No more masks in classrooms - hurray!

[TeddingtonTrashbag]

Hurray!
I am a secondary teacher and just hope it really happens.

www.telegraph.co.uk/politics/2021/05/06/exclusive-end-masks-classroom-boris-johnson-defies-unions/

(My information is second hand, so the details may not be precise, but the initial source and spread was NOT within the school in school time)

I'm happy to go with the guidance for as long as it's in place for now, but should we get to a certain time where other indoor places with large numbers of people don't require masks (ie nightclubs,cinema, concert, sporting events) then no I dont feel my dc should have to wear a mask in the classroom anymore

@Wellbythebloodyhell

I'm happy to go with the guidance for as long as it's in place for now, but should we get to a certain time where other indoor places with large numbers of people don't require masks (ie nightclubs,cinema, concert, sporting events) then no I dont feel my dc should have to wear a mask in the classroom anymore

Exactly. When masks are removed for other crowded indoor spaces, then that is the time to remove them for secondary schools.

An unwashed mask not worn properly is more of a hindrance than a help surely. And that's what kids do because they're kids.

This is a nonsensical argument.

Masks work. Therefore whatever percentage of kids are wearing them correctly, it makes a difference.

Why on earth would you scrap something because a few don't do it properly? And no, a mask worn badly by one or two is not a hindrance, it is just not a positive. Unless you still live in April 2020 when we (wrongly) believed transfer by touch was a big risk.

Scientifically speaking (I appreciate those opposed to masks don't really do science) it is better to have a class with two-thirds wearing masks propoerly and some wallies with them under the nose than no one wearing them at all.

Most of our pupils are in the blue disposable ones. As well as being relatively cheap for their parents to buy, they are available for free in school. Can't see why they would be worn over and over. My dc wear a cloth one but I take responsibility for washing that and giving out a fresh one the same as I do with their socks. There will be a few dc not being given what they need from home but surely a minority, not a majority.

Noblegiraffe You keep posting that graph from December how about finding one from March, April.

You know full well we are not in the same situation as we were in December. We now have vaccines and 35 million have been vaccinated, and that's going daily. We now have rates of infection that is lower then what we had in September.

Yes we are going to get spikes and localised in infection rates, whether that in schools or in office blocks when people go back into offices more then working from home.

But when do we as a country start putting our children's education before being able to go on holiday, go to theatre's, concert's etc, if it safe for Adults to do that, then it has to be safe for children to have education they deserve.

But when do we as a country start putting our children's education before being able to go on holiday, go to theatre's, concert's etc, if it safe for Adults to do that, then it has to be safe for children to have education they deserve.

When? We have already done just that. Schools are back fully open whilst other business sectors are still waiting to get back. We even tried a full lockdown with schools remaining in person last Autumn/Winter which proved ineffective.

But when do we as a country start putting our children's education before being able to go on holiday, go to theatre's, concert's etc, if it safe for Adults to do that, then it has to be safe for children to have education they deserve

Schools have been back for weeks even when in lockdown there was remote provision provided.

Masks don’t prevent education not different than they don’t prevent surgeons from doing their jobs etc.

I can’t speak for everyone but I definitely found teaching with masks a nightmare.

But seriously, I found teaching September / October in a mask a fucking nightmare.

Who did this in the UK in September/October? And children/older learners certainly weren’t wearing masks.

In my school, they were.

Noblegiraffe You keep posting that graph from December how about finding one from March, April.

The graph from December well illustrates the consequences of having schools open with inadequate Covid mitigations in place, a recently lifted (partial) lockdown and new variants on the rise. That’s why it’s relevant now. Similar for March/April wouldn’t be of much use as schools were only (partially, in some cases) back for a couple of weeks before the Easter break.
Over the Autumn term, rates were very low at the beginning of September and rose gradually over September/October. Infections dropped off over the half term and then went through the roof in November/December, despite the November restrictions. We can expect to see something like this from the end of May, with infections predominantly in unvaccinated young people, their unvaccinated or only partially vaccinated 30/40 something parents and school staff of the same age.

Schools have been back for weeks even when in lockdown there was remote provision provided.

Well unfortunately not all remote learning is same, my DC school home learning was no where near good enough both my High school children had finished all 5 lesson set by 10.30 am so no I don't think you can say that home provision was enough. And only being within your year group, and 6 class room is not normal schooling.

And as for Higher education if you think one in person lesson a week, and not allowed in the library and Stem rooms is proper provision then we have very different ideas of what education looks like.

@Clutterbugsmum
The children are back at school getting an ‘education’- and many were in school all the way through as ‘key worker’ children anyway. They (and we, the teachers) should stop wearing masks only when it is recommend that masks are no longer needed in supermarkets, shops, public transport and so on. Yes, it’s a pain but there are many adults working in schools who are still unvaccinated, many children who seem to be suffering from post viral illness and a new variant which might or might not derail the summer. I’ll have more faith in ‘no masks’ when it is decided they can be completely scrapped everywhere, as decisions made about schools seem to be designed to placate Us for Them types and throw school staff under the proverbial bus.

