Schools staying open during lockdown

[JulieGS]

Is anyone else worried about sending our children to school during lockdown?

The NEU has launched a petition calling for schools to be closed - you can find it here:

actionnetwork.org/forms/close-schools-and-colleges-now

Because the risk of no education for an entire generation is far far more dangerous, that's why. Its astonishing that a retired teacher can't see that.

I agree - so maybe the government should be doing all it can to make it as safe as possible. Don't you agree? I don't want the schools closed, I want them safe. If they can't be made safe then they will have to be closed until they are.

I really don't understand why you can't see that.

@supersonicginandtonic wow sounds like a nightmare! Where we are the council had to provide care either in dc school or another nearby school......

I am a senior leader in one school (secondary), parent in two others (primary and secondary), and chair of governors in a third (all through) and so see absolutely all sides of the argument. I lie awake at night - or am woken - with ongoing thoughts and worries about the safety of my staff, kids at my school (especially sixth form), my own children, the parent bodies at both and the whole community where I'm a chair. The mitigations try to put in place are reviewed every single day - with no additional funding, and the balance of a message of remain calm/remain alert is a tightrope every day.

My experience is that as teachers we all want to teach, home schooling as both a teacher and parent was an equal nightmare (we did live lessons at my school). I have nothing to add that hasn't already been said except to flag up that teachers' conditions and contracts mean they cannot quit and leave at the moment. We had past the resignation deadline for this period when the announcement was made, therefore those who resign now can leave at February (very very few); Easter (some); July (some).

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer have you thought about applying to become a Covid Marshall?

[quote FreshFreesias]**@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer have you thought about applying to become a Covid Marshall?[/quote]

@ your post @LastGoldenDaysOfSummer where you say "If they can't be made safe then they will have to be closed until they are."

Then I guess under that rationale schools should never reopen should they? Because:

1. They've NEVER been safe, since the dawn of time
2. The government arent going to suddenly magic up triple the size classrooms or triple the number of schools to allow social distancing
3. If you start going on about 'remote' or 'blended' learning then we really have given up on the basic human right of education. Remote lockdown learning last time around was utterly pointless, and if you advocate for either that or blended learning then you're basically saying you're happy for an entire generation to melt their brains on minecraft/fortnite/youtube

And lets just remember that this virus kills less than half a percent of those it infects; and that predominantly the ones dying are over 80.

So no, schools should not shut.

@AlternativePerspective

There’s a petition out there which currently has over 300000 signatures so it will have to be debated in the commons.

It’s a difficult one IMO. I think the universities should revert to online learning only and they should get the students home so they’re not stuck in halls of residence with the underlying threat of being expelled if they go out etc.

If they close the upper secondary years though we will end up with the same exam fiasco as we had this year.

Thing is that one of the reasons people are calling for schools to be closed is because they think that it’ll mean a shorter lockdown. Personally I think that lockdown should last until the new year now. If they re-open on the 2nd of December people will just flock out to the pubs etc and we’ll be back in the same position by January. Just stay in lockdown, cancel Christmas it’s just a day after all, and let people make plans to be together when things aren’t quite so volatile. Perhaps the government could even incentivise by adding in an extra bank holiday next year or something to make up for it....

God is there really a petition with that many signatures? Someone needs to start one that we can sign to say we want schools to stay open. I truly think parents who want schools to close severely lack intelligence, critical thinking and the ability to assess risk sensibly. Unless they have a vulnerable child, in which case I understand the worry. Seriously I know many parents who have had COVID. Not a single one of them has passed anything on to their primary age child. This whole thing is ridiculous.

I am literally not even 1% worried about my children catching COVID. 🤷‍♀️ sue me. They have
More chance of dying in a car accident than being affected by COVID.

[quote FreshFreesias]@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer have you thought about applying to become a Covid Marshall?[/quote]

I bet you're not the first that has asked that question

@KnightsofColumbusThatHurt

I work in education and am embarrassed by the NEU constantly going on about closing schools, it makes us look like we are workshy and don't care about the kids. It's so bloody predictable as well.

By all means discuss effective safety measures, PPE, strategies for distancing, whatever. But the crowing about closing schools is just cringe.

