NEU calls for two week closure for secondaries and colleges following leap in infections

[noblegiraffe]

The NEU has called for a two week closure of secondary schools and colleges following a more than 9-fold increase in the infection rate in secondary school children in a month.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-teachers-demand-2-week-school-closures-after-cases-jump

The infection rate in Y7-11 was 0.5% last week, according to the ONS survey of random households, but this nearly doubled to 0.93% in the latest set of figures. This rise cannot be ignored or passed off as relating to university students as has happened so far.

In other, entirely unrelated news, 61% of teachers report that if a student doesn't wear a mask in a school where they are mandated in communal areas 'nothing happens'.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-61-staff-say-nothing-done-if-pupils-wont-wear-masks

And Teacher Tapp data from yesterday had 26% of teachers reporting that their schools were partially closed to students.

In the meantime, the testing positivity rate in 10-19 year olds is 17%, which means that this group is severely under-tested and lots of cases will be missed. The rate should be below 5%.

Yet the insistence continues that in any lockdown scenario, schools will remain open. Idiocy.

The UCU have also issued a call for colleges to be closed for a circuit-breaker.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-ucu-all-colleges-should-do-two-week-circuit-breaker

If the NEU gets schools closed for 2 weeks, they will never reopen.

Schools must stay open for many reasons- people need to work and we cannot damage the life chances and life expectancy of our most vulnerable DC any further than they already have been.

Teachers wanting to shut schools when they remain on full pay in any event is hardly surprising..oddly bar and gym staff don’t share this view about their workplace but then they don’t have the 100 percent furlough scheme accessible to teachers.

Teachers don’t qualify for furlough, don’t spout bollocks. There is a legal obligation for schools to teach the curriculum remotely so teachers will be very busy.

If the NEU gets schools closed for 2 weeks, they will never reopen.

Infection rates need to be brought under control. If schools are not closed, they will continue to spiral out of control, making further restrictions likely.

Is anyone going to be monitoring the quality of the remote learning? Given the god awful quality of what was delivered by some schools last time,

The same old panicked voices as always. It's looking very likely that there'll be a move online for the majority of secondaries soon and if people haven't got their ducks in a row about this by now then they never will. Exactly how much head in the sand can we do about secondary schools and their role in raising the R?

Ecose, the teaching unions were never trying to get schools permanently closed.....what possible point would that serve? certainly wouldn't serve the interests of teacher duh.

If schools remain open then children from the most deprived areas will still be the most disadvantaged, if for no other reason than more isolating groups due to higher rates of Covid across the entire community.

I don't think you like being a teacher. NobleG.

Is anyone going to be monitoring the quality of the remote learning?

Ofsted. Because this time, unlike last time, the DfE haven’t shirked their duty in issuing standards for remote learning.

What is the 'testing positivity rate' in this context, as opposed to the ONS infection rate?

Is anyone going to be monitoring the quality of the remote learning? Given the god awful quality of what was delivered by some schools last time.

Yes, it's thoroughly monitored on Mumsnet and divided into two categories: far too much of a faff to complete, and not nearly as good as the private school down the road.

Utmost respect for teachers. They have to put up with so much bullshit!

In my mind circuit breakers are pointless until there is a vaccine. It’s just delaying the inevitable.

In our school of 1700 we’ve had 2 positive cases, both in year 11 since returning. We are part of the university research so have access to testing and are able to test without the 3 Main symptoms.

We are happy to be back teaching our students. They need to be in school; I need to see them face to face.

We are two weeks anyway. Is that quite rare?

@FlyingSquid

What is the 'testing positivity rate' in this context, as opposed to the ONS infection rate?

The percentage of tests from people who actually seek a test due to symptoms that return a positive result.

ONS survey is random sampling of households so picks up asymptomatic cases.

Just a couple of cases in my children's 12 form entry school. Why should they close exactly?

@lljkk

I don't think you like being a teacher. NobleG.

I don’t think you could think of anything that actually challenged the OP but still wanted a pop at me.

Ah, OK, thanks. (I do like a good definition when trying to assess numbers.)

I'm getting a bit gloomy about the usefulness or otherwise of the testing, if 80-90% of appropriate symptoms are non-Covid, and 80-90% of (university-age) students with Covid possibly are not symptomatic.

It is very worrying. I am glad to be on holiday now and able to control my level of exposure, but it's only for one week which doesn't do enough in virus terms. I think Northern Ireland has the right idea.

@Hotcuppatea

Just a couple of cases in my children's 12 form entry school. Why should they close exactly?

A couple of positive tests is likely to be accompanied by asymptomatic cases.

The infection rate in secondaries/colleges in increasing at an alarming rate and there’s nothing in place to slow it, apart from half term which is only a week long so probably not long enough to have a real impact.

Where I am all pubs and restaurants are closed but children have been in school as normal. I think this reduces the potential positive impact of the hospitality closures.

Is that national or local Noble. Because my school has had only one case, and very few other local schools have sent anyone home, other than a handful of close contact children.

Until we get separate figures completely for those aged 16-18 and those in university it’s very difficult to see the real risk at schools. Certainly from those figures, primary schools should remain open if at all possible if haven’t got direct cases.

@TheKeatingFive I am a teacher. I worked throughout lockdown setting work, assessing and teaching online whilst my two young kids (3 and 7) climbed over me. It was hard work and I wanted to be at school. Please remember that some teacher also had children at home and also actually enjoy and want to be in a classroom.