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Original poster

Secondary schools are stuffed, GOVERNMENT ADMITS

987 replies

noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 17:42

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55265098

Mass testing for secondary school pupils in worst affected areas.

OP posts:
Thread gallery
21
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 18:11

From the article in the OP

"The health secretary said "by far" the fastest rise in coronavirus infection rates was among 11-18-year-olds.
He said all children in this age group should get tested, irrespective of whether they had symptoms.
"We need to do everything to stop the spread in school-age children now," Mr Hancock said."

Why only now, Mr Hancock? This has been going on for a long time.

OP posts:
HarveySchlumpfenburger · 10/12/2020 18:12

@MarshaBradyo

Shutting the schools is last resort. I know many people on here want it. But I’m relieved testing is the way forward.
I'm not talking for a long period. Just this last week before Christmas. Don't even have to shut them, go on line. But with high levels of Covid across the country and secondary schools being a known issue, for God's sake lets get as many kids out of school for a clear 14 days as possible.
MarshaBradyo · 10/12/2020 18:14

Rafal online is better, I have wondered if going online for one week after Christmas might help more, I’m not totally against it.

MarshaBradyo · 10/12/2020 18:14

Secondary that is

Favouritebauble · 10/12/2020 18:15

I am incensed. Less than a week ago my local council ( West Mids) sent out an 'our schools are safe' letter to all parents. When i challenged it the response was that I was wrong and kids were catching virus at parties.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 18:16

@Favouritebauble

I am incensed. Less than a week ago my local council ( West Mids) sent out an 'our schools are safe' letter to all parents. When i challenged it the response was that I was wrong and kids were catching virus at parties.
I hope you send this back to them!

My MP will certainly be hearing from me again.

OP posts:
Danglingmod · 10/12/2020 18:16

One-third of the pupils at my school are isolating. We are the least worst affected secondary in my city. We have never been in the public eye at all though rates are horrific and schools here ARE stuffed.

No one gives a monkey's if it's not them or their child.

Am more angry than I've been in my life.

ASchuylerSister · 10/12/2020 18:16

@cantkeepawayforever

Honestly, I am SO angry.

Manchester? Leicester? Hull? Liverpool? Birmingham? Nothing to see here, move along...

London? HELP! Let's test the lot of them.....

The double standards are appalling.

I agree. It’s outrageous.
tartiflette · 10/12/2020 18:17

Northern secondary teacher here. Absolutely seething with rage.

Princessdebthe1st · 10/12/2020 18:17

My DD's school (in London) have made a herculean effort to hold it all together. Like other schools, delivering face to face and remote teaching, arranging, rearranging and rearranging again the teaching schedules as pupils and teachers have to isolate. But big spikes in 3 years led to having to send them all home, not least because they didn't have enough staff left to safely reach and supervise them. Then today the other 2 year groups have been sent home after spikes in those. So that's it, school closed to face to face learning until after Christmas. How are they going to swab children who are not in school without them all congregating together and further spreading the virus? But it's ok, they can take an inset day next Friday so the teachers don't have to contact trace over Christmas.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 18:17

I really feel for all the ECV families who were lied to about school safety and threatened with fines or forced to de-register their kids to keep them safe.

OP posts:
Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 18:19

@Danglingmod

One-third of the pupils at my school are isolating. We are the least worst affected secondary in my city. We have never been in the public eye at all though rates are horrific and schools here ARE stuffed.

No one gives a monkey's if it's not them or their child.

Am more angry than I've been in my life.

I'm so sorry. It's really been awful. Unbelievable. This really must be the last straw to hear it's now a priority for other areas.
OP posts:
Danglingmod · 10/12/2020 18:19

It's inhumane, Noble.

We were right all along.

So, so angry.

BertNErnie · 10/12/2020 18:20

In a firm believer in schools staying open where possible and I have also been calling for mass testing in schools.

It's one of these scenarios where people tend to only think about it from a personal perspective and how affects their family situation.

The inability for some to think in wider community terms rather than further than their own family unit is the reason I think changes are always lagging and the virus is spreading. My children's school hasn't been very affected at all but I know of many schools close by who have been utterly ravaged by the virus and some staff members and family members in these schools/communities have become very ill.

