Active discussions

Meet the Other Phone. A phone that grows with your child.

Meet the Other Phone.
A phone that grows with your child.

Buy now

Please or to access all these features

Talk
Covid

Mumsnet doesn't verify the qualifications of users. If you have medical concerns, please consult a healthcare professional.

Original poster

No social distancing in 6th form classrooms/common room

440 replies

kitnkaboodle · 02/09/2020 16:44

I know that there was an earlier thread on this that ran to 1000 messages and shut down, but ...

I'm sitting here with egg on my face, as through the summer I didn't believe my DS (16) telling me that in his (new) Y12, they wouldn't have to distance from the other pupils in sixth form or be spaced out within the classrooms. He said that things would be 'the same as normal', and I honestly thought he was talking rubbish.

He's just home from his first day and, sure enough, the WHOLE sixth form is classed as one bubble and there are no social distancing measures at all between the kids there apart from desks all facing the front. I'm not sure about teachers - will ask later, but I presume they aren't in the bubbles and have to keep apart.

I glanced at the earlier thread title (that was something along the lines of 'the govt are letting the public believe there will be SD in schools') and thought it was all a bit paranoid (without reading it). However, I now genuinely believe that photos of all the 'back to school' stories have been carefully curated to show kids standing/sitting at least a metre apart. I'm one of those who thinks that we just need to 'get on with it' now, regarding schools, but I do feel royally hoodwinked by that. It was very subtle ... (and now I have to apologise to DS for not believing him!!)

OP posts:
CallmeAngelina · 02/09/2020 19:31

At one point, I pointed out that yes, schools must and would re-open, but that parents should be aware that there would/could be no effective social distancing.
Bloody hell, I was annihilated! Apparently, those were "extreme" and "hysterical" views and I was apparently advocating that schools stay shut until a vaccine arrived, as well as being a lazy fucker who wanted to stay home sunning myself in the garden on full pay. When I refuted that, I was reported to MNHQ for being aggressive.

phatsandsmall · 02/09/2020 19:35

[quote RubyViolet]BBC just reporting that infections are spreading in schools in Glasgow now.
www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-54005621[/quote]
There was an outbreak at my niece and nephews nursery in August- staff and children (all under 4 ) they were operating in "bubbles" too and had a staff member dedicated to housekeeping every day. It was in the local newspaper but unsure if it made national news - I never saw it and only knew cos my sister in law told us. They live in a different city to us. (England) schools have literally no chance of containing it.

noblegiraffe · 02/09/2020 19:37

Yes, there were outbreaks in schools in June but they didn't make the media. The suspicion was that the news was being suppressed.

So much stuff reported in the press about schools has been misleading.

Appuskidu · 02/09/2020 19:37

It doesn't make sense, tbh. The word bubble is meaningless.

Yep!

LondonJax · 02/09/2020 19:38

Not so much 'bubbles' as a massive foam bath fight in the playground.

And, for some reason, the government seem to think the kids using the buses, walking to school etc will not walk with their year 7 friend, joining their year 11 brother and year 9 girlfriend on the walk from the bus stop or school. Because all kids walk individually, with masks on don't they?

phatsandsmall · 02/09/2020 19:38

@noblegiraffe

Yes, there were outbreaks in schools in June but they didn't make the media. The suspicion was that the news was being suppressed.

So much stuff reported in the press about schools has been misleading.

When there were very reduced numbers and social distancing too!!! X
EDSGFC · 02/09/2020 19:38

@CallmeAngelina

At one point, I pointed out that yes, schools must and would re-open, but that parents should be aware that there would/could be no effective social distancing. Bloody hell, I was annihilated! Apparently, those were "extreme" and "hysterical" views and I was apparently advocating that schools stay shut until a vaccine arrived, as well as being a lazy fucker who wanted to stay home sunning myself in the garden on full pay. When I refuted that, I was reported to MNHQ for being aggressive.
Yep. These are the sort of threads and posts that I've been seeing throughout the summer. I literally cannot believe this thread tonight although I'm glad that it's vindicating those of you who have tried so hard to tell parents what the reality will be.

It's interesting that a PP has linked to the BBC and the spread amongst pupils in Glasgow - where are the gaslighting posters who have been insistent that children don't spread it?

BabyLlamaZen · 02/09/2020 19:40

I agree. I know they can't sit that far apart but assumed it would be not supposed to touch, share food etc and go into separate areas at break times e.g. each class split into three and break times very staggered.

phatsandsmall · 02/09/2020 19:40

@EDSGFC on Facebook sharing Memes about masks being dangerous and how more people die from heart attacks than COVID 19 probably 🤪

SaltyAndFresh · 02/09/2020 19:42

It has been simply impossible to stay 1m away from classes today. We have to wipe tables between lessons so there isn't time to distribute books and resources. That has to be done by moving around the room.

EDSGFC · 02/09/2020 19:43

[quote phatsandsmall]@EDSGFC on Facebook sharing Memes about masks being dangerous and how more people die from heart attacks than COVID 19 probably 🤪[/quote]
No doubt - throwing in something about 5G too probably

phatsandsmall · 02/09/2020 19:45

@EDSGFC of course!! That will be why schools shut for 5 months so they could build the 5g masts in the grounds without us noticing -it will only come to light when there are covid outbreaks in schools ha ha ha!!

