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.

Those are the same people that populate colleges and universities.

And secondary school sixth forms. It’s not great that I’m teaching sixth formers then head straight off to teach Y7 with no masks, poor ventilation and inability to stay 2m away.

@Boxachocs

But schools do have to stay open. The impact on vulnerable DC in terms of harm and damage to future life expectancy is just too great.

Also if schools are not open, parents cannot work and we have no economy. Who’s going to pay for teachers’ wages and the NHS then?

Oh, I was about to reply to the pp to point out a couple of obvious flaws in her argument, then I noticed who it was. Again.

We've got our GCSE resit English & Maths exams the first week of November. It would be really unfair on those students if there is a blanket shutting of schools.

I’d forgotten that there are serious concerns about the administration of these exams.

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-colleges-gcse-resits-november-exams-pose-public-health-risk

“The November GCSE exam series could pose a serious public health risk as colleges host large cohorts in high-risk areas, the Association of Colleges has warned.

In a letter to schools minister Nick Gibb, the AoC's chief executive, David Hughes, said he would "welcome urgent discussion about whether going ahead with this series of exams is the right thing to do."

He wrote that many colleges would have large entry numbers this November – often with over 500 students, and some are in high or very high tier areas in the North West, Yorkshire and West Midlands.”

But schools do have to stay open. The impact on vulnerable DC in terms of harm and damage to future life expectancy is just too great.

It that is happening with schools open as ‘normal’ as so many children in the north west are out of school anyway. And then they have to do exams the same as those kids who are in low risk areas. Is that not damaging their life chances ??

@Ecosse you got your italics wrong there. I think you meant 'but schools do have to stay open'... what to spread the virus more or because you need childcare or to trot out the line about vulnerable children.

And then they have to do exams the same as those kids who are in low risk areas. Is that not damaging their life chances ??

It’s shit; but doesn’t mean we should close for all.

I am very against kids sitting exams this year, one of the reasons is that it’s a major disadvantage to those in the north east. We’ve also lost our year 11s for 4 Weeks since being back!

It’s all a fucking nightmare.

[quote Ecosse]@Boxachocs

But schools do have to stay open. The impact on vulnerable DC in terms of harm and damage to future life expectancy is just too great.

Also if schools are not open, parents cannot work and we have no economy. Who’s going to pay for teachers’ wages and the NHS then?[/quote]
Schools aren’t staying open. They are partially or fully closing due to uncontrolled increases in infections.

It appears that a mantra is no protection against the spread of covid so you may need to have a rethink and attempt arguing for something more effectual at keeping schools open for longer.

Should this be national or where cases are closing classes /schools already?

From a parent point of view many are despairing at the thought of more school closures because of the lack of education provided last time, which of course wasn't the teachers fault the curriculum was suspended, but as Most people had what could be deemed as a bad experience last time its not hard to see why many are against closure again. Theres no faith from parents in the system that our dc are going to receive a good standard of education this time when it was missing for a lot of children for so long last time. Had the curriculum not been suspended during the last lockdown (or for so long anyway) parents wouldn't be up in arms at the prospect of school closures again especially if you have children currently doing GCSES or A levels.

It’s shit; but doesn’t mean we should close for all.

Completely agree we need a much safer way to keep schools open especially for those in crucial years so it isn’t a postcode lottery for some kids.

It's exactly the blinkered attitude of "schools must open and I'm not doing any more thinking about it" which has meant so many children are currently not in school. The line about "but parents must work" will be especially irritating to hear if your son or daughter has had to isolate yet again due to schools in their area opening without sufficient mitigating factors to prevent the spread.

Not one high school I know has a case, not my daughters, my sd, my friends. I sincerely hope they do not close as my dds are absolutely loving being back in the classroom

I'm on my second bout of isolating since start of term due to confirmed cases/proximity in my 6th form

We've had more than 20 cases in 2 year groups and 5 staff. The education of our students is seriously disrupted and its becoming very difficult to track who's in, who's isolating and who's ill. Around 195 of our cohort of 350 have had to be home at some point. Some, like me, have had multiples isolations.
I haven't had a full class group yet since the start of term.
As someone who is covid vulnerable I am actually pretty nervous going to work. I'm also acutely aware that most of the kids are getting a half arsed education.
If we could plan for blended learning it would be easier to teach and easier to distance. At the moment it is impossible.

@noblegiraffe

What do you suggest then?

Blended learning isn’t feasible for most
Circuit breaker= back to square one 2 Weeks after reopening again
Closure isn’t feasible

So what?

@Boxachocs

Sorry, I was quoting you because I agree! I realised after that it didn't really come off like that in the post...

@Ecosse You are exactly the sort of person I mean. You just can’t accept that actually there MAY be a point where schools might have to close. That is selfish of you.
There is literally no scenario you can imagine where schools might have to close? No point where data might make you think ‘oh actually maybe closing schools for a few weeks might be sensible’?

If you have had a bad experience of something its human nature not to want to repeat again

[quote Ecosse]@Boxachocs

But schools do have to stay open. The impact on vulnerable DC in terms of harm and damage to future life expectancy is just too great.

Also if schools are not open, parents cannot work and we have no economy. Who’s going to pay for teachers’ wages and the NHS then?[/quote]
Only 8% of primary aged children have parents in the workforce.

Vulnerable children are still being failed by schools being open and closed, being in school one week out the next, rinse and repeat.

We need a 2-week circuit breaker and half-term would have been the ideal time.

Yet again, BJ has missed the boat with optimum timing, but it will come to that, later down the track.

@MarshaBradyo

Should this be national or where cases are closing classes /schools already?

I think it would be highly reckless to not do it in Tier 2 and 3 areas at least.

But infections are rising in all areas. Pre-emptive action may be more effective than reactionary measures. We’ve all heard that we locked down too late in March and if you’d asked me at the time I’d have probably said it was a bit early as things didn’t seem that bad.

A national effort would avoid the sort of wrangling going on at the minute with Manchester complaining that Lancashire is allowed different restrictions. Maybe this would mean higher compliance?

As a working parent I do not support this view. At all. Kids to be at school. Parents to work and pay taxes.

@MumtherofCats 😀

Most people had what could be deemed as a bad experience last time

I absolutely disagree. Most of the children I teach are currently on track as the learning provided was flexible enough to allow most parents to access it at a time convenient to them and as a result we had good take up. I'd go so far as to say I think that's the case in the vast majority of schools in real life.

We didn’t have cases in some schools a few weeks ago in the north west and now they are spiralling out of control. Every school has cases with some closing.
Do people without cases not want things put in place to ensure that stays the same. If we do nothing surely there is a very real chance what’s happening up north in schools spreads ?
As for those saying my kids are happy back in school. So were kids in schools in the north sadly that hasn’t kept schools open.

What do you think it will achieve @noblegiraffe considering schools closed for months and yet here were are again?