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

@Frostedlantern I'd be embarrassed if that was my son. How on earth does he "tell" the teachers don't want to be there. They've been working without the same level of protection as the rest of society as it's only just today masks have been made compulsory in common areas - not even classrooms. And they have been getting ill at twice the average rate of the general public, a statistic which leaked out in the Guardian recently - no wonder there's no official note on cases and hospitalisation by occupation. And yet they're still getting the same old shite directed at them about how they should just put up with that. I hope you've pointed out the glaring errors in his reasoning or he's going to sound a right tit saying things like that online when he's out and about.

As he rightly pointed out, his dad hasn't taken a single day off work throughout all of this, it's been totally normal for him.

Lucky for his dad then am guessing he doesn’t work in a school. As we are constantly in and out isolating when there are positive cases due to lack of protection in schools.

Masks in communal areas is a start. From tomorrow clinically vulnerable teachers will work from home. Not much notice for headteachers to get supply staff.

Another Boris cock up that he expects the schools to sort out. Shows how much this government really value state education.

@OutComeTheWolves

Ffs how many more threads. I'm an neu member and I won't be supporting my union on this because it is right that schools are staying open.

Teaching kids remotely while trying to also make sure my own kids do their remote learning (or in reality they just fuck around on the iPad) is a pain in the arse.

Also doctors, nurses, postal workers, shop workers, delivery people, refuse collectors etc etc would all still have to send their kids in while other kids are afforded the luxury of being 'kept safe'.

Kids who don't have iPads, printers, a decent WiFi signal at home are massively disadvantaged by remote learning - these kids are predominantly the ones who are already disadvantaged in some way already.

Kids who's parents are unable or unequipped (often through no fault of their own) to help with learning are also massively disadvantaged.

The risk to primary age children from Covid is minimal.

Also not all children live in a safe Happy home. For some kids the 6 weeks holidays are unbearable so I can't imagine what lockdown felt like for them. This is the issue that most concerns me tbh and compared to a bit of learning loss or people juggling childcare and working from home, it terrifies me. Can you imagine being 5 or 7 or 8 living with someone who hurts you with no respite and seeing no other adult for an indefinite amount of time?

Yes Covid is bad, but it's not the only bad thing going on. We can't stop all of life until it fucks off. I don't think Boris has done much right since this whole shit show started but he is right to keep the schools open.

This

@ohthegoats - you really don't like children very much do you?

How outrageous that a child might actually want to go to school. How dare they.

I've not signed the petition as I don't think we should move to key worker children only across all age groups when primary are much less affected in the stats. Primaries need to be in until the bitter end.

But I do notice that university staff unions are also saying the same thing about teaching 18 and 19 year olds, and I'm not hearing a big public objection to this. It's disingenuous to say you oppose online teaching for sixth formers and yet are happy to consider the possibility for university students.

A lot of the froth here is about little Johnny in year 2 when the realistic scenario we all seem to be vehemently opposing is a year 12 or 13 working online for some of the time.

@waxonwaxoff0 - good luck to your friend trying to get another job. I hear the economy isn't doing too well. Lets hope whatever he ends up doing meets an acceptable level of SAFE

Apologies @waxonwaxoff0 - I totally misread your post. Fair play to your friend for standing by his principles. 👏

i'm sure for 4 weeks they don't need teaching but realistically a 17 or 18 year old cannot just teach themselves FT - if they can, no offense but why are you employed to teach them?

I think this was for me, @TrustTheGeneGenie.

I wasn’t suggesting they didn’t have any teaching - just that I don’t need to be in the same room to teach them!

Oh look here come the cavalry to tell us all how it is and how they are the worst off of all.

I wonder if they'd all be signing petitions to close if it meant that they didn't have their guaranteed salary. I highly doubt it.

It's a good job all the NHS staff and supermarket workers don't want to down tools. Because I suppose teachers still want their supermarket deliveries.

Dc aren't stupid, they see the news, they pick up on the atmosphere, they hear some of the very unprofessional conversations that go on.

They pick up on the way they are being used as political pinball.

Ds dad does a more dangerous job than teaching and just gets on with it.

The silent majority are sick of the unions whining meanwhile the rest of us just get on with it.

I wonder if they'd all be signing petitions to close if it meant that they didn't have their guaranteed salary. I highly doubt it

Teachers will be working, as they did last time.

Masks in communal areas is a start. From tomorrow clinically vulnerable teachers will work from home. Not much notice for headteachers to get supply staff.

Yes at least masks will be compulsory for all schools now. And thankfully some of the most vulnerable will now be getting protected that must be a huge relief for them.

It must have been exhausting last time posting all those twinkle worksheets and BBC bite size links.

