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.

If we’re isolating we are teaching live lessons.

KS3 are only being set remote learning however as staff freed up from these subjects are being used to cover Yr 10 - 13.

Whilst you're emailing your MPs, please question clinically vulnerable staff being in this situation.
The shielding list is tiny, and has been made even tinier to keep people in work. Clinically vulnerable staff have to be in, and that includes staff with type 1 diabetes, 'moderate' lung difficulties, hypertension, heart conditions including having had surgery, MS - and combinations of the above!
I think people think that staff with these conditions are shielded, but they aren't.

And that can be true of staff too - DH is a teacher and he is so grateful to be back in the classroom, in spite of the risks and the stresses and everything. For him, the stress of trying to do his job while the schools were closed was far, far worse than the stress of being back in school now.

Good for him. I'd also prefer to be in school than doing remote teaching, but I want to feel safe in school and I want to ensure the children are safe too. Not covid related, just physically safe. And at my school atm, we're not.

Oh, and the children making school unsafe are the very children everyone is so concerned about.

OK, and I think that indicates the big differences between different schools - in terms of management, intake, resources and so on. At DS's school the classroom environment is actually calmer and (physically) safer than usual - less movement around the class, two adults in every room. Yes, there are some students who are massively struggling to readjust, but they are being intensive supported to keep others safe. I'm not saying that's easy - but the school is lucky to be (reasonably) well resourced and extremely well run, and hasn't had high levels of staff isolation so far. Of course it's a huge pressure on the SLT to keep everything working, but by and large it is working, very well. DH's school is independent, so I accept that that's a different ball game in terms of resources. My worry is that by either closing schools or enforcing 'one size fits all' solutions (eg all schools must have rotas or blended learning, all schools must limit to 15 in a class or whatever), there is a risk of throwing the baby out with the bathwater.

Love the targeted teaching ads.

The whole ofsted thing is barmy. Who even wants them in schools right now.
They are an added risk of popping a bubble / closing a year group (which they have done).
An added stress to staff that’s completely unnecessary right now. And as a parent, whose number one priority is to keep their child in school receiving as much face to face learning as possible, something they could live without right now also.

I also think that there are going to be huge divides in the quality of education through this. We’re in a low risk area (south-east) and in my dd’s school of 1700 pupils they’ve only had one recorded case of COVID so far meaning that the lessons have been running according to plan with seemingly few staffing issues.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

“Not covid related, just physically safe. And at my school atm, we're not.“

Why’s that?

It’s the isolation period causing problems at our school. Lots of teachers isolating because of advice from the app or ‘contact’ with a positive case but nobody has actually tested positive. The app has been stepped up a notch to tell more people to isolate. Whether teachers and pupils are wearing masks, or there’s social distancing or whatever they will still have to isolate. Even those who have antibodies will still have to isolate. So with a higher background rate of infection a huge amount of teachers and students are going to be isolating. I certainly wouldn’t advocate months out of school again but it’s not working at the moment is it, it in large secondaries anyway. Primaries are slightly different. It has been suggested that we should go back to 7 day isolation as the vast majority will develop symptoms within that time and it would boost compliance but I’m not sure the public would accept it.
As far as Bluetooth goes in schools I’m not sure why it would help as under 16s aren’t allowed the app. Surely it should be possible to avoid being less than 2 metres away from other adults for longer than 15 minutes or to put a mask on if it’s needed

The clinically vulnerable aren’t shielded in the majority of work places as the majority aren’t at enormously greater risk. If you look at the NHS staff risk assessment you need multiple risk factors to be considered to be at increased risk. Schools as employers should be risk assessing though.

My son is in year nine the whole year group was sent home yesterday morning for two weeks self isolation ,this is his second period of isolation since schools went back it's a shambles ,not blaming the school at all they are doing the best they can .

I feel like teachers should be near the top of the list of the vaccination list on the basis that they are the ONLY profession in the entire country told to go back to work with no PPE or covid secure measures in place whatsoever. Add in the fact that schools are such a clear driver of transmission, I find it almost baffling that they aren't included in the list.

