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Original poster

We're having 2-3 teachers a day catching CV19 DFE You're not keeping us safe

502 replies

Anon12345678910 · 05/12/2020 18:37

Look at the image from www.bmj.com/content/370/bmj.m3223
I've circled where we fall in classrooms. It's time for face coverings in classrooms. I don't want to loose any colleagues or my own life.

We're having 2-3 teachers a day catching CV19 DFE You're not keeping us safe
OP posts:
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Original poster
Anon12345678910 · 05/12/2020 20:03

Or strike?

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 05/12/2020 20:04

NEU reports very little appetite for striking.

Teachers have been badly burned by strikes in the past, the public just hate us for it.

noblegiraffe · 05/12/2020 20:10

@converseandjeans

You won't get much sympathy on here. So long as people can send their kids into school they're not fussed. Teachers are considered to be moaning & need to just get on with it. If they mention that school is responsible for transmission of covid they're accused of wanting schools to close
I think that’s changing as more parents experience what uncontrolled covid transmission is doing to secondary schools.

Plenty of support for safer schools here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4095400-noblegiraffe-wants-SAFER-schools-not-closed-schools-Do-you

movingonup20 · 05/12/2020 20:11

Many teachers have kids at home, how do you know they caught it at work? I work alone and caught covid ... there are other sources other than the classroom!

Original poster
Anon12345678910 · 05/12/2020 20:18

@movingonup20 I think you've missed the point, we've got a distinct chain of staff catching it daily...that's from school, it's the only explanation at that rate.

@noblegiraffe I know Sad protesting next Saturday then?... I'm tempted... short of recreating the 5th Nov...😂(joke obv, but the feeling is far too real).

OP posts:
RigaBalsam · 05/12/2020 20:28

Its outrageous it really is.

We are not saying shut schools for 13 weeks again! Just help us be a safer.

StaffAssociationRepresentative · 05/12/2020 20:30

The DfE doesnt care about the teaching staff. Use them up, burn them out as there is always another crop willing and eager to take their plan.

Teacher training applications have soared given that graduates cant access the usual graduate programmes. Better to go into teaching than to have no job at all. Current economic situation is forcing people into teaching who normally would not have considered it. Now, of course, the DfE will be saying look at how successful our campaigns are.

TheRubyRedshoes · 05/12/2020 20:37

Pink that is worrying. Is there other circs? Tier 3? Etc

noblegiraffe · 05/12/2020 20:37

protesting next Saturday then?... I'm tempted...

I don’t think teachers can make any difference. The govt have done too good a job of painting us as unreasonable workshy whingers for the general public to pay attention. The data has been covered up and the media are complicit in ignoring the situation.

I don’t know how it is going to play out, but they’ll do their damndest to have us limp on.

TheRubyRedshoes · 05/12/2020 20:40

Noble it's probably because it's so political and is see as far left. Just as people are adverse to the far right they also dislike the far left.
Quite rightly.

RigaBalsam · 05/12/2020 20:41

@StaffAssociationRepresentative

The DfE doesnt care about the teaching staff. Use them up, burn them out as there is always another crop willing and eager to take their plan.

Teacher training applications have soared given that graduates cant access the usual graduate programmes. Better to go into teaching than to have no job at all. Current economic situation is forcing people into teaching who normally would not have considered it. Now, of course, the DfE will be saying look at how successful our campaigns are.

This! The financial incentive is good but teaching is a job that definitely sounds and looks easier than it is.
RayOfSunshine2013 · 05/12/2020 20:44

Aww Hmm

Mine won’t be wearing a mask

TheRubyRedshoes · 05/12/2020 20:46

Noble unfortunately, many schools shot themselves in the foot by choosing not to support their students during lock down.

Other schools decided to do the something and put them to shame whilst facing of course, exactly the same problems.

I was working and having to support and teach a primary school dc, from scratch, I had no power points or print outs.
Other schools around us however provided much more support, with weekly work issued. As I drove to the shop one day I saw dds teacher out running.
They were belligerent when I asked for help and support because dd has sen.

It's a picture that many parents have reported and it is doesn't wash to blame that schools response Solely on Boris Johnson?

I'm in education myself, I face these dangers every day. I agree with most of your arguments, it's awful what teachers are having to face right now. I agree the government right now has left us high and dry.

But some of responsibility for the lack of public trust must rest with the head teachers who chose not to assist their pupils through lock down and the unions.

wonderstuff · 05/12/2020 20:49

The ONS appearing to manipulate statistics and not planning on another report on schools is quite upsetting.
A colleague of mine is CEV, was at home during lockdown and has returned now, it's no safer, if anything we're getting more cases. There's pressure on LSAs to scribe in mock exams with no distancing. Its crap. Almost every other country has put more measures in place in schools.

pinkchampagne1 · 05/12/2020 20:51

TheRubyRedshoes, yes we are in Kent so an area that has gone from tier 1 to tier 3.
3 of our local secondary schools recently had to close and 2 primaries. One of the secondaries had 37 out of 52 staff members self isolating.

