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?

@FancySomeChips

I sent mine in. This is too big an issue to fanny about over. We need to stand up for our pupils and our families. All the ‘science’ and advice says schools need to close, the gov don’t give a crap though. If you don’t send it in, then you might as well stop your union subscription- it’s completely undermining the union’s work to support us and if ever the gov has to listen to them, it’s now. If this fails because individuals don’t send the letters, the gov will never listen to the unions about anything. And that’s dangerous. It’s not just about sending the letter for you, it’s bigger than that. It’s for your pupils, your family, your colleagues, for teachers all over the country in every setting, in every tier, it’s for the exam years (the government will HAVE to address their shit stance on y11 and 13, if not that’s our next united battle). Please encourage her to send it. Then to look for a better school to work in.

Bloody well said!

(Secondary school support staff...'thankfully' I've been able to take an unpaid sabbatical to care for a dying parent, but thinking of my colleagues and of the effect of this shit show on my DD who is due to be taking GCSEs this summer).

@brokeuse I also notice you reference your experience from your child's PRIVATE SCHOOL - they make their own rules, so of course the could send the whole bubble home.

My school only sends home the people sat next to each other!!
Get a reality check!

'SUPERMARKETS HAVE PPE And limited numbers allowed in, social distancing and sanitisation'

Face covers. I believe reading this thread that some teachers are allowed to wear face covers, is it up to the head or what? There are sanitisers at school. The social distancing thing is of course a problem for anyone working in busy areas. I would guess the amount of circulating droplets in a busy tescos (as there are so many mask refusers) are the same as school although I'm obviously guessing. High flow areas are the same risk anywhere though.

I do think at this stage schools will close until Feb and give the vaccine chance to drive the numbers down. After that teachers really do need to work with their heads and unions to be more effective at problem solving and organising going forward. I can't quite believe 9 months later it's been such a chaotic carry on.

Well said, @Pa33TheWine.
It's a very complex problem. That's why we have a PM and associated expert panels and minds. We should not have to second guess and stumble around blind when we pay our taxes and cast our votes. Sadly, 'should' and 'should not' are all we have. Let's see what the 8pm announcement brings. I will give Boris and his bunch a chance, what is he going to do with it? Let's not lose hope yet. At least we have the vaccine within reach and hope for the future. It's the right now that worries me.

@GetOffYourHighHorse

'SUPERMARKETS HAVE PPE And limited numbers allowed in, social distancing and sanitisation'

Face covers. I believe reading this thread that some teachers are allowed to wear face covers, is it up to the head or what? There are sanitisers at school. The social distancing thing is of course a problem for anyone working in busy areas. I would guess the amount of circulating droplets in a busy tescos (as there are so many mask refusers) are the same as school although I'm obviously guessing. High flow areas are the same risk anywhere though.

I do think at this stage schools will close until Feb and give the vaccine chance to drive the numbers down. After that teachers really do need to work with their heads and unions to be more effective at problem solving and organising going forward. I can't quite believe 9 months later it's been such a chaotic carry on.

Where does the government and dfe fit in with your plan? You do realise it is them who put these procedures in place. Why do you not criticise the government for this chaos?

Ridiculous comment.
It was heartbreaking seeing my 6 year old put in front of a few books and TV while my husband tried to wfh and I worked long hours at hospital.
As an only child he had no contact with kids during lockdown.
I support teachers having PPE but they are essential workers in my eyes.

[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]
Well your school is going against government guidance which says masks shouldn't be worn in class as they impede learning. Some schools have chosen to ignore this but understandably the majority of heads have adhered to government guidance. I imagine they feel they have little choice. It isn't the fault of school leaders'.

@SandwhichGenerationGal

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.

They could go in as their children would have a key worker space in school together and it's vulnerable children.

@Topsyturveymam

Ridiculous comment. It was heartbreaking seeing my 6 year old put in front of a few books and TV while my husband tried to wfh and I worked long hours at hospital. As an only child he had no contact with kids during lockdown. I support teachers having PPE but they are essential workers in my eyes.

You dont seem to have thought this 'ridiculous' comment through. You state you work in a hospital, so you only child qualifies for a keyworker space at their school.

I'm afraid you subjected your child to your husband wfh unnecessarily

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!!

I will preface this by saying that I think schools must close at this stage, but please do not scoff at other's dc having been damaged by the previous closure, or suggest that if they have it means their parents don't fucking like them.

I like my dc. I have 4, the eldest has Sen and can be violent and unpredictable. He found the beginning of the last lockdown so hard and had several serious meltdowns. I am a single parent, so while I shield the younger ones as much as possible I can't completely, and eldest is now bigger and stronger than me. It is traumatic for the younger ones to see their brother lashing out and talking about harming himself.

One of the younger ones has developed anxiety issues with the transition from home into school, such that it now takes me up to 40mins to leave him into school each day, which persisted from Sept-Dec. He had never had any issues like this before in 4yrs of previous schooling.

All of my children have anxiety that they didn't have before, to a greater or lesser extent.

None of this is my fault, and it does stem from the breakdown of their routine and world from covid and school closures.

I know that my children are not alone in this. None of this means schools should stay open regardless, but please don't dismiss the psychological damage that other dc have suffered, just because you're lucky enough that your dc has escaped it.