I admit, I'm taking it hugely for granted that in our area we've been hugely lucky. Our primary school has had no cases at all or staff absences so we've been able to basically crack on. The one way systems and staggered starts seem to be working well and the teachers all seem really happy whenever you talk to them but I totally appreciate everything that they do.

Our secondary schools have all had one or two cases each but nothing hugely disruptive but it's genuinely frightening now the discrepancies facing education across the UK. Year 11 pupils were I am could very likely have an entire year with no disruption, but compared to a pupil the same age in the North West who could be isolating multiple times, it's absolutely staggering. How the hell can they base exam results based on that? It's going to widen the attainment gap so much.

I just don't get the point of Gavin Williamson, He's basically been furloughed since March. The lack of any money or interest in education is genuinely frightening - especially when you think how the magic money tree is basically there for every other sector!

Great post Fredocorleone especially your point about Gavin Williamson being completely missing in action and the disparity in some areas.
Just had a call about another case in dd year 11 , that’s the fourth period of isolation now for some of those students. They will be missing mock exams as well.

4 cases of isolation in just one term, whilst others across the UK have been cracking on completely? That's insane and it will have such a disastrous impact long term because how are universities supposed to identify top students? And how can employers know how to interpret exam results etc?

I genuinely don't think the answer is to shut schools because that disadvantages absolutely everybody but I do think that the government has had almost 9 months to come up with a plan and they didn't do anything. I truly hope that this generation sees this and becomes more actively involved and keen on getting involved in politics to make some real change.

Was it John Major who said the other day that the UK are settling for medicority? This seems to just sum it up. There's no ambition or support to help our future generation make the most of themselves. Everything within the education system is just designed to be a 'tick box' exercise to fit in with whatever the state says you should be able to do, with no flexibility to bend whatsoever.

Online / blended surely wouldn't have been worse than this, and potentially better.
How many screens do you have op Vs no of children needing them and adults WFH or not working? How are you handling childcare for two week blocks let alone months?

It’s not true there are no covid secure measures- they’re cleaning, hand washing constantly, have all windows and doors open for ventilation which is one of the most important measures, keeping year groups seperate, wearing face coverings in corridors (and some schools all the time). I’d be quite happy for teachers to be supplied surgical masks and aprons the same as NHS but I think we have to be clear that they don’t protect the wearer. If the majority of teachers were in that and kids in face coverings then it may have some effect but I’m not sure you can rely on kids to use face coverings properly, which actually potentially increases their infection rate.

@BungleandGeorge

Update on masks protecting the wearer:
www.nytimes.com/live/2020/11/10/world/covid-19-coronavirus-live-updates/covid-cdc-guidelines-masks

My secondary-going DS said he didn't have a single "original" teacher on Tuesday, they were all supply.

But the only evidence in that article is that everyone wearing a mask reduces transmission, which we we’re not disputing. They don’t protect the individual it’s everyone wearing one that is protective. It’s not a case of teachers wearing PPE but of everyone in the classroom wearing one as an additional mitigating measure. Or assess which classrooms don’t have adequate ventilation. Obviously in the US they are trying to promote masks but I think many people are on board here already. I do think we have to consider the risks of kids not using masks properly- washing daily, changing regularly and if damp, not touching it etc.

Pupils are not getting their normal education because teachers are off, students are off (so new learning is paused), and teachers are understandably stressed and worried. Schools should be closed.

@BurningEars

Pupils are not getting their normal education because teachers are off, students are off (so new learning is paused), and teachers are understandably stressed and worried. Schools should be closed.

For how long should they be without education? And at watch point does their education start actually regressing?

I think if schools had been closed in September, we would have seen a reduction in cases, and it would be safer to open them up now.

As for regression, I don’t know the answer to that. None of my pupils had regressed over the period of home-learning March- July.

But we didn't, so here we are. Again. Worse than if September. So how long are you happy for kids to have no education?