Teachers at far higher risk of covid than general population - New data

[noblegiraffe]

"Covid rates among schools staff in some areas are as much as four times the corresponding local authority average, Tes can reveal.

Figures for three councils obtained by the NASUWT teachers' union show that the staff coronavirus infections are far outstripping local rates, casting doubt on the government's repeated assertion that teachers are at no greater risk than other workers."

www.tes.com/news/exclusive-teacher-covid-rates-333-above-average

The government won't release the proper data, I wonder why. They've been given an extension to midday today to show the evidence that schools are safe, as part of a legal challenge by the headteacher unions. Good luck with that.

This is for everyone's sake. If you want to be angry and apportion blame may I suggest you write a strongly worded letter to Covid or the Chinese government or the bright sparks who left the borders open?

It wasn't your kids art teacher who caused an international pandemic.

Ps plenty of teachers won't qualify for a kw place as their partner isn't one and will get up at 5am and stay up till midnight to fit their work around children's awake hours because of that or because they don't feel safe sending their children to kw provision.

Pps schools aren't closed. I was in yesterday looking after year 7s amongst other things and am in tomorrow with year 10s and spent today, my day off, offering online support to parents and students and marking and returning work as it comes in to get the expectations right from the start.

@PrincessScarlett
I don't really like Dr Sarah Jarvis- I remember early in the pandemic, she mocked Caprice for saying people should be wearing masks. Caprice was ridiculed really. She said she had a business in Taiwan and was astonished to find that we weren't wearing masks, and that her workers and clients in Taiwan were baffled as to why we weren't either. Sarah went for her and lost credibility in my eyes.

My dcs didn't use KW places from March - June and I won't be using them again. None of our staff used school provision and did what everyone else was doing....working stupidly early in the mornings and late at night whilst trying to homeschool their own children. It's almost as they, and myself, actually physically working in a school, thought that was the safer (but not easier) option 🤔...

this again.

Can no-one read the ONS statistics nowadays? Teachers aren't more at risk.

@Carlislemumof4

So the teaching unions are determined, by presenting data In a way that suits them, that my kids won't be educated in the classroom before the summer holidays then. Hokey doke, it's best to be prepared I suppose.

As long as the fallacy that they've 'moved to online learning' is dropped and the discussion regarding how many kids have just been kicked out of education in to social isolation becomes a lot more honest.

Our School is closed today to everyone, even keyworker and vulnerable, applications requested at 9am, no updates so far, we can pick up a home learning pack this afternoon or tomorrow morning though.

This data is not comparing occupations, what if all or many schools stay closed to everyone now because of section 44 submissions and keyworkers are looking after their children instead of keyworking?

I agree it’s not “safe” but the education unions said they were prepared for this! Interested in thoughts of others?

@HavelockVetinari

this again.

Can no-one read the ONS statistics nowadays? Teachers aren't more at risk.

ONS statistics were at first based on a period when schools were closed, and the second lot were flawed and they were reported and flagged up as misleading - which was upheld.

@piddocktrumperiness
I seem to remember Dr Sarah Jarvis also having a go at Nicola McClean over something similar

@IloveJKRowling

The REASON Noble, Piggy and others were saying MAKE SCHOOLS SAFER was BECAUSE they knew the detriment to children if lockdown happened. And they knew that with NO measures to prevent AIRBORNE spread, lockdown would be inevitable. They don't want to be teaching remotely, it's much easier in person.

The FACT is that it was already happening for some children - some of whom had to isolate 6 times or something ridiculous between Sept and Xmas. That means most of the time they WEREN'T in school.

But it was in the North of course, so no-one listened.

The government, and a lot of people, are like my 4 year old. You can stamp your feet and demand schools open, but unless you do something meaningful to make it happen, it's not going to in the MIDDLE OF A HIGHLY CONTAGIOUS PANDEMIC.

The government did NOTHING to make schools safer - nothing practical at all. They only got in the way of heads trying to make them safer with their blanket directive against masks and the assertion (with no evidence) that children facing forward somehow stopped an airborne virus from spreading.

With a bit of funding I think we'd have been surprised what schools could have managed (they've been running on fumes for years and achieving wonders) - it wouldn't have been one size fits all. Maybe some blended learning, maybe some (like my daughter's school) could have done social distanced half class sizes for all with a few extra TAs. They didn't get given the chance.

Honestly, it's clear some people really can't see that 2+2=4

👏👏👏Well said!

Very well said Jk.
Mdidnanyone happen to notice the hospitalisations in the north west and north east over the autum term in the slides last week?

At that point as much as London for a sustained period, ups and down.

Those hospitalisations didn't come from no where.

@HavelockVetinari

this again.

Can no-one read the ONS statistics nowadays? Teachers aren't more at risk.

I can see why you'd trust the ONS data, but it's worth reading their report: assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/935125/tfc-covid-19-children-transmission-s0860-041120.pdf

Agree with you that they say teachers are at no greater risk BUT...have you seen the period over which they made that judgement?

A 6 week period - 2 September to 16 October.

Most reports accept that there is a lag of 1-3 weeks between someone getting infected and getting symptoms.

Only in the latter part of that 6 week block would school-based infections be starting to appear.

They actually very deliberately had to say 'there is no evidence that...' which is not the same thing.

The page linked above is the release before the wording had to be changed.

I find it really, really odd that having released stats up to 16th October, when rates were still pretty low, they haven't released stats on the risk to teachers from October onwards. It's JANUARY now.

As I said before (possibly on another thread!) - we can't be waiting MONTHS for statistics before we act in a pandemic. Because that causes a lot of people to die and the NHS to become overwhelmed.

It's almost as if they're deliberately not releasing the statistics because they don't show what they want them to show.

I mean, it's now obvious to everyone, and frankly it was before and all the scientists were screaming that we were being stupid (as a country), but still.

It's almost as if they're deliberately not releasing the statistics because they don't show what they want them to show.

Is it a public right (FOI?!) to have that data, does anyone know?

I think someone has already submitted a FOI request. Think they were called Piggywaspushed

Sorry just seen Piggy posted just above me!

I didn't submit it but found it !

the outcome was 'we don't have that dat because no one has asked us to gather it'.

data

I think 'the crocodile ate my data' would have been a better excuse, surely?

Jesus. That's crap but of course doesn't surprise me

Good grief!

@Piggywaspushed

the outcome was 'we don't have that dat because no one has asked us to gather it'.

Shit, really?

So it doesn’t exist?

I'll see if I can find it again.