Schools in meltdown. Put your kids in masks

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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.

Last week n the town next to me there were over 100 teachers and students in the next town self-isolating. I believe that numbers have risen since then. It's a small, rural town population 20,000

I absolutely hated teaching in a mask. I struggled to identify individuals and it impacted on behaviour. I’m so glad they have gone.

@Hobnobswantshernameback

You're making your school and pupils pretty identifiable with citing those cases Not sure I'd be happy if that was my child

There is nothing in my post that isn’t happening all over the country. No way to identify the school from those details

@WooTwo there is plenty of published literature on how masks (even cloth/cotton ones) can reduce transmission. you can google ‘pubmed covid masks’ to find the papers easily

Unfortunately once the virus gets into an environment where there are lots of people together, it rushes through the whole place. Masks might slightly reduce the spread but it won't stop it.

The virus got into DH's workplace in January. Within a fortnight over 100 people were positive. There were fatalities as well as many very sick people. We all caught it off DH.

It's not just schools. I really don't know what the answer is though. DH's workplace isn't a place that can be closed or staff work from home. Kids need to be in school as home learning doesn't replace a classroom. Vaccines for everyone seems the only way out.

If I posted even non identifiable information about my patients on here I could be disciplined
Serious illness and complications of covid in children are very rare
You have been very specific

@MothExterminator

That is desperately sad.

I am just very surprised at this. We haven’t had a single case since Easter either (primary and secondary schools). I haven’t spoken to a single parent who wasn’t vaccinated, many have had two jabs.

How do you know the parents have all been vaccinated? Do you ask this question to everyone you speak too?

The OP could be talking about any number of schools in Lancashire, Staffordshire, Manchester, Leicester, Blackburn, Tyneside or Bedford.

We've just seen the first positive case at my sons school. One became, three, which became, well I don't know, but about half of the school are self isolating now. We'd had none for aaaaaages. And so it begins.

Hobnobs is right though, OP.

@wildeverose

You should delete this, it's so outing! So unprofessional

Outing of what??

That there are many cases of Covid in a school? So what?

@WooTwo

I don't understand how anyone still thinks masks make a difference.

Ooooo you're that one parent who sends their kids to school in tin foil hats.

@Babymeanswashing no she's not 🤣🤣🤣 what has this country come to

I am not sure masks are a miracle answer, they are still compulsory in Scotland and we have plenty of cases in secondary schools here.

Lol

@deathbypostitnote

I'm very sympathetic to what you're saying but you will have to give some information to show you're genuine. Otherwise you have scared people for no good reason as they don't know whether to believe you. I don't know whether to believe you.

Please come back and give some credentials.

What credentials do you want? I’m not sure what you are asking for

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.

WellBythebloodyhell, I never said all parents were vaccinated. I said everyone I had spoken to was.

I don’t ask that question the first I do, of course not. But it frequently comes up in conversation about Covid. We all had a horrid time managing homeschooling. And the gaps in learning are terrifying.

In our schools there is a sense of “how can we as a community make sure that our children remains in school” and vaccinations are a part of that. We have also had quite a few mums at the school gate who have complained about feeling poorly post jab - and then others chip in about their experiences.

Do you never discuss this at your schools?

You clearly are living in a hot spot with this virus but that does not mean ALL SCHOOLS are in crisis.

We’ve had no cases in our schools since the kids went back in March.

The majority of schools aren’t having massive of cases.

@NavigationCentral

Interesting first post.

In the middle of a teaching day.

My school is closed! That is what I am posting about!

What is your opinion on vaccination? My DC is a fully vaccinated sixth former. DC's school has it's own policy of compulsory mask-wearing in all areas except lesson times.
Maybe you should redirect your pleas to your employers, who have a legal obligation to protect you, rather than parents.

I sincerely hope that the government vaccinates all over-12s as soon as possible, now that MHRA has approved this vaccine was safe and effective in this age group. There is no excuse now, while of course it should not be mandatory.

@SurelyNott

We haven’t had a single case in our primary throughout the whole pandemic, and none in our (large) secondary since they reopened. In fact I know no one who has tested positive since re-opening, no children or adults with longer symptoms (other than the 2 I know who passed away), since the beginning, your school sounds extremely unlucky!

Also while cases go up, have actual illness/hospitalisation? Covid can wander around as much as it likes, we wouldn’t even know if not testing, we need to focus on illness, outcomes and the NHS not cases...

I agree.

The main gripe now is class disruption, where as it was NHS being overwhelmed, death, serious illness a few months back. Maybe we should stop sending kids home to isolate and just get on with it....

No thanks.

We had 3 positive cases yesterday in our entire borough. Neither of my children's secondary schools have had a positive cases since returning in March.