Schools in meltdown. Put your kids in masks

[0None0]

Long story short

First case May 10.
By May 17 th, half of all year groups at home. Many staff sick. Some departments have no staff at all. Some students sent home for lack of staff, rather than quarantine.
20th May. School closed. Half term brought forward one week
31 May. Reopen.
1 June several more cases identified
3rd June. All lower school sent home. Year 10 and 12 kept in only. Masks, which had been optional, are now made compulsory again. Too late
7th June. School closed again. I am now teaching online

So in the last few weeks, I have spent 3x longer on COVID related activities than on teaching. Including trying to get students home when classes close, and they can’t use public transport. Teaching doubled up classes, 30 online, and 30 in front of me, because there are hardly any staff in. Administering tests. Taking students to and from the testing site. Recording results. Cramming information in subjects I know nothing about, but have been told I am about to teach. Much of the time students have just been told to read in silence, while we get on with our main business, as a covid testing site.

So please put masks on your children. There is no reason for a secondary aged child not to have a mask on their face, and a spare in their bag, and a spare spare.

And please support what’s schools are trying to do to enforce masks.

I see so many posts of mothers up in arms about masks. We are desperately fighting to keep education going, and we need your support

I belong to a MAT composed of 3 large secondary schools. Within our 3 schools we have:

A 15 year old boy who developed type 1 diabetes when he caught Covid

An 18 year old girl who lost most of her hearing through covid

A 14 year old boy whose heart has been left so damaged by covid he might need a transplant.

It’s heartbreaking.

No 'meltdown' in schools where I live in London. I don't know of anyone that's tested positive for Covid in the last 6 months, and all the children I know have been going to school as normal. I'm not in favour of local lockdowns, but perhaps they are necessary in areas such as yours where schools are in 'meltdown'.

I can't take seriously someone who says they would prioritise masks over food for their children. Totally ridiculous.

Do posters get some sort of weird kick out of these kind of threads?

Do posters get some sort of weird kick out of these kind of threads?

Fuck knows anymore.

I think some have been genuinely driven demented by the pandemic, some could be independent sage (or similar) bots, and some are common or garden trolls.

For me it doesn’t look like masks have made a significant difference, whilst probably depriving myself of oxygen. Whilst in London, coping with the recent heat in and out of tubes Ive felt dizzy & a little disoriented on more than one occasion.

For what genuine difference they make - which is highly debatable given the rapid rise in variants - personally, I’d be all for sacking them off.

All of a sudden there has been an uptick in my sons' secondary too. There were no cases before half term but my youngest came home yesterday saying there were three kids off self-isolating because of family members at home. They are not wearing masks. I wish they would go back to wearing them. I wear them at work and it isn't that hard.

Looking through the abusive and dismissive responses on here, I can’t help wondering about who these people are, and why they respond like this.

I am simply describing reality to you. I am simply asking for support from parents in keeping secondary age children in masks, to protect them physically and to protect the functioning of schools.

Both of which are currently in danger.

I think some people just don’t want to hear the reality, and so think insulting me and putting me down might somehow alter the truth of what I’m telling you.

We need children back in masks. We need precautions taken. We are in real trouble. That’s the reality.

Sorry it’s not nice. But if we are sensible, it might not get worse

@0None0 this country is not sensible, the vitriol towards teachers on MN I believe is encouraged by MN at times as they never do anything about it

I believe masks do make a difference and Singapore is an example (mask were mandatory even in outdoors and schools) they only had one lockdown and the children's education have not been disrupted much. www.bbc.com/news/world-asia-56939261
Families were also able to meet.
I agree it does make a difference that have a really small island and a v efficient government.

@0None0

Looking through the abusive and dismissive responses on here, I can’t help wondering about who these people are, and why they respond like this.

I am simply describing reality to you. I am simply asking for support from parents in keeping secondary age children in masks, to protect them physically and to protect the functioning of schools.

Both of which are currently in danger.

I think some people just don’t want to hear the reality, and so think insulting me and putting me down might somehow alter the truth of what I’m telling you.

We need children back in masks. We need precautions taken. We are in real trouble. That’s the reality.

Sorry it’s not nice. But if we are sensible, it might not get worse

But I disagree with every single statement you make here. And I don’t think you are promoting safety, you are promoting dangerous scaremongering and measures that are inflicting, and have been inflicting , serious harm on a whole generation of children.

You profess to be the voice of “truth” and yet you believe masks are more important for children than food. Forgive me if I am unable to take your perception/ version of “the truth” seriously.

I totally agree, Biz. LOL @ the assertion that people who disagree with the OP are 'abusive' when every one of his/her posts is hyperbole in the extreme.

I don't think anyone's been a abusive on here have they? Other the. The deleted post maybe ( but I didn't see what that said). People disagreeing with you isn't abuse - MN is famous for its plain speaking.

I think your message is verging into hyperbole. I'm sure Gavin Williamson has made mistakes but accusing him of killing teachers is rather extreme. Has the health Secretary killed doctors because they had to work throughout the pandemic?

I also think the details of those 3 very seriously ill children you've referenced is identifiable unless you've changed the details somehow. I'd be annoyed if that was my DS with his medical info being shared on social media by a teacher or parent from the school.

