Schools could be closed until Feb half term!

[DfEisashambles]

Reported in the DM. I’m surprised at this and don’t think it’ll go ahead.

@EmmanuelleMakro

It is wholly disingenuous to demand that schools be made ‘safe’ -it is no more possible than to insist all roads be made ‘safe’ -there is always a trade off between improving safety and not over engineeering it to a ridiculous level where it becomes not fit for purpose. Schools that are online or rota-img with half size classes are not fit for purpose. Making school children wear masks in classes diminishes their educational experience do it is not fit for purpose. Teachers (I an one) are not in the age group where we round be likely to take up an intensive care bed, so should not be vaccinated ahead of those that are more likely to. I hope the gvt holds its nerve and that schools re-open for all pupils by 11th so that we can get back to the job of educating them as they deserve.

Bullshit. On so many levels.

I can think of a range of other things that diminish children's educational experience, some covid related, some not - and yet we do them.

@EmmanuelleMakro

It is wholly disingenuous to demand that schools be made ‘safe’ -it is no more possible than to insist all roads be made ‘safe’ -there is always a trade off between improving safety and not over engineeering it to a ridiculous level where it becomes not fit for purpose. Schools that are online or rota-img with half size classes are not fit for purpose. Making school children wear masks in classes diminishes their educational experience do it is not fit for purpose. Teachers (I an one) are not in the age group where we round be likely to take up an intensive care bed, so should not be vaccinated ahead of those that are more likely to. I hope the gvt holds its nerve and that schools re-open for all pupils by 11th so that we can get back to the job of educating them as they deserve.

Umm, no and no. People like this are just going to have to get with the programme. We can't go on as before no matter how much we'd all like to.

So, @EmmanuelleMakroanuell, Private school or state?

-there is always a trade off between improving safety and not over engineering it to a ridiculous level where it becomes not fit for purpose

So when the supermarket has entry control; trolley and hand sanitising; social distancing; staff in masks; perspex screens at the til; increased resource for click & collect / home delivery, but a school has none of these, it is because the supermarket is over-engineered and not fit for purpose, not because the school (with numbers as normal; no screens; no social distancing; no money left for sanitiser; no masks despite much smaller spaces with much less air circulation; no additional resource for home learning) could perhaps do with some additional infection control measures in a pandemic?

Schools without staff because they're either ill or self-isolating aren't fit for purpose.

Hell, the UK education system hasn't been fit for purpose for some time.

There is lots that could be done to make schools safer, that's the point.

@EmmanuelleMakro

It is wholly disingenuous to demand that schools be made ‘safe’ -it is no more possible than to insist all roads be made ‘safe’ -there is always a trade off between improving safety and not over engineeering it to a ridiculous level where it becomes not fit for purpose. Schools that are online or rota-img with half size classes are not fit for purpose. Making school children wear masks in classes diminishes their educational experience do it is not fit for purpose. Teachers (I an one) are not in the age group where we round be likely to take up an intensive care bed, so should not be vaccinated ahead of those that are more likely to. I hope the gvt holds its nerve and that schools re-open for all pupils by 11th so that we can get back to the job of educating them as they deserve.

It is ENTIRELY possibly to require the same level of mitigation in schools that EVERYONE else has in the workplace.

So fuck right off.

that should say possible. Sorry. Fucking murderous ghoul.

It is ENTIRELY possibly to require the same level of mitigation in schools that EVERYONE else has in the workplace

I'm fully supportive of far more distancing in schools where possible, especially in secondary, and government funds to support this. HOWEVER, what you say is really not possible, especially in primaries and schools for children with additional needs. No-one in my workplace,.or at the supermarket, needs my assistance when they wet themselves. My primary age nieces overseas have to wear masks where they live, and my sister said that even though they try hard it's a bit pointless, the kids fiddle with them, lose them, have to eat meals without them anyway, and if they did have covid, the constant touching of them would spread a ton anyway.

So yes, there is mitigation that isn't being done, but calling for the same as in a regular workplace is just not possible. Better to prioritise vaccination of teachers.

Of course teachers should be allowed the same protection everyone else has and it’s a disgrace they don’t. If the families of a teacher who dies sues for the fact that inadequate/no PPE was provided and social distancing could not be maintained it will be an interesting verdict. Then all the teachers with long covid. Could be a lot of compensation to be paid out!