Yes, this exactly. The rhetoric about closing schools and the constant accusations from some posters that if you want schools to stay open then you’re a shitty parent who sees schools as childcare, that you don’t care about the health of the staff and that you’re incapable of caring for your own children also doesn’t help - it’s stoking division and hostility.

I love the “you are a key worker, your kids can go to school”. Mine couldn’t. Local authority said both parents had to be key workers, oh and my childminder withdrew care with less than 12 hours notice for the same reason. Which was nice.

So no. You won’t necessarily get your kids into school, not to mention I now rely on wraparound care.

The only upside (and it’s a stretch to say that)! was that my h had to close his company so at least he was home.

Schools need to stay open so children can be taught. Simple as that.

P.s I work in a school

I'm really worried, we are living with my 82 year old dm, ds is at a school where pupils are dropping like flies with covid but none of the bubbles are being sent home to isolate, the school is really overcrowded, built for 1700 pupils but have 2180 on roll. Ds has told us that a large number simply don't wear masks properly, don't sanitise hands & staff don't enforce the rules around Covid. If everything was being done properly I wouldn't have a problem but the way things are doesn't give me any confidence that he won't bring it home.

[quote FreshFreesias]@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer have you thought about applying to become a Covid Marshall?[/quote]
Have you ever thought of being a decent polite human being?

Have you? Maybe don’t imply concerned parents are awful human beings for wanting their children to have the education they’re entitled to.

@NaughtipussMaximus

Have you? Maybe don’t imply concerned parents are awful human beings for wanting their children to have the education they’re entitled to.

But I haven't done that. Feel free to pretend I have, though.

So much spite for someone worried about the health of teachers and children in unsafe schools.

Why don't people want schools to be safer?

It's almost as though some want teachers to suffer. The hatred for teachers on Mumsnet is very strange. Some very disturbed people on this forum.

Its almost like you want children to suffer @LastGoldenDaysofSummer - never mind their education, never mind their mental health, never mind their social skills.

You are the one who is disturbed if you think children should be denied those things - all for a virus that doesn't even kill half a percent of the people it infects.

We will look back on this year, and how our children and you people were treated and what they have been denied, and we will be ashamed we let it happen even once.

Have found my people here! Schools need to stay open! Our children deserve better than advice remote lessons or an email once a week!

I support this call for closure.

Unfortunately, not much effort has been put into making schools safe.
One way systems, bubbles including hundreds of children doesn't actually cut much mustard when your at risk being 2 meters away from all covid carrier for 15 mins or more.

It's that specific fact that needs addressing. Until that transmission risk can be lowered, test and tracing is meaningful, then no, teachers and students shouldn't be crammed together.
All the hand washing in the world will not stop covid coming from someone's breath and releasing into the air.

Mokusspokus So what’s your circumstances re work/children etc?

So we just shut schools and say "oh sorry kids, its not safe, so you cant have an education"?

Really???

I work both in the NHS and in a university. I absolutely do want schools to stay open and I am very happy to continue working in the hospital and teaching face to face at the university. I worked in the hospital and taught in my uni job online throughout the first lockdown. Teaching online is utterly soul destroying. I would much rather be in the room with students.

I think since the last lockdown and during the summer a better solution should have been planned for schools, I think schools should stay open but I honestly think they would have done at least secondary schools on a rota basis, either a rolling one week or two week timetable, so they could have half the school in and the other half at home doing home learning, as they are the older kids no child care issues. Since september my ds has had 5 weeks off school self isolating because of covid cases in his class, he has been well, he is in the first year of 6th form, I can only presume that this is going to continue, I’m sure he’s not the only one across the country, we are in a tier 1 county. And I’m sure there are other kids that have not had any time off.

I do believe schools should stay open but given the time we had I’m sure we could have come up with a better solution than what we have, It would have been a lot of work to implement, but how on earth can teachers teach at the moment when they have great numbers of their classes missing at any one time.

I got an email today

From Thursday all kids And adults in ds school to wear masks. Someone is listening

I’m a bit confused, does everyone think they are at risk of dying from this 99.6% or thereabouts survivable virus? Genuine question.

Why the sudden rabble for school closures when they’ve been open for months without a significant death rate in teachers?

What’s not “safe” about it?

‘Can’t have an education’

It’s 4 weeks! They can/will catch up

I’m guessing this generation of kids won’t want to be looking back and blaming parents for unnecessary loss of life in our older generation