Another school one but please read!!

[lealealealea]

I have 2 DCs. Eldest in secondary, Youngest in primary.

Eldest has teachers from 4 of her subjects off isolating. In one of the subjects, the original teacher went off isolating and then the substitute went off isolating and they now have another substitute. The first to test positive was a pupil though.

In one department there is only one teacher left for that subject in the whole large secondary!

She's being supervised to study a lot by teachers who don't even teach that subject.

Three times (!) just in the past week I've had separate letters saying test and trace has been in the school.

My younger child in primary - he has had three different teachers covering this week for teacher isolating, and no homework been sent. Had two letters since schools went back from test and trace.

I've read in the news today about teachers being put under pressure to switch off the app or still come in even if they are a contact of a positive case.

Please be clear that I am not blaming teachers or schools in any way. I feel for them doing what must be an incredibly difficult job. I'm just putting it out there that it seems to be an untenable situation where education is suffering anyway.

I agree. My DD’s primary school had to close two days last week due to lack of staff.

At my own secondary school we constantly have students and staff isolating. It’s a big strain on everyone. We have lots of students with anxiety issues. I am constantly fielding calls from worried parents who want reassurances I can’t give them.

Teachers said this many, many times and were accused of being lazy or scared or crap at their jobs, told to resign and so on.

Children in my school are not safe. As in, physically safe. Behaviour is shocking, nowhere to escalate issues to, supply in the whole time, senior leaders shielding... many teachers on their last legs from a mental health perspective.

And my school hasn't yet had any positive cases, even in extended families. Just the logistics of isolation, of childcare for other bubbles in other schools closing.

It's bloody awful. I should have resigned at half term, and probably will at Christmas.

Part of today's email from my ds school

Yeah, wooden, do you remember all those posters who kept asking us where our "can-do" attitude was?

So if teachers are isolating (not shielding), it must be because they’ve come into close contact with someone positive?

If they’re supposed to turn the app off in school (like us in the nhs- but ours is because of ppe- but teachers don’t wear so I never really get that??) then where the heck are they coming into contact with anyone positive?

I mean, we’re literally working, doing a supermarket shop and going home. There’s nowhere to go to come into contact with anyone for long enough apart from work?

Mine was a pupil in my class. I literally get driven to and from school and at the weekend I went out once to do a quick shop. The pupil's family have all tested positive so off we go.

No symptoms so far.

@Letsgetgoing888

So if teachers are isolating (not shielding), it must be because they’ve come into close contact with someone positive?

If they’re supposed to turn the app off in school (like us in the nhs- but ours is because of ppe- but teachers don’t wear so I never really get that??) then where the heck are they coming into contact with anyone positive?

I mean, we’re literally working, doing a supermarket shop and going home. There’s nowhere to go to come into contact with anyone for long enough apart from work?

Erm??

All the positive children that are in school whilst asymptomatic!

Or their own children who attend nursery/school?

Or at the supermarket when they buy their essential food?

Teacher here - secondary. Monday we had approx 20 go off in one year group, no teachers. Today another 30 odd same year group again and also 3 teachers gone for two weeks now. Gone from sending bubbles to ‘those closest contact’ based on government advice but this is what happens.

We all want kids to get their education and our job is easier in the classroom of course but now at the point where we don’t know whether we’re coming or going.

Those who work in educational settings were told not to use test and trace to avoid staff going off. We’re seeing more go now though, as expected sadly.

They are getting it from positive cases in school or their own children. No social life.

Obviously a large proportion are awaiting tests to see if they have it.

They've got children?
Partner works in health care?
They live in shared houses?
They are still off since isolating before lockdown?

Loads of reasons. And I don't know anything about turning off the app. They can't make us do that.

@Letsgetgoing888

So if teachers are isolating (not shielding), it must be because they’ve come into close contact with someone positive?

If they’re supposed to turn the app off in school (like us in the nhs- but ours is because of ppe- but teachers don’t wear so I never really get that??) then where the heck are they coming into contact with anyone positive?

I mean, we’re literally working, doing a supermarket shop and going home. There’s nowhere to go to come into contact with anyone for long enough apart from work?

Household members who caught it from within their work place. Children in the household who caught it in school. The school we work in as it is impossible to maintain distance at all times. Supermarkets, hospitals. Public transport. There are more people working outside of home so transmission is still high.

