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.

@herecomesthsun

Oh, and why should links to petitions be removed? (Again, it hadn't occurred to me that there would be a problem with this)

After all, we live in a democracy, isn't it a positive thing if people are exercising their right to indicate their support for a particular action to their elected Member of Parliament? Should we not be encouraging this as fellow citizens?

Here they get moved to the petition section

Could someone post a link to the petition that people are talking about please?

I found one yesterday by someone who works as support staff in a university requesting that schools are closed, but she was posting in her capacity as a parent of primary school aged children, I think.

I didn't clock the date, and can't find any petition started by a teacher or anyone else about school closures on 29th Nov.

TIA!!

I haven’t rtft so not sure if it’s a specific one people are after but looking around petitions is weirdly in classified

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/petitions_noticeboard

Top two threads I think

I want schools to stay open and education is important and, shock horror, am also a teacher like all the other teacher posters on this thread who also want schools open
However, as a teacher who currently has Covid due to selfish fucker parent who sent their child in to school whilst that child was waiting for a test OP was that you by any chance? and that one selfish fucker parent has taken out multiple teachers including my DH in another school and also essential workers and vulnerable parents of other children in the class, so sod education for all hose pupils affected, eh!?

I have been mostly in tears all day because my skin is like a combination of the worst ever sun burn you ever had and extreme itchiness in one. It’s unbearable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. My poor child has a growing rash on the backs of their legs and it’s heartbreaking on such a little one.

So all those people arguing for children going in to school without any safety measures or thought for others, you can just Fuck. Right. Off.

Thanks Marsha.

The top two threads linking to a petition for schools to close two weeks early for Xmas were started by the same poster who isn't a teacher.

There are, however, a number of teachers who have posted on them saying things along the lines of 'I won't be signing this because I don't want schools to close'.

I did only skim tbf but I didn't see any posts saying 'I'm a teacher and i want schools to close' or anything similar, nor any supportive comments by teachers well known on these boards.

This isn't quite the picture that the 'teachers want the schools to close' brigade have been trying to paint is it?

Happy to be corrected if anyone can unearth all these petitions calling for schools to be closed down supported by teachers.

OK , I see christina !

I refuse to take responsibility for a petition started by someone who may or may not be school staff, that I haven't read, nor would sign if I did, just because I'm a teacher.
None of the names I saw in that section were regulars that I recognised. You'd think, if any of the "close schools brigade" that we're (unjustly and wrongly) accused of being, were that dedicated, we'd be all over the idea and on the associated threads.
(Forgive the shit grammar of those two paragraphs - it's been a long and hellish day in an enclosed indoor space with dozens of other people - you know, the sort that is banned in all other walks of life).

ChloeDecker I'm sorry to hear how unwell you and your family are.

I hope that you recover quickly.

Your post does show how it's not teachers who are the selfish ones in all this.

@Piggywaspushed

OK , I see christina !

Sorry, I should have been clearer in my post. I do appreciate that you must be in a bit of a trench mentality on these threads!

So, some people who don’t appear to be teachers, have posted about a petition that wants schools to close a week early for Christmas.

Has this really been extrapolated by some posters to mean that teachers are all in favour of long-term school closures?!

I didn’t look at op of threads just linked, but no assumption here they were teachers

Thanks christinarossetti19 It’s pretty miserable and the guilt of not being able to teach your pupils properly is still there.
I even tried to do some video lessons via Teams today that some pupils found useful proof for some that teachers do work from home even when ill

Marsha I know you have written that you haven’t RTFT but there have been assumptions on this thread by assuming they are started by teachers who have posted those petitions and used this against teacher posters.

However, as a teacher who currently has Covid due to selfish fucker parent who sent their child in to school whilst that child was waiting for a test OP was that you by any chance? and that one selfish fucker parent has taken out multiple teachers including my DH in another school and also essential workers and vulnerable parents of other children in the class, so sod education for all hose pupils affected, eh!?

So sorry to hear your so unwell with covid Chloedecker and that it’s imapcted on your family as well
Another teacher here unwell who has caught covid from school and now forcing my y11 dd to isolate for the fourth time and miss her mocks.
This thread just makes me wonder why we even bother

Christina ah ok. They’re not names I recognise (just looked) tbh petitions section is a bit out there generally. Could be anyone new poster etc

@ChloeDecker

I want schools to stay open and education is important and, shock horror, am also a teacher like all the other teacher posters on this thread who also want schools open However, as a teacher who currently has Covid due to selfish fucker parent who sent their child in to school whilst that child was waiting for a test OP was that you by any chance? and that one selfish fucker parent has taken out multiple teachers including my DH in another school and also essential workers and vulnerable parents of other children in the class, so sod education for all hose pupils affected, eh!?

I have been mostly in tears all day because my skin is like a combination of the worst ever sun burn you ever had and extreme itchiness in one. It’s unbearable and I wouldn’t wish it on anyone. My poor child has a growing rash on the backs of their legs and it’s heartbreaking on such a little one.

So all those people arguing for children going in to school without any safety measures or thought for others, you can just Fuck. Right. Off.

That is horrific, I am so sorry that happened to you. I wish you could fine that parent I hope you feel better soon

If it is any consolation, I am pretty sure it is only the troll op who wishes for no safety measures to be in schools. I don't think any other posters are as stupid uninformed.