Just because my children haven't been affected doesn't mean I'm not going to campaign for safer measures for schools.

RubyViolet · 10/12/2020 18:22

I feel enormous sympathy for the people in Leicester who have been abandoned. They have been in lockdown since JUNE !!!!!!!

HarveySchlumpfenburger · 10/12/2020 18:22

Online is probably the best option, Marsha.

But if it can't be done, then I do think just closing for this week is probably the best option.

In an ideal world, schools would have been made as safe as possible with the funding to do so and testing would have been made available earlier. But that isn't where we are now because we spent so long denying that there was a problem.

WhiteFeatherFairy · 10/12/2020 18:23

Hang on a minute... so London get to stay in Tier 2, yet get secondary testing? Hmm Wow.

What a slap in the face to those of us who remain stuck in Tier 3, and have been for months and months.

Loshad · 10/12/2020 18:24

@Bacter but if levels are so low in London wtf do they get mass testing first.
My school is on its knees, another 16 cases amongst staff and students since Monday, PHE have refused to let the head shut the school and us teach remotely for the final week. So we limp on, with about 60% of kids in, mass cover, spreading and spreading. We are well set up for remote teaching too.
It makes me really angry this London centric mantra the government have ( and to be fair governments before them) Up here in the frozen north we have been shouting for testing, mask wearing, blended learning for months, but it is only until it hits London that any action for schools starts to happen.
I hope to hell they don’t end up with the deaths of 2 of our currently very ill members of staff on their consciences.

Orangeblossom77777 · 10/12/2020 18:24

Why can't they cover all areas and offer them to those who want them as they did with students?

In particular those visiting vulnerable relatives...

lonelyplanet · 10/12/2020 18:25

I'm so angry too. Ths government are incompetent and have been trying to cover up the truth of the situation. Rolling out tests now for the south is too little too late. Exams are continuing as normal but this year has not been normal for too many children. So much school has been missed and it will be disadvantaged children that will have suffered most.
It baffles me that this is being rolled out at the end of a shitty term when students and staff in all the schools will be now told they will have to isolate for the whole Christmas holiday due to positive cases in their classes.

sashagabadon · 10/12/2020 18:25

But it only applies to a tiny part of London. 7 boroughs out of 32 so the vast majority of schools in London will not benefit ( for those worried that London school kids are getting beneficial treatment - most aren’t you’ll be pleased to hear)

Itisasecret · 10/12/2020 18:25

[quote BertNErnie]@noblegiraffe some posters who previously ridiculed you for previous threads most certainly owe you an apology.[/quote]
They won’t. They’ll just say that everyone wants schools shut. Rather than, people wanted schools open for all, safely. Hiding behind buzz words such as anecdata didn’t actually change the fact, educational staff saw the writing on the wall. There are mass closures already, now it’s hitting the south they are panicking. It will be worse in January.

Especially as primary children show different symptoms, you can actually see it spread but they have different symptoms.

Original poster
noblegiraffe · 10/12/2020 18:26

It's one of these scenarios where people tend to only think about it from a personal perspective and how affects their family situation.

There's already been one smug "I'm alright Jack" post on this thread.

When I was posting about tens of thousands of kids missing school in Birmingham not making the news it was dismissed as a 'local issue'. But now it's London...

OP posts:
Welcometonowhere · 10/12/2020 18:26

I think the main thing is that the schools stay open as much as possible. I think most people want this.

The problem is that it was never going to be easy to have ‘safe’ schools, which is why it was right they shut when they did. It was also right to keep them open last month.

BanditoShipman · 10/12/2020 18:27

So annoyed!!

We’re West Mids but only a tier 2 area. Over last two months my friend’s year 11 has been SI twice as bubble burst, they were meant to be doing their mocks. Other friend has had her year 11 at home SI for two weeks and then has had to be at home herself for two weeks SI after a case at her school (she’s a teacher). My dd again yr 11, school has just closed completely due to no teachers not SI so no one left to teach. But dd is expected in on Monday when they return until Thursday when they break up for Christmas. Just shut the schools end of tomorrow!