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.

Try my post from 9:02, coldwind

@WhenSheWasBad

Please stop scare mongering. Leave your job if you think it’s unsafe

Honestly if every teacher who currently thinks schools are unsafe left the profession tomorrow - there would be virtually no one left.

Do you speak for all teachers?

Or there's a whole thread of suggestions for extra measures here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4059472-Ways-to-make-schools-safer-without-closing-them

Have you considered getting some help for your anxiety?

What a very patronising thing to say!

@noblegiraffe @monkeytennis97 @motherrunner
Why can't individual schools make it mandatory for all DC to wear masks. Does it have to be a government decision?

Do you speak for all teachers?

She speaks for me.

“What is the alternative? Shut schools nationwide and ensure that the maximum number of pupils suffer? How is that any better?”

I think cancelling exams now rather than in March might be the answer!

The thing that gets me though is that we are all (including me) angry about educational inequalities this year, but this has always been the way. Only now it’s affecting the middle classes it’s become a bigger deal.

Does it have to be a government decision?

The government have told schools that masks in classrooms should be avoided. It's not just that they haven't made it mandatory, they have actively advised against it. This makes it much harder for heads to go against.

coldwinds

Do you speak for all teachers

Obviously not, but I am a teacher and I know loads of them. We speak as colleagues and admit to each other that it’s shit and scary.

I don’t admit I’m scared to my friends, I’m not quite ready to admit I’m frightened to those in my community.

Surely shutting schools nationally is no better for educational inequality than doing it ad hoc locally particularly given we know the private sector typically provides a full on line timetable and the state sector doesn’t (also reported on the bbc yesterday).

Going back to the June system where we educate kids based primarily on parental employment and whether they are “key workers” is also dubious from an educational inequality point of view given it is those children in poorer homes where no one works who suffer most when schools shut.

I am concerned re the high level of school closures in areas with high levels of covid given covid is linked to deprivation and educational underachievement also linked to deprivation. So the kids who most need school are most likely to live in areas where they are shutting but no other option solves the educational inequality problem, whether a national shut down, prioritising key workers or suggesting parents can home school 50 percent of the curriculum at home. All will disadvantage those kids who already struggle in education and educational inequality will inevitably grow! God I am cheery this morning!!

It's probably to do with legalities so Heads will follow the guidance and that covers them. No more, no less.

Honestly if every teacher who currently thinks schools are unsafe left the profession tomorrow - there would be virtually no one left.

Even Y7 can figure out that it doesn't make sense to wear a mask in the corridor them take it off to come into a classroom and sit there for an hour, or for them to huddle together in large groups in the playground but have to split into socially distanced groups of 6 once they leave.

[quote Whatchasayin]**@noblegiraffe* @monkeytennis97* @motherrunner
Why can't individual schools make it mandatory for all DC to wear masks. Does it have to be a government decision?[/quote]
From the schools reopening guidance...

@Whatchasayin that was directed to your question. What do I know though?... I'm just a part time teacher. A public servant... I'm not party to decisions higher up.

There should be parity of education. All or none.

Not bubbles popping here and there and closing whilst some remain untouched.

Levelling down would be the answer .

What is annoying me about the title of this thread is 'according to data exclusively seen by the BBC'

The government have this data and are not making it public, just like the schools infection data that they were suppressing in case people used it to argue for a circuit breaker. When will they release this data?

Someone has clearly leaked it.

They need to leak it all.

It’s appalling that kids and teachers are in this situation.

@lonelyplanet

Do you speak for all teachers?

She speaks for me.

Same

We are NW. Tier 3. DS1 17 is still only in college two days a week and has spent four weeks out of the first term self isolating and learning from home.
DS2 15 had revision sheets all lockdown and only two teachers out of eight attempting online learning. The whole of year 11 has already been sent home to self isolate this term.
Both have exams next year.
Meanwhile my nephew miles away who will sit the same exams is in full time education and never had to self isolate, plus had full online learning all lockdown.
There should be some sort extra marks provided on a sliding scale, eg, if you've self isolated once you get an extra 1% on all papers, twice 2% and so on, verified by the school or college. Plus extra marks given relative to the amount of face to face learning received.

And let's not forget the Swedish study (where at least they had put in some mitigations into schools, unlike here) that (if I remember correctly) teachers in school were 60% more likely to catch coronavirus than those who taught remotely.

“There should be parity of education. All or none.

Not bubbles popping here and there and closing whilst some remain untouched.

Levelling down would be the answer .“

Right.... using that logic no child should ever be at school, because a number of children (often some of the most vulnerable) through no fault of their own (SEN etc) have no suitable school place for months. Years. Been going on far before covid was a thing.

The no face masks in classrooms thing does seem particularly dumb.
If they are felt to help at all other times including in a school corridor then why suddenly not in a classroom?
Does the DfE have any explanation of this apparently bizarre advice?

Not like this it hasn’t.

y10 and 12 are also suffering. Why should any of them suffer due to the ineptness of this government?

Exam years should be on rota system.

The way our children are being sidelined at the moment is dreadful. So many children are missing school. So many more will over the course of the winter. Yes some more than others, but those posters saying my school is not affected need to add 'yet'. How can exams go ahead fairly? Why haven't some of the most disadvantaged been given the laptops they were promised? Why are the government happy that some children don't have enough to eat? Uni students are shut in tiny rooms with no face to face teaching. And no I don't want schools to close but I would like to feel that I was able to teach effectively. I can't group the children as I would like in order to support their learning, as primary age children have to sit in rows facing the front. Interventions groups to support weaker students and greater depth pupils haven't been happening due to staff illness and issues over keeping classes separate. It is crap. There is not enough money. There are not enough staff. Classrooms are too small. So much needs to improve. The government doesn't care about our children.

The way our children are being sidelined at the moment is dreadful. So many children are missing school. So many more will over the course of the winter. Yes some more than others, but those posters saying my school is not affected need to add 'yet'. How can exams go ahead fairly? Why haven't some of the most disadvantaged been given the laptops they were promised? Why are the government happy that some children don't have enough to eat? Uni students are shut in tiny rooms with no face to face teaching

I agree. I am hopeful that cases start to decline as more young people develop some immunity.

I think the latest data showed a steep decline in positive cases in the 10-19 age group.

I know that the vast majority of Uni freshers tested positive (thankfully 90% asymptomaticaly) and will have had it by now!