Headteacher unions begin legal proceedings against DfE

[Makingnumber2]

www.naht.org.uk/news-and-opinion/news/leadership-news/update-regarding-start-of-term-sent-to-members-on-2-jan-2021/?fbclid=IwAR3WFugSo-KsSToWAvbteMs8HspeXZTMBd9VaiOlAVxOeL0FM1wDRzqbviA

NAHT and ASCL start legal proceedings against DfE

You know what would happen if I walked out?

Instead of delivering my entire timetable online from school on Monday, I would deliver my entire timetable online from home.

Oooh, aren't I lazy?

Flaxmeadow you can say "oops, stike" as often as you want, it doesn't change the fact that it isn't a strike.
You would prefer there be no minimal standard of safety required for a workplace to open?

@Flaxmeadow

Well, it's good that school staff don't need your support to demand a safe working environment then.

My whole point has been that a teachers strike, oops sorry "walkout" would have no support from the general public

People have watched millions of NHS and food retail staff work throughout this pandemic, often with far less safety measures than teachers. Yet there has been no call for a strike, sorry a "walkout" from them

Can't teachers and their unions see this, or have they become so far, furlough, removed from everyday life

I think there would be more sympathy than you think.

Especially with stories emerging of increasing numbers of very ill children in hospital.

And right in the middle of the worst bit of the pandemic.

I haven't seen any section of society working with less mitigation than teachers, you seem poorly informed about state schools. (Are you thinking of private schools?))

@Flaxmeadow

Well, it's good that school staff don't need your support to demand a safe working environment then.

My whole point has been that a teachers strike, oops sorry "walkout" would have no support from the general public

People have watched millions of NHS and food retail staff work throughout this pandemic, often with far less safety measures than teachers. Yet there has been no call for a strike, sorry a "walkout" from them

Can't teachers and their unions see this, or have they become so far, furlough, removed from everyday life

And my point us that this action doesn't require your support. In fact, for any industrial action to be effective, it has to inconvenience some people.

And you keep comparing to the same two groups, despite repeatedly being told why they don't compare.

"often with far less safety measures than teachers"

Really? How can you have less safety measures than no safety measures at all?

Flax I’ve seen plenty of support for section 44 action, from parents, from scientists, from my childrens’ schools communities.

If you don’t see it that’s fine, but extrapolating fact from your own narrow experience/perspective is pretty useless.

In the same way, I wouldn’t say “everyone supports section 44 action!”, because I am aware there are different perspectives to mine.

But the important question - why are garden centres riskier than schools?

@Noellodee

You know what would happen if I walked out?

Instead of delivering my entire timetable online from school on Monday, I would deliver my entire timetable online from home.

Oooh, aren't I lazy?

And thereby allowing all students, including any that may have been isolating if schools had been fully open, access to the same standard of education, this reducing the inequality of repeated and random isolations?

How do we live with ourselves

@Flaxmeadow

The last thing we need is key workers in a knife fight over who has it worse while the old Etonians sit back swilling their port and laughing that they've fooled the little people once again. This incompetent, populist, people-pleasing, reactionary Gov have caused the current mess.

Thisbis laughable. You really do see yourselves as at the vanguard of some prole uprising against oppressive forces don't you?

You are not 19th century coal miners, or 21st century minimum wage retail staff. Please stop this ridiculous man of the people downtrodden labourers posturing

I don't see myself as as a coal miner or a revolutionary. I see myself as a teacher and a parent who has begged for months for schools to be made safer so they can stay open because this shitshow was entirely predictable.

I mean, what else was going to happen when you have classes of 30 plus sitting shoulder to shoulder unmasked in the middle of an airborne pandemic? Like how the actual fuck was this going to end any other way?! Magic? A 'can do' attitude?

This isn't about who is the most oppressed. Supermarket workers and GPs and teachers should not be bickering over who has it roughest. We should be demanding our elected representatives take proactive steps to make conditions on the ground as safe as possible for everyone - they've made damn sure to postpone their own return!

