Schools - what are you expecting?

[DBML]

I’m a teacher and throughout November and December our school was hit badly by Covid. We had all year groups off, at least 50 confirmed cases in pupils. Tens of staff off confirmed. One member of staff passed Covid on to a parent who then passed away. One learner passed Covid to her mother who passed away. We had 2 children seriously ill in hospital, luckily now recovered. Horrendous is not a word I use lightly, but it became frightening and eventually unsustainable.

Because some groups were in and others out, remote learning was patchy and difficult to manage. I caught Covid after having a year 7 in my class who tested positive and I was ill for about 7 - 10 days, so quite mild luckily. But I couldn’t breath easily and had panic attacks. Was unable to sleep laying down and was convinced that I had no air. It was awful.

‘Us for them’ is campaigning for us to go back to this again. No safety measures in place...just a full reopening and having been there, I cannot understand why?

I know many posters here want school’s ‘reopened’ again too and as quickly as possible. I was wondering whether rather than just say ‘schools must open’ someone could explain.

I get that home learning is not ideal; can be inconsistent and that working from home is challenging when children are there. I get that parents are worried about their children’s and their own mental health...I get it, because I am trying to work full time and am a parent too. But, having seen how bad schools can get, I also accept that tolerating this situation until cases are right down is necessary.

I don’t want to die. I don’t want my husband to die. I don’t want my son to get seriously sick. I don’t want my pupils to get sick or to lose parents. I don’t want to return to school without anything there to keep us safe. We were not safe.

I was wondering what those who want schools to just open are expecting? Are you expecting children not to catch it? Not to pass it about? Are you willing for some teachers, parents and pupils to die because it will only be a very small percentage and a price worth paying? Are you happy to put up with the endless isolations and then reduced quality of online learning?

And if you just want ‘normality’ do you realise that’s just not possible?

Genuinely interested in the reasoning and not just the statement ‘schools need to open’.

Thetes quite a few other threads on this exact subject, you might find some answers there.

I want schools open as soon as possible with improved safety measures. This government have had more than enough time to organise that.

Schools aren't unique regarding the spread of Covid. My workplace (factory) has had more Covid cases than my DS's school has. No workplace is ever going to be completely Covid secure. Expecting there to be no cases at school ever is unrealistic. But better safety measures to reduce the risks can be put in place.

I agree with you OP and would also like to hear what the “open up NOW” people are actually asking for. Adjusting school substantially to make it safer doesn’t seem to figure in their demands.

@InterfectoremVulpes

People tend to state what to eh want on those threads, but there is little acknowledgment that if we go back now it will be:
Without safety measures
With high cases
With isolation outcomes
With some deaths as a result

There seems little acknowledgement of this... you want us back safely with screens and masks and social distancing? Not going to happen. It’ll be more of the same. So I wondered what people therefore expect?

@Waxonwaxoff0

So are you of the mindset that some casualties are OK?

And those safety measures haven’t been put in place and let’s be honest, won’t be.

Us for them we’re actively campaigning for no safety measures and business as normal.

I wondered if that’s worth it to have your children back at school.

OP- so you’ve already had it? And recovered. All this talk of you “not wanting to die” / your husband die, pupils die etc... please can we keep this accurate and in perspective. The chances of anyone healthy and young dying of Covid is tiny.

I want teachers to get the vaccine and primary and secondary exam years to reopen in small bubbles, 1 day a week at first after half term, then 2 days a week.

[quote DBML]@Waxonwaxoff0

So are you of the mindset that some casualties are OK?[/quote]
I'm realistic. It's not OK, but there are going to be some. There are going to be some in every profession. NHS. Bus drivers. Police. People have died of Covid in all of these professions. Is it OK? No. But unless you never leave your home, there is always a chance you could be exposed to Covid.

@sundowners

My husband and son didn’t catch it as I isolated from them. I still worry for them.

I am healthy and it was a terrible illness. My colleagues parent was a rugby player, very fit and this virus killed him. It seems more luck than anything to me.

I want my child to return to school as soon as the teachers in school are working in a safe environment.
Until that time I will homeschool. I understand some parents don't have the ability to wfh or even wfh and homeschool.

