Is a change beginning to happen regarding schools?

[Covidfears]

I’ve been noticing more articles lately in the mainstream press about the difficulties in schools (which will come as no surprise to most people). There’s also been some research which has basically confirmed that schools are driving infections. So, along with it looking like this lockdown has been a waste of time (due to schools being kept open to continue the spread) and people in power calling for Hull schools to be closed do we think that schools will be closing early for Christmas?

Is there any chance that blended learning or rotas will be coming in after the Christmas holidays?

We are a vulnerable family with children in primary school and the risk that sending them every day with no safety measures poses to our family is causing me huge amounts of stress.

@Pollynextdoor

One ridiculous week DSs had to sit in a classroom watching his teachers teach online from home. So they all crowded around one pc

We have spent thousands on interactive flat panels for some of our classrooms in order to get round this problem

And plenty of countries in Europe (and States in the US and Australia) have not kept secondary schools open or full-time.

@BelleSausage
Good points, well made!
And good on all those people who now admit we are in a mess even though they felt differently in the summer. I think it is coming to a head as business owners, especially those who don’t need childcare, aren’t going to accept this ‘schools MUST stay open’ whilst their businesses are closed and cases continue to rise. Why didn’t we put proper mitigation in place to protect children, teachers and society?

And I’m sure it’s possible to have a sensible conversation about making ‘blended learning’ for secondary pupils work, but crying-with-laughter emojis and ‘all I’m seeing are mums who don’t want to be responsible for their kids’ is probably not the way to start that.

@BelleSausage 4 and 2 (obviously the 2 year old is not at school!). When the 4 year old was isolating we couldn’t do all the homeschooling with him as we are in video meetings for our jobs a large part of the day. I felt like a terrible parent and a terrible employee. The business I work for hasn’t made any redundancies nor claimed any furlough but the flip side of that is that they expect total commitment from their employees as we are all still employed. Tough situation.

The heads of most schools are doing what they can to make their schools as Covid safe as possible in the circumstances

Really? You’ve been in ‘most schools’ and viewed risk assessments having had extensive training in health and safety? You know teachers are being to turn off, or even delete the T&T app? You understand the issues with poor ventilation all schools face?

Closing schools/blended learning/masks are WORSE for children’s MENTAL, emotional, educational, social well being than Covid is a risk to their health, on balance, on a whole population level

Thousands of children thrived in lockdown. Thousands didn’t. Why is the mental, emotional and social well being of the ones who struggled more I,portent than those children for who, school is a difficult environment in which they are unable to progress their studies without the interruption and abuse of others? Masks are being worn by children the world over. I don’t see any evidence that this is a single cause of distress and upset in those children.

Blended learning hasn’t happened and there is no set detail as to what it will look like should it happen. It is therefore impossible to say what impact it may have no children short, medium or long term. It is likely, however, that it would be better hands down than opening and closing schools because of staffing issues and that having blended learning in place will be nothing other than positive for those students who have had the misfortune to have to isolate several times.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss and where is all this childcare that is magically available? Because I sure couldn't find any during the first school closure.

[quote Musicaldilemma]@TheSunIsStillShining - you don’t need to advocate and worry about the rest of us. Sort out your own situation, speak to your headmaster or headmistress and find a solution for your child/you. In my DS primary there are parents keeping their kids at home - the school is working with them. Plenty of good schools have safety measures as the heads are thinking for themselves, just as they did teach online previously and are providing catch up sessions for the families that need it in the morning and after school. Good schools do know their families. They don’t need the government to micromanage them. This isn’t a Socialist State. Councils and schools are working together in most cases. Solutions are flexible. People are doing their best, families, teachers, kids etc. Do you know in the summer I thought the UsForThem movement was over the top - now I feel like joining them listening to the likes of you and all the other teacher union Spiel. It is getting boring. I will reiterate: the vast majority of parents and kids want to keep going to school in person. Thankfully our government understands that.[/quote]
Your viewpoint is extremely patronising and indicative of a 'me, me, me' attitude representative of many posters who, quite simply, do not want to engage the reality of the situation in schools. Our school has gone above and beyond in making sure that they, not the government, are keeping staff and students as safe as possible. We are still in the position of only having about 40% of the school' cohort of 1400 students in. You keep talking about the abstract idea of 'school's', but what you really mean is that you want teachers working 24/7 to keep schools open - unlike magic covid walls, providing simultaneous school and home learning is not a magic trick;however, with the number if balls that teachers are currently juggling, it should be!

In our local, northern, ex mining/steelworks town numbers are dropping significantly. Previously a tier 3 area (s yorks), gone from 500ish/100,000 to 350ish/100,000 despite schools being open. So it is possible to reduce cases while keeping schools open.

I don't get the double standards on mn sometimes. It's morally wrong and logistically impossible to ask the CEV people to shield. But desireable and sensible to effectively do the same to 3 x the amount of children who actually don't get particularly ill from it?

Liverpool has dropped 750 to 280 per 100,000 in few weeks and that’s also with schools open

UsForThem are not nut cases. I am not one of them but know people who are - highly successful City professionals, Oxbridge phds etc. most definitely amongst them. Now is not the time for teacher unions to take on the previous fight with the conservative government over school funding. Schools must stay open for the most vulnerable kids, all scientific evidence points to that. Teachers and unions going against keeping the most vulnerable in schools are hypocrites.