EDSGFC · 02/09/2020 19:53

[quote phatsandsmall]@EDSGFC of course!! That will be why schools shut for 5 months so they could build the 5g masts in the grounds without us noticing -it will only come to light when there are covid outbreaks in schools ha ha ha!! [/quote]
Ssshhhh... we're not meant to talk about that.

Honestly, I can't really believe the amount of misinformation that has been allowed to stand on MN over the past few months.

Saltandvinegar86 · 02/09/2020 19:54

I’m a Head of Department in an inner city all through school with more then 2000 students... kids back today, and guess what?! Bubbles of 300, all bubbles kept apart but no way to keep students separate apart from that. 30 kids in a room the size of my living/dining room. Teachers physically unable to be more than 50 m apart from each other or the kids. I love how Mumsnet villainized teachers for the schools being closed (government decision) and are now criticising schools for reopening (again, government decision). I am very happy to be back back; I love my job. But I am also apprehensive. I have vulnerable loved ones too. There is no safe way.

StaffAssociationRepresentative · 02/09/2020 19:54

Yep we had year 12 back today there is no SD in the common room but they have lots of hand gel.

We reckon the bubbles idea will break next week. It is not sustainable as we have some staff now teaching in about 12 classrooms over the course of the week - they have pull along trolleys with their kit.

Everyone has to have their own pens for interactive whiteboard - those pens cost £25 each and the school has purchased sufficient to cover all Maths, science, geog and a couple of other depts teachers. So that is a another Covid cost coming out of the budget.

We had another email to say equipment must not be shared under any circumstances.

annabel85 · 02/09/2020 19:54

What difference does it make when they've been at raves and parties all summer?

Schmeebles · 02/09/2020 19:59

@annabel85

What difference does it make when they've been at raves and parties all summer?
Most of them haven’t.

But good luck getting any of them now to subscribe to the idea that they should still distance outside of school!

kiwibee · 02/09/2020 20:00

The people shocked about no social distancing in schools are going to lose their minds when they discover the unions DIDN’T block schools reopening and that the media made it all up

StaffAssociationRepresentative · 02/09/2020 20:00

@EDSGFC - thank you. It was amazing how many MN posters vilified teachers and wanted us all furloughed or sacked. We were accused of blocking things when all we stated were the practical aspects about old schools, narrow corridors, lack of toilet facilities & hand washing, small classrooms and sharing books etc

A number of you need to hang your heads in shame!

Our more immediate concern is how to get all of our students through the lunch queues and back to lessons within an hour whilst following all the rules.

MummyOfZog · 02/09/2020 20:02

I agree that, yes, bbc and other media have been printing pretty pictures of OTT socially distanced classrooms all summer BUT... if you read the actual articles it's been pretty clear that "bubbles" in secondary school and HE could be considered whole year groups or even whole schools. So I'm not sure why it's so shocking really.

Aside from the media, teachers have been open about this from the start and have categorically said social distancing in schools is impossible unless you have lots of extra teaching staff and double the necessary classrooms (which obviously no school has!). Teachers got a real grilling for saying anything like this and were promptly identified as being lazy, or spoilt and cushioned by a union. In reality I think they were just trying to get parents to see the real picture to avoid parents being shocked when schools returned

kiwibee · 02/09/2020 20:03

All we have ever wanted is everyone back safely, with adequate funding for basic things like hand soap and teaching resources

annabel85 · 02/09/2020 20:04

*Most of them haven’t.

But good luck getting any of them now to subscribe to the idea that they should still distance outside of school!*

I don't think most school age kids have been socially distancing. Ones with very strict or vulnerable parents maybe.

motherrunner · 02/09/2020 20:06

Another teacher popping on to say ‘yes, there’s no SD in schools’.

First day back today and although we are zoning our year groups into different parts of the school, they will be sharing the same toilet facilities, not distancing, sharing equipment and as my school isn’t in a lockdown area we won’t be wearing any form of face coverings or visors.

We’ve been making this point all over the summer.

EDSGFC · 02/09/2020 20:10

[quote StaffAssociationRepresentative]@EDSGFC - thank you. It was amazing how many MN posters vilified teachers and wanted us all furloughed or sacked. We were accused of blocking things when all we stated were the practical aspects about old schools, narrow corridors, lack of toilet facilities & hand washing, small classrooms and sharing books etc

A number of you need to hang your heads in shame!

Our more immediate concern is how to get all of our students through the lunch queues and back to lessons within an hour whilst following all the rules.[/quote]
I completely agree. I've seen so much of it on here and the attacks on teachers has been disgusting. Clearly those of you who were trying to raise the alarm were right to do so given posters on this thread saying they didn't realise what the reality in schools is going to be.

Cookiecrisps · 02/09/2020 20:10

@Schmeebles I agree. Young people can easily see through double standards and hypocrisy so it’s going to be hard to get them to see the point in distancing from their peers outside of school when they can be packed in sitting shoulder to shoulder in stuffy classrooms. It will also be interesting to see how mask compliance outside of school works with secondary age students as the government guidance cautions against wearing them in the classroom (England.)