Likelihood of schools closing again before summer...

[confuseddotcomma]

I know noone knows what will happen. But I feel this is increasingly more likely every day... Fingers crossed we can hold out until the summer holidays!

are no replacement for face to face learning with peers.

For some children and young people. For others, it was far far better for them, although that is unpalatable for some to hear. It’s why I am so angry that the govt want to pull the plug on Oak National Academy completely. This would mean I could properly focus on in class lessons which is my preference.

"yet, my colleagues in real life are reporting little difference in attainment this year to previous years"

Same. You wouldn't look in the children's books and think bloody hell what's happened to the world. Looks like normal work.

Large number of teachers still not vaccinated though and I can imagine they will kick off now there is evidence delta variant spreading in schools.

I'm a secondary school teacher, 1000 pupils. The teachers who had real problems with covid in my school either retired early, got signed off long term sick or just left. COVID doesn't even come up in everyday conversation anymore. We are past the point of worrying. I don't know anybody who is worrying about the Delta variant. Most of us are vaccinated too now. If we shut again I think I might actually have to scream from a rooftop. I can't see it happening at all.

And yet, my colleagues in real life are reporting little difference in attainment this year to previous years.
Not disputing the experts' findings, just talking from my own experience.

And yes I agree! We've all said that Covid has made us realise how ineffective teaching is seeing as most of our classes certainly haven't gone backwards! We did live teach through the lockdowns though.

I hope they dont clise the schoolsbas im sure everybody is worried about their childrens health and education. From what the figures suggest though, it looks likely we are on track for daily infection rates well above 50,000 by the end of June. What they will do with that, who knows, im just fed up with it all.

@CallmeHendricks

"Lessons outside?" Said someone who has clearly not set foot in a classroom anytime recently. We teachers live in mortal fear of a flipping wasp flying in through an open window, due to the uproar that ensues. Can you IMAGINE trying to teach outside?

Chaos every time we get any bug, especially wasps and spiders. Completely ridiculous.

I teach outside a lot (legitimately, not just sitting under a tree 'reading'), it's perfectly doable but completely agree isn't for everyone.

Most of us are vaccinated too now.

That may be why they are not worrying about it

It does make me hope though that the govt seriously consider giving those in school who have had Pfizer, a third dose in the Autumn, based on the findings today.

I think until the majority of children (over 12s, in the first instance) are vaccinated, we'll just have more of the same closures and disruption, with a new variant thrown into the mix every so often so that our current vaccines don't work well enough.

@Waveafterwaveslowlydrifting

Another teacher here, working full time throughout the pandemic, mixing with large numbers of young children with no perspex screens, no distancing, no actual mitigation measures except a bottle of hand sanitiser and pointless little rules that make life difficult. Dishing up hot dinners in my classroom every day. Being fenced into a tiny corner of the playground so that bubbles don't mix. Taking my whole class to the toilet 4 times a day as they are only allowed to go at certain times. Sitting in rows at tables when most were still only 5 years old. Limited resources. Expectations to catch them all up. The whole difficulty of videoing lessons for children at home, setting work online, marking work, 1.1 zoom appointments with children and parents at home, phoning parents every week, parents phoning me in tears because their child won't do the home learning, or they want to but don't have a laptop or ipad and tosspot Gavin didn't allocate any to ks1, organising paper copies of home learning fir these families, cahms referrals, I could go on. I've only been vaccinated because I had the good luck to get a spare.

But yeah, teaching has been a bloody picnic this year.

Our entire staff has worked their arses off this past year plus; we never closed either. Our KS1 classes were the same: rows, dinners in classrooms, separate play areas outside so no playing with friends in other classes ever, no sharing of pencils, pens, breaktime toys, etc, constantly wiping things down, telling children to put on sweaters/jackets because they were cold with the open windows. And home learning stories for children who couldn't/wouldn't do the home learning during the zoom months...awful.

And we've had staff members lose months themselves to covid and still don't feel 100%. Staff members who lost family members to the disease. Staff members who have had hospitalized spouses to it. Staff members who made it through the terms only to catch it at the very end right before their much awaited for Christmas or half term breaks, meaning they felt poorly during their 'break' and then had to be right back in school.

But yeah, we clock off when the children go home each day and are evil for not wanting to extend the school days or give up our summer break this year.

My daughter is 32 - she's the oldest in the team of 6 who teach her year group. She has been working face to face in the classroom with up to 32 9/10 year olds all through the pandemic. Her husband is clinically vulnerable. She is booked for her first jab next Thursday- I fail to see how this equates to her being so 'protected' OP 🙄

@confuseddotcomma

I'm so frustrated by all this! I know we all are... I'm not trying to upset teachers but I'm so upset myself about what has happened to my kids and about having to keep working in unsafe conditions myself for such a long time. I'm jealous tbh! I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe! You teachers are very lucky with that. I wish there could be more support and good will from all sides. I wish my local school could do something different for the kids so they don't come home crying every day in key worker sessions. I wish I wasn't a nurse mostly!!! I know there's no solution, it's just shit for us all

Teachers didn't get to stay home at all, in my experience anyway. Nor did the other teaching and support staff, bar those who,were vulnerable.

