The government is encouraging covid spread in schools

[noblegiraffe]

Bear with me, because if they're not, you have to explain this:

1. Schools will stay fully open end of. Even when they're not.

1. No masks allowed in classrooms where teachers and pupils spend the most time. The expectation that they would be mandated in corridors is fudged at the last minute to lockdown areas only.

1. Pupils are not allowed to be tested for the symptoms that kids are most likely to get.

1. Teachers (who in secondary will teach all bubbles without masks) are not to self isolate if there is a case in a class they have taught.

1. Fudge any data that may show teachers getting ill at a higher rate than the general population and Chris Whitty lying about it

1. Fudge data that may show school pupils having a higher infection rate than the general population

1. Not permitting / trying / mass testing in schools where there have been cases in case they find out how bad the spread is.

1. Actually sending letter to parents to tell them to stop getting kids tested.

9 Fine parents who try and keep their kids off when in contact with a known positive case.

10. Launch a propaganda campaign to convince parents that schools are safe using data from schools in lockdown, which every news outlet dutifully publicises. Continuing that propaganda campaign by releasing a video of socially distanced school kids wearing masks in classrooms.

11. Hide Gavin Williamson in a cupboard so that no journalist can accidentally ask him how his aim to reopen schools safely is going.

12. Announce that one of the school safety measures will be children in bubbles which will burst when there are cases. Stop this midway through September and start sending home as few kids as possible. Remove the schools remit from PHE control and put DfE in charge to enforce this.

13. Produce a Tiered system of responses to infection levels (rotas, masks, closures) to reassure parents, and shut the unions up. Then never mention them again and in fact state that they are not to be used.

14. When Hull begs for rotas due to imminent collapse of system, send a letter to all local authorities re-iterating NO ROTAS

15. Have some strange control over the media so they don’t mention any issues, or if they do, it must be accompanied by a picture of a jumbo classroom containing max 5 kids.

16. Tell teachers to ignore the app when it tells them to isolate, or to turn off the app completely

17. No funding for schools to implement any covid safety measures

Any other explanations for this list?

Independent sage report:
www.independentsage.org/an-urgent-plan-for-safer-schools/

It includes lots of suggestions for making schools safer.

DfE if you are still reading these threads, please could you read the report I gave just linked. If you follow some of the advice more children might be in school and everyone would be safer.

Covid and schools: 'Children know things aren't right' www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55105275

Good and timely report from Indie Sage - I was particularly happy about this bit in the Indie Sage report.

'Arranging pupils' desks to face the front is not a safeguard against transmission'

I mean that was obvious to anyone with a modicum of common sense really, but still, nice to have it repeated.

The Government has completely ignored Indie Sage up to now, of course, but they cannot credibly say 'we weren't warned' now. Which is something. It makes it a lot harder for them to weasel out of responsibility by blaming individual head teachers I think.

If you wish to write to a Tory MP about this point out the economic damage that is being caused by allowing schools to spread the virus. The countries that have most successfully controlled the virus generally have less economic damage theconversation.com/data-from-45-countries-show-containing-covid-vs-saving-the-economy-is-a-false-dichotomy-150533

We've been forced to try "protecting the vulnerable" while schools and universities were kept open to spread the virus. The hospitality industry and shops are now suffering from allowing that spread. Since it's impossible to "protect the vulnerable" they are also paying the price and filling up the hospitals.

That photo with just 2 pupils in a classroom is the best yet I reckon.

And staff are not at higher risk than those working in other sectors."

This is what I don't really understand.

At my infant school (3 class intake) since October we have:

Reception : 8 staff - 7 have tested positive for Covid this term; 1 missed it before half term but is home with symptoms this week.
Year 1 : 7 staff - 4 +ve; 1 home with symptoms now waiting for test
Year 2 : 8 staff - 5 +ve; 1 waiting for test results now
Across school teaching staff: 2 - 1 been 1+ve; another had symptoms but was -ve
Admin/office/management/maintenance : 9 - 4 +ve; 1 currently awaiting test

So 34 staff and 21 have been positive since October and 4 more currently awaiting results. This is following all school guidelines and adults not mixing with one another in close contact at school.

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Compare that with dh's large solicitors office where they have over 100 staff. They've had 4 positive cases so far.

Compare that with dh's large solicitors office where they have over 100 staff. They've had 4 positive cases so far.

Surely the vast majority of people in a solicitor's office are wfh? If they're not, they should be to avoid their children taking this thing into schools!

@BecomeStronger

Compare that with dh's large solicitors office where they have over 100 staff. They've had 4 positive cases so far.

Surely the vast majority of people in a solicitor's office are wfh? If they're not, they should be to avoid their children taking this thing into schools!

Only the vulnerable are working entirely from home. Many are part time home/work. Several work full time in the office due to the nature of their work. A lot of the admin work needs to be done in situ. Dh is in his office 3 days a week. On his two other days he is out visiting clients and/or working at home.

