Can anyone tell me what information they have had from their primary school with regard to the return? Have policies been updated and can anyone tell me what policies they should be sharing about this?
Thanks

I'm on a couple of US-centric pages on FB and 'salty' as in my NN, to me means snarky and a bit pissed off. I do a lot of sweary embroidery which both amuses me and gives me an outlet for my general annoyance at all the fuckwittery in evidence in recent years.

Where did it come from though?Is it reality TV? It's new.

I am half American and never heard it until the last few weeks.

One my sons picked up "salty" at Bristol University about 3 years ago. So it must have been friends he made there who use it along with some other weird words I still don't follow. Peak is another one which I assumed means something is very good - at the top or peak of mountain but in fact means the opposite of very good.

Aha! It has come from the gaming community.

And I supposedly live in a backwater...definitely been doing the rounds here for 2-3 years

Not made it to my backwater yet. Expecting to hear it everywhere next week.