Why isn't more being done to make schools safer?

[pinkpip100]

I've just come across this website and campaign: schools.forhealth.org/risk-reduction-strategies-for-reopening-schools/
It's US based, but the strategies seem pretty universal. Given how important almost everyone agrees it is to enable children to go back to school as soon as possible, and to prevent future school closures wherever possible, why isn't there any investment into this from our government? The sections on healthy buildings and modifying attendance (through rotas, blended learning etc) seem particularly relevant, along with mask wearing in classrooms. I genuinely don't understand why this isn't being prioritised, campaigned for by groups like Us for Them etc. And why aren't the opposition parties pushing for answers on this? Am I missing something?

I agree OP. They’ve had nearly a year to put at least some measures in place.

Schools are safe. It's just the kids in them that transmit the virus back home to family.

Good question

I think the harsh truth is the government don't give a shit if your family gets ill, sorry.

They genuinely do not care.

Excellent question.

Total denial going on.

I don't understand the government's stance on this, it makes far more sense to reduce transmission as much as possible instead of flinging them all in together and crossing fingers that it will be okay. The opening and closing of bubbles/schools is far worse to deal with.

Teachers have been saying this all along.

Parents voice is louder because they want schools open so they can work.

Maybe parents aren’t that bothered?

They don’t care.

The cost of making them safe is greater than the cost of x number of children losing family members.

They’re doing it for the kids. They’re doing it for mental health. Rubbish. They’re motivated by nothing other than 💰.

I think masks are key, but British kids are not used to wearing masks all day, so it’s hard for them.

Room ventilation, hand-washing, cleaning (especially bathrooms), ensuring kids don’t talk during lunchtime when masks are off. There are so many steps that can be taken, but kids need masks on all day except when eating, even in primary schools.

There has to be universal mask wearing. At this point the evidence is clear - the virus spreads most easily indoors in cold weather when people are maskless.

@BluebellsGreenbells

Teachers have been saying this all along.

Parents voice is louder because they want schools open so they can work.

Maybe parents aren’t that bothered?

There are many parents who agree with you! We’ve just been shamed into submission with cries that we’re paranoid from parents with very strong opposing views about opening. (I think most are down the middle tbh).

We also don’t have links to the tory party, contacts at right wing papers, endless funds for astroturfing publicity and access to Gav.

We are here though. And we support you. It should be about opening safely.

The push to open without safer measures led to this closure. As we feared and warned.

I hear some parents saying they hate masks for kids because they stop kids showing emotions. As they clutch their pearls!

I wonder if their kids wear sunglasses?!

Those saying compulsory mask wearing at all times, are you saying from reception?

I fully expect the government to do sod all.

Teachers will continue to move from class to class in secondary school potentially infecting / becoming infected. Bubbles will pop and children will be asymptomatic, taking virus home.

Why don't government act?

1. Money. Safety measures cost money. Already teachers fund basic supplies out of own wage.
2. Politicians in power are far removed from state schools and their children are unaffected as they often attend private schools
3. Politics. Labour want safety measures / teachers don't rate Tories so they don't get considered as important.
4. Our politicians don't seem to be very speedy. Reactive measures which come too late. In a school setting with asymptomatic cases this leads to chaos.

@Whydoelephants

Those saying compulsory mask wearing at all times, are you saying from reception?

Yes because they’ll learn better in person in masks than at home.

‘They don’t care’ is the lamest possible political analysis and clearly doesn’t reflect the thought going into how we get out of the pandemic.

teachers are not disproportionately at risk.
www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/causesofdeath/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales/deathsregisteredbetween9marchand28december2020#men-and-deaths-involving-covid-19-by-occupation

Teachers and the unions have been asking for this since before the schools went back in September (contrary to the "we want schools shut" narrative) neu.org.uk/coronavirus-neu-national-recovery-plan-education

The honest answer is that there was so much backlash against this that we just went with "schools are safe!". And now we're here. Search for threads from August and you'll see what I mean..

Turnitonagain I disagree entirely. I think masks all day on 4 year olds is impractical and harmful and I doubt any early years teacher would disagree.

I would advocate appropriate funding for all under 7’s to learn outdoors in whatever safe community space is available. For 8-11 to wear masks but with regular breaks and masks in secondary schools.

I’m an ex secondary teacher and a parent of a reception age child. For the life of me I couldn’t understand why plans were not made in the summer for a drastic change of time table. Lower school in the same class all year for every subjects, students in secondary doing lessons in school in blocks of English in the morning all week and other subjects in the after, the following week science in the morning and so on. From a teaching and learning point of view it would have been far from ideal but it would have been much better than constant long school closures.

Masks in secondaries. Masks in primary would be counter productive because they would touch them all the time which increases the risk of transmission.

Masks in secondaries. Masks in primary would be counter productive because they would touch them all the time which increases the risk of transmission.

Older primary (KS2) should be manageable at least? So for younger children maybe more focus on much smaller class sizes, ventilation and as pp suggested a big investment in outdoor learning.

Although, as many people have said, all of this costs money and the govt clearly doesn't see children or schools as a worthwhile investment.

I honestly think that schools in this country are as safe as they can be, certainly my child's secondary are very strict on masks and hand gel. They can't do anything about airborne transmission because of overcrowded classes. Any other steps to make them safer would involve massive capital investment by government – even if that was an option it wouldn't happen instantly. They would need to be twice as many classrooms, and therefore twice as many staff! Not to mention the fact that children travel on public transport to get to school. At the special school I teach in Covid has spread within the bubbles. We provide personal care to our children and are sometimes involved with restraint meaning that adults have to be physically close to each other in order to keep the children safe. As I have posted before we have children who lick objects and spit on things. Although we are so vigilant about hygiene there is undoubtedly transmission within our school. We have spent an absolute fortune on additional staff and cleaning materials but we work closely and if someone has covid it spreads. A big positive for us is that this week we finally got tests for staff so at least if anyone is asymptomatic we will find out. Vaccinating teachers would be great, at the end of the day if or children are getting the virus they tend not to be ill but they will still take it home to families. Some parents have been very ill. At the end of the day I don't agree with Boris about much but schools are undoubtedly vectors of transmission.... as a special school we are open and have had cases this week but I fully support mainstream schools remaining closed to many pupils until community cases are lower

teachers are not disproportionately at risk.

I think those ONS statistics have been questioned though as they cover quite a long period when schools were closed to most, rather than just Sept-Dec when schools were open fully?

But even if this is the case, it's clear that children can catch and transmit the virus, particularly to those they live with, therefore school transmission must increase community transmission. Surely if we don't get it right in schools then levels will just increase again once they open fully.

Us for them actively campaign AGAINST mask wearing, rotas etc