@OverTheRubicon

It is ENTIRELY possibly to require the same level of mitigation in schools that EVERYONE else has in the workplace

I'm fully supportive of far more distancing in schools where possible, especially in secondary, and government funds to support this. HOWEVER, what you say is really not possible, especially in primaries and schools for children with additional needs. No-one in my workplace,.or at the supermarket, needs my assistance when they wet themselves. My primary age nieces overseas have to wear masks where they live, and my sister said that even though they try hard it's a bit pointless, the kids fiddle with them, lose them, have to eat meals without them anyway, and if they did have covid, the constant touching of them would spread a ton anyway.

So yes, there is mitigation that isn't being done, but calling for the same as in a regular workplace is just not possible. Better to prioritise vaccination of teachers.

We need safer arrangements in schools AND we need vaccination of teachers.

Just because it is difficult to socially distance in primary schools, say, that doesn't mean we give up and do almost nothing.

We need (and I agree, even more so in secondary)

• proper funding of hygience
• smaller classes and more space
• consideration of alternative ways of delivering school
• masks, even more so over the age of 12
• proper isolation and testing arrangements of an accurate and medically sensible nature

For arrangements possible in schools see the WHO recommendations. Here are some below.

You might be interested to know that there are apparently African countries doing a better job than us of opening schools safely.

www.who.int/docs/default-source/coronaviruse/risk-comms-updates/update39-covid-and-schools.pdf?sfvrsn=320db233_2

@phlebasconsidered
Emanuellewhateversheisus4them needs to come and teach in my school if she/he / they think it so safe.
Otherwise, fuck off to the furthest fuck you can think of
This exactly!! I’m not sure what school she IS teaching in (probably none is my guess), but it’s not like any other in the U.K. then.

Arf at, wearing masks diminishes their educational experience 😂

Going to work unprotected every day, with confirmed cases at the front of my classroom has been quite enough to make me tearful. It's about time our daily reality was acknowledged.

Then there are the TAs who don't have the benefit of that gap at the front and are sitting with 1m-2m of children for most of the day, especially the 1:1 support staff

@DfEisashambles

Reported in the DM. I’m surprised at this and don’t think it’ll go ahead.

I'm a SfLA at a primary school in Scotland and hope it doesn't happen. Surely the vaccinations will enable us to return to normal sooner?

There are vulnerable children who need the safety and security of school and holidays can be a stressful time for them, the thought of them being at home for weeks extra is upsetting to me.

We have a staff rota organised for our return on the 7th and the following full week and I am pleased to see I am in for four of the seven days for support for essential workers' children.

We have stringent cleaning, hand washing, hand gel application, bubbles, masks for staff (children can choose to wear them or not) and other protocols in place and thankfully have had no incidents of positive staff/children to date.

@CallmeAngelGabriel

So, *@EmmanuelleMakroanuell*, Private school or state?

She never can remember.

It is wholly disingenuous to demand that schools be made ‘safe’ -it is no more possible than to insist all roads be made ‘safe’ -there is always a trade off between improving safety and not over engineeering it to a ridiculous level where it becomes not fit for purpose. Schools that are online or rota-img with half size classes are not fit for purpose. Making school children wear masks in classes diminishes their educational experience do it is not fit for purpose. Teachers (I an one) are not in the age group where we round be likely to take up an intensive care bed, so should not be vaccinated ahead of those that are more likely to. I hope the gvt holds its nerve and that schools re-open for all pupils by 11th so that we can get back to the job of educating them as they deserve

@EmmanuelleMakro

I loved the bit where you said “so we can get back to the job of educating them as they deserve”.

My son had 6 unexpected weeks off prior to Christmas due to desperate ‘firebreaks’ and 2 lots of isolation as his bubble kept bursting. He’s year 11 and his experience of school right now is not unique, nor is it normal or ‘what he deserves’.

The only thing I can think, is that you must be out of your mind if you think we are delivering a normal education right now.

In fact, I don’t believe you are a teacher at all...for two reasons:

1. Because you seem to think that what kids are currently receiving in terms of education is somehow not just barely acceptable, but what they deserve.
2. You don’t seem to have any concern for the health of children, who cannot make the decision to come to school and be at risk of catching a virus themselves. You don’t have any concern for the staff or the families of staff. You don’t have any concern for the wider community spread. You clearly have no first hand clue of how bad it is in schools.

I’d love to know what you really do...I bet you’re working from home though