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.

@Musicaldilemma

During lockdown 1 the most deprived schools in my area really struggled to get the most vulnerable kids into school. That is a fact. Keyworker kids were mostly in, not the most vulnerable. A few food parcels and phone calls home doesn’t cut it. I have friends who are heads and know this first hand. These kids have really been set back.

I also know what happened at my school first hand.

And no it wasn't a food parcel and a couple of phone calls! It was far far more. And not just for the known vulnerable but also for new cases that arose, activist on information passed on, chasing anyone who was 'awol' from home learning, etc.
It was a full time job for our learning mentor and SEND department.

Well it is good that parts of Switzerland can go online whilst other parts with a lesser Covid problem can carry on in schools isn’t it? That the canton has an actual say rather than everyone looking to centralised government ordaining for all?

Love the way people think it’s some way for kids not to go to school. How are parents meant to work? We will be leaving some kids their own devices for hours and days on end as parents have to work. It’s also not fair to close all schools. One case in each of my
Kids schools, it’s not spreading like wild fire in the schools here.

@noblegiraffe

Why do people do this?

It’s appeal to authority. A common crap argument tactic.

Gosh, I feel better knowing that. All this use of Very Important People was beginning to sway me to musicaldilemma's point of view - what a sneaky poster

Our government could allow that musical but they have specifically said all schools must be open during the lockdown.

We will be leaving some kids their own devices for hours and days on end as parents have to work.

Over half a million kids (and climbing) are currently trapped in their house for days on end due to our government’s inability to spot that schools actually need some mitigation measures and funding. What about them and their parents?

MrsDanvers

@Musicaldilemma

Well it is good that parts of Switzerland can go online whilst other parts with a lesser Covid problem can carry on in schools isn’t it? That the canton has an actual say rather than everyone looking to centralised government ordaining for all?

But what if it's your child going online whilst others are still in school? And why did those schools have a vivid problem in the first place if there isntva problem?

"And no it wasn't a food parcel and a couple of phone calls! It was far far more. And not just for the known vulnerable but also for new cases that arose, activist on information passed on, chasing anyone who was 'awol' from home learning, etc.
It was a full time job for our learning mentor and SEND department."

Exactly and of course most have SS involvement and other agencies as well. For us, to carry on as normal, give them something to do - something worth while, and most importantly, keep an eye on them, keep in touch, keep a dialogue open was a crucial service.

Apologies for typos. It's been a long day and my fingers are fat from gin

Love the way people think it’s some way for kids not to go to school

Kids are already not in school. At the moment, their absence is totally unplanned and cannot be effectively supported.

Teachers would quite like to have measured in place that could stop this happening.

@MrsDanvers123

But it's part-time learning anyway... but without the ability to effectively forward plan and ensure that the curriculum can be delivered in an effective way.

Well, no it isn't the same, because at the moment most children in Edinburgh are getting a lot more than 3 or 4 days per month in school learning. So blended learning without a lot of extra resources is really quite a shit option.

(I don't think it's a brilliant option even with a lot of extra resources to be honest, but it sounds like something that maybe could work at secondary level then? At any rate, what would happen without a lot of resources poured in is 4 days a month in school with worksheets to chug through for the rest of the time, and that is not going to be delivering any curriculum in an effective way. It's just not.)

Sorry if I was unclear, I was referring to education at the moment in England because isolation means that kids are in and out at minimal notice meaning that short term planning is extremely difficult despite best efforts.

Why are Us4Them currently paying lawyers to organise cases against heads who want masks in classrooms?

I thought they wanted schools open?

Wanting schools open and not wanting masks in schools are opposite positions.

The only way I can see that schools can stay functional is with masks on everyone who can at all times except eating, particularly where community levels of sars-cov-2 are high (as they are in the majority of the UK).

Not having masks in schools is probably the single biggest thing that will contribute to school closures. It's a RESPIRATORY virus people! Hand washing has turned out to not be as important (let's do it anyway, hey, but masks are much more important).

