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

I think the problem is that school buildings vary. This may be due to older buildings versus modern buildings - not sure. However, I think it clear that some schools have narrow corridors and smaller awkward classrooms, and others have larger classrooms and wider corridors. This may be due to all kinds of reasons, such as in our area, the original school building beame too small and has now been repurposed, and the primary school is now housed in a larger once secondary school ( the secondary school moved elsewhere). So the original size and purpose of the building has changed over the years.
Consequently, some heads have more scope for changing classrooms, etc than others.
As far as I am aware, the Gov have said no social distancing in primary schools, and instead to remain within a classroom bubble (approx 30 children).

I will be teaching up to 32 15-18 year olds in classrooms that have no ventilation at all. Students will be in bubbles of 260 which all have connections to the other bubbles via siblings. We don’t have enough classrooms so 6th form will be using classrooms from other bubbles. Our faculty office is an old cupboard with 12 desks crammed in and it’s so narrow you have to squeeze past people to get to your desk. There is no data telling us this is safe, we need to be honest that we are just hoping it will be ok. In Sweden 16-18 year olds were not in school. I am relatively healthy and will probably be ok but one member of our faculty has serious underlying health conditions and was shielding- there is zero provision for them to stay safe. It does worry me.

[quote MrsElijahMikaelson1]@Enoughnowstop how do you think DH examines his patients? He is certainly not 1m away 🤣 and no-for the first 3months he did not have full PPE even in theatre as they had run out and supply chains were overloaded![/quote]
And you think that is good practice and all should still have those conditions?

Oh and there is no social distancing within bubbles so those 260 students can touch each other as much as they like...

most schools had probably already spent their supply budget by the time the summer term came around.

What did they intend to do if they needed supply then? Genuine question.

The highest-paid public sector trade union bosses were the joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, Kevin Courtney and Dr. Mary Bousted, who received £217,501 and £187,557. This higher figure included a salary of £170,269, employers’ national insurance contribution of £21,968, and a pension contribution of £25,264

Source: Taxpayers Alliance

These chumps whose salaries are (I assume) paid for by teachers' subs could have sourced PPE for teachers (including funding for it) and secured their members' right to wear it (if they wished). Why didn't they? And if they couldn't- sack them and get better leadership.

Rumble that's so kind. The biggest thing parents can do is to keep their child home if showing symptoms. I'm sure you wouldn't but perhaps remind parents calpol to hide a fever so kid can attend that could lead to them needing to be home for 14.

And also not fall for the governments and Harries suggestion that if there are outbreaks it's because of teachers sitting in staff room together drinking coffee all day

They'll be eating lunch in class with the kids and most not even getting a break.

A question for the teachers on this post, what can we as parents do to help make your job easier in the return to school? If parents sent in PPE for you to wear? Face masks, visors, packs of disinfecting wipes? 5L bottles of hand sanitiser?

Make sure your child has hand sanitizer in their bag and knows when to use it. Question if it comes home full.

Give them a full pencil case, calculator, MFL dictionary, Scissors, glue stick, English dictionary and buy English texts if in higher years, as well as buy revision books which can be used in class (I get mine to write the revision book page numbers in their exercise book notes or activities so they can marry it all up when I’m not there). If you can afford it, fill a pencil case and donate to the school - plenty of families can’t afford it.

Primary colleagues would probably welcome donations of sanitiser with a pump, boxes of tissues and a child capable of washing their own hands properly and able to use a tissue and put it straight in the bin!

These chumps whose salaries are (I assume) paid for by teachers' subs could have sourced PPE for teachers (including funding for it) and secured their members' right to wear it (if they wished). Why didn't they? And if they couldn't- sack them and get better leadership.

