ECV school staff to work from home. Difficult times for maintaining learning onsite.

[ForthPlace]

Not sure how schools are going to manage this, especially small schools. I can see an increase in home learning as the only option.

@ForthPlace

Our LA guidance is ECV is over 60...I assume that's national.

Staff with a family member who is ECV still need to be in school.

No, even over 70s are not ECV this time

www.gov.uk/government/publications/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19/guidance-on-shielding-and-protecting-extremely-vulnerable-persons-from-covid-19

@ForthPlace

Our LA guidance is ECV is over 60...I assume that's national.

Staff with a family member who is ECV still need to be in school.

Being over 60 or having a family member over 60 doesn't automatically make you ECV.

LA directive gives guidance for those over 60.

@ForthPlace

LA directive gives guidance for those over 60.

Has that been updated since today's update to government guidance? Our LA put new advice out this afternoon, over 60s now expected in.

Isnt a school environment the last place someone ECV should be in normal times never mind now?

ECV doesn’t mean you’re at death’s door! I take immunosuppressants for arthritis - without them I’m in constant pain. With them, you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong - my colleagues had no idea.

They do put me at higher risk of any infection, but I have a flu jab every year. Last year I contracted flu anyway, but was given tamiflu straight away.
The risk is worth it for doing a job I love.

Has that been updated since today's update to government guidance? Our LA put new advice out this afternoon, over 60s now expected in*

And my LA guidance, emailed by the director at 5.00pm includes advise for those age 60 plus.-

@Rabbitholebonkers

The extremely clinically vulnerable list is very small I’m sure most people on here are referring to the clinically vulnerable. They are not required to shield or work from home.

It’s not that tiny though.

In a small school, if your deputy head has severe asthma, another teacher has severe COPD, your senco is a transplant recipient and the caretaker is still on treatment for cancer-that’s a big chunk of important people out of action.

@Bessica1970 I suppose what I meant is that ECV school staff have always been at risk from infections picked up in school yet no ones been so vocally bothered about it until now, not that anyone ECV is on deaths door

I was really surprised how many of our primary teachers were “shielding “ last time. The majority of the staff are well under 60. Did people shield if they had vulnerable children or household members, or does it just apply to them?

I have just received an email informing me that I must not attend work. I was in the shielded group last time.

I am seriously torn. I want to continue teaching but I do worry secretly about getting CV. I have been very blasé about the situation outwardly, telling everyone I feel fine up until now.

In a small school, if your deputy head has severe asthma, another teacher has severe COPD, your senco is a transplant recipient and the caretaker is still on treatment for cancer-that’s a big chunk of important people out of action.

I recently worked with PHE when a HT and DHT were ill with COVID. Due to them being the DSL and deputy DSL ( safeguarding) a 500 place school had to close for 14 days. It would only take two key staff members to be ECV/CEV.

I received it too Atomsaway. I think you have to do what you feel comfortable with. Maybe discuss it with your line manager. I know I can go to work and not be around anyone but I’m lucky that our site is so spread out and my office is a little shed on its own. I’ve agreed with the school if there are any positive cases I will not be going to school to work and must do as much as possible from home. But I am the one pushing to remain at work not my employer, they are happy for me to try it, and if cases spiral locally I can always shield if I want to.

If you are intending to go to work, your employer may want to check insurances and liability. My LA have issued quite heavy guidance about NOT attending, they are protecting any future claims.

How will employers' know who has a letter if staff don't tell them?

@ForthPlace

LA directive gives guidance for those over 60.

They wouldn’t have received letters purely for being 60. I don’t know of any local authority who has taken the medical view that people 60 years and older are extremely clinically vulnerable. They are considered clinically vulnerable but never were to be shielded.

I think ECV people should absolutely not be working in schools, especially as classroom teachers.

However, I do think it's another pressure put on schools. Say it's two staff in a large secondary school, that obviously won't close the school, but it's two extra staff to provide cover for, or to get a supply teacher in when budgets for this are already being massively stretched.

Schools are really struggling with staff absence, in general. Every teacher who has a cough has to stay off until they have a test. School staff are asked to self isolate, like everyone else. Anyone who needs e.g. a routine operation which might normally only be 1-2 days off will now be off for two weeks before hand, and so on. And by asking staff to do more cover, you put them under more pressure, leading to more sickness- it's a vicious cycle.

When whole year groups are sent home, obviously it balances out, but ironically it's probably schools which are less affected in terms of student cases that are struggling the most with staff absence, as all of their classes are in school!

My employer has checked with their insurer. Insurance company say it’s not law, it’s only guidance and so long as the school do a proper risk assessment and ensure I’m able to work in a COVID safe way then I can go to work. The insurer said to the head that to prevent people from working when there is a mental health well-being issue is not allowed. I really cracked when shielding it was soul destroying and being stuck at home was awful. I will not be able to do that again and maintain my sanity.

I didn't think even severe asthma was ecv any more?

As far as I know, we only have 2 staff who shouldn't come in tomorrow (one fairly recent cancer survivor and one lymphoma survivor many years ago but immunosuppression is permanent, I think). One will stay at home. The other is fighting it, don't know what the outcome was. But that's from a staff of about 60 so we'll be fine.

They wouldn’t have received letters purely for being 60

They haven't and won't. Guidance from the director is a memo to all staff not letters to each one???
I'm not sure why I'm being questioned about my workplace....

There’s no way an LA has declared all staff over 60 are ECV in this lockdown. LAs are on their absolute knees financially and CCGs are trying to get doctors to shift everyone they can OFF the list, not add massive random groups of people.

I’m severely asthmatic. My consultant wouldn’t commit to taking me off then CEV list and I’ve just received an email/letter from DHSC saying I’m CEV and advised to shield.

It says, “ You should also try to stay 2 metres away from other people within your household, especially if they display symptoms of the virus or have been advised to self-isolate.”

I have a 4 year old and 2 older kids this part of shielding is impossible. They still need to go to school and So what is the point of shielding at home? My kids will only catch it and pass it onto me. I’m not about to stay 2m away from any of my kids for a month. Shielding already affected them massively as it is. They’ve just got back to normal. Under no circumstances am I going to shield again and watch them suffer!

I have received the email for severe asthma. I hadn’t heard it had been taken off the list.

Going by my breathing during a normal cold, I think getting CV would be fairly serious.

There is no way I can stay away from students. It’s not possible if you are a classroom teacher.

I don’t want to do zoom lessons from home but I’m kind of concerned about the trauma inflicted on my own family if I end up in hospital.

@ForthPlace

They wouldn’t have received letters purely for being 60

They haven't and won't. Guidance from the director is a memo to all staff not letters to each one???
I'm not sure why I'm being questioned about my workplace....

I’m not questioning you, I was commenting because I wasn’t clear in what you were saying. Perhaps I’m reading it wrong, long old day! All I’m saying is that there is no need for people over 60 to be concerned they cannot work unless they’ve been told otherwise by a medic. The thought of being clinically extremely vulnerable caused huge anxiety and distress back in March.

Apologies, severe asthma is still on the list. I didn't read the brackets closely enough.

www.nhs.uk/conditions/coronavirus-covid-19/people-at-higher-risk/whos-at-higher-risk-from-coronavirus/

Isnt a school environment the last place someone ECV should be in normal times never mind now?

There are plenty of factors which might make you CEV but would allow a perfectly normal life. I'm not far outside the CEV criteria (just CV) and while being laid low by the annual bugs is shit I'm still a damned effective teacher.

That said the government should never have made them return to school. CEV staff should have been working from home from the start- there is loads to do.

They have been forced into it because teachers are not going to sit back and watch colleagues die.