I am a TA in a primary school and I feel it is just a matter of time before I get infected.

noblegiraffe · 05/12/2020 20:52

Noble unfortunately, many schools shot themselves in the foot by choosing not to support their students during lock down.

I don’t think that being forced to work in unsafe conditions should be seen as a reasonable sanction for insufficient support in lockdown.

Insufficient support in lockdown is a reasonable argument for keeping schools open, it is not a reasonable argument for keeping them open with no funding for mitigation measures like better ventilation, guidance that warns against masks, telling parents not to test children unless they have adult symptoms, not isolating the right kids when covid is running through a school and for the government to cover up the impact of all this on both teachers and pupils by hiding data, or releasing fiddled and fudged data and claiming everything is ok.

RigaBalsam · 05/12/2020 21:03

The first lockdown was no notice and all brand new with little notice.

We have changed dramatically how we do things now compared to March as have most schools.

BungleandGeorge · 05/12/2020 21:11

Did anyone spot what they define as high and low occupancy? (More out of interest for other social places and risk!).
I support masks for teachers and students in secondary schools.

FurForksSake · 05/12/2020 21:12

The problem with wearing masks is that many of them are wearing the same one for days (weeks??) on end and many don't fit well, aren't worn properly and when wearing them for an hour probably lose some effectiveness due to becoming damp. I'm a TA and with the same form of 12 and 13-year-olds all day, I feel like a sitting duck.

Covidwoes · 05/12/2020 21:13

I'm a primary school teacher who had a positive test nearly 3 weeks ago. Tier 2.

Angel2702 · 05/12/2020 21:29

Our high school has had 66 cases in the pupils and 14 teachers. Only half of year 7 and year 10 are in school 100 yr 7 are isolating along with all of years 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13. Yet not allowed to close my son is one of only 3 left in his form group not isolating.

The bubbles aren’t working as the teachers are mixing from bubble to bubble.

Aragog · 05/12/2020 22:31

The government and the DfE don't care. Tbh most MN parents don't care either based on the numerous threads.

Two thirds of our staff at my infant school have tested positive. I caught Covid at school where the only close contact I have is with the children. I was in hospital ill and had seven weeks off. I'm back now but still struggling and will have life long issues as a result.

PHE fudged the whole thing too so really didn't help and possibly made matters worse.

I took a test at the hospital in a Tuesday and got result on the Wednesday. I didn't have the main 3 symptoms but had had breathing issues and chest tightness for several days before, certainly from the Thursday if not before. PHE told the headteacher to only accept the test day and two days before - so meant no one had to self isolate. Track and trace used the Thursday and two days before.

If PHE used this same date it would have closed six classes at school. I can't imagine why the chose to use the Tuesday ConfusedHmm

Favouritebauble · 05/12/2020 22:32

Yesterday a letter went out to all parents in my area from our local authority. It stated that there is "very little transmission between pupils" and "schools are safe places". Basically the same letter they sent in September. 50+ cases in my kids school so far this term.

Aragog · 05/12/2020 22:37

And no I don't want schools to be closed. Teaching from home was so much harder for everyone and tbh I do less hours when school is open, if I wanted to look at it from my own personal work load POV.

I want schools to be safer.
I want the DfE and the government to acknowledge that they aren't right now.

I am fortunate that my headteacher has taken on board what's happened and made fairly big changes to the way our school now runs and specifically my role (I was working across the whole school before). She is also happy for me to wear a mask (which whilst protects others mainly does appear to protect the wearer when it comes to viral load, etc) in class. I wear one whenever I go within 2m of children.

But things need to improve as many schools are really struggling. Parents were lied to from the start from the messages that children don't catch Covid (obviously they do and can spread it) right down to the choice of photographs (you know, the ones with three or four kids spaced out in an empty room) used in tv and in the media whenever schools are mentioned.

Aragog · 05/12/2020 22:40

@movingonup20

Many teachers have kids at home, how do you know they caught it at work? I work alone and caught covid ... there are other sources other than the classroom!
The only other person I had close contact with was Dh. Whilst he does work out of the home part of the week he works in a very strict Covid secure office and has no close contacts. He's not been even vaguely near anyone with Covid or Covid symptoms. He himself had no symptoms and has never been Covid positive, even after sharing a room with me for a fortnight when I was positive and ill.

The likelihood of catching it from shopping deliveries and parcels are incredibly small.

After lengthy talks with the hospital doctors, track and trace and my GP (lots of follow ups after Covid so lots of chance to talk) then the finger points to school, where we know many of the parents have had Covid during this time.