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?

@Glitterynails this is probably outing but I don't care right now.
In the new schools guidance for lockdown where it said 'shielding not in' it also said 'but even if you were shielding before you probably aren't now because we've kicked half a million of you off the list'.
I should be shielding. My GP agrees, the specialists in my condition agree and have released guidance to that effect. The government approved NHS shielding list does not and my GP has been told she cannot add me to it. The changes the government made to remove people from the list look like they are designed to move anyone fit enough to hold down a job - basically get everyone back to work.
So I (and I'm sure many others like me) are in school.
When we die, our deaths will be reported as 'but they had underlying conditions'. Underlying conditions enough to 'excuse' our deaths but not enough to give us workplace protection to prevent them.
I am beyond furious but I can't afford to quit my job.

I'm sadly having to agree with the majority here

my son is a TA in an Academy run primary in an inner London borough where cases continue to rise .

A "bubble" is a whole year group of 3 classes ..Lunch time = sandwiches in classroom supervised by dinner ladies while the class teachers are in staff room .

The school has an unit catering for children with additional needs ( mainly autistic ) .These children spend some time in their year group's class and some time in intervention groups of mixed ages .

A member of class room staff team went home sick on a Tuesday because of uncontrollable coughing .

Confirmed positive on the Thursday . Is in hospital v unwell .

School still open ,no bubbles isolating at home .

Parents sent letter saying " there has been a confirmed case within the school...advice sought from the Academy trust ,the London Borough ,PHE and DoE ...we have been told no further action needs to be taken "

It goes on to list the most common symptoms of the virus as
new continuous cough,high temp., anosmia .

And I understand that parents have been told of fines for keeping children off .

@Balhammom

I think this thread reflects a fundamental ignorance as to what the UK, and other countries, are seeking to do.

It is not possible to eradicate covid through lockdowns alone. Therefore, the aim of the current measures is to limit its spread to levels that (i) do not lead to rapid exponential growth, and (ii) allow the health service to respond to positive cases requiring treatment... while still maintaining most of the economy and core services, including education.

On that basis, most of the scientists and clinicians I know agree with, or are at least comfortable with, the current measures.

If we are truly trying to merely limit spread then the government should have implemented the WHO guidelines. What these policies are doing is trying to DRIVE spread. On purpose, and deliberately. While also exposing secondary teachers to risk while forbidding them masks in the place where they are most exposed for the longest time.

Also I suspsect these scientists and politicians that are happy with the way things are.... probably dont have kids in state schools where it is likely to spread. If their private school has already limited the class to 15 and has wide open spaces and forest school on friday... its allright for them. On population level they're okay with it...

However I don't agree that vulnerable children should be fined for not attending.

@Donewith2020 I am so sorry to hear this. I am pregnant and feel vulnerable enough without a serious health condition like you describe having. I don’t usually advocate sick leave but if I were you I would seriously consider this at the beginning of January to avoid the inevitable post-Christmas spike in infections.

[quote nex18]@noblegiraffe I am not saying they’re lying, I am saying you can still book a test without these symptoms (and if not, you can tick yes you have symptoms nobody checks).[/quote]
In which case you agree, you can lie to get a test, but you are told only to test with the 3 main symptoms and are prompted to say which one you have when booking a test. There are lots of paid-for ads by the government reminding people of this.

I'm not sure that scientists are happy with how things are, SAGE wanted schools included in the current lockdown.

@Donewith2020 that makes me so cross on your behalf. I teach just sessionally (not school) and have refused f2f this term. We're losing money. I'm terrified my child will bring it home and I will die. I've already had friends point put that its the "underlyingncondition" that would kill me. As if that makes it okay!!!

My take on this as an infant school teacher and parent of 2 infant/junior DCs-

1.Government are lazy and incompetent, unwilling to spend money to properly mitigate risk in schools and so took the easy option of everyone back to school with a few paltry 'safety measures'.

1. Parents in general would rather believe schools are safe and go along with the charade than question it, because most need to work, they know school will educate their child better than a home schooling scenario in the majority of families, and there is no other way for children to socialise now. I include myself in this.

1. People conveniently forget that teachers could be in the CEV category, or live with them in their household.

1. There seems to be a levelling up of risk, perceived by the public, of supermarket workers, delivery drivers, etc so that teachers are put in the same category as these workers. But in no other job can you currently be in a small room with 30 individuals. Even with windows open, a clear visor on, an attempt at distancing (which is a nonsense) and extra cleaning, if virus aerosols are floating around in the air there is more risk than a transitory contact time paying at a till with a huge perspex screen, for example.

