Will schools really go back with 30 in a class and unvaccinated teachers?

[Lemons1571]

This is giving me anxiety. DH is late 40’s and not the fittest, but not CV as far as we know. Probably the most at risk in group 10 (if such a group existed).

We are both ok with waiting for our turn for the vaccine while the schools have relatively few kids in them and therefore sd is more possible and it feels a bit safer. But recently I’ve scared myself shitless with the new variants and the thought that the late 40’s are not on any priority list. DH is not allowed any ppe, it’s not allowed, no mask, no Perspex, and is at best 1m from the front row of 11-18 year olds in a poorly ventilated room.

Do you think teachers will be forced back into these working conditions? I’m losing sleep over this. I don’t know how to gain perspective, as my gut says 31 people with no ppe in a poorly ventilated room is not safe. Do you think if I contacted the gp they’d give me anti anxiety meds? CBT? Just until we get a vaccine and maybe then will feel less scared.

Anyone else a teacher or have a teacher in the family? How are you dealing with this?

The problem is more going back to the same situation.

The vaccine will make staff less ill but it'll do that for anyone vaccinated. It certainly won't make a difference to the community transmission and risk to the families.

I will be so bloody angry if they don't learn from previous mistakes and put in some measures. Blended and rota learning alongside KW and vulnerable.

Mystic Meg prediction:

8th March, gov send back KS1 and exam years in secondary. Possibly in smaller classes spread out amongst other teachers.

Standard of home learning inevitably declines as most teachers in full time to cover smaller classes plus KW/V.

People kick off about unfairness/poor home learning.

Gov send all kids back in normal classes. Cursory attempt at mitigations by saying masks optional.

People complain about masks affecting education.

All back to normal by April.

Sorry OP, I know it doesn’t help you. I can recommend citalopram.

I think so as many teachers are not in the priority 9 groups. It may not happen until after Easter.
I am a teacher but I dont think we are a higher priority than some other workers.
Obviously there are teachers who work in SEN schools and with very young pupils. They should be vaccinated before the majority of teachers. If teachers are over 50 or are in a vulnerable at risk group they are in the priority groups.
It is a hard one as schools need to be open more fully. I hate remote teaching. It is lonely and soul destroying some days. It is keeping children occupied rather than learning on times.
It is a hard one.

My DH is a teacher yes, and he, and I, believe the lesser of two evils is for schools to be totally open. He is very happy to take the “risk” and I am relieved there are many more teachers like him.

Sadly yes

@Seriouslymole

My DH is a teacher yes, and he, and I, believe the lesser of two evils is for schools to be totally open. He is very happy to take the “risk” and I am relieved there are many more teachers like him.

Your DH and you may be happy to take the risk of his going to work in a fully opened school system. Presumably both are also happy for the rest of the community to live with the risk consequent to your decision. Note I use the word risk without quote marks, as it’s a real risk, not an imaginary one, as very many people have tragically discovered.

The vaccine will make staff less ill but it'll do that for anyone vaccinated. It certainly won't make a difference to the community transmission and risk to the families

I think the government need to see getting priority level 6 vaccinated as their red line (rather than level 4) so that the 'clinically vulnerable' who are at risk of needing hospitalisation are vaccinated before schools go back.

This will ensure vulnerable teachers AND parents are protected when pupils, especially secondary pupils and sixth formers (more likely to transmit) return to schools.

I think it’ll be back to Section 44.

The government’s whole plan for getting the schools back was to replace self-isolation with lateral flow testing. Now that plan is scrapped, they need something different.

If there are no extra safety measures the schools will soon close again. The vaccine doesn't make a person immune, people have had the vaccine then got Covid.

I hope teachers just refuse to teach in unsafe conditions for their sakes and for the children, the rest of the staff and their families.

If you are under 50 and not CV it's not clear you really need to worry about covid. The main problem for schools will be if children are constantly off self isolating.

LFTs seem like a really good idea for schools. I hope they are rolled out.

I can support moving the Easter holidays so that me and my staff can choose two other weeks when we can close our school to take our annual leave. But it will be like that. Not simply that we lose the two weeks. Annual leave may be cancelled in other jobs but those people will be able to take it at another time and so should teachers. Quite happily! The autumn term is far too long so an extra two weeks off in October will be lovely.

@mummyinbeccles

I work in SEN and we have been in this situation since March. No one cares.

This. Plus we now have no dinner ladies so actually eating lunch with the kids so can't wear a mask then if we want too.

*8th March, gov send back KS1 and exam years in secondary. Possibly in smaller classes spread out amongst other teachers.
*

That won't work in an infant school like main, and many others across the country.
We only have reception and key stage 1 - three form intake, old Victorian building, already over crowded with 'temporary' cabins for 2 classes in the playground.

So it would be back to work as normal with no protection for schools like mine. Didn't work last term here.

@Seriouslymole

My DH is a teacher yes, and he, and I, believe the lesser of two evils is for schools to be totally open. He is very happy to take the “risk” and I am relieved there are many more teachers like him.

Hmmm. Strange little dig at teachers at the bottom who are less willing to sacrifice their own health for others. I love teaching and wish to be back when it's safer for everyone.

@Lemons1571

Do you think a gp would consider giving me anxiety meds for this? It’s awful. I wake up and can’t sleep with the thought of the stuffy classroom with no mitigations no protection and covid still transmitting everywhere. Then I get that awful sleep where im not really asleep and keep waking with a jolt. I’m worried that if I phone and tell the gp they’d think I’m silly because we keep being told it’s safe.

Yes call your doctor if you feel you need help and support (and medication!)

I really hope the government gets it right this time of course this depends on if anyone can agree what right is

I still don't really understand the logic behind this argument.

If the vaccine doesn't stop transmission then you are still at risk of catching and taking Covid home to any family members, exactly the same as now.

So far all we really know is that it helps to stop the person vaccinated from becoming seriously ill and requiring hospitalisation or dying.

Unless you are already in a vulnerable category in which case you will be a priority group anyway, what actual effect do people think vaccinating teachers will have? They can still catch Covid and pass it on.

If you start down this path you need to factor in all the other professions too. Which vulnerable members of society do you push further to the back of the queue so young healthy teachers, police, shop staff etc.. can all be vaccinated despite having low risk of actually getting severely ill?

37 social workers died between March and December last year can we have a support thread for them too please

OP, yes, I do think that the Government will want us back in with 30+ to a class and with no stronger guidance than at present (after all, those in school at the moment have exactly the same guidance as we have had since September, not back to e,.g. the partial re-opening guidance from June).

I think they are gambling on:

Lower case rates (or lower case rate growth):

• A 'circuit breaker' in terms of the Easter holiday after the first 3 weeks or so [though this will only really be effective if ONLY the schools open, not anything else]

• Warmer spring weather meaning more can be outside

• Seasonality of the virus

Lower death rates:

• Vaccination

• Lower case rates

• The demographics of school staff: as school staff are often female and not in the oldest categories, the headline death rate amongst them is not going to be so headline making that the Government will feel they need to bother, and will anyway lag sufficiently after the initial return to be deniable, and for them to be able to do an 'average from January to June' or whatever

So even though schools will still be places via which community transmission happens, the increase of cases and deaths as a result will be seen to be 'acceptable'.

The Government will ONLY consider doing something different if it affects London and the South East to an extent that is impossible to ignore. They will ignore the continuing 'school hokey cokey' in more deprived and more Northern areas, because they will see that as politically acceptable.