Secondary schools are stuffed, GOVERNMENT ADMITS

[noblegiraffe]

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

Mass testing for secondary school pupils in worst affected areas.

@sashagabadon

I do care but I am also really pleased to see hundreds of thousands if not millions of kids are getting to go into school. That’s a success and no doubt down to the hard work of teachers, school leaders and governors. So much better that the spring when millions of kids were just sitting at home day after day with minimal schooling.

I'm not teacher bashing here but I'm pretty sure this is just luck rather than hard work on behalf of schools.

That's not to say schools haven't been working their socks off but the government have rather restricted the effective measures that schools are able to take.

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue:

^On Thursday 3rd December:
attendance in all state schools (England): 85.5%
proportion of open state schools: 99.5%^

You recognise this is bad - yes?

Schools that are swarming with cases are not allowed to close and there are LOTS of asymptomatic pupils in attendance. This is why the rates of infection here are so high:

https://assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachmentdata/file/942966/WeeklyyCOVID-19anddInfluenzaSurveillanceeGraphsW50.pdf

Having 99.5% of schools open, a lot of who will be at breaking point with the government refusing to acknowledge this is an issue is contributing to the spread of the virus.

@NuttyinNotts

I am livid.

Where were the mass tests for pupils in Hull when 50% were off self isolating? Where are the mass tests for secondaries in other tier 3 areas that don't happen to be in the South East?

It's a disgrace is isn't it?

I'm also south east officially but actually south!

I'm also livid on your behalf because we've watched what you've had to go through and been so great full we haven't really suffered the same fate.

I'm not teacher bashing here but I'm pretty sure this is just luck rather than hard work on behalf of schools.

Yep. Lots of people on here reporting that their schools were fine, no cases or very few cases, and then WHAM, all the cases.

It's luck. There's nothing that schools can do to stop an airborne virus spreading around an indoor environment where teens are packed in like sardines and not wearing masks (per DfE guidance) except cross their fingers and hope that it doesn't get in.

I have said this before on here, but I am going to say it again.

I don't understand why people are surprised at how shit this government is.

They might be doing mass testing but it's not because they give a monkeys about schools or the people in it, as the article explains it's because an increase in cases in schools means an increase to more vulnerable people later. The government are, and consistently have been, behaving as if schools are some amazing places with no people who are vulnerable and are mostly immune to it.

@Sobeyondthehills

I have said this before on here, but I am going to say it again.

I don't understand why people are surprised at how shit this government is.

It's the scientists that have disappointed me. We can at least trust them to be able to read a graph.

But they fudged and fiddled and lied about the data.

Yep. Lots of people on here reporting that their schools were fine, no cases or very few cases, and then WHAM, all the cases.

This is exactly what is happening in my area now, nothing, nothing, nothing and suddenly we have schools closing at a massive rate,

@noblegiraffe

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.

An epidemiologist pointed out 2 weeks ago as lockdown 2 ended on a news programme that 11-18 yo was only 1 of 2 groups with rising cases. The other was the next bracket 19-24.

They also said it was evident it was school transmission die to drop over half term.

The government really are stupid for thinking the British oubliette cannot read and translate statistics.

@noblegiraffe

I'm not teacher bashing here but I'm pretty sure this is just luck rather than hard work on behalf of schools.

Yep. Lots of people on here reporting that their schools were fine, no cases or very few cases, and then WHAM, all the cases.

It's luck. There's nothing that schools can do to stop an airborne virus spreading around an indoor environment where teens are packed in like sardines and not wearing masks (per DfE guidance) except cross their fingers and hope that it doesn't get in.

And whilst these schools were open, the asymptomatic carriers were continuing to spread the virus from school to community. Can’t people see what a scandal this is. The Government let the spread happen when they could have tested all along. People died.

as the article explains it's because an increase in cases in schools means an increase to more vulnerable people later.

Secondary school kids have been the most infected subset of the population for weeks.

They haven't given a shit about the vulnerable people affected by that until now, a week before schools break up for Christmas and it's really a bit too late to do anything to mitigate against that.

@NuttyinNotts

I am livid.

