How many teachers will be handing in the section 44 letter tomorrow and not going in?

[SoscaredforJan]

My DSis is scared to go to work tomorrow in a private primary school in Tier 3 but lowish numbers. She is not ECV but has got chemo damaged lungs so it petrified of catching Covid.

She desperately wants to follow union advice and not go in tomorrow but she’s worried that most teachers will be in as normal, she will have a black Mark against her and will be quietly pushed out.

Are there many teachers on here planning not to go in tomorrow? What do you think will happen tomorrow?

But they are able to socially distance from their customers aren’t they? And they have additional safety precautions such as Perspex screens. Try getting 4 and 5 year olds to socially distance or not lock the tables/teacher’s shoe/Lego/whiteboard etc!!!!

#lick

What job role are going into?
Been looking for my next move myself, but havent seen many options

Agreed re keyworker provision, teachers refusing to work for safety reasons shouldn't then send their children in to access keyworker provision.

There's a fair few teachers 50 and over. Enough, in my school certainly, to make it unsafe to open without them onsite.

@Pearshaped20

Just out of interest what changes could be made in schools that would make teachers feel safe? Would it make a difference if they were all vaccinated and currently are you provided with / expected to wear PPE in school?

You must have seen what teachers and school staff have been asking for by now surely? it's no longer even about just making teachers safe. it's looking at the big picture and admitting that transmission in schools has caused huge rises in the community. Our NHS is collapsing.

Oh no. Was really counting on my DCs’ teachers to hand in the letter. I don’t want to send them in!

Don’t send them in then, you can quote health and safety too. Some teaching staff will be too afraid/not be able to afford to risk their jobs to not go in so you can’t expect them to make your decision for you. You have to make it yourself, the more people do it the less likely schools will stay open. My children are at uni now but if they were still at school I would not send them in. I am asthmatic and I think it would now be too risky for them to mix at school.

I must say I am a little surprised by the tone of this thread. The number of primary aged school children affected by Covid or of children passing Covid on to other families is actually very low. In my daughter's private secondary in London, they were sending a whole year bubble home for 2 weeks if one kid caught Covid. Sounds very sensible to me.

Whilst I appreciate that people at risk are scared and definitely support them shielding, the psychological damage to most kids is horrendous. My 9 year old was REALLY struggling post Spring 2020 lockdown so I do NOT support school closure at all.

@jane1956
So if they choose not to work then no pay

How many times....head teachers, teachers and school staff ARE AT WORK educating children.
Following your logic, anyone who works at home, in any job, should not get paid...

I won't be handing anything in to anyone because I resigned in September and did my last day on October 1st. Devistated and still not made peace with it as my job was my identity and my life.
I have two children (BAME and one under 2yrs old, I also care for my grandmother who is in her 90s and bedridden. She lives with my mother who is 70 with a heart condition. There will be no priority paramedic at the door if either of them have a heart attack or stroke as hospitals are at full capacity here. I cannot do CPR for over 45 minutes. I doubt anyone can, sadly).
My eldest daughter was raised by my mother and I as co-parents before I met my husband. I kept her home and advised her primary that I will not send her back until this farce of waiting on lockdowns is over. Not those words, of course, but you get the idea. Common sense in my mind.
Plus, if enough of the kids don't go in, the teachers are not forced to suffer as a consequence of standing up for themselves and their families. Schools would shut as it wasn't viable. We have power in numbers.
I understand that we can all only do as we see fit. I personally believe my eldest will suffer far greater for being unable to see her Nan until the 6 week holidays (at the earliest), and even more so for her dying as a result of our attempts to visit her safely prior to then. There are no beds or ambulances as it is, next will be the coming freezing weather and likely (not guaranteed, obviously) beast from the east business in a week or so due to another SSW, according to the latest meteorological data.
All in all, I won't risk it this side of February. Each to their own, I'm not waiting for Boris to tell me I am allowed to protect my family. He screwed me last year when we all followed the rules and clapped like seals for the NHS we are now hammering. If people would think for themselves we would be much better off collectively. Sadly not many agree. I support all my ex colleagues and all my doctor and nurse friends. I don't support Boris anymore and can't believe I gave his shit-show the time of day. Roll on 8pm and another episode of the Shit Show Live. I've had enough.
If he closes the country down, including schools, all those people who could rely on parents and grandparents to do childcare are screwed. It's 2 weeks now until they may be willing to have the kids for these people. They will lose more. Again. How can he justify that?

Healthcare worker here not working with covid patients but doing home visits with paper masks gloves and flimsy aprons in peoples homes with children under five plus I'm Caribbean background with small children and an elderly mum I don't feel safe but what if all Healthcare workers downed tools.

@IndecentFeminist

Agreed re keyworker provision, teachers refusing to work for safety reasons shouldn't then send their children in to access keyworker provision.

Erm... but teachers would still be working from home, providing remote education. So when a maths lesson for your child gets interrupted by a child who needs a poo, that would be ok?

I’m a learning mentor in primary school and have to go in to support the vulnerable and key worker children. The teachers are working from home to plan the online learning.
Totally unfair, abs feels like support staff don’t matter.

Brokeuse

No one can say currently what is going on with children in school, we just don't have the information yet... We can send dc back and then get some concrete stats in 3 to 4 weeks.

Who wants their dc to be that Guinea pig?

Duchess are you working for a private company?.
Any company should provide by now decent ppe for staff.

