Possible way to avoid a January Lockdown?

[SubstantialMeal]

Lurker since Lockdown #1, first post.

Have been reading most of the threads on this board lately, especially the education ones. Both I and DH have several family members in education. My DMum, for one, is a retired schoolteacher who now works as a TA for children with SEN.

A lot of posters on these threads seem to think there has been no (or not much) media interest from the UK media? Some folks believe there's a D notice that has silenced the media, particularly at the local level. Apologies if this has been discussed already, but has anyone tried the international papers? Like Der Speigel in English, El Pais and Le Monde in English--that sort of thing?

Especially with Brexit about to go live, as it were, all eyes are going to be on the UK. If news outlets abroad picked up on the desperate situation that some schools are in, would that possibly shame inspire our government into doing something to make schools safer?

From what I've observed, this government seems to be at least somewhat influenced by public opinion. Maybe if the plight of teachers put at risk and students forced to isolate for weeks was made known to a wider audience, it would be a call to action.

Also, a lot of UK citizens, both at home and abroad, would read these papers and finally see what is going on in our schools. Because as you can tell from the posts, a lot of people have no idea what day-to-day life is in some schools.

Any thoughts? There's one poster in particular who I tend to listen to because she always has the data to back up her threads, but as I'm a first-time poster, I don't know if it's rude to name names.

The governing knows. It has just decided that children being in school trumps everything else.

So no one thinks a little international attention would give the government a kick in the pants to make things better? Or is my OP just insanely long...?

What’s the readership of international papers in the U.K.?

Also - how would this avoid a January lockdown?

Also - how would this avoid a January lockdown?
Exactly. January lockdown is going to be related to Christmas mixing. Not schools.

Schools remaining open is Boris Johnson's red line. He got elected because he pretended he wouldn't have bloody Johnny Foreigner telling him what to do.

I think most countries are trying to fight their own battle against Covid so I’m not sure they would actually care about ours? We’re all going through a horrid time and I doubt that our school issues are newsworthy to another country. They’ve got far more bigger fish to fry, so to speak.

Also, I was listening to radio 4 today and international newspapers aren’t really reporting on Brexit either, I think we’ve become a nuisance to Europe!

Also - how would this avoid a January lockdown?

I was thinking if there was an international outcry on the way teachers and students are being treated, this would pressure the gov to do something that would lessen the effect of Christmas mixing. Either extend the break so more safety measures could be put in place, add funding for blended learning and alternate childcare to support working parents, or maybe at least just stop fining parents who want to homeschool their kids until a vaccine is in place.

I mean, this is all being kept hushed up, because if it were widely known, the government would be forced to act, out of embarasment if nothing else.

I think most countries are trying to fight their own battle against Covid so I’m not sure they would actually care about ours?

Actually, I've noticed that other countries are very interested in what each other is doing re covid response, especially if they're failing. That way, governments can show their own people, 'Well look, at least we're not x country.'

the government would be forced to act, out of embarasment if nothing else

This government has no shame or embarrassment. Dominic Cummings?

January restrictions are inevitable irrespective of the risk to NHS capacity. The governments of the UK are too far down the path of restrictions to stop now. Not if they risk media criticism.

As regards international and domestic attention, we haven't seen much of an outcry in the media about the hundreds of thousands of jobs lost nor the decimation of industries.

It may not be possible to stop or limit the spread of COVID or indeed any respiratory virus in schools. It's likely that the governments understand this and factor this into their calculations when assessing risk to NHS capacity.

I suspect that most people also understand that these types of virus spread rapidly in schools. This is neither new nor unexpected.

At least we saw an outcry in the media about the loss of education in general, and the impact to exams. I would hope that we would see a similar outcry if the UK took steps to limit our children's education again.

5 schools in NI have said that parents can choose to take their children out for the last week before Christmas and they will give them work to do at home. I’m hoping more will follow including my dds’ school.

Aren't most countries laughing at us in a haze of disbelief? Surely whatever we do is just adding to the incredulity.

Aren't most countries laughing at us in a haze of disbelief?

I would think most people are far more worried about their own country's problems.

Most people in Britain don't care about Brexit, why should other Europeans?

What does “make schools safer” entail?

I'd support better safety measures and parents who want to keep their children out of school should be able to do so without being fined. I won't support blended learning for all. Those of us who want and need our DC in school full time shouldn't have that option removed yet again.

