A safe space for parents and teachers who want schools fully open.

[Billie18]

What it says. Children have already been impacted by prolonged school closures, individual isolation, inadequate teaching, isolation from peers and this will have impacted on their education, psychological and social development and mental and physical health. It is concerning for the majority of parents that there is a push for schools to close.

Please no derailment. This is an important issue that will affect a whole generation. There are numerous threads here about enforcing restrictions and limiting access to schools so please discuss concerns about these issues elsewhere.

I'm pretty sure everyone wants schools to be able to open fully

I want schools fully open. But as we have 27 staff off currently either in hospital, positive or isolating please can you tell us how to do this. Thank you.

Do you mean kids who test positive should still go to school? And teachers?

Do you want infected people to attend schools?

I’m all for open schools. But arguing known close contacts of people with the virus should, without daily testing, be allowed in schools is taking the gung ho attitude too far even by my standards.

Schools are as fully open as they safely can be, closure is only for isolation or lack of staff due to illness, work will now be provided online for isolating children.
What more do you want? Can it be done safely, with the safety of staff and pupils equally important?

“A safe space”

@Schummakker

“A safe space”

Op wants a safe space for herself but, judging by yesterday’s post, doesn’t want a safe space for students as she believe they shouldn’t be “forced” to wear masks or social distance.

Interesting.

Why do you need a ‘safe space’? What are you in danger from?

I want schools to be fully open. Currently we aren't because half of y11, two y9 groups and one y8 class are isolating.

We've also had approximately half a maths department for 6 weeks.

This is an important issue that will affect a whole generation
Too right it will, unless someone gives schools some funding to sort it.

Of course I'd love my DDs school open but they moved to online learning today and are only open to KW children as they currently have a number of staff positive with Covid and 5 whole year groups isolating. I fully understand and support the school having to close to protect pupils and staff.

It's reckless to blindly insist all schools are fully open without any apparent common sense or recognition that it may not be possible. I mean, I want to be a supermodel but insisting it must happen isn't going to get me anywhere.

How will schools be fully open if a large proportion of the staff have Covid? Are you saying they can't have sick leave?

A couple of weeks ago, my daughter was the only adult in her department (teachers and TAs) who tested negative after an outbreak in her school. The school had to shut because there simply weren't enough adults in the place to supervise, never mind teach the children.

@mumsneedwine

I want schools fully open. But as we have 27 staff off currently either in hospital, positive or isolating please can you tell us how to do this. Thank you.

Containment. Unfortunately the UK doesn't appear to want schools fully open with no disruptions, illness, or deaths.

For fully open schools, you'd have to be in Australia, New Zealand, the Isle of Man, the Channel Islands, Taiwan, Singapore, Hong Kong, Japan, or Vietnam.

All that we can do is the next best thing. Which is to implement the measures recommended by the WHO for making schools more Covid safe.

@Honeybobbin

What is the purpose of the thread if you don't want to discuss the issue? I'm not sure a 'safe space' is needed, you're hardly a persecuted group 😂

I'm a parent and a teacher who will be overjoyed when schools are back to normal. For now though I'd rather we have some kind of rota system to improve social distancing, because I think they'd be better able to stay open.

This is based on my year 11 son who has missed 4 weeks already due to 2 periods of isolation for his bubble. I'd rather he was in school part time with some carefully planned home based learning in between, than this crazy situation of never knowing if he'll finish the week.

I don't want schools to close but I do want some common sense applied. Am I not welcome in your safe space? Is it an echo chamber you're after?

It's extremely concerning that so many children like your son and his "bubble" have been isolated from school.

Presumably you've seen the numerous threads here that would validate your solution?

What do you want schools to do, OP? I don't quite understand your position.

She wants unsafe schools, sara.

I'm assuming she wants Covid containment measures. How else can schools be fully open? They certainly can't if teachers and support staff are too ill to come in (at home or in hospital).

Perhaps she envisages a Summerhill type scenario? The thing is, although the children have a lot of autonomy there, they still need (and have) adults on site.

Why have you begun an almost identical thread to the one you began yesterday? Are you hoping for a different response?

It's not looking good so far.

Right OP.
In this imaginary world where we're not in the midst of a pandemic and there are no cases of Covid in schools (because we all know that the government stated that schools are 'Covid-secure' so it MUST be true, right...) you want a lovely safe suave where everything is open and hunky-dory and fiiiiiiine.

In the real world, school staff are dying. Children and staff are off sick. Whole schools are having to close for to infections.

But you want a safe space where everyone in it can talk about how schools should be open.

OP didn’t like the answers on her previous thread so started a new one!

Why have you begun an almost identical thread to the one you began yesterday?

That one wasn’t safe, Ange

A bit like the OP’s vision for schools.