Secondary schools are fucked, BOFFINS ADMIT

[noblegiraffe]

Latest ONS random sampling data shows that secondary school children in Y7-11 are now the age group with the highest infection rate in England, overtaking sixth form and university students.

In Wales "Schoolchildren are more likely to catch and spread coronavirus than previously thought, experts have warned... It was also discovered that while children were far more likely to be asymptomatic and not become seriously unwell, they were more likely to be the first positive case in any household."

www.walesonline.co.uk/news/health/schoolchildren-more-likely-catch-spread-19275959?fbclid=IwAR0kpoikv0D_nkwHx3lVyQX_cyDj6Ycy1d6gE3aRx6syxUKzFQsYzMDSqPw

English boffins are a bit slower on the uptake though
"SAGE’s report found that prevalence of Covid-19 in school-age children had “risen significantly” in the first wave, and that the rise in prevalence was “first visible around the time that schools reopened”.

However, it said that while this “may be indicative of a potential role for school opening, causation, including the extent to which transmission is occurring in schools, is unproven and difficult to establish”.

schoolsweek.co.uk/child-infection-rate-rise-began-when-schools-reopened-but-direct-link-unproven-says-sage/

It must indeed be difficult to establish whether there's transmission in a high risk environment where kids are packed in like sardines with no mitigation measures. A real head-scratcher. Especially if you spent the whole summer insisting that it would be fine because the kids are facing forward.

What do we want? Well, one of the major teaching unions has called on the government to:

1. Demonstrate that they are following the scientific evidence and advice.
2. Strengthen the guidance to schools and colleges on ensuring COVID-safe and COVID-secure working practices.
3. Secure the updating and publication of health and safety risk assessments and equality impact assessments by school and college employers.
4. Publish weekly data on positive cases of COVID-19 infections of school/college staff and pupils by local government area
5. Ramp up inspection and enforcement measures in schools and colleges, including more comprehensive use of spot checks and visits by the Health and Safety Executive (HSE).
6. Take swift action to protect public health in the event of an outbreak.
7. Protect vulnerable teachers and support staff and pupils.
8. Strengthen the guidance to insist on effective social distancing in schools/colleges.
9. Establish a national plan for remote education/blended and distance learning.

10. Provide significant additional financial support for schools and colleges urgently to ensure the safety of staff and pupils, including extra funding for cleaning, personal protective equipment (PPE) and supply teachers

www.nasuwt.org.uk/article-listing/plan-to-keep-schools-safe-during-pandemic.html

Oh OP I knew this would be you yadayada...yeah that's why I chose the same thread title as before etc etc.

Why do we need another thread blah blah: it's because secondary school kids are now infected at the highest rates in the country. This has implications for lockdown. How effective will it be if the most infected subset of the population are mixing freely? And it's also the first hint from scientists that they might have been wrong about exactly how safe schools are. There's also a strong suggestion that kids are bringing the virus home from school which parents should be aware of.

It's also causing chaos in schools, but there's another thread about that.

@Juststopswimming, you didn't answer me the last time I asked this, so I will repeat the question:
^"OK, so pre-Covid, what steps did you take to help vulnerable kids?
Do you really think that teachers are not acutely aware of their needs and have been working tirelessly for them for years, long before Covid reared its ugly head?"^

Why did people pushing for schools to remain open/be opened think that this would NOT happen? Of course this would happen but so many wanted their kids back at school.....

@Numberblock7

Genuine, respectfully meant question Noble. What, apart from posting threads on here, are you doing about it? What do you want a general mumsnet reader/parent to do about it? How do you think any of your list, which are mainly reasonable requests, might actually be achieved?

I've emailed my MP. Most recently he has responded asking if I have any specific concerns that I would like to be put to the DfE. No idea how genuine he is being (he's a Tory) but I will be following that up. I'd love for people to email their MPs. Parents whinging about masks have had front page coverage, there needs to be a sense of the other side in the general public.

I've just emailed Sense about Science with a list of questions to put to parliament in their 'Ask for Evidence' week twitter.com/ibahcmt/status/1327293674791837698?s=21

Obviously within my school I'm raising issues and talking to my union, but my school really is doing the best it can within budget constraints and shitty government guidelines.

I would suggest that if your school introduces any new safety measures (particularly masks) that you email your support and thanks, because you can be sure that they will be getting abuse and complaints.

I'm not really an activist, so mainly I'm hoping to raise awareness that the media narrative is actually propaganda.

So campaign for social services and the police to act. Why have you decided the best abused kids can hope for is a few hours in school?