If it is any consolation, I am pretty sure it is only the troll op who wishes for no safety measures to be in schools. I don't think any other posters are as stupid uninformed.

Sadly there has been more than one on this thread-not wanting masks for children etc. Thank you for your kind message. I posted on here because I have been on many other threads and I am just shellshocked I am in this situation due to someone making reckless decisions and those reckless decisions are encouraged by far too many.

Oh bloody hell, one of our Reception teachers has just told me several of hers have come in with rashes. But no chance of being tested, because it's not one of the main 3 symptoms!

Marsha the back story is that one of the deluded 'teachers want schools to close' brigade claimed that teachers were linking to petitions to support this.

Strangely, no-one can find these teacher-supported petitions, including the poster who claimed that she had.

She did find one started by a member of support staff which had lots of posts underneath saying 'I'm a teacher and won't be signing this because I want schools to stay open' and similar.

Having not been able to find evidence to support her mistaken belief, she flounced.

@caringcarer

My son went back today after 14 days at home self isolating as someone in his year group tested positive. He only gets 2 hours online learning each day. He is in Year 10. Went back today. Got school newsletter staying 2 staff home as been in contact with positive case and over half of school staff at home shielding. Do you really believe they are all CEV with letters from NHS? All students wear a mask all day except for PE and outdoor break. Now all years except key stage 4 home until further notice. Shocking. Those who stay home without symptoms, or being told to stay home by test and trace or shielding letter should not get paid. They are badly letting our.lids down. In March his school closed for deep clean and did not allow key workers kids in for 3 weeks. Then no vulnerable children allowed in with Social Workers. Only 6 kids allowed in all through first lockdown No online learning then. Very little work sent home. My son had 3 pieces of Maths throughout whole lockdown. No feedback for improvement, no marks so kids did not know how they had done. In September my son asked teachers for his work.back so he could see his marks, told no work was marked. Do his teachers were not setting work, not marking work, no feedback to kids and only went in to school 1 day every 3 weeks. Now they don't want to go in again Absolutely useless bunch at his school. My niece got completely different experience. She got online learning for 1/2 of every day, work marked and her school was open every week for key workers and vulnerable kids. All very.umfair. Government should be stricter with.yje teachers who just stay home without justification.

New levels of stupid have been reached!

"Then no vulnerable children allowed in with Social Workers."
What does this even mean? What have Social Workers got to do with it?

"Government should be stricter with.yje teachers who just stay home without justification."
Who is staying home "without justification?"

@CallmeAngelina

Oh bloody hell, one of our Reception teachers has just told me several of hers have come in with rashes. But no chance of being tested, because it's not one of the main 3 symptoms!

I know. I had to lie and say I had a fever too. It was only because I Googled and saw that many countries have it as their 4th symptom and apparently back on Sept, scientists were calling for the U.K. to add it as a 4th symptom but that completely passed me by.

The rash is different in different places:on hands wrists and knees is like hives or a summer heat rash and very itchy. On my face there is no visible rash as such but feels like it is burning all over and very very dry.
Hopefully this information might help someone else.

Not sure where the grin came from sorry!

Yeah, but also, we can't insist parents take their kids to be tested (lying aside).
If they want to send them in to school, we're stuck with them, potentially infected.

user1471588124

I don't know your role but I think that you should be allowed to wear a mask and, where possible, insist on a 2m distance. I think you should have good ventilation provided in your work place and that you shouldn't be in an over crowded room with lots of people in one go. I think you should have sanitisers, etc provided for you to use frequently.
And if your clients/customers are not medically exempt I would hope that they could be encouraged to wear a mask, or at least a visor, if they are in close quarters.

When vaccines are ruled out I hope you would be prioritised above the general non vulnerable risk groups, due to the nature of your work/role.

[quote timeforanewstart]@Aragog why would you of been in contact with all 270 pupils are you not at least in bubbles
At my ds school secondary no cases yet from students but couple teachers in holidays , and rpund here whole year groups including teachers being sent home close contact[/quote]
I work in an infant school and teach across the school, covering all classes. This is permitted in all government guidelines and has been since the start, along with no social distancing, no masks, nothing as infants. I was in no bubble at all - so wasn't allowed to even have lunch or a coffee in the same room as any other staff and in any meetings, etc I had to sit at a table on my own or ideally in a separate room for zoom, but was allowed to teach all children.

Rest of school are class bubbles, though the year group go out to play together.

After a few weeks my school management did decide they thought this may be too risky (bearing in mine I am clinically vulnerable - I was also feeling fairly miserable having no adult contact during working hours) and spoke to me to see if we could make changes. It was decided i would be part of the year 2 bubble, so I could sit 2m away from the staff but be in the same room at least. I would also teach year 1 but only from a distance and would have a TA in the room at all times for any 'up close work.' So still teaching 180 children, but officially only 90 with no SDing.

This change happened too late. the day it was due to start I tested positive for Covid.

After 7 weeks off ill I am now back. But I am under better conditions - and unofficially still only phased return really as I'm not really up to managing full weeks right now. I only teach year 2 now. I am allowed a mask whenever I want to. No one can guarantee I ca't catch it again and right now I am doing what I can to reduce that chance.