To think schools should be shut during lockdown.

[Ilovegreentomatoes]

So shutting down everything but keeping schools open.AIBU to think that a lockdown should involve schools closing as well.Have been about six cases in my dds secondary zero social distancing and is just defeating the object of a lockdown as it has now been proven that schools,colleges etc can easily spread the virus.

Let's just add into this that teacher's 'holidays' are unpaid.

Teachers are contracted per annum for 195 working days.

Teachers working during lockdown delivering lessons/education are therefore working and paid accordingly.

If, as people have suggested, teachers are 'asked' to work during their 'holidays' they should be paid accordingly.

This will then become very expensive for LA's

Going back to the rota system for secondary schools... how could that work? I teach every year group from Y9-13 plus my tutor group who are Y7. If we have a year group in per day I am now having to work 6 days a week. But at the same time I’d have to teach a full timetable of live online lessons for those learning at home?! Answers on a postcard...

I worked all through, as did my staff. School was open to keyworker/vulnerable children and educational provision to online learners provided and maintained. No one stopped and had a jolly holiday.

So teachers are different from police men, nurses, prison staff, supermarket staff, doctors, etc, now. Unlike the others, they aren't key workers?

Actually, let's turn this on its head. Like hospitality staff, retail staff, many self employed. Let's shut the schools but hang on let's not pay the teachers their full wage either.

Yabvu kids need to be at school now do stop it thank you

@MrsHamlet but they hadn't worked all their days because they were closed from Easter throughout May

They were teaching remotely, also staffing essential worker groups in schools, so completed all their hours.

And not all DC were receiving on-line learning but to have targetted that would have been tantamount to performance management

Diddums. Managers get paid to manage staff. No sympathy for them not doing it if it was such problem.

Schools remained closed due to objections from the teaching unions

No they didn't.

@OhTheRoses

So teachers are different from police men, nurses, prison staff, supermarket staff, doctors, etc, now. Unlike the others, they aren't key workers?

Actually, let's turn this on its head. Like hospitality staff, retail staff, many self employed. Let's shut the schools but hang on let's not pay the teachers their full wage either.

All the people/professions that you've quoted get to wear PPE and/or have some form of social distancing in place

Teachers have neither

Fine. Furlough me. Cheers! I'm not sending home learning though

OhTheRoses Small point but it’s bugging me.....police men?!

Actually, let's turn this on its head. Like hospitality staff, retail staff, many self employed. Let's shut the schools but hang on let's not pay the teachers their full wage either

It's set a 80%. Ker-ching!!

I imagine it would be a sweet deal, but the exam classes would be buggered, but who cares? far better to attempt to score silly points at the expense of the teachers.

@callistography agree schools have to look at rota or blended learning. One of our teachers worked all summer but she couldn't come back in September as she needs to isolate. She basically has no other option due to her health conditions and is doing something remotely one day a week. Big loss for the year group and set back for career. We just heard about another about TA being signed off sick. May not be back after half term. All schools around us have had cases and I feel staff are at risk and kids can potentially pass on virus to households.

[quote OhTheRoses]@MrsHamlet but they hadn't worked all their days because they were closed from Easter throughout May. And not all DC were receiving on-line learning but to have targetted that would have been tantamount to performance management.

@viciouslybashed - schools remained closed due to objections from the teaching unions and the government wrongly made a U turn - again.[/quote]
Nope. We were teaching online to timetable from the Monday before the Easter holiday. I'll grant you the Thursday/Friday before weren't great but we were trying to deal with the fallout from exams being cancelled bring sprung on ourselves and our students.
If your children's teachers weren't doing what you consider a good enough job, you needed to take that up with them.

And schools remained "closed" because the government mandated it.

If people aren't mixing in pubs and restaurants, or socially in one another's houses, then hopefully the infection rate will go down and fewer children will be infected/carriers.

Children desperately need school so I think we should keep them physically open for as long as possible.

But this pandemic isnt fair. Key workers have to face the brunt of it. It is hard on teachers, and those in manufacturing and NHS workers and supermarket workers...etc.

If people aren't mixing in pubs and restaurants, or socially in one another's houses, then hopefully the infection rate will go down and fewer children will be infected/carriers

This.

The behaviour of others will affect what happens in the schools. Though I wonder of there'll be a renewal of calls for more circumspect behaviour by teachers in particular, as happened last time.

[quote redferrari]@callistography agree schools have to look at rota or blended learning. One of our teachers worked all summer but she couldn't come back in September as she needs to isolate. She basically has no other option due to her health conditions and is doing something remotely one day a week. Big loss for the year group and set back for career. We just heard about another about TA being signed off sick. May not be back after half term. All schools around us have had cases and I feel staff are at risk and kids can potentially pass on virus to households. [/quote]
This is it in a nutshell. Schools have got to adapt to a blended learning and rota approach and parents are going to have to work with us to achieve it. But it cannot be done without the government backing down and realising that they have made so so many wrong decisions and are putting the lives of teachers and the adults that children live with at risk. I'm pointedly leaving out children from my previous sentence as their risk is much lower.

Schools need to shut to help the spikes decline and they are one of the main drivers behind the increases when you look at the ONS statistics.

People need to pay more attention to the ONS data as that can't be spun. It's out there and clearly shows that educational settings have been high areas of infection/positive cases and the government have consistently played this down.

Nobody wants children to miss out on school but if we get to the point where hospitals are so full that they can’t treat anybody, car crash , fall, infections etc... that would be disastrous.
Seems pretty obvious that schools and colleges contribute to community spread. I feel the only way to keep people safe is to close schools, or drastically change how the teaching is done.
And by people I mean all of us. Someone may feel they aren’t personally at risk from Covid, but nobody can guarantee that they won’t have an accident or fall ill at any point.

Unions did nothing as far as I am aware. They may have objected to stuff but schools are open and they are not covid safe, as that is literally not possible. Don't believe the hype about unions frankly as I think it's misleading.

So schools closed apart from those kids whose parent are key workers or work out of home.....so what percentage would that be then?

No.

I get your point, OP - this lockdown does seem a bit pointless if schools/nurseries/universities stay open. Its massive mixing of people, and will cause spread.

And, as seems to be required to have an opinion on this topic, i have 2 young kids and both me and my husband work. Lockdown 1 was hell for work/childcare. But i would do it again if i had to.

But i also get they have to weigh up the overall risks - people do use school as childcare and wont be able to work if theyre closed. That will have a knock on effect to job losses and businesses suffering and ultimately economic damage - which is what we are trying to avoid by limiting the spread anyway!

I think ultimately it doesn't matter what we all think and the govt will do what it will do. I think Boris may regret his stance on schools never to close as I don't think it's wise to be so set in stone with something that surely may change.

Glad you all care so much about school staff, many of whom are vulnerable. But who cares right? As long as you don't have to look after your children all day.

So schools closed apart from those kids whose parent are key workers or work out of home.....so what percentage would that be then

What's your point? It was the government who made this ruling.

Not the teachers. Not the unions.

No

Perfect28 How do I manage to “look after my children” when I’m at work? And I can guarantee you probably don’t give a fuck or a thought to my safety at work.

You are bright enough to understand that people work, aren’t you?