It's best for children to be in school

[Billie18]

I'm shocked that the consensus here appears to be that schools should close. I believe that it's best for children to be in school. Also that they should not be forced to wear masks or perform any social distancing as this is a damaging for their mental and social development. A thread for parents and teachers who share this view and have concerns about the threat of school closures and forced isolation of children who are not ill.

There's also still an issue with staff and pupils having to isolate with symptoms and waiting for test results - we need to get the lateral tests for schools so that particularly staff can have an instant answer as to whether they have it or not and whether they need to be off work if well but have a cold and cough - I don't mean to avoid isolating but I know there's still a problem with staff having to miss a day or two for a cough that results in a negative test - can have a big impact on staffing

@StarryFire

My friend was telling me about this guy who didn’t want to wear a condom. It impeded his enjoyment; he couldn’t focus with it on; he liked to feel closer to her; it was uncomfortable; a distraction; put him off ....

...and her argument that it prevented pregnancy and STIs was just brushed over with his whining about how he didn’t like it.

A little like your mask argument. Yes, it’s uncomfortable; yes it’s a distraction; yes is can impede communication a little and make a lesson a little harder to understand or enjoy, BUT, it protects everyone from a nasty virus that can in worst case scenarios kill.

[quote DBML]@TheSunIsStillShining

I’ve seen links/posts about:

• data in children
• Unions asking for schools to remote teach for the last week of term
• Unions asking for blended learning
• Rate of transmission in schools

I can’t remember a link to an article outright asking for schools to simply close 🤔

I think people interpret posts the way they want to and they don’t stop for a moment to look at the bigger picture.[/quote]
I'm sorry, why address me?
I'm all for the above. Actually I'm probably one of the very few (or the only :)) who would support full online learning. But I am vocal about making schools safe and not about full online as I realize that we're in a very unique position and mindset about that.

The real frustrating thing is that if in sept when numbers were low all sec school kids went back with masks, mine would have been in there with them. This didn't happen, so kept him home.
Now - at this point- school is saying that I can start sending him in and he is allowed to wear a mask all the time. But now it's just past that point and if he is almost the only one than there is little use.... :(

@TheSunIsStillShining

My apologies, I simply wanted you to know that I agreed with you and that I also hadn’t seen any articles advocating school closures.
Sorry if I offended.

[quote StarryFire]@TheSunIsStillShining

I would reluctantly support masks being worn in corridors in communal areas on an emergency basis in areas of extremely high prevalence (more than 500 cases per 100,000).

The necessity should be reviewed on a daily basis by local directors of public health and local authorities.

However, masks should never be worn in classrooms by DC or staff. They are an impediment to effective communication, which is an important aspect of learning and a skill DC should be developing in every lesson.[/quote]
As I've already said - I will continue to wear a mask whenever I am close to any child in school.

It is having no negative impact on my teaching nor the learning of my pupils.

Whilst Covid definitely did impede my health and would do so even more if I were to catch it again, there is no actual impediment to the children for me to wear a mask whenever I am within 2m of a child in a classroom.

Just like for thousands of children across the world it appears that British children don't seem even remotely bothered to see their teachers wearing masks.

Luckily none of the parents at our school have voiced any concerns over this either. I'd be happy to discuss in detail my illness with them and how Covid caught in school from a child led to this should they wish to discuss it further. My headteacher and other staff fully support this decision.

@DBML
having posted on school related threads I'm not offended easily any more :) And even then this would not have been offending. I just thought you might have misunderstood something or wanted to react to someone else :)

@TheSunIsStillShining

Perhaps I did mean to respond to someone else 😂 Oh dear, it’s been a long day!

Right, I've just been over to the Petitions department for a nose to see what's there. There are 3 or 4 petitions about school closure, but none have been started by any recognisable names, nor have any "known" teachers on here posted on them to say they've signed.
The only name I recognised was one that was asking for masks to be made compulsory, which is a different argument - presumably in favour of keeping schools open, but more safely.

@OverTheRainbowLiesOz

Teachers don't want schools to close. They want decent safety measures.

YES!

