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Original poster

Staff party blamed for outbreak in school

136 replies

Silversun83 · 17/09/2020 16:44

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-lancashire-54161544

The head says he thinks it was ill-advised despite them not breaking government restrictions at the time.. Though surely 8 of them attending another person's house WAS against the restrictions.. (Which was only two households inside or six people/two households outside)??

OP posts:
BillywilliamV · 17/09/2020 16:47

Why are you posting this, are we meant to condemn these poor teachers, say HOW BAD they’ve been?

Why not mind your own business?

FTMF30 · 17/09/2020 16:49

Well the ruke of 6 only came into effect recently anyway. The party was at the start of Sept.

mosscarpet · 17/09/2020 16:51

legally no, they didnt breach any restrictions, which simply stated that gatherings over 30 were prohibited by law.

flumposie · 17/09/2020 16:53

That letter is disgraceful. Staff moral must be crap there.

flumposie · 17/09/2020 16:54

Morale even.

Shitfuckoh · 17/09/2020 16:55

I've just read that & whilst I appreciate how much hard work headteachers have put in to reopening schools, how dare he say he'd have told them they should not attend - they work for him & yes, them being off sick has affected the school community but in no way does that give him permission to tell them what they can & can not do in their personal time.

SpookyNoise · 17/09/2020 16:55

They didn’t break any guidelines. The head sounds like an arse, and I bet it’s an awful place to work.

NaughtipussMaximus · 17/09/2020 16:56

He’s pissed off because they didn’t invite him.

swabthenose · 17/09/2020 16:56

Lol just posted almost the same thread but opposite point of view. I agree morale must be shocking and that head has failed his staff miserably.

mosscarpet · 17/09/2020 16:57

"had I been aware of the event I would have told them they should not attend"
Thats disgraceful. They were acting within the law, in their own time. It is not up to a head teacher to say what his staff can and can't do (within the law) outside of work hours.
And to have openly criticised his staff to the parents - again, appalling behaviour.

IceCreamAndCandyfloss · 17/09/2020 17:03

Given three more caught it who weren’t at the party surely shows how easily it spreads in schools?

I also thought only two households could mix prior to the rule of six.

AlexaShutUp · 17/09/2020 17:04

Well, I think anyone having a party (or attending one) is pretty stupid in the current situation. However, I also think a head teacher who publicly criticises his staff is pretty shit. Not the way to go.

I feel bad for the three staff who didn't attend the party but still got infected and will probably get blamed by all of the parents anyway. Sad

mrshoho · 17/09/2020 17:11

That sounds like a dire school to work in with a pompous head like that. He just wanted to make it clear that the outbreak was not as a result of his doing.

Timekeepspassing · 17/09/2020 17:12

Didn’t break the law but did break guidance as the rule was previously up to 6 people inside from a max of 2 households. But the head is wrong to put the blame on them so publicly. Rubbish for morale and he has ruined trust between his staff and him as well as the trust of the parents.

AlexaShutUp · 17/09/2020 17:16

I think the letter is indicative of shitty management, but to be fair to the head, it must have been pretty frustrating for him not to have been told about the party even after the outbreak...if he was sat there trying to work out why the virus was spreading so quickly amongst staff and whether it was down to some issue with his safety measures.

He still shouldn't have vented his frustrations in public, though. Very undermining for the teachers and totally unprofessional.

mrshoho · 17/09/2020 17:17

@Timekeepspassing

Didn’t break the law but did break guidance as the rule was previously up to 6 people inside from a max of 2 households. But the head is wrong to put the blame on them so publicly. Rubbish for morale and he has ruined trust between his staff and him as well as the trust of the parents.
They could have been gathered in the garden at a bbq. Probably drowning their sorrows at the prospect of returning!
Original poster
Silversun83 · 17/09/2020 17:19

I'm not supporting/nor condoning what the staff/head has done but it WAS against restrictions at the time (maybe not set down in law as it is now but maybe it just shows that that law is needed!). The guidance did state no more than two house hold inside and up to six people from six households OR up to 30 people from two households outside.

OP posts:
Original poster
Silversun83 · 17/09/2020 17:22

But yes, I do think it was pretty foolish to attend a party.. And considering how many of them caught it, probably unlikely to be a BBQ outside.

OP posts:
annabel85 · 17/09/2020 17:22

All staff and pupils should have been asked to self isolate as much as possible for 10 days prior to the reopening of schools. That didn't happen though.

SoManyActivities · 17/09/2020 17:24

The rules prior to Monday were up to 30 outside weren't they? So if the party was outside they weren't breaking the rules?

I understand the head's frustration, particularly if he wasn't informed of the party even after the outbreak, how could his staff not tell him?

However, it was unprofessional to publicly blame his staff like this. I get that there is so much pressure on headteachers at the moment to keep their school safe, and he didn't want to look bad, but to write it in a letter like that to parents just seems a bit off.

It does beg the question though, should teachers curtail their lives, even within the rules, because of their day job? Teaching is already shitty enough!

noideaatallreally · 17/09/2020 17:24

How dare a HT try to dictate what teaching staff do IN THEIR OWN TIME. No rules were broken. This is a very slippery slope - though I am not surprised. A parent phoning in to complain about what a teacher was wearing out to the pub one night is one that springs to mind. Teachers have the same right to a personal and private life as everyone else. The atmosphere in that school must be toxic. I wonder what staff turn over is like

annabel85 · 17/09/2020 17:24

maybe not set down in law as it is now but maybe it just shows that that law is needed!

It is needed, but it's too late now. A couple of weeks back we were encouraged to all eat out to help out, when people should have been restricting their socialising before the schools went bavk.

SoManyActivities · 17/09/2020 17:27

Oh was it 30 people from only 2 households outside? Are you sure? I didn't think there was a limit on households outside.

Hailtomyteeth · 17/09/2020 17:29

Fucking hell, that head's an idiot. So now, he has a team who know he despises them, that he hasn't got their backs, that he'll shame them in front of the whole world ... Who is leaving, him or them?

Beamur · 17/09/2020 17:32

If the party was within the guidance then the Head is really out of order with those comments. The atmosphere going back is going to be unpleasant to say the least.