I worked from home in the two school lockdowns. I am CV plus my role during closures meant I was best placed to,work from home. Almost every other member of our school staff were in school full time from day 1. Teachers did retain their PPA time, and sometimes got half a day more (not every week by any means) for the additional prep, recording lessons etc. But otherwise they were in a full bubble - we had full bubbles from lockdown 1 onwards.

We returned in September with few precautions - an open window was pretty much it, along with washing hands. No,masks, no,social distancing. And for ALL staff, regardless of vulnerability.

Before half term in Autumn I was in hospital due to covid complications, almost certainly caught at school from a child - due to my role I worked across all classes but wasn't in a specific bubble do didn't come in contact with other adults. I was off for 7 weeks, and 7+ months on I still have some long covid effects.

75% of our school staff caught covid over a 6 week period, plus many parents and some children (few were being tested due to non specific symptoms, those that were tested were usually positive.)

So,yes, really safe for us wasn't it?!

I thought the data showed teachers weren’t more likely to catch covid then any other worker of a similar age. It doesn’t matter now anyway as those vulnerable are vaccinated.

@stairway

I thought the data showed teachers weren’t more likely to catch covid then any other worker of a similar age. It doesn’t matter now anyway as those vulnerable are vaccinated.

No. Very clever wording. Teachers were actually in the top 5 jobs at risk for catching Covid. They just ‘weren’t more at risk of catching/dying from Covid compared to similar jobs’. They never did clarify what the similar jobs are. ONS were even challenged for the poor wording that the government then jumped on and twisted. You can Goggle the more recent articles about it.

Don't let good quality information get in the way of a group moan, stairway. Tsk Tsk. #sarcasm

@lljkk

Don't let good quality information get in the way of a group moan, stairway. Tsk Tsk. #sarcasm

Excuse me?

@lljkk

Don't let good quality information get in the way of a group moan, stairway. Tsk Tsk. #sarcasm

What are you bloody on about. Group moan my arse.

Teachers with long covid just now - 114,000. Healthcare staff with long covid just now - 122,000. There are around 550,000 teachers in the UK at the moment. The NHS employs 1.4 million people and social care employ 1.6 million. Healthcare workers fall into both categories. So it will be interesting when the maths is finally done on this, in terms of who's more at risk of poor outcomes long term.

Just to show this is not a moan but based on fact.

This graphic I have attached shows the statistical analysis the ONS did with teaching and other educational services fourth most likely to test positive for Covid19 back in Feb, using at Sept to Dec and not the March to September the previous analysis that the govt jumped on (look at where health professionals are just out of interest).

the upper end are caring personal service occupations, protective service occupations, teaching and other education professionals, secretarial and related occupations, and other managers and proprietors;

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19infectionsinthecommunityinengland/characteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19inengland22february2021

You can look at the more recent Covid Infection Summaries from the ONS that also include children since then.

A good summary using easier to understand language:

www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/03/01/eduk-m01.html

[quote ChloeDecker]Just to show this is not a moan but based on fact.

This graphic I have attached shows the statistical analysis the ONS did with teaching and other educational services fourth most likely to test positive for Covid19 back in Feb, using at Sept to Dec and not the March to September the previous analysis that the govt jumped on (look at where health professionals are just out of interest).

the upper end are caring personal service occupations, protective service occupations, teaching and other education professionals, secretarial and related occupations, and other managers and proprietors;

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/articles/coronaviruscovid19infectionsinthecommunityinengland/characteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19inengland22february2021

You can look at the more recent Covid Infection Summaries from the ONS that also include children since then.

A good summary using easier to understand language:

www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/03/01/eduk-m01.html[/quote]
Secretarial and related occupations are surprisingly high! I'd have thought a lot of those jobs could be done from home and low risk.

Practically non existent chance op.

Do you want to quit your job? You keep mentioning it. It won’t be for this reason, can you find another way out?

@MaMelon

One of the high schools here in Scotland has just gone back to online schooling for 2 weeks - they break up at the end of June and I suspect they'll stay closed till then. I just hope to goodness this doesn't extend to other schools.

Yes. One in Falkirk closed. Not sure how many others. Its media silence.

Our holidays aren't far now anyway. 3 wks here in Scotland.

Secretarial and related occupations are surprisingly high! I'd have thought a lot of those jobs could be done from home and low risk.
I agree! Sounds like plenty of organisations didn’t let them (does match your women being hit hardest point)

Educational settings have the highest risk of covid atm.
Lots of parents wont be double vaxed yet so who knows as they will be in the age range mostly to catch it.