Ways to make schools safer without closing them

[noblegiraffe]

Because I am so bored of the misrepresentation and lies going on on this site by people who shout down anyone who raises concerns about the current situation in schools as 'wanting schools to close indefinitely'. The people lacking in imagination who seem to insist that either things carry on as they are (with hundreds of thousands of kids not in school due to the spread in infection), or that schools close and there's nothing in between that can possibly be done to make things safer.

So here's my list, mostly copied from another thread:

We could start with an effective test and trace system, which we were told was essential for the safe re-opening of schools, but we opened without.

We could move onto making sure that all classrooms have windows. And then that those windows open. A national WEAR A VEST campaign to stop parents and kid complaining that it's cold. Germany have just invested a large amount of money in improving ventilation in schools, the UK should follow them.

Masks. Why do the government keep insisting they're not needed in corridors (from the comfort of a socially distanced parliament) and that it's impossible to use them in classrooms when the rest of the world seem to manage? What lessons can we learn from the international experience?

Marquees/covers on the playgrounds so that kids aren't inside for wet break. I know that wet break caused a whole year group to be sent home in a local school as it was uncontrolled indoor close contact.

For it to be mandatory (not simply 'where possible') that classrooms are arranged so that teachers are 2m from the kids when teaching. If smaller class sizes are needed to facilitate this, then solutions must be found even if the government needs to pay money for bigger spaces.

Parents to be supported/sanctioned to avoid kids being sent into school with symptoms or when they're supposed to be isolating.

The government to update its list of symptoms for children requiring a test to include the main ones that children experience, instead of the adult symptoms which they mainly don't.

Regular testing in schools, particularly when there are outbreaks, to enable more effective isolation.

Vulnerable kids to be allowed the option of staying at home. Schooling could be provided by Oak Academy (why spend millions on it and not use it?) and the army of 'catch-up tutors' to provide feedback on work (or ECV teachers also permitted to stay at home)

Any other suggestions?

I challenged you on the nightingale schools point

And I answered?

One simple and more-or-less free thing that can be done: humidify the air in classrooms

Now that seems to be a very simple & good idea which I've not heard before.

I've already said i'm happy with the measures my children's school have taken.

So you're ignoring the schools that are fucked due to covid because your own kids haven't experienced disruption?

And I answered?
You can call it what you like I guess

I'm not stunned when there's no discussion about anything involving schools in the UK

The irony.

I challenged you on the nightingale schools point

And the ofsted inspectors
And the vulnerable children at home

And something else, but I can’t remember what.

Not a very constructive or “can do” attitude. Do you want schools to close or something?

@noblegiraffe I meant 'these' not 'her'

I've literally started a thread for discussion, headstrong

Something, incidentally, that I get slated for every time I do it.

So how does humidifying the room compensate for no ventilation? Does it mean you never open the windows (thereby saving heating costs) or do you still have to have ventilation, so you are running humidifiers and heating?

So you're ignoring the schools that are fucked due to covid because your own kids haven't experienced disruption?

Have you made that reach?

How

Because, headstrong, you are coming up with objections to everything instead of solutions.

Put your thinking hat on for the fucked schools please.

And the vulnerable children at home

I said I don't have an issue with medically vulnerable children at home.

Am I wrong to think that clinically vulnerable children can be at home?

I've also pointed out a good solution for the nightingale schools which has been ignored.
And actually the nightingale schools festival style in parks, could be used for the "week out" half of blended learning. Using peripatetic music / dance / art / drama / sports teachers would actually be hugely beneficial for both primary and secondary students.

I’m interested in primary schools, although actually my children’s primary is already pretty “safe” - each class has its own toilets and sinks anyway, each classroom, plus the hall, dining area etc has its own external door and several opening windows to the playground so lots of ventilation and no need for vast majority of people to ever be in a corridor, local cases are low and so far no bubbles have popped.

I’d :

Do whatever it takes to reduce cases in the community - if that involves closing other opportunities, banning all indoor mixing of households, making sleepovers etc socially unacceptable then so be it. If that takes a short but deep lockdown again then fine.