It is unprecedented times and I appreciate all the effort my child's teacher and school have done to support us at home.
I think the government has treated the nhs and teachers poorly and underfunded you all for far too long.

My pupils are enjoying being at home. They have their full timetable of live lessons and feel less anxious knowing they are safe at home and are having well planned lessons and regulars marked worked.

The last term was a disaster. From the 3rd week of Sept we have at least one year group out each week. Twice we shut to all pupils as we didn’t have enough staff. One day Yr 10 we’re sent home in the middle of a lesson! My pupils are enjoying the continuity of being at home and not the constant in and out. We use ‘break out’ rooms on teams so they talk in small groups. This weekend I proof read UCAS statements for the Yr 13s in my form, they are positive about the future. Being in and out of school, seeing their peers and their teachers sick, wasn’t helping at all.

I get that and thank you for explaining.

But there is evidence that suggests school staff are at higher risk than many other professions, excluding obviously the NHS and caters who are in the position of having to care for Covid patients. And not therefore just school staff, but our school communities.

Also, across a period of two weeks I saw 2 deaths, 1 staff hospitalisation and 2 pupils hospitalised. All school related. I firmly believe that this can happen again and across more schools. To me, that is unacceptable?

Sorry about all the typos. Trying to grab a quick coffee before P3 starts!

I hope the unions will grow a pair and insist on better measures in schools to keep staff and DCs as safe as possible.

@HettyBettyConfetti

Thank you so much

@motherrunner

The disruption was awful. Our pupils were scared too. I’ve never experienced anything like it and never want to again.

I want to see masks in classrooms for all pupils aged over 6 (and I have a seven year old) as is the case in other countries. This also means that single cases do not burst the whole class bubble but more than one case in a class would.

Also parents who are over 60 or classed as CEV should be able to keep their children home. Teachers should be prioritised for the vaccination.

How do you know who caught covid from who?

I am certainly not behind unsafe schools or us for them but I do think we have to be honest about the awful effect schools closing has on children and their parents.

I want schools to open safely. As in, they are safe for both students and staff. But equally I can't see who is going to pay for safety measures.

At secondary school level I suspect this would be best served by a one week in school, one week remote learning system so that only half the number of students are in school at any one time (and there are natural isolation periods). At primary school level I think there's more of a need to get all children physically into school but perhaps more use could be made of outside spaces as the weather gets warmer.

I want to see children going back to school part time in small groups with proper safety measures for the summer term.

I won't be sending mine back in the same circumstances as September. I feel that teachers and parents were bullied into it.

Right now school is throwing everything they have into homeschooling, they are going to need time and resources to make the school safe for return.

@HettyBettyConfetti

I want my child to return to school as soon as the teachers in school are working in a safe environment. Until that time I will homeschool. I understand some parents don't have the ability to wfh or even wfh and homeschool. It is unprecedented times and I appreciate all the effort my child's teacher and school have done to support us at home. I think the government has treated the nhs and teachers poorly and underfunded you all for far too long.

👏👏👏👏

Totally agree.

None of us want children at home. No one thinks it's the best option.

But it's the only one we have available to reduce pressure on nhs and keep transmission low.

It's not about how ill pupils and teachers get.

It's about how children are 7 times more likely to be index case in a household and how ill those family members or their contacts get.

"I want to see masks in classrooms for all pupils aged over 6 (and I have a seven year old) as is the case in other countries. This also means that single cases do not burst the whole class bubble but more than one case in a class would."

Sorry, but I don't get the link you're making between pupils over 6 wearing masks and single cases not bursting bubbles?

Callme - in Spain all pupils and teachers wear masks. If there is a single case in the classroom that that child would SI but the bubble wouldn't burst. If there is more than on case in a class then that is classed as a 'spread' and would burst the bubble.

Itsgetting - under current rules those households should have no or very few contacts anyway. However, attendance at this stage should be optional. If someone is at high risk then they can keep their child off.

I've been thinking about this all morning after reading the headlines about 'demands' to open schools fully in February. Why are none of the people demanding that 'schools open now' getting behind campaigns to make schools safer? Do they really think that opening without any additional measures in place will result in anything other than more closures in the long run? I just don't get it and would also like someone to explain their position on this.