7 cases in my school in 4 days. 4 year groups affected. Mainly because some parents sent their children in knowing they had symptoms and had taken a test. All children were positive but were still in school. This is what some schools are dealing with.

The government gave us no money to sort things properly, class sizes are still ridiculous, buildings are old and unventilated.

We have no PPE were told not to wear masks. Students and staff are off continually.

It's more like 'optional childcare' than education at the moment if I'm honest.

Exams will be cancelled next year so students just need to work hard and they will get CAG grades. Please don't even think it will be anything other than teacher predictions, it won't.

Why aren't dp who send their dc in after a positive test prosecuted?

How are they getting away with it!

@flumposie

7 cases in my school in 4 days. 4 year groups affected. Mainly because some parents sent their children in knowing they had symptoms and had taken a test. All children were positive but were still in school. This is what some schools are dealing with.

That’s inexcusable, the same thing happened at my dc school too, and dc had to isolate. I was fuming, as child should have been isolating, not in school.

7 cases in my school in 4 days. 4 year groups affected. Mainly because some parents sent their children in knowing they had symptoms and had taken a test. All children were positive but were still in school. This is what some schools are dealing with.

Yes I think this is happening all too often. Lots of children attending school whilst family await test results. Have had numerous emails from dc schools pleading with parents not to do this.

Our school isn’t sending staff home when pupils or other staff test positive. As the protective measures mean that no one should be within 2m unless they are wearing a mask. So only students sat next to each other or who have physically touched. So unless you are willing to go to SLT and say yes I broke the rules we all stay in. The reality is that of course we come into contact multiple times a day with students and staff even with the very best of intentions.

Why aren't dp who send their dc in after a positive test prosecuted?

There's no law here. We can't ask for a negative test result, if parents don't tell schools, there's nothing we can do. There's not much we can do if they do tell us.

@MrsTumbletap

The government gave us no money to sort things properly, class sizes are still ridiculous, buildings are old and unventilated.

We have no PPE were told not to wear masks. Students and staff are off continually.

It's more like 'optional childcare' than education at the moment if I'm honest.

Exams will be cancelled next year so students just need to work hard and they will get CAG grades. Please don't even think it will be anything other than teacher predictions, it won't.

Agree that teachers have been thrown to the lions...

We felt the same in nhs in April when not enough ppe.

Will be so gutted for dc if exams are cancelled though when this could have all been managed so much better...

The amount of asymptomatic pupils is a massive concern. That’s how I ended up with it, but it likely came via a child who was waiting test results and had symptoms, but the mother wanted them in school so sent them, where they then passed it on around the year group.

I'm self isolating and still delivering lessons via teams with a cover member of staff in the room to set it up and supervise... it's far from ideal. I have symptoms similar to me colleague who has tested positive so feeling crap and am waiting on test results. We are being pushed to our limits....

I'm a secondary school maths teacher and I'm off isolating as a pupil on my front row tested positive. I feel so guilty on the kids missing out on 8 hours of maths. I'm trying to make my cover work as detailed as possible so the cover teacher can try and help them through the work but I expect I'll have to re-teach everything when I get back as they have a different cover teacher everyday.
We have 4/10 maths teachers off and 21 other members of staff off, 6 more confirmed pupil covid cases today. It's silly, we need to move to blended learning or at home learning where at least we could teach the kids ourselves over teams

This is making me feel very lucky. One DC in primary, one in secondary - so far no pupils at either school have been sent home and neither child has had a single cover teacher since September. I know some kids and a few teachers have had to isolate while awaiting test results, but no school contacts have had to be sent home, and none of the teachers have been my kids' teachers so far. I guess it will come though.

Meanwhile my (secondary) school has had very few cases, and none in teachers. I’m not being smug, I know this is pure luck.

I teach 3 Y13 classes and they haven’t missed a single lesson. I have had 100% attendance this week. They are at an enormous advantage.

I'm a supply teacher I've been offered 3 days work this week so far in two different schools in different areas of the county. The schools where I live have - 1 high school 2 full years groups off as not enough staff in too operate safely, another high school has multiple children and their immediate contacts off and have been emailed about completing their mocks at home, middle school has 1 full class at home, first school has multiple children and immediate contacts off. Our area went into tier 2 the weekend before lockdown. Quite simply the government have let schools and children down just so they could say "look schools are open"