It must have been exhausting last time posting all those twinkle worksheets and BBC bite size links

If they were relevant, they were.

@frostedlantern - that comment made me spit out my wine

If I never see another twinkl worksheet it'll be too soon....

Haven't read the full thread but as a teacher I'd like to add the following:

1. I worked all the way through the last lockdown looking after key worker children and teaching online (a hell of a lot more than posting twinkl sheets)
2. I want to stay face to face teaching no matter what as it is so much effective. Children need to be at school for so many aspects of learning (social and emotional) as well as subjects.
3. I left the NEU as didn't want to be associated with it
4. I find the readiness with which some posters attack teachers depressing. And so for that reason too, I'd like schools to stay open cos I just can't handle the shit being levelled at me again. How come other professions who are working from home don't get a constant slating?

@Macaroni46

Haven't read the full thread but as a teacher I'd like to add the following: 1) I worked all the way through the last lockdown looking after key worker children and teaching online (a hell of a lot more than posting twinkl sheets) 2) I want to stay face to face teaching no matter what as it is so much effective. Children need to be at school for so many aspects of learning (social and emotional) as well as subjects. 3) I left the NEU as didn't want to be associated with it 4) I find the readiness with which some posters attack teachers depressing. And so for that reason too, I'd like schools to stay open cos I just can't handle the shit being levelled at me again. How come other professions who are working from home don't get a constant slating?

I think the difference is that people like dh, who is a software developer, can do 99.5% of his work fully effectively at home. He just links to the vpn and whatever and then he's away.

@Macaroni46

Haven't read the full thread but as a teacher I'd like to add the following: 1) I worked all the way through the last lockdown looking after key worker children and teaching online (a hell of a lot more than posting twinkl sheets) 2) I want to stay face to face teaching no matter what as it is so much effective. Children need to be at school for so many aspects of learning (social and emotional) as well as subjects. 3) I left the NEU as didn't want to be associated with it 4) I find the readiness with which some posters attack teachers depressing. And so for that reason too, I'd like schools to stay open cos I just can't handle the shit being levelled at me again. How come other professions who are working from home don't get a constant slating?

Because although a lot of teachers did do as much as they possibly could (like you) a lot didn't, and that is people's real life experience and it's all they can base their opinion on. The teaching their child got. I also think some teachers opinions (a minority I think) spark quite a bit of outrage on here, and they do give teachers a (undeserved) bad name.

My experience of my son's teachers, and what some on here are saying are poles apart.

My son's teachers are like you, want to stay in the classroom, generally quite positive and not terrified of their impending death.

@TrustTheGeneGenie you don't read what we say do you? We love teaching, want to be in the classroom but it's not safe in the current form.

I did parents evening tonight on a remote platform, several parents said to me how much better it is on there than having to go to the school (I agree) also another parent cheered when I told her that I am the A level teacher in my subject and will teach her DC next year. I'll take that little compliment tonight as we get enough rubbish on here.

I neither want nor deserve this mystical medal (where's my fucking biscuit by the way!)

I'm one example of 1000s of parents who managed to juggle working from home and supervising their children's online learning.

For me personally it would be ok of schools closed and from a selfish point of view of rather they did.

Actually what I would prefer, is that parents can choose to allow their children to learn from home and not have to de register or be fined.

As for the lockdown not being for 4 weeks...well excuse the hell out of me for choosing to look on the bright side.

Oh and the teachers, along with NHS staff Etc SHOULD get a bloody medal. And a big fuck off payrise.

[quote monkeytennis97]@TrustTheGeneGenie you don't read what we say do you? We love teaching, want to be in the classroom but it's not safe in the current form.

I did parents evening tonight on a remote platform, several parents said to me how much better it is on there than having to go to the school (I agree) also another parent cheered when I told her that I am the A level teacher in my subject and will teach her DC next year. I'll take that little compliment tonight as we get enough rubbish on here.[/quote]
I do read what you say. it's funny because I never once said I was talking about you but if the shoe fits?

Good for you - I'm glad the parents at your school cheer for you but I'm not sure that's at all relevant to what I said.

I think a lot of the anger here is because many people can see the writing on the wall and they can smell the bullshit behind Boris's fervent "schools will stay open", but the anger, although understandable, is misplaced.

If your school closes because there aren't enough staff well, it really doesn't matter what you think about it all, or what your opinion is of teachers, does it. If enough schools close you'll be queuing up for access to school the way Whitty hinted we might be queuing up to use the NHS, if nobody wants to pay any more to staff the shop floor.

This could all have been avoided if we had had more money, space and time available from September - literally anything would have helped, but no one apart from the people at the chalk face seemed to get it.