One bowl 10+ kids

[Bonkerz]

Just that really. Apparently it's been approved by the schools health and safety that up to 10 children can wash their hands in one bowl of cold water.
This is a practice being used in my sons class.
He's not allowed to use hand gel I have provided.
They have access to a sink and the toilets but apparently a shared bowl of water is better than anti bac gel.

Thoughts??

We were by ofsted years ago we weren't to do this. Either to use hand gel or wash each child's hands under running water

Bad enough without a pandemic!

I myself am a childminder and at a time where we have been told to use disposable paper towels and that children can't share playdough or sand or water play I find it totally unacceptable that my son is made to wash his hands in a shared bowl of stagnant water and apparently the school are happy that this meets health and safety. The water is change at lunch but 30 pupils can use it during this time.

Have you contacted the school? If you get them to confirm this policy in writing you could then refer it to Ofsted, or to Public Health?

The teacher actually rang me tonight. I sent and email this morning and a letter with my son who is 9.
He came home and said teacher had screamed at him for telling lies and he cried. She then apologised to him.
I rang school and requested call back.
Teacher admitted 'losing it" with son and apologised for that but he agreed to speak with son tomorrow as he is rightfully anxious now.
She stated on phone this was an agreed remedy for the current situation.
I have forwarded her the gov guidance for hand washing and told her my son is not to use stagnant shared water.
I have spoke with a few parents tonight who have a) confirmed my son was screamed at and made to cry and called a liar and b) they are not happy with stagnant water being shared.

Teacher has apologised and after dealing with her for 14 years due to siblings I do know her reaction was out of character but she's agreed to talk with son yet the issue of shared water is still one the school says is acceptable.

Surely if this was the case then shops wouldn't be using gel and would just dump a bucket of water at the entrance !

Refuse to send him

It may or may not kill covid depending on what is in the water but it may not kill other germs.
Ive seen this at children centre groups.
More acceptable might be fresh water poured onto their hands after theyve soaped them ?

Tbh this is what worries me about schools.
Obviously they are not infection control.
Dd said they had hand gel depressed by teacher onto their hands. Well i would think dirty hsnds (there isnt confirmed contagion by surfaces) may be better than being stood 30cm away from teacher who has done this for every kid. Not great for teacher either..
Why not buy some hand free gel dispensers ffs!

Dd also said they now all 30 kids have to use 1 toilet. Thsts going to be fun (and germy)

If a teacher ‘lost it’ and called my child a ‘liar’ I’d be going to the headteacher or governors over it, I certainly wouldn’t accept her telephone apology.

With the hand washing, it’s not great but least adults are supervising the hand washing, in my sons school they get sent to the bathroom to clean their hands and I can guarantee half of them won’t wash their hands properly if at all.

That is in no way an acceptable method of hand washing, I wouldn't send my boys if that was the provision.

That is shocking. Report to governors or even the LEA.

As I said the outburst from the teacher was out of character and if I hadn't of known her for so long I'd be placing a formal complaint but I do understand the pressures for teachers right now. She has agreed to make it right with my so. Tomorrow and I need to give her that opportunity.

I am that dreaded parent who also works in education and has teachers and head teachers in my family so I maybe pick up on things more than most parents and I do confront things head on.

Ive asked for a copy of the risk assessment that says it's not an infection risk.

Knowing it's out of character for her doesn't make it in any way ok. If your son screamed at the teacher and called her a liar, even though it was out of character, I am sure the school would be punishing him. I would want to be sure the teacher knew just how unacceptable her behaviour was.

I don't understand why they wouldn't just send them to the bathroom to wash their hands though? I wouldn't wash my hands in a bowl of water other people had been using.

I find the teachers behaviour the most worrying thing. She really does need to be reported for this as it could be really damaging to children who may have already been through a lot and are just trying to get used to being back at school. I don’t think it sounds like she should be a teacher

'Sounds like she shouldnt be a teacher...'

Look, the teachers clearly done wrong here but that's an overreaction. The idea of telling the lea/governors is a joke as well. All they'll do is pass it back down the line to be handled in the proper way, which in a large school wont even involve the head teacher.

By all means report the teacher, (the teacher will have a manager, far better going to them if you can), but I think the OPs done better here by going direct to the teacher and discussing the issue at hand.

I dealt with the teacher direct because despite today's issue I do respect her. I've had 3 children go through the school and she has taught each one so I know her well enough to know it's not like her.

I've now gone above her about the bowl sharing issue because she's clearly doing what she's been told to do.

Report your concerns with the school board, your local councillor and parish bodies. The school can't say it's been agreed if you haven't agreed it. It had not been agreed because you and many other parents are disagreeing with it. So they should be expected to change it. Why can't the children use hot water and soap from the school taps as usual? The UK Health and safety executive states people must wash their hands under running water www.hse.gov.uk/coronavirus/working-safely/cleaning.htm

Water needs to be warm. I wouldn't imagine this is acceptable at all.
Im in a school. Children use hand gel and we also have a sink in every class.

What did she claim he was lying about?

@neveradullmoment99

Water needs to be warm. I wouldn't imagine this is acceptable at all. Im in a school. Children use hand gel and we also have a sink in every class.

Why would being warm make any difference whatsoever? If anything logically warm water would be worse as it would be closer to body temperature where the virus obviously thrives.

Soap dissolves the viral envelope and deactivated the virus. Water - shared, warm, ice cold, whatever- and soap will do the job. Presumably, OP, they also used soap and not just water?

This level of concern really surprises me. I truly dont care how many kids use the bowl my child uses. I feel sorry for the teachers having to deal with parents on top of government guidelines. It must be hell. She shouldn't have shouted-screamed sounds a bit unlikely-but I can understand it.

I'd report the teacher "loosing it" and the gross sharing of water to offstead and the local education authority without doubt. Both totally unacceptable

www.gov.uk/government/organisations/ofsted/about/complaints-procedure

@KitKatastrophe

We were told to preferably use warm water by our local authority. Scottish Goverment advice not mine. I reckon its because the soap lathers better so cleans the hands better. Totally makes sense to me.
We have been provided with paper towels, hand gel, liquid soap, blue role and child friendly disinfectant for every class.

There are hundreds all of these resources dotted round the school. Piles of paper towels and loads and loads of disinfectant, hand gel, liquid soap piled everywhere. This is through the Scottish government. Not through school budgets.
Each child has also been given a pack of coloured pencils, felt pens, pencils, ruler, rubber, sharpener to keep in their tray as they are not to share things.

No way would sharing water be acceptable here.

Personally i think its absolutely disgusting to have children doing this. Would you do it for yourself at your work? Appauling.

Its not the teachers fault. Its her local education authority that has deemed this as a safe practice.
Bring in the health and safety advisors.