Schools MUST stay open.

[motherrunner]

I hear this a lot on MN.

Schools maybe ‘open’ but they’re not really depending on where you live.

I’m in Tier 2, due to go into Tier 3 next week prior to the lockdown rules.

Since Sept Yr 10 have isolated twice (4 weeks out of a 8 week half term), Yr 12 and 13 three times (6 weeks of a 8 week half term). My own DS is isolating due to being in contact with a positive until next week and I am isolating until next week as one of my pupils tested positive (and before anyone asks why I wasn’t 2m away well let’s just say, that’s school life).

Before lockdown in March my school had to close just to the numbers of staff off, at one point admin staff were supervising classes.

This morning I read a comment from a poster on the ‘lockdown my thread that teachers just have to ‘hope’ they get a mild viral load. Have we become so disillusioned with this virus that because “schools must stay open” then we minimise they health of school staff?

I am happy to be back teaching my pupils, I’m not happy that I feel unsafe. I am not happy that other workplaces have ‘Covid secure’ measures but I have sanitiser and a ‘hope for the best’ attitude.

So, if you really want schools to stay open then please email your MP and voice concerns about safety and hopefully we can stay open in a meaningful way because there’s a difference between ‘schools open’ with us delivering a quality education and ‘schools open’ with a body providing childcare.

Look at year 11.

@cliffdiver

I'm a primary school teacher, schools need to stay open.

I teach in a deprived area. About half the school are pupil premium.

During lockdown, the number of our children on CIN / CP plans increased 3 fold.

For the majority of the children I teach, school is their safe place. It's where they are fed, nurtured and cared for.

I don't think anyone is arguing that schools aren't important. Unfortunately, it doesn't change the stats that show this virus is rampaging out of control through society and urgent action must now be taken.

I think without action we'll be in a position where pretty much everything is shut down, schools open in name but effectively closed too - worst of both worlds.

We need rotas ASAP for the children who can manage it - upper secondary - that's where the biggest rise in caseload is.

The issue with primary I think is primarily childcare rather than keeping learning ticking over- I think this can be done on an hour a day if you pare everything back. The fact is, an awful lot of schools in the Continent are part time until quite late on, so there's more alternative childcare around for children under 7, or in the afternoons for older ones. Were primaries to go part time here, we'd have to have got to the point where a widespread closure / furlough type scheme was running for pretty much anyone who had to be out of the house apart from key workers.

@Napqueen1234

The problem is that it's educational settings that are spreading Covid, if you don't close schools you are ruining other people's businesses, causing people to default on their mortgages and won't bring the infection rate down.

I don't actually agree with a national lockdown as we don't have significant cases here, most are connected with the secondary school or the university!

Sorr wrong one. This year 11

I hope the government holds its nerve too, other countries are keeping schools open.*

I think the vast majority of people agree that education is important, and I think most are happy to make sacrifices in order for schools to stay open.

https://twitter.com/daisychristo/status/1322130232833396736?s=21

Interesting thread on how current year 7's are behind

This chart from the BBC website shows that cases in 11-19 year olds may have peaked as they've started falling steeply:

There is no point whatsoever in locking down and leaving schools open. If the government is serious about preventing infection, then it has to limit contact. Otherwise its just more faffing around, causing confusion and exasperating people by not stating the obvious. It cannot be controlled but infections can be limited if we all stay away from other people for a few weeks. There simply isn't, nor can there be, a solution that suits everyone.

@Piggywaspushed

So true, universities didn't start returning until the middle of September and many delayed until October (both of my DD's started in October) one of my DD's is 100% online and the other only is on campus 3 hours a week for labs and is masked, both are tested fortnightly as part of a surveillance programme. Neither of their universities has had significant outbreaks (under 100 cases in 20,000 people since March dd 2 told me)

Selfish parents wanting their kids in school when lives are at risk is shameful

How is it selfish to want you child to have an education or to be able to work and therefore provide for your children?

