Keir Starmer backs unions in wanting schools to return safely ⚡⚡⚡

[DumplingsAndStew]

"We'll have to see where the data is, where the science is, but that's what we should be working towards. If that means more testing, if that means Nightingale classrooms, if it means other measures, let's do that because I want to get our kids back into school."

Isn't it great that he agrees with what school staff and unions have been saying for months. That he wants schools to put in place cautious safety measures to enhance safety, so that everyone can return.

news.sky.com/story/amp/covid-19-labour-calls-for-all-schools-in-england-to-reopen-on-8-march-and-for-a-debt-charter-12224393

Dumplingsandstew The CEV adults have been vaccinated?

@ineedaholidaynow

We all know that's their own fault for being such fat fucking fatties though

I am accepting that for my children and their future though? I have done for the last year, except for about 10 weeks.. (presumably your son was in then too as all children were expected in)

So only physically healthy children matter to you, then? Not all children? And bearing in mind, my child - and thousands like him - can expect to be useful, tax paying members of society in the future. You’re happy to leave them out so your child is OK? Rather than spend a bit more so all children can return?

I think schools are intrinsically safe for children and staff. DD (Yr11) got Covid

Er...those two things do not seem to match.

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Dumplingsandstew The CEV adults have been vaccinated?

I'm not sure if the CEV have all been vaccinated. I know the CV haven't been.

And the comment was regarding the CEV adults and children and their families.

@Tryingtryingandtrying

Dumplingsandstew The CEV adults have been vaccinated?

So you're not worried about people with these conditions (Group 6):

A blood cancer (such as leukaemia, lymphoma or myeloma)
Diabetes
Dementia
A heart problem
A chest complaint or breathing difficulties, including bronchitis, emphysema or severe asthma
A kidney disease
A liver disease
Lowered immunity due to disease or treatment (such as HIV infection, steroid medication, chemotherapy)
Rheumatoid arthritis, lupus or psoriasis (who may require long term immunosuppressive treatments)
Have had an organ transplant
Had a stroke or a transient ischaemic attack (TIA)
A neurological or muscle wasting condition
A severe or profound learning disability
A problem with your spleen, example sickle cell disease, or you have had your spleen removed
Are seriously overweight (BMI of 40 and above)
Are severely mentally ill.

Even though they are 'at risk'?

Intrinsically? How? Magic?

Yep. Covid knows full well it’s not allowed to cross that magic tape line. And it knows not to spread amongst people who are snogging, sharing food, sitting 34 to a space made for 28, and having sleepovers. In primary, wiping snot away without a tissue, coughing over the person next to you and just generally being a small person with developing manners means covid knows it has to stay away

@flobberdobberrr

What is a nightingale classroom?

I think the term is similar to Nightingale hospitals (that they poured ££££ money into and then that went largely unused as they had no one to staff them 🤦‍♀️). So capacity building. In the case of schools we know ventilation is an issue, as is weather to do more outside, so if they could get more space outside eg gazebos or other larger spaces like halls it would help distancing and ventilation rather than cramped classrooms. The gov have been reluctant to do this as from last June certainly in primaries we could have had lots more children having some onsite teaching outside

What is a nightingale classroom?

A photo opportunity for ministers that won’t ever be used as there will be insufficient teachers and support staff to run it. HTH.

Are there plans to support those families who are CEV to stay home? If so, I'd love to hear them. If not, what do you suggest?

Two of DD's teachers (one CV, the other with a CEV spouse) were able to teach on line from home. CEV/CV stay home and access online lessons. Govt to provide financial support to those shielding.

No need for the majority to continue making sacrifices indefinitely. It doesn't make sense.

That should be CV/CEV pupils stay home and access online lessons.

should be CV/CEV pupils stay home and access online lessons

Why? Why the fuck should they have to stay home? I understand some parents may prefer that but we certainly don’t as a family and my CV child wants to be in school. Why can’t measures be put in place in school so that all children are as safe as possible? Why do CV/CEV children, their education, their mental health, their socialisation etc etc not matter when every other child does?

Govt to provide financial support to those shielding.

But they have no plans to do so.

People want children back to school because remote education is thought to be substandard, that children's mental health is suffering. So why is it okay to put that upon some children? You want to create that two-tier approach? Penalise the most vulnerable?