Excellent point

Think of High school. Take any subject, let's say History. History teachers have to teach year groups from year 7 to 10, then yr 10 onwards for gcse students. So, if my child has picked history for gcse, the teacher that is teaching him, has already taught 100s of students that day, from different year groups. Then comes into his class. The same with Geography, English, Maths, Engineering, sciences. All those teachers have been in contact with hundreds of kids in stuffy, non social distanced settings, before they get to him. He is also in a class with 30 kids. But not the same 30 kids all day. A different set of 30 kids for each lesson, ie every 45 mins, new kids sat round him as they all chose different gcse subjects. It's just an impossible situation. They dont sit on desks apart from each other in High school. It's those desks for two, but 3 have to squeeze on.

Why are they "chumps?" And have you really NO idea of the purpose and function of a Union?

What did they intend to do if they needed supply then? Genuine question

Schools can only guesstimate how much supply they may need in a given year. A bad flu season can reek havoc. Covid will do the same. Insurances can be obtained that kick in after a staff member has been off for a certain number of days.

@TheKeatingFive muddle through and pray no other teachers would go off sick. Juggle staff and pupils about, use TAs if they are lucky to have them. Make do as they have to. But is making do really what the parents want for their children’s education.

We are not asking to be bought PPE.
We are asking to be allowed to wear face coverings.
Ventilation
Social distancing

@MissCharlotteBartlett

The highest-paid public sector trade union bosses were the joint general secretaries of the National Education Union, Kevin Courtney and Dr. Mary Bousted, who received £217,501 and £187,557. This higher figure included a salary of £170,269, employers’ national insurance contribution of £21,968, and a pension contribution of £25,264 Source: Taxpayers Alliance

These chumps whose salaries are (I assume) paid for by teachers' subs could have sourced PPE for teachers (including funding for it) and secured their members' right to wear it (if they wished). Why didn't they? And if they couldn't- sack them and get better leadership.

Aourcing ppe wasn't and isn't an issue.

The government guidance wouldn't allow teachers to wear it unless certain conditions such as feeding or personal care.

@Enoughnowstop some schools have had to economise on that insurance and only have it for teachers and not TAs, so can be a huge issue if 1:1 TA goes on long term sick

Enoughnowstop
Whilst you do that, remember that not all schools use AQA

Yes, I know - I gave one example.

Now do the maths.
eleventy billion pens for the school year

I prefer my maths calculations to yours!

Did you include other savings, e.g. materials for coursework/practical exams not used, exam invigilators not needed?

no school has had an increase in budget

Oct 2019 School funding allocations 2020-21 -
"provisional allocations based on a £2.6bn increase in funding next year;"

dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2019/10/11/school-funding-allocations-2020-21/

I think students wearing masks will make things worse. Putting on and taking off the masks from on when in corridors and off when in classroom etc... constantly touching them and touching surfaces and then all the exhaled aerosols on the masks being spread around. All those masks that will be reused day after day - lots of parents won't buy an expensive supply of disposables or wash every day! Sounds awful
Much better to use good hand hygiene and encourage not to touch faces etc....

Also bear in mind supply teachers are also needed if teachers go on training courses etc

Did you include other savings, e.g. materials for coursework/practical exams not used, exam invigilators not needed?

Have you factored in the teacher’s pay rise which hasn’t been covered centrally?

@Clavinova what about teacher pay rises that have to be covered by the funding

@SomewhereEast

This - 100%

'As someone who has a child (the youngest) back at primary school since early June, I'm under no illusions that primary school children will be socially distanced. Nor do I care. I'm much more worried about the emotional & psychological damage we'd do trying to enforce social distancing on a bunch of 7yos for...who knows how long?'

Also @Clavinova state schools were told they had to pay contracts even if the services were not being provided due to COVID eg catering. Also not allowed to furlough staff.

@noblegiraffe

My OP: “the government is running a propaganda campaign and suggesting that schools will be socially distanced, achieved by misleading photos in the press, staged photo shoots, and assertions that teachers will be 2m from the kids so they won’t spread Covid between bubbles”

Response “you need to quit your job as you are too anxious”.

Talk about avoiding the subject.

In fairness you have started a lot of threads about this, and you must know how they go.

There does come a point where it’s just not helpful.

Also even if a school did manage to make some savings last year, if they are in a MAT there are strict regulations what you can use the reserves on