There hasn't been a single case in my DS's school. Why should his school close?

So maybe we'll achieve some herd immunity in Secondary schools soon? And in Unis?

The poster saying this :” Selfish parents wanting their kids in school “ just baffles me

Is it now selfish to want kids to go to school?

Really?

Selfish?

Schools absolutely must stay open. Tier 2 here and not one single case in my kids school.

I’m a Teaching Assistant and more than happy to go to work.

Im saddened by the posters who say their unaffected small village school in a low risk area is all the evidence needed to keep all schools open at all costs. It’s an appallingly selfish attitude.

As a high school teacher in the covid capital of the UK, I can tell you it isn't a one size fits all situation. It is a joke. Having air quality displays in some classrooms is really ramming home how having 31 people in a small room just isn't good enough.

Im saddened by the posters who say their unaffected small village school in a low risk area is all the evidence needed to keep all schools open at all costs. It’s an appallingly selfish attitude.

I think it's more an argument against a blanket close of schools.

@MessAllOver

What about those who work in hospitality, retail, events? Do we not count as people? Short and complete shut down is fairer than prelonged because office workers want schools left open for childcare! I haven't been able to run events since March.

It’s the parents who are kicking up a force about ‘schools must be as normal’ who are selfish.

If you want your children in school so desperately then they need to wear masks as do the staff. From KS2 and up.

"I wish teachers would strike and refuse to go in. I would be fully behind them. It’s criminal the way that they are being treated and I sincerely hope one of them sues the government.
*
It’s absolutely ridiculous not to have had the lockdown over half term and schools closed for 2 weeks. That would not have caused much difficulty for anyone and would have brought cases down quicker. Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any shittier........*"

Agreed. I can't believe how casual people are about the safety of teachers, and I say that as a secondary teacher who caught it this term. But never mind ... we can now get 10% off at Morrisons.

@NeurotrashWarrior mentioned that a teacher in Wales has died. Not a single other poster has acknowledged this comment. I don't know what the answer re schools is but this is very sad news. My thoughts are with her family, friends and school community.

"Even if the virus spreads in schools, that is still a far lesser ‘evil’ than the downside of the suffering many will endure otherwise"

Not a single comment on this post on staff in school ( not just teachers by the way).

I agree schools should stay open nationally but my school was carnage last term with 30% off for the last 2 weeks (at least half of those with positive tests). At least 2 cases for kids every day. Catching it seemed inevitable.

Nothing was done by phe and it really does make you feel expendable. There should be more monitoring for outbreaks and online learning as a firebreak used to curtail outbreaks in individual schools. Some honesty and monitoring of what is actually happening is needed if we want to continue quality learning instead of 30% cover lessons.

It's so sad to read how many people seem to simply not care about school staff. Apparently we are expendable in order to 'save the children'. Two things here. 1. We work in schools because we care about children, don't paint us out like we don't have their best interests at heart. 2. It's the same language we used first time round for those in the NHS. 'angels', 'sacrificing' etc. No, we are workers and we deserve (legally and morally) to be safe at work.

[quote SquashedFlyBiscuits]@NeurotrashWarrior mentioned that a teacher in Wales has died. Not a single other poster has acknowledged this comment. I don't know what the answer re schools is but this is very sad news. My thoughts are with her family, friends and school community.[/quote]
Absolutely and there have been some others.
It's so very sad and yes it couybe avoidable with more mitigations.

@SueEllenMishke

In that case our local pub shouldn't close as we have had no cases! The only case in a nearby pub was a guy who had been on holiday to Spain and didn't bother isolating! 4 cases due to him according to the paper

Im saddened by the posters who say their unaffected small village school in a low risk area is all the evidence needed to keep all schools open at all costs. It’s an appallingly selfish attitude.

It's not selfish at all. It's simply an argument against a blanket closure of ALL schools.