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?

That is what teachers are saying, that they should also be entitled to the same protection.

Again I don't have I a problem with them having the same protection. I'm not just talking about my viewpoint.

Let me phrase it another way. Why do you think the majority of the general population are still sending their dc to school?

@noblegiraffe I know that hence why I said it was behind

@Billie18

Schools should never have shut. Healthy children should never be forced to isolate. There is zero evidence that mask wearing by the general public stops the spread of infection and forcing children to wear a mask is damaging to their psychological and social development. Also is likely to be a health risk as wearing a contaminated mask is akin to wearing a used handkerchief over your face.

Healthy children are not at risk from coronavirus and should not be damaged by restrictions. It has always been a risk working with children or being a parent. Those that do not want to take that risk should have considered this before having children or choosing to work with them. The majority of parents and teachers do this and they should fight to ensure that they don't get emotionally blackmailed by a vocal minority.

Lol. Cool story bro.

Why are they all called 'billie' or something with the number 20 on the end? I feel we should be told.

Why do you think the majority of the general population are still sending their dc to school?

Because children are relatively safe from covid?

More parents are getting pissed off at the lack of mitigation measures in schools now that their kids are having to repeatedly isolate though.

@noblegiraffe After 50k deaths why do you think some people don't believe in the virus, lockdown or masks?

Exactly self interest which is what I said a dozen posts ago but other posters are asking me why some people don't care.

@MuddyLillies
I am teacher and feeling extremely unsafe right now, as more and more teachers go off sick and bubbles told to isolate. Still no masks or visors allowed in corridors and no social distancing between staff - even the slt 🤨
You could be describing my school. ☹️

@nex18

Some of what you’re saying isn’t true, well it’s not true of my kids high school. 3, 8 (and a little bit 7) - school sending children home and insisting on them having a negative result before returning to school when they present in school with non covid symptoms (sore throat, runny nose etc). Asymptomatic testing centres set up locally inviting those who do not have symptoms to be tested, the advert suggests that people who working or studying might want to participate. 4, 12 - Currently a whole year group and a few teachers (and a whole bus) are self isolating due to one positive test in a child. 2 - masks in corridors and inside spaces other than during lessons has always been compulsory at their school but I thought this had been introduced everywhere now? 16 - this is the case for lots of workplaces, workplace rules are supposed to supersede the app.

Do you live in Wales? Here we still seem to have year group bubbles + school bus routes isolating (although I think secondary teachers still go in). I believe many schools in England just limit to pupils closest to the case which is worrying because they will mix in the canteen etc.

@kremeshe

Exactly self interest which is what I said a dozen posts ago but other posters are asking me why some people don't care.

Who do you think is teaching their kids and what will the impact be when that teacher is off for weeks with covid?

Self-interest really should extend to the people actually keeping schools open shouldn't it?

What have you done or the behalf of other workers eg construction staff or security guards. I'm not trying to be facetious I'm just trying to illustrate my point.

Classic ‘Whataboutary’ to deflect from the actual issue of the thread. Disappointing but not unexpected with how the U.K. views education.
By the way, noble and other teachers on here did speak out in support of bus drivers, police and NHS on here during the first lockdown.

Jesus it's like talking to a brick wall. I'm not defending it, I'm not the spokesperson for why schools should stay open no matter what. I just think that is the reason for the general lack of apathy. Don't attack me for providing an explanation

But we are also being discouraged from worrying about NHS staff kremeshe. No one is suggesting that they aren't placed at risk.

[quote kremeshe]@noblegiraffe After 50k deaths why do you think some people don't believe in the virus, lockdown or masks? [/quote]
Well, every single online news report I bother looking at, the comments are full of people angrily shouting things like, ‘they died WITH covid, not of covid.’

Don't attack me for providing an explanation

I can't see anyone attacking you.

kremeshe I've been posting about the situation in schools on here for months. I know the reasons people don't give a shit because they've been trotted out a billion times.

So despite frequent posts nothing has changed?

attacking was perhaps a little dramatic but I have no idea of the motivations for all parents

Why are they all called 'billie' or something with the number 20 on the end?

I always assumed with a previous prolific poster that it was a sectarian reference jupp

@kremeshe

So despite frequent posts nothing has changed?

That's not true. There is definitely way more awareness of the issues in schools now, I can see it coming through in other threads.

@noblegiraffe I felt we both agree self interest was the main driver.

If kids were getting ill or were self isolating every week it would be a different story.

Have things changed in schools though?

@noblegiraffe I haven't yet read the entire thread but I can predict that you will get the following responses...

• there are no cases in my child's usually tiny village school therefore there's no problem nationally

-my child has to go to school so I can work

• you're scaremongering and should seek help for your perfectly fine mental health
• virus? What virus?
• if NHS staff/supermarket staff/whatever can go to work then teachers should not complain about being in a small unventilated room with 30 teenagers who aren't wearing masks
• if you don't like teaching then quit cos teaching doesn't have any recruitment and retention crises at all

In truth, as someone working with schools on behalf of a public health team (not the one where I live) I've seen and heard everything that you speak off. My teenage son is self isolating due to contact with a positive case at college. In my daughters secondary school there have been bubbles burst all term - and we're not even in an area of high rates of infection.

Teachers are being thrown under the bus. You never say that schools need to close, but I say they do and many of my colleagues think the same - but the govt is deaf to our voices.

The virus is spreading in schools. To really stop the virus spreading and killing people then we need to close all sources of infection and that includes schools. We advised the circuit breaker over half term because it was the best way to reduce the infection rates whilst not causing too much disruption for parents needing to work.

As it is we now have this shitshow which is going to lead to more businesses - especially the already fragile hospitality industry who had been doing so well to be covid secure - going under.

If kids were getting ill or were self isolating every week it would be a different story.

They are and it is definitely getting that way.

@kremeshe

Have things changed in schools though?

Only for the worse. But that is rather the point of this thread.

Well then maybe things will change