Hushed up? Cases seem reported frequently enough. And the UK is small fry compared to the size of most other countries and none of them are quite getting the school thing right, because they can't. The majority of parents wanted their kids back at school - for work reasons, their child's mental health, lack of learning etc. Now the kids are and some very vocal people are complaining about that.
My children's school has only one case of a child testing positive, causing just five other kids to have to isolate. The strict measures they have in place has allowed my Y11 child to complete the syllabus for her GCSE exams.
Of course the government has monitored what other countries are doing. None of them seem to be doing much differently, or with any greater success, so I'm not sure why you think anyone would be outraged or care to put any pressure on when they are also trying to figure out the best way of educating as safely as possible.

I was thinking if there was an international outcry on the way teachers and students are being treated

You think the situation is that horrific, relatively on an international scale, that there would be an international outcry? Wow.

Agree that the Christmas mixing will be the driver. I think they're be better off not having that just for this year as the vaccine will start to take effect in the spring. But the problem is, people will mix anyway at Christmas and ignore the rules.

Somewhat ironically, this entire post seems to be predicated on an idea that only the UK is having this problem, only the UK is in or facing further lockdowns etc. - which you wouldn't think if you read the international news! There's this weird sort of British exceptionalism that so many people have, which for some of them is thinking that everything is better in the UK but for many others is thinking that everything is worse - both are equally ignorant. There will not be an 'international outcry' over British schoolchildren having to self-isolate; look at the current situation in Belgium, France, Spain, Italy, even Germany and you'll realise why that is...

Putting school issues into perspective - BBC's More or Less had an episode over the weekend looking at the proposed vaccine distribution. They compared the deaths so far with the different priority groups - saying if the vaccine was 100% effective, what proportion of deaths could have been prevented from each group being vaccinated.

Group one - elderly care home residents. Approx 500,000 people, and a third of the covid deaths so far came from that group.

Group two - people over the age of 80 and front line healthcare workers. Approx 3 million over 80s and approx 2 million healthcare workers. Couple of hundred healthcare worker deaths and about 14,000 deaths of over 80s not in the care home group. So the over 80s are about 30% of the deaths.

Literally just the care homes and over 80s are about 60% of the deaths.

Groups who aren't on the priority list - under 50 year olds, not clinically extremely vulnerable, make up about half the population. And they're less than 1% of the deaths.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate

Aren't most countries laughing at us in a haze of disbelief? Surely whatever we do is just adding to the incredulity.

Why would they be remotely interested? It's hardly a bed of roses anywhere else, and even in NZ and Australia they've got economic problems.

As for schools, some schools have problems, others have none.

And even though nowhere is issuing fines anyway if you want to take your kids out of school for the final week of term, you can, because you only get fined for more than 5 days' absence in England.

I mean you're right mushypeas but you may get piled on for posting that if the regulars find it. Remember the narrative around here has to be that schools are killing everyone.

@raviolidreaming

You think the situation is that horrific, relatively on an international scale, that there would be an international outcry? Wow.

Yes, it is horrific. We are dropping like flies. Currently have 200 kids in a school that usually has 1,700.

@raviolidreaming

I was thinking if there was an international outcry on the way teachers and students are being treated

You think the situation is that horrific, relatively on an international scale, that there would be an international outcry? Wow.

My son's 6th form college has had three covid cases all term. They've decided to quit while they're ahead and go to remote learning for the final week which you can do with 16-18 year olds as they don't need parents at home.

In what way would that necessitate an international outcry?

Maybe the parents and staff in badly affected schools should be looking at the way they've handled things with the hope of having fewer cases next term. I know some areas are badly hit (eg Hull) and there's not much schools can do, but like with the pubs, I imagine some are policing the rules better than others.

[quote OverTheRainbow88]@raviolidreaming

You think the situation is that horrific, relatively on an international scale, that there would be an international outcry? Wow.

Yes, it is horrific. We are dropping like flies. Currently have 200 kids in a school that usually has 1,700.[/quote]
Yes that's bad. But kids isolating won't make the international papers. Do we hear about local school regions in other countries that have staffing problems and absences? I'm not saying those things aren't important, but in terms of the media I think foreign reporters would only pay attention if 1000 absences become 1000 deaths, sad as that is it's just how the media works.