Should I follow the advice to shield...?

[Minesateaorthree]

On Wednesday I had my first vaccine, I felt quite a relief and positive. Yesterday I recieved the new sheilding letter by email. I can see why; I'm 45, have asthma, T2 diabetes and overweight (a long term battle). I work in a school, and love my job. I worked from home just year (due to the worry and anxiety of the situation and the above mentioned medical reasons). I returned to full time work in the classroom in September and have remained so until now.
This email has rocked me somewhat: the last thing I want to do is stay off work again.
We have a class of 8 children currently, set to increase (back to 30) on March 8th.
I really don't know what to do. My mental health was affected last year and Id rather just be at work.
What would you do?

It may not be down to you. Where I work, if we get told to shield we are not allowed in.

You shield. Workplace should not have you in. Health and safety issue they shouldn’t allow you to breach.

OP I am in the same situation. Teacher and got the shielding email yesterday. I'm T1 diabetic and also didn't work out if house until September. In a weird way, I now see the email as proof as to why I was so cautious last year. I'm worried about how I'm going to balance working from home if the kids are back in as I already have one of my team out. I don't have the vaccine booked until next week and I may feel differently after 3 weeks later. But for now I will follow the advice and already informed the Head.
My own kids are in school one day a week as I'm on a rota system at work. They are going to be gutted if I decide to pull them out. I'm torn as I'm going to find teaching my full timetable with them at home pretty impossible (primary aged DC and one is suspected asd/pda).
I would imagine now we are all up and running in Teams, I will be expected to teach my classes even if kids in school and I'm not. Which is going to be interesting!

Shielding is a choice. I didn't want to, I've worked. I told my drs I didn't want to and they said ok up to me and that was that.

I would talk to the HR person at school. It sounds like with that particular job you’d be best shielding but I appreciate that’s not easy for you.

I’ve had the new shielding letter too - I’m 57, obese, type 2 diabetes. I have been entirely wfh and will continue for some time yet because the service I work for is currently doing everything online. I concluded the only practical change for me would be giving up the supermarket shop and occasional takeaway which is about the only excitement in my week.

The key reason I’ve decided not to shield, though, is that I have already had Covid. While I was very tired and it took a few weeks to get over, I wasn’t desperately ill at any point. In the relatively less likely event of me catching it again, it will almost certainly be milder or asymptomatic. I’ve also since had my first vaccine dose.

As pp have said, though, you should check with your manager/HR. There might be insurance issues if you do t follow the advice.

I've been on the shielding list since the start,and remember it being a shock op(even though OH was expecting it for me): however,I've been thinking a lot about Henry Nicholas John Gunther recently. He was(mist likely)the last if the belligerents in First World War to die, at 10.59 on 11/11/18. Despite the negativity knocking about,I feel we're only a matter of weeks away from a careful but final opening up (new variants aside),and even though I'm three weeks post jab,I have no intention of ignoring the guidelines now

The letter is quite alarming isn't it? I assume you got the same one as I've been getting since March. When it tells you to have a bag packed for hospital it really drums it home. It tells you to shield even after both doses of vaccine.

It's only advice, it's not the law.
There is a big difference between full shielding and being extra cautious. Full shielding means going nowhere other than medical appointments and for outdoor exercise. It's very, very difficult. You cannot even go to collect a prescription (and no, I won't impose on friends for that). If you run out of milk / fruit etc you have to wait until the next shopping delivery. Ok no-one's going hungry here but it's incredibly hard.Much more severe than normal lockdown which is tough.Then I got another letter extending shielding until the end of March.

Last year shielding ended on 1st August but I started going out from July. Looking back now the infection rates were at their lowest in July.
It was hard at first, I wasn't used to how shops work and felt nervous.

At the end of last week I decided to start going out three weeks after my vaccine which would be today. Not breaking any rules but doing a few of the things that everyone else can do. That's my gradual end to shielding.
Would I go to work in a school full of snotty children? No I wouldn't but you have already done that and it's your choice to continue.