NEU tells teachers not to go to work on Monday

[Workyticket]

skwawkbox.org/2021/01/02/breaking-union-tells-teachers-not-to-go-to-work-on-monday/

A pity they could not have made this announcement and recommendation earlier as it would have got more publicity and probably even more support than it will have.

I hope the legal counsel can find a way to ensure the government is held to account as well.

Without real action to stem the virus, which school, college and university closures can be a significant part, by March there will have been 100,000 deaths from the virus in the UK.

Good.

It's health and safety legislation, Sausageathlete, doesn't just apply to teachers.

www.legislation.gov.uk/ukpga/1996/18/section/44

Why is all the talk about keyworkers, and none about the people (mostly women) whose jobs aren't "key", but who still have to work because they need the money - but who are suddenly expected to be able to drop everything in order to supervise their primary aged children's online education?

The whole thing sucks. All children should be at school unless they are ill.

Though I also think everyone should be at work and that the whole strategy of lockdowns is a hideous error.

@mrjuno

Why is all the talk about keyworkers, and none about the people (mostly women) whose jobs aren't "key", but who still have to work because they need the money - but who are suddenly expected to be able to drop everything in order to supervise their primary aged children's online education?

The whole thing sucks. All children should be at school unless they are ill.

Though I also think everyone should be at work and that the whole strategy of lockdowns is a hideous error.

Cool, shall we just forget about having hospitals open then?

as is avoiding conflict with senior leaders

Would totally agree with this which is why having the NAHT backing here is so significant.

"Though I also think everyone should be at work and that the whole strategy of lockdowns is a hideous error."

Tell that to the ICU staff in hospitals at the moment.

Though I also think everyone should be at work and that the whole strategy of lockdowns is a hideous error.

So surprised at that particular revelation

@ineedaholidaynow

Remote provision has to be provided now so children won't be missing out on education completely

How does that work when the parent is working from home, on the computer. How do two or three children aged 5-11 not miss out? I'm not talking about pupils who are so deprived that they would qualify for free ipads or whatever. I'm talking about the so-called 'squeezed middle' who qualify for nothing, but can't afford anything either.

Who's going to help these children, if their parents aren't key workers?

Will just put this here...

Seems very unlikely that 27 children have no non-keyworker parent? Well a quarter of families with children are single parent families to start with. It would depend on the area but some schools would have the majority of parents in low paid jobs, many of which are keyworker jobs. Supermarket workers, food production, delivery drivers, rubbish collection, carers and so on.

I'm watching bbc news and it was the top story.
The news about the hospitals is very bad too.
I hope the unions stick to their plans as it's clearly not safe in many areas to return to work. I know it's hard on parents and the children though.

mrjuno like everyone in an unprecedented pandemic, muddle through.

Not ideal for anyone in the world at the minute (illness, poverty, recession etc etc) but being less selfish and stopping the 'me,me,me' would help.

Who's going to help these children, if their parents aren't key workers?

The government needs to get its arse in gear and work with schools to enable them to re-open safely then, doesn't it?

Hope you are busy writing to your MP to recommend this.

Why can't hospitals cope? Because the whole model of the NHS is flawed and is unfit for modern-day purposes. It made sense when it was founded. But I don't imagine Bevan, if he were alive now, would be inventing the NHS. He'd be coming up with a system which worked for an increasingly elderly population, for starters.

The problem with the NHS is that everyone is now expected to genuflect to it. It doesn't work, and needs fundamental reform (more money is not the answer). That's the only way to prevent the situation we're in now.

@mrjuno During Lockdown I taught live to timetable on the one laptop we have. My children would do their work worker before my working day began or ended. Usually they did their work at 7am as they’re used to being in breakfast club at 7.30 so are early birds. Took a lot of organisation but needs must.

Nothing 'me, me, me' about this, btw. My children have long since left primary school. One has left university!

*How does that work when the parent is working from home, on the computer. How do two or three children aged 5-11 not miss out? I'm not talking about pupils who are so deprived that they would qualify for free ipads or whatever. I'm talking about the so-called 'squeezed middle' who qualify for nothing, but can't afford anything either.

Who's going to help these children, if their parents aren't key workers?*

My school's policy is that everything should be accessible via a smart phone with wifi only- that we should assume students have no ability to print or access certain document types.

We also provided printed work packs for those with no access to tech.

We're secondary but I think primary schools will know their catchment and be able to provide appropriate resources.

Tier 3 areas will be Tier 4 very soon if schools go back. This new variant changes all the rules. There is no benefit in waiting until hospitals are collapsing before taking action.

So what do you think should happen @mrjuno? Schools carry on a s normal? The problem is that the normal for many schools last term was bubbles bursting all over the place, schools having to close due to being short staffed. The rates are going up so that is only going to get worse, so what should schools do?

I'm torn, I want my DC to go back to school but I also want covid to be more contained than it is atm.

@motherrunner. Of course anything is possible. But that doesn't mean it's right, or that it's possible for everyone.

Some children are going to be massively disadvantaged by yet another school closure.

@mrjuno

Nothing 'me, me, me' about this, btw. My children have long since left primary school. One has left university!

And you’ve not worked since March?

Bet you’ll be so pleased to start teaching again.

MrJuno believes that the best way to teach this virus a lesson is to ignore it. Everyone knows viruses can't stand being ignored.

[quote motherrunner]@mrjuno During Lockdown I taught live to timetable on the one laptop we have. My children would do their work worker before my working day began or ended. Usually they did their work at 7am as they’re used to being in breakfast club at 7.30 so are early birds. Took a lot of organisation but needs must.[/quote]
At my child's secondary they are expected to be online at lesson times, so would all need their own device.