Where were the mass tests for pupils in Hull when 50% were off self isolating? Where are the mass tests for secondaries in other tier 3 areas that don't happen to be in the South East?

Yes, rates in Hull (tier3) were higher than anywhere else in the UK by a long way. Local leaders were literally begging for help, and to be granted the powers to have flexibility in schools. We predicted that things would be different if it was London.

@noblegiraffe

I would love to be a fly on the wall in some of those meetings, right at the start Witty and a few others kept saying, its not us making the decisions, we give the data, the government make the decisions. I do wonder whether they saw the writing on the wall straight away

The government really are stupid for thinking the British oubliette cannot read and translate statistics.

I continue to be baffled as to why the media have failed to report on the government's lies on this. They've been told enough.

I can't help but think the only reason they have chosen to admit what they knew all along is to bury the bad news quickly.

The government know there are only 7/8 days until schools break up then we have 2 weeks off where they will pretend they have saved Christmas and all is good in the world.

I worry the real shit show will hit 2 weeks after we return to school after many people having a jolly with other households. I also think some people will refuse testing for the fear of having to self isolate over Christmas.

The Unions have let the staff, pupils and parents down. They have done precisely zero to challenge the Government’s strategy.They are not fit for purpose.Chocolate teapots

The unions are not there to represent pupils and parents, they represent their members, you know, the ones who pay their subs. They can only take action about pay and. conditions of service.

@BertNErnie you may well be right.

Not only are they late to do the testing that should have started in September when schools re-open, they cannot even start a press conference on time.

They only published schools infection data the week before half term once it became clear that it was too late to do a circuit breaker.

I think they have sat on this issue until it was too late to use the government admittance there's an issue in a campaign for remote learning before Xmas to save lives.

Although Wales didn't think it was too late. Remote learning for their secondaries from Monday.

I wonder how many parents will now be reconsidering whether to send their kids to school next week.

@BertNErnie

I can't help but think the only reason they have chosen to admit what they knew all along is to bury the bad news quickly.

The government know there are only 7/8 days until schools break up then we have 2 weeks off where they will pretend they have saved Christmas and all is good in the world.

I worry the real shit show will hit 2 weeks after we return to school after many people having a jolly with other households. I also think some people will refuse testing for the fear of having to self isolate over Christmas.

This is why we have negotiated an authorised absence for our child for the first week back. To protect my ECV husband. In some ways I'd have liked her home now, so we don't risk isolating for Christmas. But we've judged that after Christmas will be the riskier time period.

Online has been much better for my year 11, with the school shut they’re getting proper lessons online following the normal timetable. When just a bubble or few people SI they don’t get that, much better to shut for a week early before Xmas and get proper online provision

@BertNErnie

I can't help but think the only reason they have chosen to admit what they knew all along is to bury the bad news quickly.

The government know there are only 7/8 days until schools break up then we have 2 weeks off where they will pretend they have saved Christmas and all is good in the world.

I worry the real shit show will hit 2 weeks after we return to school after many people having a jolly with other households. I also think some people will refuse testing for the fear of having to self isolate over Christmas.

This really worries me too. It is raging through Secondary schools, who knows about Primaries. Christmas is stressing me out !!! Still fuming about how these tests could have helped the people in the worst affected areas.

Students should be compelled to wear masks all the time they are in school or college, and teachers should be provided with PPE.

The fantasy they’ve been spinning about schools and colleges has no doubt led to deaths and serious illness.

I feel so sorry for school teachers who have been so badly let down by their unions and the DfE.

Lawsuits should follow.

But we've judged that after Christmas will be the riskier time period.

I'm not entirely convinced that a fortnight out of secondary school won't cause infection rates to drop in that group. Even if they're meeting up with grandma, grandma is much less likely to have covid than their 30 classmates that they get just as close to.

@noblegiraffe

I wonder how many parents will now be reconsidering whether to send their kids to school next week.

Bit if your school has been hit hard this won’t be new news? And if not then you’d just keep going as it’s not an issue in your school.

Although I always though CEV should view any campaign as mass messaging and not directed to 3%