@Flaxmeadow Remote learning can be done for primary aged children.

Using Microsoft teams I can record videos, record voice notes, upload PowerPoints and documents, upload work that can be completed by the children that I can then mark and give back.There is a feature on there that reads what I have written to the children which helps children that struggle to read.

My Year 2 children have been practising this in school.

I think there would be more sympathy than you think.

I think there would be less than you think

Especially with stories emerging of increasing numbers of very ill children in hospital.

Yes this is a concern I agree. But primary school age children need to be in school. Not just for education purposes but to be contact with their peers and importantly for safeguarding

And right in the middle of the worst bit of the pandemic.

Well its not looking good ATM

I haven't seen any section of society working with less mitigation than teachers, you seem poorly informed about state schools. (Are you thinking of private schools?)

You haven't worked in a supermarket, they worked when there was no safety measures at all, exposed to thousands of households, and at the height of the pandemic

Why were/are there not dozens of threads on these boards from retail staff calling for strike action?

@Flaxmeadow

Well, it's good that school staff don't need your support to demand a safe working environment then.

My whole point has been that a teachers strike, oops sorry "walkout" would have no support from the general public

People have watched millions of NHS and food retail staff work throughout this pandemic, often with far less safety measures than teachers. Yet there has been no call for a strike, sorry a "walkout" from them

Can't teachers and their unions see this, or have they become so far, furlough, removed from everyday life

Except they do have support.

They do now.

Parents are equally worried about their own children

People have watched millions of NHS and food retail staff work throughout this pandemic, often with far less safety measures than teachers. Yet there has been no call for a strike, sorry a "walkout" from them

This just isn’t true.

At the beginning of the crisis NHS and care home staff had inadequate PPE and that was criminal and tragic. Now this is not the case and hasn’t been for a long time.

Retail staff do wear masks and cashiers have masks and screens. Retail customers are there in passing. Not saying there is no risk in retail.

Teachers can see up to 150 different children in one day for prolonged periods of time at very close and closed quarters with no mask on (though ineffective visors allowed) as that is the current guidance.

Within the gigantic school bubbles that aren’t bubbles social distancing is not possible at all.

I work in a support role in a secondary school and have seen covid rip through our pupils and staff. Lord knows how much worse it will be this term.

Bottom line it doesn’t really matter what the “general public” think in any case, or what the press tells them they should think. What matters is that this new variant doesn’t get a hold in schools. For the sake of the teachers involved as well as the community at large. Ideally learning rotas and rental of more space would make schools safer, but since the government have not allowed these things to be possible, we are in the situation we are now in.

@Flaxmeadow

TheSunIsStillShining John and Jane know fuck all about public heath. They might not even understand how this whole shit is spreading. They should not be in any form or way in a position to decide what should happen in a public health crisis to me, my son, the teachers, their kids, their

There you have it folks. The oh so enlightened Ocado delivery middle class, sneering at the working class mingling in supermarkets.

This is what they think of us

You do know that you are being an idiot on purpose?

1. you don't know anything about me. and I have no idea who "they" are who are thinking of "us".
2. it is not sneering down at anyone. It is a fact that most people lack basic science knowledge and critical thinking skills. Just look around or in the mirror.

I just stated the fact that your example of J&J from the supermarket restocking dept will have no knowledge of public health. Why should they? They are not highly educated people who work their because stocking aisles is their passion. And it's perfectly fine. How on earth is this a derogatory statement?

I don't understand your use of the word furlough in your recent post flax.

Have you all forgotten the children in all this!! Poor children finding out last minute on Monday there school is closing. How confusing, frightening & very sad. Carry on congratulating yourselves.

I'm really saddened by all this.

Honestly - this really is a public health emergency.

It's an utter disgrace that the unions are having to step in and do what the government isn't doing.

The figures, the data, urge the necessity of this.

I'm actually so far beyond arguing about this.

The current spread is terrifying. What's happening in hospitals in London and the South-East should be provoking outrage that schools are still open.

People, you need to get angry. Write to your MPs, your Councillors.

