Gav - where are you?

[Beepbopadooda]

I thought the announcement was at 4pm?

As I said on another thread, they’re saying primaries must stay open with the new variant rife but they aren’t doing anything to actually facilitate that. So it’ll be total chaos, probably worse than before. Hopefully I’ll be wrong but things were already going that way in my school at least towards the end of term. I would like for things to just miraculously be okay, I have been vocal the whole time about schools needing to stay open but I am now feeling that however much I want that, it might not be possible. Most of us now need to look beyond our individual situations to that actual greater good of the country - unless you’re looking at job loss, home loss etc.

I appreciate people being happy that primaries are open so they have childcare (let’s be honest that is what this is about, the government have specifically made things harder for children via education cuts for years - they don’t care). But the probably implications of this are massive, and the disruption that is likely to come from a majority opening as normal with nothing to actually help that happen will be pretty shit for your childcare anyway.

**Do your prisoners wear face masks and socially
distance? My 5 year olds are literally on top of me with snot and coughs. I have zero protection. My classroom is tiny. People in supermarkets wear face masks and fleeting pass by the staff.

Not all prisoners where face masks and believe it or not they are not always the most compliant of people. I still face the risk of violence of being assaulted by prisoners. Generally primary school children don’t assault their teacher either.

Did someone surprise him at 3.55pm telling him to make a statement on schools and so this is why the list isnt ready?

As surely, had he had notice that he was required to give a speech to millions of parents on tenterhooks about whether their children will get their education, and whether they can work as planned, you'd think the list would have ALREADY been written and able to be broadcast at the same time!

Gavin can fuck himself. Give me my vaccine you cowardly cunt.

@ReesMoggsGlasses sorry to hear about your husband. I hope he is doing ok.

My husband works in non essential retail too. 20 out of his 21 colleagues caught Covid despite PPE, copious cleaning, strict procedures etc..

They said the list would be on the .gov website, didn't they?

My bets are on London, Kent and Essex being on the list.

@Hearwego

**Is this real life? I can’t see my two parents for one day at Christmas but I can teach 30 children for 6 hours a day with two adults in my room who are older than my parents. Really?

But what would you like to happen? I’m a Prison Officer and have to work with 40 prisoners on my department for 10 hours a day and other staff.
DP has to work in a supermarket where people don’t social distance and and serve hundreds of random strangers everyday, having no idea who has covid or not.
Are we less important than teachers?

Do your prisoners spit at you? Do they bite you? Do they climb over you to it on your knee and want cuddles? Do they constantly pull at your mask or visor? Do you have to provide personal care, nappy changes, with the only extra ppe being an apron and gloves? All of this is a classroom with minimal ventilation other than windows that don't really bring in much air?

Same question for your husbands job?

I work with severly autistic children and that is a snapshot of our daily life. Think about that the next time you think teachers are 'over reacting'

@Olympicfan

How many teachers have been hospitalised or passed away with covid? I am a teacher is a tier 4 area and we have only had one covid case in my school. Bus drivers, NHS workers etc seem to have been more affected than teachers. I hope my primary opens as normal.

Your school does not reflect schools at large. We’ve had so many bubble closures. One class had over ten cases. I don’t want schools to close either, I don’t think anyone really does, but I’m the government have done nothing to actually help that happen.

Not all teachers are working with spitters and biters!

Why are we even debating which job has it worse? It literally doesn’t matter in the slightest.

My 5 year olds are literally on top of me with snot and coughs. I have zero protection. My classroom is tiny. People in supermarkets wear face masks and fleeting pass by the staff.

Too right. I love my class dearly but they all face the front and shower me, at the front, with virulent aerosols all day. It's not safe for us.

Gav says there should be no swift, kneejerk decisions. 😂

@Werk

They said the list would be on the .gov website, didn't they?

My bets are on London, Kent and Essex being on the list.

Hertfordshire is very high too. You can see it on the map sweeping through from Kent, Essex (which is now really bad) and then Herts but moving diagonally.

It doesn't really matter if they spit or not. Too many people in a small room for too long = high viral load.

Oh, dear. I had thought they'd keep schools closed at least until they knew more about the new variant. I was thinking schools would need to close til Easter.

• and thanks, Mumsnet for the laughs (I think) re crying-sex-face Hancock. I'll not be able to look at him without seeing that sort of grateful, teary wince, now.

@ReesMoggsGlasses

Not all teachers are working with spitters and biters!

Just as not all teachers work with lovely compliant little children

Where's that motherf*cking list?

.....and the gin?

Gav says there should be no swift, kneejerk decisions.

Oh, right. Best wait until after the NHS collapses, then?

We've lost a pupil to covid (had underlying conditions)
At the end of term we had more that 65% of the college isolating due to burst bubbles.
We've had support staff critically ill, people are pulling ridiculous hours to cover.
We cannot cope any longer. My mental health is shot.
Williamson's speech is a disgrace and shows just how out of touch he is with what is actually happening on the ground

Just as not all teachers work with lovely compliant little children

Glad to see your in it for the love of children

Just adding, I have no problem with being back on school next week, but I do have an issue with people thinking that teachers are over reacting & should deal with it.

We all know how quickly illness spreads in schools, so why people seem to forget this when talking about covid is beyond me

That made me laugh @Hearwego. I remember a visit to Feltham young offenders where some of my more middle class colleagues were pretty shocked at the non compliance 😄

@ReesMoggsGlasses

Just as not all teachers work with lovely compliant little children

Glad to see your in it for the love of children

I am, I love my job otherwise I wouldn't do it, just stating that not all teachers have classes that are calm

I'm so confused. Why did they make an announcement before the list was ready?

Is some poor sod literally sitting there writing it right now?!

We are in a pretty badly affected area though so I'm sure we will be on the list.

Did he really just say that it was community transmission that was triggering the increasing rates in schools and not vice versa? He must think we're all total idiots.

I just want the list, because if I'm
On the list, I'm getting the sherry out now