1. My 5 year old class are trying so hard to cope with sitting at desks in rows for most of the day. They are not developmentally ready for this and should be sitting in small groups at tables, moving to the carpet for whole class teaching inputs, etc. This setup, as well as being largely unworkable also puts me, the most vulnerable person in the room, in front of 30 people's used air.?! But it looks like we're doing something to mitigate risk, so it stands.

@noblegiraffe I meant the ones that were hapoy with it. Aka the ones pp knows /current politicians.

Like you I agree the original science/ Sage/WHO aren't at all happy.

I guess it depends on what your motive is/what collateral dmaage you are happy with.

@nex18 sorry but @noblegiraffe is correct. I have parents at my school refusing to get their child tested because their symptoms are not on ‘the list’ and they won’t lie about them on the website . I also have parents trying to say the high temp was only for a few hours so no test. Or the cough wasn’t a dry one so no test. So even the very clear 3 symptoms are being ignored by parents in their desire to have their children in school no matter what. The guidance does not say if the temp goes away then don’t test. It does not say that the cough must be dry to be tested.

Parents in general would rather believe schools are safe and go along with the charade than question it, because most need to work, they know school will educate their child better than a home schooling scenario in the majority of families, and there is no other way for children to socialise now. I include myself in this.

I would say this is true for the vast majority. I know schools aren't truly safe but it's better for my dc to be in school & for me to be able to work.

On the testing with no symptoms ,my experience of phoning test and trace was being told that I couldn't have a test without displaying symptoms .My relatives ( cancer ,diabetes ) could if their GP referred them for one .

Do they not care because there's no vaccine licensed for under 18s? Is the plan for children quite literally herd immunity, because there's no other end point in sight. Of course it's cold comfort for vulnerable teachers and families with vulnerable members. But it would explain it.

@kremeshe then people also need to wake up and acknowledge that schools are unsafe for staff especially those who are vulnerable!

@PineappleUpsideDownCake it's terrifying isn't it. Without covid, I have a life expectancy of at least another 30 years (I'm 30).
If I die of covid it bloody well will be 'of' covid not 'with' covid but it won't be reported like that! I also have a young child.
January sick leave is on my mind too.

So even the very clear 3 symptoms are being ignored by parents in their desire to have their children in school no matter what.

I don't think some people realise how feckless other parents are. We had to call one such parent to collect their child, when the child told the teacher they'd been for a test and were waiting for results...

But how many parents do think it's completely safe for vulnerable staff to be in school?

@Donewith2020 do it. No one else gives a shit about your health and well-being.

Its this graphic that does it for me.How dare they? Its so wrong.

Its the graphic that combines the teacher of unknown with the other teachers. My phone will not let me attach it.

They have manipulated teachers just writing teacher and then creating this category of ' teacher of unknown type'

Just wow!

No @noblegiraffe I don’t agree, if school asks you to test your child, you go through the questions and tick “I have been asked to get a test” and then book a test.

@kremeshe I only see them clamouring to have their children in school no matter what. I do not see them shouting that vulnerable staff should not be the ones in classes crammed with 30+ pupils with no safety precautions other than please wash your hands.

I don't think they will be. The comment about fining for non attendance was made by someone else on the other thread, in response to my post about absence codes in registers. X code is only used for those who are suffering with Covid, or isolating due to contact with a positive case, or who are symptomatic or have suspected case in their household, or who are shielding. Anyone else who is off school for coronavirus related reasons (eg parents who choose to isolate the children when they haven't been told to), and the child is not ill, are marked as O (unauthorised absence) - and I think this is where the 'being fined' theory is coming from as technically they could be. But I have no idea if people actually will be fined for this.

Yes, they won't get tests. And they get angry at the mere suggestion. I teach kids with previously 100% attendance who had vicious coughs , fatigue and general flu liken symptoms who stayed at home for 3 days and then came back in. A few days later , their neighbour will be off, and then another schol mate. None getting tests, because 'it's wet cough, miss'. Also, lots of stomach complaints, to the point that our office staff commented on a 'stomach bug going round.'

Our first aiders don't know that enhanced list of symptoms!