As families of disabled and disadvantaged pupils have been saying for years, schools need to be adapted so they are accessible by all pupils. Opening on 8th of March with no safety precautions means its not accessible by all pupils.

@noblegiraffe

I think schools are intrinsically safe for children and staff. DD (Yr11) got Covid

Er...those two things do not seem to match.

Er ... they do. DD is (thankfully) a healthy 15yr old - like her cohort. She had a cough, got tested, was positive for COVID, SI for several days then back in the classroom. No students or teachers at her comp were hospitalised. That's safe to me. Not perfect but better than millions of children being out of school month after month.

So why is it okay to put that upon some children? You want to create that two-tier approach? Penalise the most vulnerable?

No but I don't want to penalize the majority. Do you?

@Sofasouffle

So why is it okay to put that upon some children? You want to create that two-tier approach? Penalise the most vulnerable?

No but I don't want to penalize the majority. Do you?

Putting safety measures in place penalises no-one. Why is that hard to understand?

Sofa but there are options between 'schools being off for month after month' and 'schools being the place where secondary kids spread covid'.

If there had been mitigation measures in place, your DD might not have got covid at all.

You might have had a different view of the situation if you were really worried about family members catching it as many were, and still are.

And people should be concerned about unmitigated covid spread among a large subset of the population even if that subset themselves won't get it badly. We need to keep infection levels low across the population for the vaccination programme to be successful.

[quote Normalmumandwife]@DumplingsAndStew
"What do you mean "stand up to the unions"? Why would anyone be against putting in safety measures to make schools as safe as possible? "

Schools had safety measures last time and the unions still opposed return. Don't kid us, as parents we all know what the unions agenda is and that is to keep teachers off work.

What has been good at our school was the amount of teaching done live on teams although I understood they were utterly resistant to it citing safeguarding issues, technology hitches, not using their home broadband and not understanding MS Teams.

Having watched Starmer on TV...I didn't see him supporting the unions although he did sit on the fence a little (as usual)[/quote]
You are blatantly lying. Unions wants SAFER schools. Teachers and teaching staff HAVE BEEN WORKING THROUGHOUT.
Stop peddling your bullshit lies.

Putting safety measures in place penalises no-one. Why is that hard to understand?

Don't patronise me. The fact is the Tory Govt won't do this so the only choice is back to school for the majority.

I've written to my (Tory) MP and Keir Starmer about this - got Party line waffle back. Got no reply from Gavin Williamson or the Children's Commissioner and others.

Teachers' incredibly highly remunerated union leaders have got nowhere.

Therefore we have a choice to keep ALL kids off for several more months or shield the CEV/CV. I don't like it, but I know what I'd choose and I'm pretty sure most parents feel the same.

Keir’s children have been in school throughout the pandemic because they are KW children. He can’t really support anything that stands in the way of children returning without looking pretty hypocritical.

Schools are not going to be completely safe from covid. I think the majority of teachers (myself included) and children want to go back to school despite this. I can understand why this is worrying for some people though.

Is KW's wife a key worker? Genuine question.

No but I don't want to penalize the majority. Do you?

There's a reason we have discrimination laws. We are supposed to be a civilised society where every person matters. For months, these forums have been full of people screaming about the rights of those poor, vulnerable children who are at risk at home and how terribly unprofessional teachers are for not caring about it (ignoring any post that tells you what we might have actually been doing about it) whilst doing sod all about it themselves.

During all that, I have asked 'what about the vulnerable children'? And all I've ever had in response is 'they can stay at home'. So you can see my issue....certain vulnerabilities count when it comes to getting schools open but when others are seen as in the way of opening, they are conveniently ignored or pushed to the side. So which is it, schools should be open or closed? You can't put aside a minority (and it will be a bigger minority than you realise) because it suits you to do so. So shame on your for even suggesting it's a reasonable response. It isn't.

What you are failing to recognise - as teachers have been shouting about for months now - is that there is a middle way. School staff accept that there will be risk in schools but no one with any kind of power - not least the Minister for Education - hasn't even bothered to consult with us as to how we can make schools safer for everyone.

@Watchingbehindmyhands You asked if I would accept my child being kept home and I said I have done, for the last year, bar about 10 weeks of actual school. This wasn't done to protect my own family, but to protect others. Or does it only count of you do it to protect yourself or your children?

@Sofasouffle

Is KW's wife a key worker? Genuine question.

NHS