If they'd followed WHO guidelines and the example of schools in countries who have kept infection rates low they'd have:

• had masks from age 6 in classrooms (and everywhere except when eating or outside)

-given more money to schools to allow for more staff and therefore smaller class sizes, using community spaces / marquees / portacabins if necessary and if not possible, blended learning

• social distancing (possible with more space or blended learning, see above)

In countries where they've done small class sizes, social distancing and masks, they haven't seen huge increases in infections.

This was known well before September.

If they'd have done all of this there would never have been any suggestion of school closures

Fact is, particularly in Northern England, schools ARE closing. A secondary near me has just sent all but 3 years home because they don't have enough teachers to safely operate since they're all off isolating due to a positive case.

Schools are closing. It might not be called 'lockdown' and it's not universal but they are. Fact.

If they'd have had proper safety measures in place children's education would have been better and less disrupted.

If the kids get sent home it will be the fault of the people in government who ignored clear scientific advice to use masks, social distancing and smaller class sizes again and again and again in the summer. And also the fault of the parents and unions who didn't say 'no, we want proper safety measures' at the time.

I've been emailing my MP since the summer asking why the WHO guidelines aren't being followed.

Children's mental health would be better without the disruption of endless isolation, the risk of bereavement, and the economic hit of 60k + deaths and an overwhelmed NHS. If they were in safer schools, they'd feel safer too.

Not just school and it looks like the graph is steadily coming down now many of those things are shut.

Are you looking at the sixth form graph? The Y7-Y11 one has a slight dip but then schools were closed for half term.

I never said teachers weren't working tirelessly for vulnerable kids - but how can they do that if kids are learning remotely?!

No children have vanished from my roll at school because we have safeguarding systems in place to ensure that doesn't happen. I can tell you exactly where 90% of the children who are not in on a day to day basis are as we have either seen them or spoken to them that week. We complete doorstop visits if needed too to ensure they are, in fact alive. The other 10% might have been off for one day but if we haven't heard anything by 10 am we make a phone call and if it's not answered or no response by the following morning we send staff out to the house. We haven't had an increase in reports of child abuse either. It's still as shocking as it has always been. That's also dealt with appropriately and immediately and we chase and chase until something is done.

I would also argue that the attainment gap is currently widening due to the disruption caused by constant self isolating in schools due to not enough safety measures in place. A local school has isolated one year group 2 times since September 7th. TWO times. This is what continues to increase the attainment gap.

"DC rightly will not be denied any more of their education as a result of a virus that poses no threat to them." This is the crux of it. Y don't really care about any other children - just your own.

'Blended learning' does not need to exist for disadvantaged pupils.they should be the ones who are in every single day. Other less disadvantaged pupils with remote access can potentially be placed on a part time physical contact timetable.

Jux - I think people wanted their kids back in school because even knowing what the disruption would be like, it is still far better than any of the alternatives.

@MadridSun, you don't seriously believe that, do you?

I mean, really seriously? That schools are Covid-secure because the Government has said so, yet many, MANY teachers (on here and elsewhere) are jumping up and down to tell people the real situation in schools and you discount it?

@Juststopswimming

I never said teachers weren't working tirelessly for vulnerable kids - but how can they do that if kids are learning remotely?!

Rotas mean vulnerable kids will be in.

Vulnerable/key worker provision to be given as lockdown 1.

Home visits (as occurred in lockdown 1) to vulnerable by safeguarding leads.

Form tutors /Heads of Year/Pastoral leads phoning as happened in lockdown 1.

Madrid please enlighten us. How are schools covid secure? Have you been in a secondary?

Have you first hand witnessed these members of staff lacking social distancing, not wearing masks in these apparent communal areas and going out after work and mixing with others?

Madrid - really!? You think parents gathering outside for 5mins a day is a significant risk?!

I believe primaries should remain fully open as data shows the transmission with younger pupils is less risky.

Secondary schools need another plan of action as that's where the shit show really is.

It’s not just sw who need to step up, but those who also work with vulnerable people outside.
We are a vulnerable household due to both our health.. His support worker? What an absolute farce. It’s a good job I’m not abusing him because I would have gotten away with it unchecked.

The school on the other hand have gone above and beyond and filled in gaps that these services should be doing.

School staff being a bit of everything - teacher, parent, sw, therapist etc - before cv came along.

When budgets were cut for all of these, instead of parents backing various campaigns to stop this. Nah, not my problem. Where was all this faux concern (not you noble) about those vulnerable kids then?

Also, what teacher has the tone for a coffee break?!

Time*

I hear echoes of Ecosse

Williamson - is that you moonlighting as Madrid...