Our school is back to using masks, but I don't think schools in communities with low rates should be forced to go back to mask wearing. So many people don't wear them properly anyway - that I don't believe they make a massive difference.

@LeSquigh

I agree with others that say I’m not sure masks re making much of a difference. There’s been no cases or clusters at either of my kids schools for months but there has been one of what is now known as the Delta variant in my workplace and it spread like wildfire, and the vast majority of us are double vaccinated and under 40. Some were very unwell, a few were hospitalised and we were taking LOTS of precautions. We really can’t be too complacent yet I think.

Given that the chance of catching Covid if you are double vaccinated is 1 in 22,500, sounds like your workplace needs to go in the record books!

@AnneElliott the abuse /bullying is in the form of messages saying she could be or should be disciplined for outing info... Trying to scare her off the thread... Pathetic bullying.
None of the info was outing in anyway. The bullies are clutching at straws.

@0None0

Looking through the abusive and dismissive responses on here, I can’t help wondering about who these people are, and why they respond like this.

I am simply describing reality to you. I am simply asking for support from parents in keeping secondary age children in masks, to protect them physically and to protect the functioning of schools.

Both of which are currently in danger.

I think some people just don’t want to hear the reality, and so think insulting me and putting me down might somehow alter the truth of what I’m telling you.

We need children back in masks. We need precautions taken. We are in real trouble. That’s the reality.

Sorry it’s not nice. But if we are sensible, it might not get worse

I can't help but wondering who people like you are too

@PumpingPauper I do think the info the op has given is identifiable - if details haven't been changed. I'd know if that was our school for example and would then know who those kids were.

I haven't seen anyone raise a discipline issue but all public servants (me included as I'm in the civil service) know we have to be really careful what we post - and reminding people of that is no bad thing. Certainly anyone in my team would be suspended for posting that info (again assuming it's true) and it came to the attention of our employer.

The ONS survey figures out today entirely support high spread in schools. Years 7-11 are the most affected group, with the curve plateauing in half term, and reflected in age group 35-49.

@AnneElliott

I don't think anyone's been a abusive on here have they? Other the. The deleted post maybe ( but I didn't see what that said). People disagreeing with you isn't abuse - MN is famous for its plain speaking.

I think your message is verging into hyperbole. I'm sure Gavin Williamson has made mistakes but accusing him of killing teachers is rather extreme. Has the health Secretary killed doctors because they had to work throughout the pandemic?

I also think the details of those 3 very seriously ill children you've referenced is identifiable unless you've changed the details somehow. I'd be annoyed if that was my DS with his medical info being shared on social media by a teacher or parent from the school.

Our school is back to using masks, but I don't think schools in communities with low rates should be forced to go back to mask wearing. So many people don't wear them properly anyway - that I don't believe they make a massive difference.

Calling me a liar, calling me ‘deranged’ and similar. I’d call that abusive. And for no reason other than they don’t want to know what I’m telling them.

What have I said that is hyperbole? My school is closed. Not hyperbole, just plain truth. My MAT has 3 teens who have been left with permanent disability by covid. Not hyperbole , plain truth. The delta variant is spreading very fast. Not hyperbole, just plain truth. School children need to be in masks. Not hyperbole, just plain truth. That some parents are not supporting this. Not hyperbole, just plain truth. That those patents, if they genuinely understood the situation, would not only support it, but highly prioritise it. Again, that is why I am posting. I can’t believe that any parent who genuinely understands what’s happening g in schools, and who loves their child, would allow them to sit in lessons without a mask. (Barring the tiny number of genuine medical reasons)

@Bizawit

I would certainly prioritise masks well above 3 meals a day right now. And no, I have never taught in an ‘affluent’ area

😱😱😱. Ok this is completely nuts and says it all.

PMSL at this. Get real

Don’t be ridiculous. Children need masks. Someone claimed that some families can’t afford masks without taking it out of the food budget.

So take it out of the food budget then

Get real

@0None0

Looking through the abusive and dismissive responses on here, I can’t help wondering about who these people are, and why they respond like this.

I am simply describing reality to you. I am simply asking for support from parents in keeping secondary age children in masks, to protect them physically and to protect the functioning of schools.

Both of which are currently in danger.

I think some people just don’t want to hear the reality, and so think insulting me and putting me down might somehow alter the truth of what I’m telling you.

We need children back in masks. We need precautions taken. We are in real trouble. That’s the reality.

Sorry it’s not nice. But if we are sensible, it might not get worse

Just out of curiosity, and I don't have any school age children so I'm sure - what kind of risk assessments have been done on the health effects of long term mask use on the school children? I would assume they have been done and are freely available to the parents?

Why do you find it funny that we have a variant going out of control, and people claiming they can’t afford to cover their faces to prevent it?

Like anyone in the right mind would prioritise masks over feeding their children ? If it had to be one or the other then clearly it would be food

There are no long term affects of using masks. Millions of people use them fat all around the world and have done for millennia. It’s is a sign of our rich, spoilt, privileged, cosseted lives that some people get so affronted and indignant about them. These are people who have never had to live with little inconveniences and things they dislike before. And they can’t accept that sometimes in life your every whim is not an automatic right. You do sometimes have to put up with things you don’t want

Oh so that's what the risk assessment actually says then is it?