Now we know why the govt were suppressing the schools infection data

[noblegiraffe]

...because for secondary it’s very worrying.

They choose to release it the day before we break up for half term, too late for any circuit breaker like the other U.K. countries.

They’ve quietly removed the assertion that schools aren’t high risk settings from the guidance. At what point are they going to start to be honest about the risks, particularly in sixth forms and colleges?

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/928749/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs_W43_FINAL.pdf

I know how to project a ppt via Classroom /teams : but for those in the room it looks awful.

It will do, kind of thing, but parents need to realise it isn't as good for either the bodies in the room, or the bodies in their own rooms.

What happened to the education tiers?

If there are areas where children have had 4 out of 6 weeks off for self isolating, you'd think that that the Tier 2 50/50 plan should come into place so those children might have had 3 rather than 2 weeks physically in school. (Half the class means social distancing can happen to some extent so more like the summer in terms of cases)

The government have tried to open schools on the cheap by pretending that the virus wouldn’t spread there,

The shafted university students to in order to avoid having to bail them out financially

@Piggywaspushed

I’m sorry, but I’m 50 and can use a computer without any issues. I can google how to sort problems when something goes wrong,or ‘how to upload a document to Teams’ and follow the instructions, including any number of YouTube videos that will take you through it, step by step. If you have no worksheets or supplementary material then photopcy from textbooks (he must be using something) and upload that. There are online whiteboards (just screenshare). If you want children to be educated, there really is a need to get a grip and start working on filling in your own gaps with the tech and thinking outside the box a bit in how to deliver a lesson. There’s even a free course in online teaching on FutureLearn. As a profession, we are doing ourselves no favours by constantly putting up barriers to online and blended learning. Of schools are going to close and teachers are going to be at home isolating 2 weeks out of every 4, we have to do better for our students than just a twinkl worksheet once a week.

But I still know that this means many, many children won’t have access and that is the most worrying issue and needs massive investment and government level intervention.

As a profession, we are doing ourselves no favours by constantly putting up barriers to online and blended learning

Why should teachers curry favour? The job is do-able or it is not.

The barriers to blended/ online learning are reasonable or they are not and have been specifically addressed.

The job is do-able if teachers adapt (there is huge resistance), if everyone has the tech and internet, and a home environment conducive to learning. Even in private school, that wasn’t possible for everyone. But we have exams to prep for and limited time and so need to get on with it, even if we know something is going to have to give come March.

You’re right, we don’t need to curry favour but is tiresome to continually hear so many colleagues don’t seem to even be trying. My children’s school is appalling. No offering whatsoever for children isolating. It’s no acceptable.

@Piggywaspushed - there are loads of challenges facing teachers at the moment, but being 50 and not able to use a computer really should not be one of them.

I'm 51 and have been using a computer for at least 36 years. My dad is 84 and has been using one for much the same duration. While dad might need a bit of help getting to grips with screen sharing and so on, he could cope if he had to and was still teaching. My old music teacher turned 90 earlier this year, and does video-conferencing without trauma.

Blended learning presents significant logistical challenges, in particular access to IT and connectivity for students from low income or otherwise disadvantaged families. And in-person teaching presents significant challenges - logistical and health - for staff and students. But in this day and age it is not unreasonable for schools and society to expect people of working age to have a basic understanding of how to operate a laptop.

My DH is a private school maths teacher. he just cannot do this type of thing. They ahve all the money to invest tin the tech : but none of the training skills or ability to pass on huge step changes in teaching to a 50 year old who writes on a whiteboard and can't use a computer

That is one of the most pathetic things I've heard for a while, apologies piggys dh.

My 92 year old FIl can use a computer fgs.

[quote Ecosse]@Boracora

It’s nothing to do with fascism. The government has a duty to keep all DC in school full time. This will be very difficult if parents and staff are hysterical due to increased testing.

It is highly likely that there was significant prevalence of coronavirus in the weeks before schools closed in March. There was no hysterics as we simply did not know due to lack of testing. There were no safety measures at all in place.

There is no evidence that any school staff or DC suffered significant health effects due to the transmission of COVID in schools in March.[/quote]
The evidence in a local school was that the head died. That significant enough for you???

Piggywaspushed. All teachers need to be able to use a computer no matter what their age is. What an insulting comment, well done on derailing the thread. You do realise that the internet was developed by people who are now in their 60s and 70s or older. I would have thought that someone married to a Maths teacher might show some intelligence and awareness and not display shocking ageism.

The evidence in a local school was that the head died. That significant enough for you???

She didn't catch covid from the school environment, i thought?

I might be wrong, but I think the point that Piggywaspushed was making about her dh is that despite having plenty of cash, his school hasn't/won't provide staff with training/support to use computers.

If the school wants to provide remote learning, it has a responsibility to ensure that staff are trained.

And quite frankly, having sat through training session with trainers who seem to think that reading things off a screen counts as 'teaching', then give me someone who knows what they're doing with a white board and pen any day.

I do both live and online training. Material and format needs to be adapted considerably before you even factor in differentiation.

I do both live and online training. Material and format needs to be adapted considerably before you even factor in differentiation

Rubbish. You can have students dialling in remotely to a live class and it works fine.

@Janevaljane

The evidence in a local school was that the head died. That significant enough for you???

She didn't catch covid from the school environment, i thought?

The information in the public domain suggests that she had pneumonia complicated by covid.

There's no information as far as I can see as to where she contracted the virus.

The place that she spent the most time with the most people ie her work environment would seem to be the most likely possiblity, wouldn't it?

