One thing to make schools safer

[pinkhappy]

There are a lot of threads about schools and covid. I get lost in the rage and strong opinions even though I am sure that somewhere in there there are constructive suggestions.
Without expressing any views on politics/the govt or any fury, what is the top thing that you think could realistically be done to make schools safer when they reopen? Just one suggestion per answer please.

Masks.

I teach overseas children online at the weekend. They all wear masks all day while inside at school. They cope. A few are genuinely exempt for medical reasons. The rest get on with it and so do their teachers and TAs.

But we love in a country with so many special snowflakes that it with happen.

Won't not with. Apologies if I included any fury.

At secondary, rotas for f2f teaching.

Masks

Rotas.
Or a general acknowledgment that schools are not a magical Covid free space.

Rotas so half the class in at a time.

I don’t agree with masks for primary. Children would be constantly touching them meaning they’re pointless.

Masks. And not just in corridors.

Have all school staff vaccinated asap

Windows that open for ventilation, with pupils that don’t refuse to work because they’re cold.

Rotas.

Vaccinate the teachers & support staff. Masks were compulsory for 16+ in Scotland. I've not seen any data to suggest they helped stop the spread.

Rotas so kids can distance/smallee classes.

Worked well for yr 6 last summer with 10 in a class and was a bonus that the class was nicer/they learnt well.

Rotas in secondary. Will be a nightmare to teach half the class in front of you and half the class at home. But it will be much safer.

Masks, for everyone. I think regardless of touching/fiddling, we are now a the point that surface contamination is not the main issue, aerosols are. So actually, schools probably don't need to wash every surface down continuously, but just continue with hand hygiene, and keep the doors and/or windows open.

A clear directive that children should not be coming into school Ill (Included expanded testing for a wider range of symptoms for children).

What skippety said.

Plus rotas.

MASKS. Ideally, surgical paper masks. At all times except when outside.

VENTILATION: Or rather, I would say ventilation but it seems that most schools have been doing this in the last few months. If they are not already doing so, schools need to adapt school uniform rules to help kids stay warm--warm tights, warm under-layers, wool jumpers.

HUMIDITY: When the air is dry, humidifying the air is also very important. The UK does not have such dry winters as some places, but relative humidity should be maintained at least 40% to reduce viral transmission; studies of UK classrooms show the RH sometimes going down to 30-ish, which is too low. There are some free low-tech ways to humidify rooms.

Less emphasis on spending hours scrubbing surfaces, more emphasis on not breathing in droplets, is what is needed. Surface transmission appears to be pretty rare with this virus.

Parents/carers at drop off/pick up not standing together chatting with no masks on.

Rotas

Ah yes a blanket ban on all coughs colds sneezes etc until tested. Friends in oz were v surprised that we had kids in school "with symptoms."

Much more outside time for KS1 and EYFS. They're least likely to be able to consistently use masks, so I'd like to see most of the day outdoors. Funding would be needed to ensure disadvantaged children can be provided with appropriate outdoor gear, schools would need funding for rain covers, some schools might need to partner with other organisations if they have really limited outdoor space.

Reduce class sizes.
Permanently.

This should reduce risk now and improve education standards if the pupils don't have to share the teacher time with 29+ other pupils.

Rotas is a total nightmare, honestly. I work in a school overseas (where, by the way, we have had very few cases and none of them have transmitted within the school).

Teaching half the class at home and half online leads to very disengaged kids. The ones in the classroom are all pissing about online whilst supposedly following the teaching that’s being delivered on the digital classroom. The ones stuck at home on Zoom are just not engaging at all. We only did it for a few weeks until we found ways to increase space and social distancing in our classrooms and the government let all of them come in full time.

What HAS worked? Masks. All the kids wear them from age 6 and up. All the time.

We also have very strict rules about social distancing, and have swapped all desks to single seats, and we require the kids to sanitise their hands and desks at the start and end of every lesson. And we have ridiculous plastic screens cutting each class in half. I don’t think any of that makes any difference though - it’s all just theatrics. But we are inspected every 1-2 weeks by the government so we have no choice.

Rotas

Space.

Not possible.