ECV teachers and school staff...what does the advice mean for them?

[ForthPlace]

Work from home or have to be in school, seems a confused message.

[whatisgoingtohappen]

Extremely Clinically Vulnerable

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

@MadameBlobby

Taking sick pay now would be because of your medical needs though?

Not really. There’s a difference between being ill and unable to work and being well enough to go but the gov telling you not to

Thanks @MadameBlobby for the understanding.

@Racoonworld why should I have to use my sick days when I'm not currently sick? I'm being told if I can't work from home then don't go to work....that's not my medical needs. SSP is £95.95 pw.

I have a tiny classroom with 30 ks1 children. They sneeze and cough on me. I can't stay 2m away from them and do my job. There is no PPE. I can't wear a mask or visor and do my job easily.

Teachers aren't asking for the moon on a stick, nor are they demanding schools close, but some protection and consideration would be nice.

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

Thanks @echt!

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

@BackforGood I'm sorry to hear about your friend.

If that was a workable option for us I would absolutely do the same.

[user1471530109]

Lyra is it possible for you to speak to your consultant? Mine wrote me a letter before we went back in September. It doesn't say shielding but more extreme social distancing, not to be put at risk and consideration for being asked to work away from the classroom basically. I haven't actually given it to my Head as I felt a bit embarrassed at the time as I knew he wouldn't be able to do much with it. But now I'm thinking this is the time to ask for their support. Like you said, we aren't asking for the moon on a stick! Just some extra consideration and protection. I'm secondary and the kids don't even wear masks between lessons.

For those asking about numbers of staff on the ecv list. In my secondary I think there was officially 2. But then 2 more with diabetes (including me) on the CV list. That's in a smallish comp so nowhere near 1/4. I obviously feel let down by BoJo and his cronies as diabetes, especially type 1, for a long time towards end lockdown, was discussed as being moved up to the ecv list. It never did, but the same evidence is still there to say that as a large group, we don't necessarily have a good outcome with covid.

The few pp saying about taking sick pay. If we do that, we won't be working? We want to work! I'm more than capable of working. Live online lessons and blended learning is what I'm clinging onto. I hope the bloody unions push for this instead of school closures.

[Racoonworld]

@LyraSilvertongueBelacqua I understand it’s a difficult situation to be in but who do you think should pay for you to be at home? Everyone in every job is the same, if people can’t do their job due to medical reasons it’s ssp. Schools and government can’t pay full pay for people to stay at home. Shielding is also voluntary, you could choose to continue working and therefore get full pay instead. Maybe though the government will allow shielders to go on furlough this month and therefore get 80% pay, that would be fair and would just be for the lockdown month.

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

@Racoonworld I haven't said I want to stay at home.

I would like proper protection and consideration.

[echt]

Maybe though the government will allow shielders to go on furlough this month and therefore get 80% pay, that would be fair and would just be for the lockdown month

That sounds like a sweet deal for teachers, what's not to like not setting lessons? :o

And who would be teaching their classes?

[Haenow]

Sorry if I’m being incredibly dim but if school staff cannot work due to being ECV, then why cannot supply/agency be used? It’s the same in other sectors, not unique to teaching. Even with PPE, some people are too vulnerable to do their jobs (hospital based nurses and care workers, for example) so they are either given home based work or they aren’t working at all. ECV employees can - and must - be protected without everything falling apart.

[Misssugarplum12764]

@Haenow

Sorry if I’m being incredibly dim but if school staff cannot work due to being ECV, then why cannot supply/agency be used? It’s the same in other sectors, not unique to teaching. Even with PPE, some people are too vulnerable to do their jobs (hospital based nurses and care workers, for example) so they are either given home based work or they aren’t working at all. ECV employees can - and must - be protected without everything falling apart.

Few schools have the finances to pay BOTH the ECV teacher (say, to do the planning at home) and also a cover/supply to teach them.

The issue for me is the lying. They’re saying ECV staff can work in schools due to all the motivations. But it’s getting really quite obvious that those mitigations aren’t enough.

There is currently FAR too much pressure being put on heads and senior leaders in order to make decisions way beyond their areas of experience. Add to that demanding parents who either don’t know the full picture or do but only care about their own child still going to school and we’ll see early retirements, heart attacks or even worse coming soon.

[walksen]

" why cannot supply/agency be used? "

Let's suppose you are a supply teacher and contract covid going to schools. Obviously you are more likely to go to a school with outbreaks. They will not be eligible for sick pay etc. What help do they get if they are in the 5% who take a month to recover?

[echt]

Also supply teachers don't get employers' pension contributions.

[echt]

Oh, ehct, didn't you know that saying schools might close summons a management consultant who will tell you that they mustn't & shan't?

Try telling that to the poster saying they must and will. The one I was addressing. And no, I didn't say they might. I was contradicting the unargued assertion implied by "must".

Do improve your reading skills. They're so important.

[ForthPlace]

Supply is difficult to find in usual times, now nearly impossible and hardly any of quality. ( don't want to offend supply teachers, just know locally my dreadful experiences of using supply agencies)
Often supply teachers choose this option for flexibility and at the minute being able to say 'no' feels the right response for many. They don't want and don't need to put themselves in an unsafe situation.

[Haenow]

Thanks for the responses. I didn’t realise supply teachers were in short, erm, supply.
I appreciate that paying shielding teachers and supply would be out of the school’s budget but I do think there should be money for this, if possible, from central government. I don’t think it’s fair for shielding people in any profession to be on long term SSP. :(

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

I feel this is apt.

[LyraSilvertongueBelacqua]

Any ECV teachers here had any info about what they will be doing?

[Poppystars]

Well people who cannot work due to lockdown are getting money from the Gov, not just SSP. And self-employed are able to claim 80% of their profits. Businesses affected have had financial support.

So why not schools for their small number of ECV staff?

[PineappleUpsideDownCake]

Self employed were set to claim 20% of their profits for the next 3 months.
They did then up it to to 40%. And then 80% just for this month, but goes doen to 40% after (so works out 55%for the 3 months)

[Poppystars]

Whether they can work or not?
Glad more support there.

[PineappleUpsideDownCake]

Until a week or two ago it looked like we were down to 20% for the next 3 months which was going to spiral us into a really difficult time. The future is very uncertain.