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.

Wow @SaltyAndFresh and more and more personal attacks are making you seem so very intelligent aren't they?

@notevenat20, whilst it may not be clear that ALL schools increase the rate of infection, its bloody clear that a lot of them do.

@Ecosse

It’s not about the individual. It isn’t about how poorly I will feel if I get Covid. It’s about who I spread it to before I know I have it. It’s about where those people take it. And it’s about how all of the people I’ve gradually infected respond to the virus. How their families respond. Their colleagues. Their children. And so on.

@Ecosse

Unless you have underlying health conditions (in which case I agree you should not be in school) *@Nellodee*, you have nothing to worry about.

You may or may not get flu-like symptoms if any at all. You will isolate for 2 weeks and be back in school on the following Monday morning.

Oh, I'll just crack on and lick some exercise books, then. Because everyone knows that Ecosse speaks nothing but absolute common sense.

Why don't you tell those silly nurses to take their masks off as well? It's only a cold! The sooner they get it over and done with, the sooner they can get back to looking after all the people who don't need any looking after, because it's only a cold.

@DBML of course. Fwiw I have always found most teachers do a tremendous job, hence why I want my dc in school, being taught by professionals, where they come home full of life, it's certainly not in my interest for teachers to get sick or die.

But we didn't choose this dreadful situation. There can be a really sneery undertone.

so yes be angry but not at the people who are pointing out the current system isn't working
Agree with this, but when the people who are pointing out the current system isn't working make flippant remarks about parents just wanting rid of their children or can't be bothered to look after them etc its hard not to get angry. Im sure there are parents out there like that as I'm sure there's some lazy teachers out there as there is in any profession, but we need to remember that on both sides they are the minority and not the majority. Most parents want the best for their children just as most teachers want to teach the best they can.

@TrustTheGeneGenie

Wow *@SaltyAndFresh* and more and more personal attacks are making you seem so very intelligent aren't they?

My first response didn't initially post. So are you going to explain?

@Lindain, I haven't reported you.

My first response didn't initially post. So are you going to explain?

Saying "didn't think so" makes your attacks ok does it?

I don't need to explain. I asked a question. Do you know what a question is?

@3littlewords

so yes be angry but not at the people who are pointing out the current system isn't working Agree with this, but when the people who are pointing out the current system isn't working make flippant remarks about parents just wanting rid of their children or can't be bothered to look after them etc its hard not to get angry. Im sure there are parents out there like that as I'm sure there's some lazy teachers out there as there is in any profession, but we need to remember that on both sides they are the minority and not the majority. Most parents want the best for their children just as most teachers want to teach the best they can.

I agree. I'm not angry at teachers. I am angry at the government but the sneery remarks don't exactly make me feel sorry for anyone.

Several posts on here make me despair of how critical reasoning skills were taught 10 or 20 years ago.

Im off to bed. Goodnight all and stay safe.

[quote Ecosse]@Boxachocs

This is just scaremongering nonsense. I agree that vulnerable teachers and DC should not be in school.

But there is tiny risk of others dying so I’m not sure where you’ve got this danger of ‘loads of teachers dying’.[/quote]
If you take out all the vulnerable school staff the kids will have to reach each other.

TEACH fucking phone

Unless you have underlying health conditions (in which case I agree you should not be in school) @Nellodee, you have nothing to worry about.
You may or may not get flu-like symptoms if any at all.

Well, not sure why we bothered with any lockdown at all ever then. Really, this is one of the daftest things I have read ever.

You attacked a PP did i? still doesn't negate the fact you've insulted me twice and continue to do so.

'm asking you to explain how you interpreted her response as being happy with school closure when she very explicitly stated that she hates teaching from home and suggested viable alternatives

I didn't interpret it as anything. I asked whether she was happy with the way things were.
You don't, however, seem either able to do so, or to admit that your crass, throwaway comment was simply idiotic

I don't need to and my comment wasn't crass or idiotic.

Night @DBML

One thing is that while teachers and parents are busy blaming each other because we are all shit scared for our families.

We are not blaming this shitshow of a government.

[quote AldiAisleofCrap]**@loulouljh* As a working parent I do not support this view. At all. Kids to be at school. Parents to work and pay taxes.* why can’t you leave your secondary age child at home while you work? Do they have SEN?[/quote]
Really? Its ok to leave an 11/12year old on their own all day 5 days a week ? A couple of hours here and there fine but not all day every day. Theres a huge maturity difference between 11/12 yr olds and 15/16 yr olds, parents normally work up gradually the time we leave our dc alone in the house to see how they cope i doubt many go full whack straight away

I have colleagues with no underlying health conditions who are still suffering with long Covid months and months after their infection. If I was sure it was a two week illness, job done, I would not be worried every day or bother taking precautions.

@Notselfish I am a parent first, teacher second.

But I agree with you about who is really to blame.