Children will be in unventilated rooms with 140+ people

[Regulus]

If they go back as normal on March 8th. I'm not sure if people realise how many other children senior school kids meet on a weekly basis. Very large school, GCSE options and streamed ability groups means that a child is sat in classrooms with 140 different people over a week (I've just been through the teams lists for classes and counted 142 different names in the class groupings) and these children have siblings and parents. And the poor teacher has to sit in these rooms as well.
Sending primary with 30 in a class is very different to sending back secondary.

Their education is important.

Education is critical and approx two thirds of kids have been in throughout. So it’s not a big leap to send the other third.

I have not seen any safety measures announced.

Incompetence.

And? The vulnerable have been vaccinated, we can't stay locked away forever. Our children have made enough sacrifices.

That's because they haven't even made the announcements yet?

What will be the statistical likelihood one of them has Covid. Then the likelihood someone else catches. Then the likelihood they pass it on to a vulnerable person. Then the likelihood the vulnerable person is not vaccinated or isn't protected enough. Vs the likelihood that children will miss out on their education and their reduced life chances. Earn less money. Live in poverty. And die younger than they otherwise would

Hospitals have increasing capacity. Infection alone is no longer a reason to close schools.

🥳

My kids' school did away with ability groups and zoned the kids in different areas of the school with different entrances, staggered start times and breaks/lunches. The teachers moved around instead. So the kids in y7, 8 and 9 at least only sat in a room of 30.

Are all these unventilated school the new builds? I haven’t get much experience of visiting different schools but the ones I know are either 1950s/60s with big windows and doors or Victorian and draughty AF.

I hope they insist on masks all day inside and ventilation, and allowing pupils to wear coats inside if they want to. It seems to vary by school.

@Bluntness100

Education is critical and approx two thirds of kids have been in throughout. So it’s not a big leap to send the other third.

No they haven't. Nothing like that.

@Regulus & that's without Sport, dining hall, assemblies etc.

Until I hear it from him, I'm going to 🤞🏼that it's only certain year groups going back & not all of them. Even so, given no changes have been made to schools, it's utterly ridiculous.

The kids also wore masks around school and only took them off once seated, if they wished to.

The vulnerable have been vaccinated,

Oh, I wonder how my vulnerable DH missed that.

Honestly, I am so fed up of reading this bollocks. Again and again and again.

The vaccine minister just said that everyone over 50 had been vaccinated. It is no wonder people on MN are confused.

Surely the reason we have some immunity to most other viruses is that we got them as children? Can’t help feeling that we are putting our children more at risk from isolating them and stopping their immune systems develop in a normal way- children tend to get ill with lots of things at school and it’s important for their health long term that they do.

Aside from the fact that they need to go back to school! Education/socialisation are essential for humans. They have missed so much.

camel, most schools I know of have limiters on their opening so the windows open a crack. It is boiling in schools in the winter because of ancient blower heaters and boiling in the summer. I think this would suggest poor ventilation?

My classroom has no windows.

Today is going to be fun on mumsnet. A low boring drone of mass hysteria that children are being given back their right to education.

@user85963842

Today is going to be fun on mumsnet. A low boring drone of mass hysteria that children are being given back their right to education.

...and upping the ante in every thread.

Can't wait 😒😄

@camelfinger

Are all these unventilated school the new builds? I haven’t get much experience of visiting different schools but the ones I know are either 1950s/60s with big windows and doors or Victorian and draughty AF.

I’m primary so not the same and not too worried tbh as I already have had all the children of HCPs etc in sine January, but my windows open about an inch. Also if they’re open during playtime it’s impossible for the children to hear me. Incredibly annoying!

Why would the rooms be unventilated? My children are going in when I’m at work (primary and secondary) and the windows and doors are open throughout the day. Also the eldest children have been wearing masks and sat in set places in the classroom throughout.

@Oysterbabe

And? The vulnerable have been vaccinated, we can't stay locked away forever. Our children have made enough sacrifices.

No, they haven’t.

Why would the rooms be unventilated?

Because some rooms don’t have opening windows.

Also the eldest children have been wearing masks and sat in set places in the classroom throughout.

Your experience is not typical. Masks are still “not recommended” in classrooms. Secondary school children do not stay in one classroom.

The danger is allowing the virus to spread amongst people (even if there is no risk to those people) is that this is how it mutates.

The variants could be vaccine resistant so it's madness to rush this.

The LAST thing we want is all that hard work on the vaccine to be wasted.

Children have missed enough. I could weep with joy at the idea of my DS mixing with that many kids tbh.

1/3 adults are vaccinated. Covid season is over. Thank god.

The danger is allowing the virus to spread amongst people (even if there is no risk to those people) is that this is how it mutates.

But that risk could outweighed by the huge benefits to young people getting a decent education, which will affect our country's human capital for years to come...?

And if the virus mutates, vaccines can be tweaked and we'll all get an annual booster jab.