In the summer and until lockdown almost all were in the office. It works better for their firm generally, though they have flexibility to be at home too,

They are 'covid secure' and following all the rules set out for them. They were allowed to be back and after inspection from the local authority were found to be fully compliant.

So despite almost all working in the office all summer until lockdown only 4 members of staff tested positive. All were isolated cases (infact all were in different floors/different departments) with no spread within the firm.

So why can they work at full capacity under 'Covid secure' business rules and it not be spreading?
Yet a school who is 'Covid secure' has 2/3rd of their staff catching Covid?

But if they've had 4 cases they are still spreading.

It really is a mystery, isn’t it Aragog?

@BecomeStronger

Compare that with dh's large solicitors office where they have over 100 staff. They've had 4 positive cases so far.

Surely the vast majority of people in a solicitor's office are wfh? If they're not, they should be to avoid their children taking this thing into schools!

My sister is also a solicitor and has never been allowed to wfh. Her firm didn't allow it even in lockdown 1. Infact they furloughed staff initially. She was then told she had to work from the office. Her only other option would have been to resign. Luckily my parents would do childcare for her 7y child.

Mind you, again, despite every member of the office being in, under their Covid rules they've only actually had 1 positive case in their smallish firm, early in the summer,

@BecomeStronger

But if they've had 4 cases they are still spreading.

They are not transmitting between one another, across the firm. That's clear. Regardless, they are permitted to be in work. Infact in many of their cases they have to be there - dh's department for example is an essential service.

The 4 members of staff don't actually have school aged children so they didn't pass it to their child's school in these cases.

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And the point is - if schools aren't at any higher risk than any other profession, why is it more prevalent in many schools than other businesses? How has it managed to spread across my school when we aren't at any more risk from it?

Lots of solicitors and other office workers are working in offices and are allowed by law to do so.

Has anyone ever said schools aren't at risk? I work in school too. We are very clear we are at risk but we're doing important work and managing risk as best we can.

If other employers took their responsibilities more seriously, their staff's children wouldn't be bringing it into school.

@noblegiraffe

It really is a mystery, isn’t it Aragog?

Clearly!

And I very much doubt that my school is unusual either.

@BecomeStronger

Has anyone ever said schools aren't at risk? I work in school too. We are very clear we are at risk but we're doing important work and managing risk as best we can.

If other employers took their responsibilities more seriously, their staff's children wouldn't be bringing it into school.

Unfortunately not all businesses can work from home. Many other professions need to be in their offices in order to work effectively.

Has anyone ever said schools aren't at risk?

The government!
Right from the start they've claimed schools are safe, staff aren't at any more risk than anyone else. They've had a whole campaign all summer claiming it.

I feel at risk as support staff in school. Chatting to friend who has children in private school. They break up early December so can isolate and see family this Christmas. In a state we can't. With cases at mine and my children's secondary I see single family Christmas for us. Class division at its most obvious...

@DinkyDaisy

I feel at risk as support staff in school. Chatting to friend who has children in private school. They break up early December so can isolate and see family this Christmas. In a state we can't. With cases at mine and my children's secondary I see single family Christmas for us. Class division at its most obvious...

Yep-and no doubt in January when things kick off again and the ‘rich’ are all generally fine whereas covid will spread throughout the ‘poor’ and then the state schools-they’ll blame us for being stupid over Christmas.

But all will be fair for the exams next summer, won’t it...

Has anyone ever said schools aren't at risk?

Omg where have you been?

@BecomeStronger

Has anyone ever said schools aren't at risk? I work in school too. We are very clear we are at risk but we're doing important work and managing risk as best we can.

If other employers took their responsibilities more seriously, their staff's children wouldn't be bringing it into school.

schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-spends-s-spinning-covid-response/

And yet

www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/nov/03/advice-schools-covid-infection-pupils-classrooms-test-and-trace

Already all had to isolate this term at different times due to contacts. No enthusiasm for Christmas at all.
Perhaps government don't care as doesn't impact their kids as they generally live in a different world school wise?

I work in a college. We have very many admin staff (largely because running vocational education is extremely bureaucratic) and many managers who are rarely face to face with learners.
Admin staff WH worked at home during lockdown now have to come in but are socially distanced in offices, with half the workstations out of use. Similarly managers and some support staff. Face coverings are now mandatory in shared spaces.
Teaching staff, however, are expected to teach full classes as normal (and including many adult learners), protected magically only by a taped “teaching box”, ventilation (where possible, some classrooms have no external windows) and hand gel. The double standards are astounding. My colleague who suffered a heart attack last year and who was only able to return to work within weeks of lockdown has essentially been told to toe the line or seek employment elsewhere. Sensible suggestions for reducing risk by using blended learning were dismissed out of hand.

The Government are STILL saying schools are safe.

They're saying it here too - note their statement on another thread.