That's why France, Italy and Spain realised they needed masks on kids from age 6 - to try and keep the schools open.

I’ve only ever hoped for choice.

School for those that need them / think it’s in the best interests of their children and home learning for those that can. No fines / prosecution so schools and families can genuinely work together.

Hopefully there would be enough home learners for schools to be safer and more socially distanced.

Vulnerable teachers should not be working onsite. Teachers with vulnerable family members should not be working onsite.

Parents who want to homeschool should not be threatened with fines and prosecution (that is currently happening, even if they are themselves extremely vulnerable to covid).

The sooner they do this, the longer schools will last.

Why are Us4Them currently paying lawyers to organise cases against heads who want masks in classrooms?

Here they're even complaining because parents need to wear masks at pickup and drop-off. Apparently this is a safeguarding risk, because children won't be able to recognise their parents. In reality children are managing to recognise us perfectly well but that lot are still working themselves into a lather over the Pied Piper of Hamelin turning up in a mask disguise or something.

@noblegiraffe- plenty of lawyers part of UsForThem. Are you sure they are paying them re face masks? If you look at their website, they don’t believe face masks make a big difference. It is one thing advocating for face masks in corridors/public transport vs all day face mask wearing in a classroom. My secondary school aged DD happily wears a face mask in one of her lessons because her teacher has a vulnerable child. The head and all pupils are happy with that, there is a reason for it. But that is a far cry from making every pupil wear face masks all day for the sake of it.

Us4Them want schools open with no mitigation measures, IloveJK

They think that children have already ‘sacrificed too much’ and asking them to wear a mask is a step too far.

They’re also against social distancing and sending ‘too many kids’ (probably any) home when there’s a positive case, windows open and avoiding high risk activities like indoor singing.

They don’t care about making schools safer probably because a lot of them are covid deniers and think it’s all overblown nonsense anyway.

plenty of lawyers part of UsForThem. Are you sure they are paying them re face masks?

I can’t imagine any lawyer willing to take on that sort of bullshit case against heads who just want safer schools working for free, can you?

The Germans don’t believe in masks as much as the French. They believe in ventilation, circulation of fresh air. My DS state primary here paid a glazier to make sure enough windows open in class rooms, some adjustments were required.

@noblegiraffe

Us4Them want schools open with no mitigation measures, IloveJK

They think that children have already ‘sacrificed too much’ and asking them to wear a mask is a step too far.

They’re also against social distancing and sending ‘too many kids’ (probably any) home when there’s a positive case, windows open and avoiding high risk activities like indoor singing.

They don’t care about making schools safer probably because a lot of them are covid deniers and think it’s all overblown nonsense anyway.

I thought you didn't like sweeping generalisations?

People in glass houses and all that.

[quote Musicaldilemma]@noblegiraffe- plenty of lawyers part of UsForThem. Are you sure they are paying them re face masks? If you look at their website, they don’t believe face masks make a big difference. It is one thing advocating for face masks in corridors/public transport vs all day face mask wearing in a classroom. My secondary school aged DD happily wears a face mask in one of her lessons because her teacher has a vulnerable child. The head and all pupils are happy with that, there is a reason for it. But that is a far cry from making every pupil wear face masks all day for the sake of it.[/quote]
Why should you have to know about the teacher's personal situation in order to be able to see the sense in wearing a mask? This is an explicit admission that masks do make a difference and in implicit admission that you really don't care unless forced to

I thought you didn't like sweeping generalisations?

They are campaign group who have campaigned for what I have written.

The bit about a lot of them being batshit covid deniers comes from former members.

Wow noble that's just scary.

How do they explain the 100 fold difference in death rates between countries who adopted mask wearing early and those who didn't?

I suppose there's no arguing with some people. Some people just don't believe in science.

UsForThem have a lot of good points though - 14000 positive cases amongst kids but 500000 stuck at home self isolating. Only close contacts should self isolate. If you have year group bubbles and seating plans and windows permanently open, only close contacts are likely exposed.