Please don't leave this to education workers and NHS staff.

@Flinstones

Have you all forgotten the children in all this!! Poor children finding out last minute on Monday there school is closing. How confusing, frightening & very sad. Carry on congratulating yourselves.

When bubbles pop, this is how people find out there is no school; last minute. Repeatedly in some cases and leading to whole school closures.

But yes, won’t somebody think of the children.

And you keep comparing to the same two groups, despite repeatedly being told why they don't compare.

Being told? Told? Like a teacher tells their pupils. What's next, grammar and spelling corrections

No they don't compare because supermarket staff are at more risk of exposure. But why haven't we seen dozens of threads from retail staff?

@Flinstones

Have you all forgotten the children in all this!! Poor children finding out last minute on Monday there school is closing. How confusing, frightening & very sad. Carry on congratulating yourselves.

Congratulate the Government on this. What did they think was going to happen when they had no real mitigations in place before Christmas, allowed the virus to rampage through schools and THEN ALLOWED PEOPLE TO GATHER AT CHRISTMAS? This was all predictable! So excellent question - but it's not the teachers who forgot the children. We never do.

@Flaxmeadow

Well, it's good that school staff don't need your support to demand a safe working environment then.

My whole point has been that a teachers strike, oops sorry "walkout" would have no support from the general public

People have watched millions of NHS and food retail staff work throughout this pandemic, often with far less safety measures than teachers. Yet there has been no call for a strike, sorry a "walkout" from them

Can't teachers and their unions see this, or have they become so far, furlough, removed from everyday life

You can't speak for the general public. Nor can I, but for myself, I would 100% support my DC's teacher walking out of school. If you want to blame anyone, blame the incompetent twats who somehow ended up in government.

I am not a teacher btw. Nor is anyone close to me.

because supermarket staff are at more risk of exposure

that really is not born out by the PHE weekly surveillance reports.

I support the teachers and headteachers on this.

The government has completely lost my confidence.

As soon as the children went back to school things started to get worse again. And now look at us - on the verge of a national lockdown again. In only one term.

If I was a virus I'd mutate to spread easier through children too. They (and school staff) are the only groups of people who still mix indoors in such large groups for prolonged periods of time.

The government have had 10 months to sort out social distancing, smaller class sizes etc. They chose not to.

So just as when you don't do test & trace properly you have to have lockdowns, if you don't make education safe you have to have closures.

Good. I am very glad to hear that. My children's school is in an area with 800+ Covid cases in 100,000. It’s tier four but not in London. The only reason it isn’t shut (or won’t be) is because the overall town figure is lower at just over 440 per 100,000. The thought of sending my children in with that local levels terrifies me. I won’t do it.

Poor teachers. Poor children. Continuously shafted in this whole mess.

I would support a walk out and I’m not a teacher. I am walking out. My children aren’t going in until the levels drop somewhat. I could cope with the towns average... but not 800 in 100,000.

@Flaxmeadow

And you keep comparing to the same two groups, despite repeatedly being told why they don't compare.

Being told? Told? Like a teacher tells their pupils. What's next, grammar and spelling corrections

No they don't compare because supermarket staff are at more risk of exposure. But why haven't we seen dozens of threads from retail staff?

Because we all have to wear masks in supermarkets. The numbers entering are controlled. They are large, well ventilated spaces.

By all means though, invite retail workers to start threads! I'll support any measure they want put in place to increase their safety!

Have you all forgotten the children in all this!! Poor children finding out last minute on Monday there school is closing. How confusing, frightening & very sad. Carry on congratulating yourselves

What do you think happens at the moment?

Groups of children are repeatedly sent home as close contacts. At no notice. This way, they are home with their parent/carer who will be able to tell them in a supportive way. Those more vulnerable children who don’t have someone to do that will be in school regardless - which they wouldn’t be if they were a close contact.

One of the reasons for closing for a bit is to try and ensure the really vulnerable can still attend.

So please, don’t tell me - a teacher and DSLO to think of the children. Just don’t.