@Toomanymuslins

I can’t speak for everyone but I definitely found teaching with masks a nightmare.

Yes you have said. for the one month that you did it.

I and many others have got used to it.

And as for the poster that said reminding the pupils was every 2-3 minutes, that would depend on the school. the vast majority at mine wear them properly.

Noblegiraffe You keep posting that graph from December how about finding one from March, April.

Because I'm arguing that masks were necessary when schools re-opened in March as some people were arguing that they were a waste of time. Arguments about infection and vaccination rates that apply now (and I've said that there's an argument along those lines to be made for removing masks on May 17th although I disagree), they weren't good arguments in March. Demonstrating what happened when schools were open Sept-Dec is a good illustration of why additional mitigation measures were needed in March - what we had in schools before Christmas led to disaster.

Here are some graphs demonstrating that the infection rates in school age children were higher in March than they were now,(and last September). Infection rates rose in both primary and secondary kids once schools reopened, but by less in secondary kids - suggests that measures applied in secondary that weren't in secondary did have an impact. Rates in both fell over the Easter holidays when schools re-closed, but interestingly have continued to fall, suggesting that vaccinations reducing the infection levels in the vaccinated population are now having a real impact.

@picturesandpickles

An unwashed mask not worn properly is more of a hindrance than a help surely. And that's what kids do because they're kids.

This is a nonsensical argument.

Masks work. Therefore whatever percentage of kids are wearing them correctly, it makes a difference.

Why on earth would you scrap something because a few don't do it properly? And no, a mask worn badly by one or two is not a hindrance, it is just not a positive. Unless you still live in April 2020 when we (wrongly) believed transfer by touch was a big risk.

Scientifically speaking (I appreciate those opposed to masks don't really do science) it is better to have a class with two-thirds wearing masks propoerly and some wallies with them under the nose than no one wearing them at all.

A few lol. I would say the majority of people.

[quote BustopherPonsonbyJones]@Clutterbugsmum
The children are back at school getting an ‘education’- and many were in school all the way through as ‘key worker’ children anyway. They (and we, the teachers) should stop wearing masks only when it is recommend that masks are no longer needed in supermarkets, shops, public transport and so on. Yes, it’s a pain but there are many adults working in schools who are still unvaccinated, many children who seem to be suffering from post viral illness and a new variant which might or might not derail the summer. I’ll have more faith in ‘no masks’ when it is decided they can be completely scrapped everywhere, as decisions made about schools seem to be designed to placate Us for Them types and throw school staff under the proverbial bus.[/quote]
Totally and utterly agree.

September and October is two months, actually. I am sure I would get used to it but I don’t feel teaching is as effective with them.

In my year 10 class I had a child with a hearing impairment plus several EAL children. It made life pretty difficult. Obviously, you go along with it and put up with it but I am allowed to think ‘oh good’ about this announcement.

as decisions made about schools seem to be designed to placate Us for Them types and throw school staff under the proverbial bus.

Yes, when we know that an anti lockdown campaign group have lawyers issuing legal challenges to the government and using a 12 year old girl to take a school to court (thankfully the judge told them they were being unreasonable) and have a 'countdown to 17th May' on their twitter account, one wonders who is being listened to.

I don't understand why exemptions aren't being used for those children who can't cope with masks.

In a classroom with a few children not wearing masks and the teacher not wearing a mask (in order to effectively communicate with those students who need to lip read for example), but the other 75% of kids wearing a mask, the risks of transmission are still much, much lower than if no-one bothers.

I really don't understand why so many people have this all or nothing approach. It's not surprising this country has had so many lockdowns (that other countries have avoided). Surely if everyone who can distance / wear masks etc does so then we're far better off?

Can people really not look at the long term?

The same old arguments 'deaths are low' in Sept, October and then look what happened in November and December. Why anyone would want to even take the gamble is beyond me.

Same in India - they said they'd beaten covid and look at them now.

I don't understand why exemptions aren't being used for those children who can't cope with masks.

They are, as far as I'm aware. Posters who complain about their child being unable to cope wearing a mask tend to, when it is suggested that their child just be listed as exempt, say that they don't want their child to be singled out as not wearing a mask. I've not heard any complain that they asked the school to exempt their child and it was refused.

It's why the U4T court case was rejected by the judge. It was pointed out that taking the school to court over mask wearing was a non-starter when the complainant herself (a 12 year old girl being used by adults to make a political point) wasn't required to wear a mask by the school as she was listed as exempt.

That's insane noble. Either way a few children will be singled out, won't they? They want to single out the vulnerable children and adults who'll need to continue to wear masks and make them less safe at the same time by preventing all the perfectly willing other staff and students from wearing masks any more?

For what reason exactly?

I really don't get it.

So, @TeddingtonTrashbag, you've been complying with wearing a mask in class, then? You didn't resign over it?