New York has just closed all its schools.

@Danglingmod

And plenty of countries in Europe (and States in the US and Australia) have not kept secondary schools open or full-time.

Czech, Hungary, Slovakia, Austria, slovenia, romania, malta, latvia, greece, bosnia --> all have closed or partially closed status. 10 countries in europe.

Switzerland only closed its schools for a few weeks during the course of the whole pandemic. Precisely because they listened to child psychologists and are trying to balance the needs of all in society. Their model works because cantons have their own say and a trusted relationship with head teachers. A blanket policy simply does not work!

Our school had 15% of staff absent today. Half of year 9 are off, a number of year 11s missed their mocks, lots of 8s and 13s sent home to isolate. Two members of staff have long Covid. We don’t have enough TAs to support kids, even those with EHCPs. Schools are not open as normal. I think people do need to realise this.
Behaviour has gone down the pan - we can’t physically move around to support kids. We are under resourced and having to move from room to room. One teacher slipped and hurt herself carrying books on a wet floor. It’s unsustainable.

Exactly @Frouby- children have rights too. The virus does not affect them enough on a population level to warrant them making any more sacrifices.

@Musicaldilemma

UsForThem are not nut cases. I am not one of them but know people who are - highly successful City professionals, Oxbridge phds etc. most definitely amongst them. Now is not the time for teacher unions to take on the previous fight with the conservative government over school funding. Schools must stay open for the most vulnerable kids, all scientific evidence points to that. Teachers and unions going against keeping the most vulnerable in schools are hypocrites.

Do you know, brains do not necessarily equal common sense. Schools are not staying open for the vulnerable kids because they are being sent him left, right and centre as their bubbles burst. Why? Because of the conditions in school and the complete lack of funding by the government. Maybe if the 'deprived' children were set up as a government contract, some interest would be created to tender for them... If anything, I don't think the unions have been vocal enough, and I am not at all militant. I just care about being truthful and honest. We are all members of one body but it seems as if that ideal is being forgotten.

Teachers and unions going against keeping the most vulnerable in schools are hypocrites.

How many teachers and unions can you name who are against this?
None of my colleagues are, my union isn't.

We want safer schools certainly. That doesn't mean closed schools and it definitely doesn't mean not supporting vulnerable children.

And fwiw when we were closed last time we were still providing school for vulnerable children. If they declined their place in one of our bubbles the learning mentor was in constant contact with the family and child by telephone and email, and with some physical home visits. Not one of our vulnerable families was left on their own to struggle. Our learning mentor was really busy throughout.

PMSL at the idea that people can't be "nut cases" if they work in the city or are Oxbridge graduates.

"Teachers and unions going against keeping the most vulnerable in schools are hypocrites."
Point me to one post, just one, where teachers have "gone against" keeping the most vulnerable in schools. Or unions. The entire stance, all along, has been for schools to open safely, and thousands of teachers worked throughout lockdown to provide a safe space in school for such children.

When our bubbles close we can't invite vulnerable children into school, due to the Covid transmission risk. But they aren't being left to it in their own.

I saw a local school closed because teachers were picketing with placards proclaiming 'no more vulnerable kids' and 'vulnerable kids must go'. True storyn

UsForThem are not nut cases. I am not one of them but know people who are

Oh but you sound so very very much like them. I’m surprised if you know all the lines, all the tactics, don’t think they are batshit but haven’t paid your subs.

Is that now, actually some places are doing blended learning and it's absolutely fine!
It's run tight, the students get chased if they don't log on, they can sometimes just use their phones if they can't access a lap top at that time, it's been mostly teaching and has not been an issue. They get the best of both worlds, social side and in person and also at home.

However .... Even on the days they are in, the head, whilst promoting Windows open etc can't police every room, sometimes it is teachers closing windows or doors and complaining of the cold, Whilst wearing thin suits!.
The rooms cannot be magically enlarged so students are still cheek by jowl in the classrooms all day, eating in there too.
We try and keep the integrity of the bubbles but we cannot watch every student at break all the time. We cannot stop them singing, laughing, hugging, doing selfies, wear a mask in communal areas etc all the time.
Every day is a long winge and it's white noise now, and many deeply care and feel frightened but also many do not care.

Heads doing all they can to make school safe, is great but it still doesn't mean they are safe!

Schools must stay open for the most vulnerable kids

I bet a million pounds you’re expecting your kids to be sat in the classroom with them.

Us4Them always banged on about vulnerable kids missing school but don’t give a shit about the vulnerable kids who are being sent home left right and centre because schools aren’t safe.

They certainly aren’t making any noise about the situation in Hull either.

@Musicaldilemma

Switzerland only closed its schools for a few weeks during the course of the whole pandemic. Precisely because they listened to child psychologists and are trying to balance the needs of all in society. Their model works because cantons have their own say and a trusted relationship with head teachers. A blanket policy simply does not work!

for reference see image. More than 20% positivity rate. But hey, don't let the facts get in the way of your agenda.