School bubbles disappearing after Christmas and worried.

[motherrunner]

At my secondary school the majority of our mitigation measures will disappear after Christmas. There will be no more staggered breaks, no more separating bubbles, no extra cleaning, we will just be protected by the ‘2m’ rule and masks in corridors. The reason why is that our budget only allowed for extra cleaning until Christmas and were only able to keep pupils separated by is taking on extra duties each day and our 1265 hours only could be spared until
Christmas. We won’t even be protected by SI anymore as contacts won’t be isolating, just taking a lateral flow test each day which aren’t very successful.

My anxiety is sky high. I am already on anti anxiety medication, run each day and try to practise mindfulness. Has anyone got any other tips to help me relax? I was so looking forward to this holiday and being a parent. My children have not had the best of me for so long but I just can’t ‘switch off’.

OP I really don't think the Govt will get the testing off the ground by 4th Jan, and at the rate we're going schools may well not be open either. Try to enjoy Christmas and worry about next term afterwards. That's what I'm doing if I possibly can...

Extra cleaning will make a minimal dent in an airborne pandemic.

This. Your feelings are not exactly anxiety are they? I'd call it well-founded entirely justifiable fear. Schools are unsafe, being in indoor, crowded environments without PPE or social distancing is not safe. That's just the truth.

Can you get yourself a high quality mask and wear it all the time? Please just do it. Masks reduce viral load so if you do catch it then you'll have milder disease and hopefully the students will follow your lead.

Actually that’s a good point about the cleaning, might not make much a difference anyway as we will be still wiping teacher desks at start and end of lesson, it’s just the toilets that won’t be cleaned regularly now.

I think I’m more worried about pupils not requiring to isolate of the test although I won’t be consenting to my children being tested, maybe there’ll be other parents who’ll do the same (holding out for some hope).

Sorry about such a depressing OP. The press conference earlier has really rattled me.

I would gladly keep doing extra duties of it meant we could keep the bubbles but again, with bubbles of 200, am I worrying unnecessarily?

@IloveJKRowling. I do feel scared. I don’t like to say it though as I feel maybe I’m being over dramatic. I’ve been on the medication since August and at least it helps me sleep.

I’ve never tried to wear a mask in class as it goes against our guidance. Parents are very vocal where I work and I know there would be complaints.

OP, as you have been teaching and out in public for a long time, don't you think you might have had Covid already? I know it's possible to catch it twice, but anecdotally it seems rare, possibly every 6 months and I haven't seen that it is more severe the 2nd time.
Can you voice what your fears are? I take 3,000 iu Vitamin D per day, plus other vitamins and minerals and tried to keep my weight down with an anti-inflammatory diet (despite being more sedentary). Apart from using hand sanitizer, I can't control more than that. This is not flu, but I was never afraid of catching flu or pneumonia (I actually did catch pneumonia 😳). I saw lots of staff stacking shelves in M&S this week. It's a narrow, congested store at the best of times, with no ventilation. They must manage the anxiety by facing the fear, or they'd never go to work.

I don’t think I have had it although I was very ill last December. I don’t know why I’m scared. Colleagues, students and a few mum friends have caught it and all recovered. I guess it’s fear of the unknown. Ironically I’m fine when I’m at work as I’m so busy. Being on holiday has given me time to let me fears run riot and instead of enjoying the now, I’m worrying about January. I think the constant dfe changes add to the anxiety too as each day I worry what new guidance will be introduced.

@DianaT1969

OP, as you have been teaching and out in public for a long time, don't you think you might have had Covid already? I know it's possible to catch it twice, but anecdotally it seems rare, possibly every 6 months and I haven't seen that it is more severe the 2nd time. Can you voice what your fears are? I take 3,000 iu Vitamin D per day, plus other vitamins and minerals and tried to keep my weight down with an anti-inflammatory diet (despite being more sedentary). Apart from using hand sanitizer, I can't control more than that. This is not flu, but I was never afraid of catching flu or pneumonia (I actually did catch pneumonia 😳). I saw lots of staff stacking shelves in M&S this week. It's a narrow, congested store at the best of times, with no ventilation. They must manage the anxiety by facing the fear, or they'd never go to work.

Most people haven't had Covid. Most teachers haven't had covid.

Most teachers are on the brink with anxiety and it doesn't take much to push them over the edge.

I would definitely rather be shelf stacking.

My fears, as a teacher, are vulnerable colleagues and kids catching Covid because schools are unsafe. My fear is that schools are driving the pandemic and more people will die because schools are unsafe.

So fuck off with your patronising "name your fears" bullshit unless you are willing to come and work in a school in the new year. They are looking for volunteers to do testing, after all.

Unless you're willing to stand in front of a class with no PPE stop acting like teachers shouldn't be afraid. It's just twattish.

OP- it is totally reasonable to be anxious and your feelings are justified.

I don't know what the answer is. Our unions are being pathetic.

If you are feeling very anxious and can afford it, I would consider getting signed off. That would at least protect you in the short term.

I’m a union rep in an educational setting. If you don’t feel you’re getting any luck with your local reps contact your regional office.

