A third of confirmed teacher cases of coronavirus were in north-west England at one point, according to data seen exclusively by the BBC”

[motherrunner]

I posted this in another thread but I actually think it deserves a thread of it’s own.

Worrying article on BBC this morning: www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-54695618

This is what we teachers are really concerned about - the disparity of continued education. I’m in a Tier 2 area and my school have had 4 year closures since Sept. We are not unique - I don’t know a school in my city that has gone untouched. One school closed completely as over 20 teachers tested positive. This is just the first half term and anyone who works in a school know the real illnesses haven’t started yet. Going to be a tough year.

But surely now all these teachers have had it, the schools won't in danger of closing again. They're extremely unlikely to get it again. I don't really understand your point.

Not necessarily true. Also from BBC today about falling levels of immunity and increase chances of reinfection: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54696873

As a teacher I worry for the widening divide in education. GCSEs and A-levels are only being delayed for 3 weeks, minimal changes to the delivery of course content.

My students are “lucky”. During lockdown we taught live to timetable and during period of closure since Sept we have continued to do this. I have friends who teach in schools where pupils don’t have access to tech even if their schools delivered live lessons.

The point I’m making - like all teachers throughout the summer - is that with the rushed back, pack them in approach, that equation provision will widely differ across the country and that’s unfair.

At an individual level its very worrying if eg you are a teacher with cystic fibrosis.

At an education level its very difficult as if the government says 'all schools are open so we dont need to change exams', its clear some children are going to have missed far more school this year than others. My sons secondary hasnt closed at all yet. Yet OPs has closed 3 times. So their children are going to be behind. The government needs to recognise the disparity for exam time.

But this is just inevitable isn't it? There is more COVID in the North so more people will get it and more schools will be disrupted.
What is the alternative? Shut schools nationwide and ensure that the maximum number of pupils suffer? How is that any better?

I'm a teacher in primary and my son is in Y8 at secondary. In South East. We haven't had one case in either school although there have been in other secondaries in the areas. If the point you are making is that there are disparities in the education children are receiving depending on where they live, I agree, it is a concern especially for those in exam years. My son's school has been fantastic with online provision from the start (state secondary). However, it's no silver bullet, my DS struggles with this and for him it is still lost learning, although not as much as it would be should there be nothing!
I hope his school and my school remain open so learning can continue along with all the social aspects which school brings.

No shitting schools isnt an alternative. There are lots of options around increasing safety in schools that schools are forbidden from doing as they cost money.
The government also has the option of planning a better exam solution now. It has chosen 3 extra weeks. It could have chosen other ideas.

Shitting

61% attendance (from the article) is so, so low. I wonder what the plan is.

@DougRossIsTheBoss

But this is just inevitable isn't it? There is more COVID in the North so more people will get it and more schools will be disrupted. What is the alternative? Shut schools nationwide and ensure that the maximum number of pupils suffer? How is that any better?

It’s not about making ‘pupils suffer’. We need to find a solution which will even up the playing field. Next summer we will have students sitting exams against each other, some will have been in school throughout, others will have multiple closures. Whether that solution is part-time schooling on a rota, moving away from exams to CAGS again I don’t know. What I do know is that there will be students who are more disadvantaged than others through no fault of their own.

ahem shutting

@MillieEpple Made me giggle!

Not necessarily true. Also from BBC today about falling levels of immunity and increase chances of reinfection: www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-54696873

This is being misrepresented by mainstream media. This is normal
Antibody behaviour, doesn't mean no longer lasting immunity.

I agree, OP, but don't know what the solution is. We are lucky to be in an area
of low rates and my children (one at secondary) managed the full half term. I am hugely grateful for this as, despite good remote provision in the summer, recent reports have shown two of them went backwards work wise.

It is very unfair to those who have been affected by closures. Possible, I suppose, that it might level out with fewer closures in those areas now and it being the 'turn' of other areas but not really something I think that we should leave to chance. I think there needs to be a rethink for exams for next year and something needs to be in place lower down schools as the longer term implications are significant.

@Whatchasayin

But surely now all these teachers have had it, the schools won't in danger of closing again. They're extremely unlikely to get it again. I don't really understand your point.

Well that assumes they all survive (most will) and are not off long term with symptoms or long Covid. Or say "fuck this for a game of soldiers" and just leave. I don't think we have any guarantees yet that you cannot be reinfected.

"But surely now all these teachers have had it, the schools won't in danger of closing again"

seems to echo the government plan. Get all the teachers infected asap so they can stay open more consistently after half term. Callous but may work.

Also in the news today : antibodies very shortlived.

@madderose I hope it is misrepresented. It’s very worrying if we can be repeatedly exposed.

Agree @MrsTravers. I don’t want to leave it to chance either. After the fiasco of this summer what I do it want is for the Government to realise come May that this system is unfair and change all the goal posts again!

@motherrunner how do you propose to make it fair for the exam years? They've already had disparity in home learning before summer. It also seems the 2 secondary schools local to me have disparity for self isolating students now - 1 is streaming lessons, the other just offering the bare minimum (both state school). I haven't got a clue how exams next year are going to be made fair. Continued assessment will also be impossible if we move to home learning again.

And in fact it's not three extra weeks - that was just a nice headline. The exams might end three weeks later but some of the exams are actually earlier than normal.

Sorry, I can see that has been posted.

It's pretty irrelevant, though : as it doesn't alter what has happened and keeps happening.

Fine for posters here to have an 'I'm all right Jack' approach. The government cannot allow the already existing educational disparities and outcomes to widen. Some would argue 'letting them all suffer' would be fairer. Some argue that to level up we also need to bring the most advantaged down. Studies have found that this is the case in the most socially equitable countries (eg Finland)

seems to echo the government plan. Get all the teachers infected asap so they can stay open more consistently after half term. Callous but may work I wonder this too and also get DC infected too then get on with it. Especially as it seems they won't be priority for a vaccine for a few years.

Attendance has been 97% at my children's London secondary in the past half term. Normal level for this time of year.

@Whatchasayin This will probably make me sound like I have a ‘can’t do’ attitude but I really have no idea, we have education ministers to make those decisions.

Personally, I think schools have a better chance of staying open longer if measures are employed in other walks of life - reduced contact between people. This will obviously mean smaller class sizes as we we can’t magically expand the walls.

@Whatchasayin

But surely now all these teachers have had it, the schools won't in danger of closing again. They're extremely unlikely to get it again. I don't really understand your point.

Nowhere does it say that all or most teachers have already had the virus. Plus it appears that having had it doesn't necessarily mean one is immune. It's known that other coronaviruses can be caught more than once, and an extensive study discussed on the news this morning seems to confirm this.

School attendance figures are hugely skewed by the fact that the code that is used for Covid related absence - whether illness or self isolating or quarantine - doesn't count at all in the figures.