Schools have introduced massive changes to help to keep children safe in school . Parents should be asking why many are not allowed to wear masks in the classroomto protect the children just because Boris doesnt think they are necessary ???

You state you work in a hospital, so you only child qualifies for a keyworker space at their school.

I'm afraid you subjected your child to your husband wfh unnecessarily

Plenty of schools required 2 key worker parents for a place. Get your facts straight before attacking people

@BewareTheBeardedDragon

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!!

I will preface this by saying that I think schools must close at this stage, but please do not scoff at other's dc having been damaged by the previous closure, or suggest that if they have it means their parents don't fucking like them.

I like my dc. I have 4, the eldest has Sen and can be violent and unpredictable. He found the beginning of the last lockdown so hard and had several serious meltdowns. I am a single parent, so while I shield the younger ones as much as possible I can't completely, and eldest is now bigger and stronger than me. It is traumatic for the younger ones to see their brother lashing out and talking about harming himself.

One of the younger ones has developed anxiety issues with the transition from home into school, such that it now takes me up to 40mins to leave him into school each day, which persisted from Sept-Dec. He had never had any issues like this before in 4yrs of previous schooling.

All of my children have anxiety that they didn't have before, to a greater or lesser extent.

None of this is my fault, and it does stem from the breakdown of their routine and world from covid and school closures.

I know that my children are not alone in this. None of this means schools should stay open regardless, but please don't dismiss the psychological damage that other dc have suffered, just because you're lucky enough that your dc has escaped it.

Apologies for your experience!

I hope your children's school gave you support with this.

The government have stated all children in these circumstances should be allowed to attend school. Schools are there to support and help in any way they can in these situations. Please make sure you receive that help if an inevitable lockdown is announced.

Mumsneedwine
I don’t blame you for getting out. It sounds like you have had it really tough. What are you going to be doing now? I have had my first day as a headteacher and my first big decision was to close my school!

Psychological damage??!

I fully support teachers handing in section 44 notices - but please don't make light of the psychological impact, particularly on teens/nearly teens (for whom, psychologically speaking, interaction with their peers is far more important than interaction with their parents).

I was seriously worried about my DS's mental health during the first lockdown - I think he came very close to falling apart completely. His teachers have commented that the lovely bubbly outgoing child they taught in year 7 has disappeared, replaced by a shadow of his former self, introverted, unmotivated, depressed. It breaks my heart to see it. And it's having knock-on physical effects - his eczema is at the stage where it's open, bleeding sores, he's had an asthma attack bad enough to require hospital.

Add on to that the fact that he has dyslexia, and teaching a child with dyslexia is a specialist job, not one that I can replicate at home, and I honestly think any chance he had of getting an even half-way decent set of GCSEs is up shit creek without a paddle.

So please don't pretend this is a straightforward decision with no adverse consequences. It's a necessary decision, it's the only decision in the circumstances, but there will be children up and down the country who, like my son, are having their futures shat on from a great height as a result. He will never make up this lost time - certainly not educationally. If he comes out of it psychologically OK, I'm counting that as a win.

@Pa33TheWine

Whilst my daughter goes to a private school, my son goes to our local state primary and there have been NO cases to date despite being in Tier 4.
Your tone is really insulting: I love my children. Who are you to judge that I do not? Because you disagree, you think you are allowed to speak this way?
You should get real: teenage suicide rate is at its highest in forever.. My son was really struggling with only seeing his friends on zoom and having no contact with family members other than his parents. I could not play games or spend my time with him all day because I actually need to work for a living... So please do show more respect for other people's opinion

Education can’t go online; it’s a farce to suggest that primary school children can be educated by unqualified parents with a few videos on google classrooms. I suppose teachers are just more important than all the other people who can’t WFH, the fire fighters and carers and shop workers. Kids education might be fucked but at least the teachers are ok!

@Pa33TheWine My friend is a social worker and has been refused a key worker place for her child because her DH isn’t a key worker.

Teachers and school staff are parents too. we are dealing with the mental health and wellbeing of our children and juggling work and everything else. We understand and sympathise but it is hard on these threads when we get blamed for the mess we are in. We have all seen the cases escalating since September. We are now at the point where the NHS cannot operate safely. What do you think schools should do?

Really Death?! Thats what you take from all this?

Nothing about the spread in schools or wider safety... mayve watch tonight at 8.

You do know the nhs has said they're at crisis point?

Of course children are being impacted by this

Even if you can do a lot about it they need friends and for many enjoy the classroom too

It can be mitigated but on screen learning is just more screen

@GalaxyCookieCrumble

If NHS workers did this there would be hell on, teachers must be an endangered species the way they go on. Come at me, I'm ready

save your anger for the government. is it teacher's fault that we've got uncontrolled covid escalating and a nhs that is overwhelmed?

I’m a TA, husband is CEV. I’ve not been into school since start of last lockdown. Not intending to return until husband has vaccine or rates come right down. My head has stated I won’t be paid. Union has said we should be paid. So do I now have a stressful battle on hands.? TA wages are so low as it is... I will struggle without my pay.

If NHS workers did this there would be hell on, teachers must be an endangered species the way they go on. Come at me, I'm ready

Well, they sort of are, if you look at retention rates. It's fine to not like teachers very much. But they do seem to keep buggering off to better options, & you can't make them stay.

So I'm hoping you're 'ready' for your dc not actually having qualified teachers once the dust settles?