BTW I got some good face shields on amazon a pack of 5 for about 4 delivered. Very light and easy to wear (in conjunction with a mask)

@SoscaredforJan

So do I! I don’t want to send my children in either!

Fine if they don’t want to work But they shouldn’t be paid either, that’d save the nation some money

@brokeuse

I must say I am a little surprised by the tone of this thread. The number of primary aged school children affected by Covid or of children passing Covid on to other families is actually very low. In my daughter's private secondary in London, they were sending a whole year bubble home for 2 weeks if one kid caught Covid. Sounds very sensible to me.

Whilst I appreciate that people at risk are scared and definitely support them shielding, the psychological damage to most kids is horrendous. My 9 year old was REALLY struggling post Spring 2020 lockdown so I do NOT support school closure at all.

Have you not noticed what is going on in our country with hospitals at breaking point? How do you propose sending children back to school is going to be possible right now?

You do realise many more NHS workers and bus drivers have contracted covid at work, I don't want to go into peoples houses to see vulnerable under fives but its my job.

I havent read all of the comments here, but the ones I have read have shocked me.
So many people think teachers are lazy or ungrateful in some way, but the facts are clear.

Teachers work incredibly hard before and after school, at weekends and all through the holidays (we only get paid 195 days per year, spread through)
Teachers have continued to work in schools throughout the pandemic, schools never closed!
Some work went online due to Government lockdown requirements. The same as 100's of other jobs
SUPERMARKETS HAVE PPE
And limited numbers allowed in, social distancing and sanitisation
Care homes are doing a tremendous job. I am sad to see someone here that says they work in a care home post negatively towards teachers. I stand in solidarity with the NHS and total lack of sufficient PPE and protection Matt Hancock delivered.
I haven't seen my Nan since this started. The people at her care home can't believe teachers are still in classes - they have not had visitors in side for months so say their risk in the home is minimal.
Teachers want to be in school. Teachers are asking for PPE and clear safety guidelines to stay safe when mixing with 100's-1000's of children.
My colleague has just been discharged from an over-run hospital, after a fight with covid and now has kidney damage. This is a serious risk to staff, who did not sign up to work in infectious diseases.

I would defend anyone's right to stay safe at work. Teachers care deeply about their pupils, and the vst majority of parents support them because they know how badly they have been treated.

This is the government's poor planning and refusal to engage with people in the job. It is all completely avoidable.
This issue will a non-starter soon anyway, as another lockdown will be announced
Be kind!!

@Cameron2012, you assume no masks are worn in schools. This is not true. In my foster sons special secondary school all students wear a mask all day except outside PE or outdoor break. Some wear vizors too. All staff wear masks and vizors at all times. All windows open. Any child who can't/won't wear a mask has home learning. My niece also Year 10 in normal state secondary wears a mask all day in corridors and classrooms, teachers too. It seems there is nothing to stop teachers wearing a mask unless their Headteacher forbids it. Nothing to do with government but at the whim of Heads. Heads who refuse to let teachers wear PPE are therefore responsible for making work place unsafe.

A note about remote teaching - It's working from home, the same as thousands of other jobs have been instructed to do.

Should teachers be paid? If they are working and delivering lessons, of course. @MollyMinniesMum if you disagree, I hope you wont expect your child's teacher to provide ANY work for them during the next lockdown!

Totally support teachers not going in but worried about the impact on other key workers. My daughter is a nurse, husband a doctor. Both front line. It would mean they couldn’t go to work. Don’t know the answer.

There’s in-school provision for keyworker children.

[quote caringcarer]@Cameron2012, you assume no masks are worn in schools. This is not true. In my foster sons special secondary school all students wear a mask all day except outside PE or outdoor break. Some wear vizors too. All staff wear masks and vizors at all times. All windows open. Any child who can't/won't wear a mask has home learning. My niece also Year 10 in normal state secondary wears a mask all day in corridors and classrooms, teachers too. It seems there is nothing to stop teachers wearing a mask unless their Headteacher forbids it. Nothing to do with government but at the whim of Heads. Heads who refuse to let teachers wear PPE are therefore responsible for making work place unsafe.[/quote]
Special schools have different guidelines due to the nature of their work

State secondary schools vary, most are following DfE guidelines of having masks in corridors. They are NOT permitted in classrooms, the Gov have been very clear about this and how it impedes teaching. So teachers are unmasked in rooms of 30 plus children. (This is likely to change soon)

Primary schools are not allowed masks in ANY classrooms. Any schools doing this are breaching explicit DfE guidelines. Corridors only.

All schools and put on PPE if dealing with a child injury or close care.

@brokeuse

I must say I am a little surprised by the tone of this thread. The number of primary aged school children affected by Covid or of children passing Covid on to other families is actually very low. In my daughter's private secondary in London, they were sending a whole year bubble home for 2 weeks if one kid caught Covid. Sounds very sensible to me.

Whilst I appreciate that people at risk are scared and definitely support them shielding, the psychological damage to most kids is horrendous. My 9 year old was REALLY struggling post Spring 2020 lockdown so I do NOT support school closure at all.

Psychological damage??!

My children have been at home during the first lockdown. t home with their parents, in the safest place in the world.

They absolutely did not suffer psychological damage from being with their own parents!
We played, watched films together, learnt together and spent quality time together - But then i actually like my children!!