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Original poster

Those who work in schools ....

204 replies

THATbasicSNOWFLAKE · 14/02/2021 07:45

How would you feel about full reopening from 8th March with conditions as before?

Are your unions starting to look at what can be done?

If you submitted a section 44 letter last time would you do so again?

OP posts:
sherrystrull · 14/02/2021 23:23

Who are these teachers refusing to do their job?

Bing12 · 14/02/2021 23:23

@IrishMamaMia

Also agree with those who mention the new variant. It spreads like wild fire.
Exactly. Why isn’t their more education about this and it’s impacts. Beyond frustrated. Day off social media for me tomorrow.
Beforethetakingoftoastandtea · 14/02/2021 23:23

Thank god the nurses and doctors didn't serve their employers with section 44 letters eh?

Good job they’ve all got fit-tested ppe and have been vaccinated, eh?

Not seen a dental nurse yet, mind you.

callistography · 14/02/2021 23:23

I'd be very unhappy unless I'd had the vaccination (I'm borderline CEV, had a shielding letter last year). Wouldn't be happy being back in the germ factory that schools are without the protection, despite how much I love my job.

Beforethetakingoftoastandtea · 14/02/2021 23:24

@sherrystrull

Who are these teachers refusing to do their job?
Nowhere. But whats a night on mumsnet without this bull?
sherrystrull · 14/02/2021 23:28

Absolutely @Beforethetakingoftoastandtea

And yet again people who don't work in schools trying to tell those that do about the risks in schools.

PatriciaValiant · 14/02/2021 23:31

I'd like daily cases to be below 1000 ideally. I have never being a Jeremy Hunt fan but I think he's right with his advice to bring cases down to very low levels and then have rigorous test and trace in place.**

I agree with this.
I also agree with this epidemiologist who explains that we shouldn't be returning to school in the same way as before if we want the result to be different.

poblwcymru · 14/02/2021 23:35

I do work in a school. Teachers are working hard, learning new systems and delivering in a totally different way but they are not doing their jobs- lots of children are not learning at home.

Children need to be back in the classroom and teachers need to be there- teaching them.

There are 4/5 teachers in every school who want to lock down forever

sherrystrull · 14/02/2021 23:39

No teacher I know wants to lockdown forever. How on earth did you come up with that 4/5 figure?

ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown · 14/02/2021 23:41

She was far too sensible to be listened to, wasn't she? I loved how she answered the interviewer's "shock" at suggesting primary dc wear masks.

ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown · 14/02/2021 23:42

To @PatriciaValiant

goldenlilliesdaffodillies · 14/02/2021 23:46

I work in a deprived area and think children need to be back in school. I didn't send in a section 44 letter.

I have been in school teaching key workers/vulnerable children on a reduced timetable and also planning online work from home. However in my area it is the TA's who have been school every day keeping all the local schools going and working face to face, whilst teachers work from home. This seems morally wrong to me. TA's get paid peanuts and yet they are the ones taking the risk. I don't want to offend my fellow teachers, but this doesn't feel right.

ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown · 14/02/2021 23:47

Many shop workers, delivery drivers all on minimum wage. Their managers won't be public facing. Happens everywhere surely?

Beforethetakingoftoastandtea · 14/02/2021 23:49

How can we have vigorous testing in schools, that’s also completely voluntary? Lots of KW and V students in atm who will not have tests.

Pieceofpurplesky · 14/02/2021 23:57

My biggest concern (as a teacher still
Working in school) is that lessons haven't been learned and we will end up with lockdown 4.

I want to be back with all my pupils and teaching them - it's a damn sight easier than online - but I also want this to be over.

Ilovegreentomatoes · 15/02/2021 00:11

Well maybe different but I'm early years still in no ppe....and was working throughout the height of the pandemic.

Pissedoff1234 · 15/02/2021 00:56

I can't believe there is so much indecision over 3 weeks. Just wait til after Easter. More people vaccinated, more people with 2nd doses, better weather which will hopefully help especially as more outside time can be had at school.