Prioritise saliva testing for children (they exist, I can buy one privately, they need expanding as soon as physically possible) and fast results. Testing criteria expanded to include common symptoms in children - rash, headache etc. Results to be shown to school. Teachers to have the right to send children home if they discover illicit sleepovers and parties, hidden symptoms etc.

Scrap all uniform for the year - children can wear whatever enables them to be warm. Every child to bring in a blanket and in older years a hot water bottle.

Parents who wish to temporarily home educate without losing their place, for whatever reason, to be allowed to temporarily withdraw their child (until maybe Easter), but on the understanding that during that time they are not the responsibility of the school.

Staff to be allowed to wear whatever PPE they wish.

Attendance targets to be scrapped, ideally permanently (I think it’s pointless anyway, attendance is a parent’s job not the school’s). Ban on all attendance rewards etc.

Parents to have to complete an exam in basic coronavirus restrictions before allowed to send child to school - covering how it is transmitted, symptoms, testing, banned activities etc.

Why don't pupils have to confirm the results of their tests? Surely that will help the fucked schools?

Am I wrong to think that clinically vulnerable children can be at home?

Yes you are. Parents are threatened with fines if they don't send them in.

Why are some schools not insisting on masks in communal areas?

This is what we are trying to avoid:

"Schools may need to close to some year groups in order to get control over the coronavirus infection rate, a former government adviser has warned.
Prof Neil Ferguson, whose advice led to the lockdown in March, said the current restrictions on household mixing "should have a significant effect".
But he said beyond that there was a "limit to what we can do" without sending some school year groups home."

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54673558

Do you want schools to close or something?

Fuck no

@headstrong27

Why are some schools not insisting on masks in communal areas?

The question really should be why is the government not insisting on masks in communal areas, shouldn't it?

Public Health decisions being left in the hands of headteachers who face the wrath of parents whichever decision they make on the matter is just totally unacceptable.

Actually I'm hugely enthusiastic about this. Circus skills.in circus marquees, open air choirs, willow weaving, sports and drama, plus seconded safeguarding and management from nearby schools. Ofsted, unemployed.teachers, supply teachers etc to supervise academic stuff set remotely.
It could not only work, it would actually be bloody brilliant.

Unfortunately the empty spaces in London are mostly not close to schools. We have over 50 schools in our smallish borough and not one hospital so I'm not sure the Nightingale model is really transferable (ie we need lots and lots of empty space for schools and we don't even have enough space for the new schools we need), and I suppose I'm not sure about the H&S aspects of shifting large groups of children around. Things like church halls etc might be larger than classrooms, but we would need a church hall per class (if no existing classrooms are big enough) with then all the staff of one school dispersed around all the churches. I do think the idea of marquees or mobile classrooms on school sites is interesting if the school has space. But again, most mobile classrooms aren't any bigger than normal classrooms so you'd still need twice as many staff. And a lot of mobile classrooms.

WhyNotMe40

Put me down for a shift!! It sounds awesome!

Yes you are. Parents are threatened with fines if they don't send them in.

This is from the DoE

Shielded and clinically vulnerable children and young people
For the vast majority of children and young people, coronavirus (COVID-19) is a mild illness. Children and young people (0 to 18 years of age) who have been classed as clinically extremely vulnerable due to pre-existing medical conditionss_ have been advised to shield. We do not expect these children to be attending school or college, and they should continue to be supported at home as much as possible. Clinically vulnerable (but not clinically extremely vulnerable) people are those considered to be at a higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus (COVID-19). A small minority of children will fall into this category, and parents should follow medical advice if their child is in this category.

If smaller class sizes are needed to facilitate this, then solutions must be found even if the government needs to pay money for bigger spaces.

Schools should be given help to find this space in their communities. Not a blanket 'use church halls' or something, just 'find something locally'. Schools would be able to do this, we know our communities well.

Things I definitely want:

School staff should be tested once week or whatever.

Children can be excluded if they don't act within the covid restrictions in schools. Like, straight out - no niceness about it. I'm fed up of kids refusing to get out of other bubbles and so on. If that means that children with challenging behaviour need more 1-1 support etc then that should be financed too.