It doesn't matter how many times, and in how many ways teachers on here say that they don't want schools to close (as if we LIKE attempting to teach remotely from home!), there are too many people who are determined to believe the opposite.
Also, in Primary at least, this is about the nicest time of the year. We are desperately trying to keep as much of the usual treats/activities going as we can, so it would be a real shame if we had to ditch them. Although saying that, another year group of ours has gone down today, so who knows what's coming our way.

What do you consider "decent safety measures" though? And realistically, given we voted in this utter shower of a government, are they likely to ever happen?

And if the answer to the second question is (being realistic) no, then what?

Exactly that - and we don't want decent safety measures 'because we are cowardly'. We want safety measures because these will keep children in school with their own subject teachers in front of them.

@Juststopswimming

What do you consider "decent safety measures" though? And realistically, given we voted in this utter shower of a government, are they likely to ever happen?

And if the answer to the second question is (being realistic) no, then what?

Testing of the full bubble when there's a positive case and isolating more widely

Ditching the 'send home close contacts only' policy, it's shit and doesn't work. Proper testing is the way forward.

Mask in secondary classrooms (OP is primary)

More funding for schools for proper ventilation.

No fines for ECV families.

I didn't vote in this utter shower of a government.

If we don't get this, then the situation in secondary schools will get worse and worse until eventually someone in the media wakes up to it, prints a headline and the government have to act.

OP, you want schools to stay open AND you want pupils not to wear masks or try to distance in any way.
You need to pick one: you can't have both.

@echt

If you read about how dangerous schools are and think that means they should close, then that’s your conclusion, not mine. Despite you repeatedly trying to put it on me

I can never quite decide whether such posters really do have such poor reading skills or are being disingenuous.

It’s funny, isn’t it. Because I think it’s you and giraffe and all the other school-closers-by-stealth who are being disingenuous. Isn’t it odd?!

'think the sharp decrease in new cases Over the last week or so proves that schools are not the problem'

Exactly.

'Ditching the 'send home close contacts only' policy, it's shit and doesn't work. Proper testing is the way forward.'

It does work. Thank god our schools have capable, switched on staff.

So, as I was saying, people are determined to believe what they want to believe, no matter what we post.

There are lots of posters who can’t argue against improved safety measures in schools. They want to but they know it will make them look like complete dicks. See Us4Them for example.

So these posters create the strawman of the person wanting schools closed and fight against that instead.

I’m not sure why they are against improving safety measures in schools, they never say. They just bang on endlessly and tediously about closing schools.

@DBML

Had enough now of being treated like my life doesn't matter. As long as the kids are in school.

Same. I feel like nothing more than a commodity.

Whilst loopy people stick their fingers in their ears, shout ‘la la la’ and ‘won’t somebody think of the children’.

Idiots.

I work all day supporting people in the community (who dont wear masks or socially distance), in and out of houses, dont get tested and am earning minimum wage. Do you think i shouldnt work until I'm safe? Or do you accept that somethings have to keep running even at a big risk to workers?

think the sharp decrease in new cases Over the last week or so proves that schools are not the problem

Happy mixing with those secondary kids at Christmas to you all.

It's odd to think anyone needs to be a school closer by stealth
If I thought schools need to close I would say "look, things are so bad that the only solution is a period of closure" - in fact, I do think this is advisable for a slightly extended period over Christmas, given the country has been given the green light to partaayyy for 5 days. I don't think that is what the posters mean though, we want schools to shut permanently, is that it?

'Happy mixing with those secondary kids at Christmas to you all.'

What do you suggest we do with them, keep them in the shed?

It makes no sense to me either.
This has been said a gazillion times before, but here it is again:
For schools to have the best chance of avoiding full or partial closures, so that children can remain in class (which is the best place for them to be), we need to be supported in operating with the best safety procedures we can.
What is so hard to understand about that?

"I don't think that is what the posters mean though, we want schools to shut permanently, is that it?"
Well, it's those pesky unions, innit?

Do you think i shouldnt work until I'm safe?

Thing is, if your job definitely is essential and definitely can’t be made any safer then that’s one thing (if that’s the case then vaccine priority and regular testing should be on the cards), but if your job is unsafe and could easily be made safer, then obviously it should be. Some people disagree. Which is weird.