It's 3 weeks not 3 months. Boris should be following the science and not bowing to pressure. We haven't got cases low enough yet.

I'm not a homeschool lovers have 4 kids at home and I've been vaccinated myself but just think it's crazy that there's such a need to send kids back for 3 weeks instead of waiting.

echt · 15/02/2021 05:28

There are 4/5 teachers in every school who want to lock down forever

And you know this how?

Clue: you don't.

HTH.

satishoused · 15/02/2021 05:33

I can't wait. I'm in school everyday anyway. So are my DCs but they are missing their friends. I did not submit a section 44. We had it pretty bad the first time, with hundreds of cases and over 40 staff testing positive. So I feel like we're done.....

VashtaNerada · 15/02/2021 06:02

I’m desperate to go back but it needs to be staggered and managed properly. What children don’t need is to go back for a week, then go back home for two weeks because someone has tested positive, then come back for a few more weeks, then have two more weeks at home, and then go into lockdown 4 because the government rushed things again. That doesn’t help them, they need routine and stability. I’d much prefer to send back certain year groups with a fifteen pupil bubble for a fortnight, and then if that doesn’t adversely affect the school or the community, to change those bubbles to 30 and gradually introduce more year groups. It has nothing to do with teacher laziness, as noted upthread many of us have been in school throughout or have been remote teaching (which is way more stressful than teaching in person!). We’d love to go back, we just know firsthand what schools are like in a pandemic and the risks to the community with all those families mixing.

motherrunner · 15/02/2021 07:10

@poblwcymru

I do work in a school. Teachers are working hard, learning new systems and delivering in a totally different way but they are not doing their jobs- lots of children are not learning at home.

Children need to be back in the classroom and teachers need to be there- teaching them.

There are 4/5 teachers in every school who want to lock down forever

In “every” school? You polled every single teacher in every single school and worked out 4/5 wants schools closed? Gosh, you must have a lot of time to spare and I congratulate you on your tireless research 👏
NailsNeedDoing · 15/02/2021 07:36

@poblwcymru

I do work in a school. Teachers are working hard, learning new systems and delivering in a totally different way but they are not doing their jobs- lots of children are not learning at home.

Children need to be back in the classroom and teachers need to be there- teaching them.

There are 4/5 teachers in every school who want to lock down forever

If children aren’t learning at home, it’s not because the teachers aren’t doing their jobs. There can be plenty of valid reasons for it, but it’s not because teachers aren’t providing the curriculum.

It’s utterly ridiculous to say that there’s 4-5 teachers in every school who want to lock down forever. That would be nearly all the teachers in my small school, and I can assure you that none of them want to lock down forever.

NailsNeedDoing · 15/02/2021 07:44

@EddieVeddersfoxymop

As a TA, I'm in every single day supervising key worker children yet all our teachers are at home, and safe. I'm not sure why the lowest paid educators are bearing the highest risk to health. Are teachers lives more valuable than ours, that they need protecting and we don't? Might as well get everyone back in, the risk to me personally should drop even though there will be more children and adults present.
I’m a TA in every day too, teaching more than supervising because small children can’t be expected to teach themselves from a video, but I really don’t see how else we could run things efficiently. Teachers need to be available to the children at home, the children in school have support staff available to them and the teacher at home if needed. It would make no sense to have me at home while the teacher was in school run ragged trying to educate children both in school and at home. We are part of a team, and while we are paid peanuts which needs to change, we still have an important role to play.

It’s not about the teachers health being more valuable and deserving of protection than ours, it’s about getting job done most effectively.

bananamonster · 15/02/2021 07:46

I know some schools have teachers working at home but this isn’t the case in most primary schools.

In my school every teacher has been in school teaching all day, just like we did from March to December and throughout the school holidays in the first lockdown.

Everyone in full time.

bananamonster · 15/02/2021 07:49

I should also say that the TAs were at home on full pay from March to June until we reopened! Nice long paid holiday for them. Don’t think this happened in every school though.