@Janevaljane

I do both live and online training. Material and format needs to be adapted considerably before you even factor in differentiation

Rubbish. You can have students dialling in remotely to a live class and it works fine.

Do you teach or run training courses, do you mind me asking?

Because in my extensive experience people dialling has never worked well.

Sound quality, acoustics, background noise, trying to address two different audiences, take questions from the room and also keep up with chat or 'hands up' on the screen.

Do share your secrets about how to make this work fine. I honestly would like to know.

My secrets are that my dds school has been doing this since September and it's worked perfectly.

Honestly, so many excuses on this thread as to why and how its all so impossible.

Earlier you said that your dd's experience 'wasn't bad'.

Now it's 'perfect'.

Honestly, so much minimising on this thread about the realties of providing or experiencing teaching in this way.

Also, how is pointing out that many families don't have even Broadband so can't access remote learning even if their school lends them Tech making 'excuses'?

Genuine question.

@Piggywaspushed

My DH is a private school maths teacher. he just cannot do this type of thing. They ahve all the money to invest tin the tech : but none of the training skills or ability to pass on huge step changes in teaching to a 50 year old who writes on a whiteboard and can't use a computer.

He doesn't have worksheets to up or download!

There are problems with remote learning but really one presumed a degree educated maths teacher can not sort out this issue. I am surprised.

Use a google doc as an interactive white board, use with teams and meet and you have a set up very similar to what you husband is using already in the classroom.

Students can interact live if videos are allowed which they should be now.

The class I had yesterday had 50% in person the rest at home either ill or self isolating. It actually adds a new dynamic and buzz to the class.

Differentation is also possible remotely - you can set up different groups with your teams and then report back to the main group. You can select the groups, set different work to each group exactly as we are doing in the classroom.

The issues with remote learning are from the students end eg not having equipment, quiet space to learn from home.

Just seen this, sounds positive I thought..

'Cases in secondary school age children not rising'
In another set of data released this morning, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that an estimated 433,300 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between October 10 and 16.

This is the equivalent of around 0.79 per cent of the population, and represents a jump from 336,500 people, or 0.62 per cent, the previous week.

The ONS have published this useful Twitter detailing some of the key elements of the research, but a positive to flag is that 336,500 people, or 0.62% cases in secondary school age pupils do not appear to be rising, says public health consultant Adam Briggs.

Update to ONS Survey to 16th Oct - cases in secondary school age not rising, fingers crossed the same happens for the new uptick in primary schools.

Estimates 35.2k new community cases a day in England (not incl. unis), in same period Test & Trace reporting approx. 14.5k/day. t.co/xvStLKIZeJ

— Adam Briggs (@ADMBriggs) October 23, 2020

Also, how is pointing out that many families don't have even Broadband so can't access remote learning even if their school lends them Tech making 'excuses'?

That's not an excuse, but its not a reason to dismiss it out of hand.

Being "50", not knowing how to use a computer, and insisting that it's too hard to differentiate between online and live teaching are pathetic excuses and luckily not borne out by some proactive schools and teachers.

Sound quality, acoustics, background noise, trying to address two different audiences, take questions from the room and also keep up with chat or 'hands up' on the screen.Do share your secrets about how to make this work fine. I honestly would like to know

So the alternative is that kids are sitting at home for 14 days at a time, perfectly well and have no possibility of interaction with their teachers? Or that teachers are sitting at home for 14 days a time, perfectly well, whilst their classes are taught by a supply teacher with a specialism in a different subject or key stage? It’s not perfect. But it is what we have at the current time.

If the school wants to provide remote learning, it has a responsibility to ensure that staff are trained

Agreed. But we are professional people and there is plenty of support online to help with the basics. There is nothing complicated about Teams if you are used to using a computer every day. A bit of trial and error will overcome most issues. Are we seriously saying teachers are unable to take some personal responsibility and just test it out?

how is pointing out that many families don't have even Broadband so can't access remote learning even if their school lends them Tech making 'excuses'?

This is a massive sticking point. Huge. Needs millions throwing at it to solve. Are we justified in not providing online support to those who can access lessons because some children can’t?

DH was told to live stream his lessons but the classroom has only a fixed desktop computer. The school didn't provide either a webcam or a microphone, so he would have been able to share his screen but couldn't point the camera at where he was teaching from and they wouldn't have been able to pick up what he was saying. The school could of course buy cameras and microphones for each class but I bet no funding is provided for this.

God I love it when smug private school parents with well-resourced schools and tiny classes tell state school teachers just how easy stuff is.

And also when they try to derail threads about school covid data and bring it to their favourite topic of how shit teachers are.

@Orangeblossom7777

Just seen this, sounds positive I thought..

'Cases in secondary school age children not rising'
In another set of data released this morning, the Office for National Statistics (ONS) has found that an estimated 433,300 people in private households in England had Covid-19 between October 10 and 16.

This is the equivalent of around 0.79 per cent of the population, and represents a jump from 336,500 people, or 0.62 per cent, the previous week.

The ONS have published this useful Twitter detailing some of the key elements of the research, but a positive to flag is that 336,500 people, or 0.62% cases in secondary school age pupils do not appear to be rising, says public health consultant Adam Briggs.

Update to ONS Survey to 16th Oct - cases in secondary school age not rising, fingers crossed the same happens for the new uptick in primary schools.

Estimates 35.2k new community cases a day in England (not incl. unis), in same period Test & Trace reporting approx. 14.5k/day. t.co/xvStLKIZeJ

— Adam Briggs (@ADMBriggs) October 23, 2020

Primary school cases are rising however to some extent and it is really hard to know how to interpret the figures.