I think the guidance may have changed as our independent school is also stopping bubbles. They have a testing machine.

@SansaSnark Thank you for the support. Although I would love to hide myself away I’m not sure I could get signed off. The guilt of letting my colleagues and pupils down would be too much.

@AnxiousAlpaca I’ve tried regional before. That rep wasn’t helpful either, didn’t respond for weeks to one email and National are just too busy. Think I’ve been unlucky!

I would try to see your GP after Christmas ( or a telephone conversation) and get signed off sick.
You sound so stressed and it's clearly ruining your life.
Try not to worry ( easy to say I know) all schools are going to be screwed over and people can only take so much. The news today about the mutant strain won't help matters either.
Many will feel like you do I'm sure.
Life's too short to be this stressed over a job. Your GP may be able to reassure you a bit too.

Honestly, I don’t think the bubbles in schools are achieving anything anyway. Close contacts will still be the only ones at risk when it’s brought into school by someone, whether they’re described as being in the same bubble or not.

[quote motherrunner]@SansaSnark Thank you for the support. Although I would love to hide myself away I’m not sure I could get signed off. The guilt of letting my colleagues and pupils down would be too much.

@AnxiousAlpaca I’ve tried regional before. That rep wasn’t helpful either, didn’t respond for weeks to one email and National are just too busy. Think I’ve been unlucky![/quote]
Even if national are busy it’s worth a try. You have every right to work in a safe environment

OP, I’m curious about the 1265 hours thing. Do you mean you’ll have used them by Christmas? Or that to keep using them in this way will make you exceed them by July?

I never even thought about it, but have just added up the total hours I have done per week this year, including evenings/weekends and extra supervision of children and it’s very high. Makes me feel better about being so tired - I thought I was losing my stamina!!!

@EndoplasmicReticulum

Interesting language there about schools opting into testing programme. If a school didn't, then close contacts would still have to isolate. If parents didn't consent, close contacts would still have to isolate.

I'm a parent, I'm not consenting to the lateral flow tests (as they are so unreliable).

My children desperately need to be in school, but the current arrangements are unsustainable. I won't be giving consent for the lateral flow tests as the method and reasoning is completely flawed. For this to stop it has to come from the parents - none of them consent, no tests will happen.

It's a shame that the U4T groups as a general aren't willing to engage with schools and unions, the three combined could make a real difference, but they are just too busy filling up MP's inboxes and moaning because little Jonny was told to wash his hands. Basically they are just "fumming" behind a screen.

I just have no words. The few ‘safety’ measures you had being taken away alongside knowing students won’t need to isolate anymore is certainly very valid for you to feel like this.
What is happening in schools is disgraceful and dangerous.

@TheFootIsDown

Why is your school so unprepared for after Christmas? That is ridiculous. Are you an academy? Truly shocking.

It is truly shocking, it's disgraceful how woefully underfunding schools are. I heard how much money had been spent since March on cleaning at one school, it's awful how much money they have gone through.

If some of those measures were in place in the autumn term why are they changing it in January? ( I know the close contact isolating was changed by DofeE) but why are they changing the staggered breaks etc if they were already in place?

The speed at which the infection rate is rising, I really wouldn't worry. No way will schools be re-opening to all in January and no way will the GCSE/A level exams go ahead either. January will be a proper lockdown.

That guidance 

Today - this virus is spreading really quickly and the problem is the asymptomatic cases. We must be vigilant. Assume you and everyone else has virus and act accordingly.

Within school walls...... don't isolate if your a close contact. Assume you are safe, assume you and no one else has the virus unless in the 7 days after contact we test you and tell you you don't have the virus.

Surely that is absolute madness?

Unless we tell you you do have the virus 🤦‍♀️

Remember that this is the government of uturns.

I've heard that school testing will take 6 times more manpower than predicted

All the unions are in aggreement.

Add together and we will see where the policy is come January...

I'm kind of embarrassed to have to ask this as I'm also a teacher but what do you about not having bubbles in January due to the 1265 hours. Which hours for who and where and why?? I haven't heard that our policies are going to change in January. If anything I'm expecting them to tighten up a bit because we got very lax before Christmas and now we're tier 4 we won't be able to be.

I’ve never tried to wear a mask in class as it goes against our guidance. Parents are very vocal where I work and I know there would be complaints

This I think, is silly. Parents have got no say over what you choose to wear in the classroom. Even heads don't officially, I don't think. They'd get nowhere if you challenged your right to wear something designed to protect your health. I've been wearing a mask in the classroom at least 50% of the time since October and definitely don't plan to stop in January. The guidance was the we didn't need to. But there's nothing to stop you if you want to.

I totally get the extra anxiety in the holidays. I didn't think about it last term. School felt like this lovely bubble of normality in all the madness of the outside world. But once you stop and start reading and watching news 24-7 and hearing what things are like for others, it does get really scary.

I want to go back to work as normal in January. But I don't know that I think we should. I think it's important. But not necessarily sensible. Going back to teaching online would be very hard to stomach though. I was pretty close to the edge by the end of the summer term.

That's appalling. Schools have suffered from underfunding for a while but they now need to be properly funded to enable them to cope better with covid.