Anti-lockdowners pretending to care about kids again

[noblegiraffe]

So it's all over the news about how nearly 400,000 kids are having to isolate because of covid cases in schools. Complaints about how disruptive to education it is and to the mental health of the children involved. This disruptive isolation must end as soon as possible.

Contrast to last November when nearly a million kids were self-isolating in a week. Do you remember the headlines, discussions and outrage about that?

No, of course you don't. Because back then, the solution to so many kids isolating was to put more mitigation measures in schools and attempt to stop so many kids catching it.

Now they can argue that it doesn't matter if all kids catch it, they're all over the 'terrible' isolation figures which are less than half of those last year.

I'm SO done with people only caring about kids and education when they think that they can use them for their own benefit.

If these loud voices could be used to talk about things like the cuts to pupil premium, the pitiful covid catch-up funding, the critical shortage of teachers, the unsafe state of schools, the massive waiting lists for CAMHS and SEN services, then maybe I'd believe them when they claim to care about children.

are you re writing history with that comment? I don't think our memory is that whacked just yet.

Wasn't that the NEU?

Absolutely was.

Em, no. It was the government who made the decision to close schools.

You’re starting to sound a little... deranged, now OP. At least it’s nearly the summer holidays and you can have a nice long break .

bogroll is correct

The government was forced to close schools because with the infection rates in them sky-high and the spiralling death rate there was no way to justify keeping them open through another lockdown.

I blame the sky-high infection rates on the idiotic decision to open schools with no mitigation measures and then to ignore the increasingly obvious problem.

Who campaigned heavily to open schools with no mitigation measures and met with the govt shortly before that decision? Who tried to shut down any conversations about the need for mitigation measures in schools?

It wasn’t the NEU that’s for sure.

And who started a petition to close schools?

@cornflowersandpoppies

bogroll is correct

How? Please could you explain in what way the NEU was responsible for schools to move to remote learning and stay open for keyworkers.

You’re right actually as schools didn’t close in November.

However, the NEU wanted them to close, which I’m not sure was for the best really.

@cornflowersandpoppies

bogroll is correct

That letter, calling for schools to be part of the November lockdown and for the government to use this time to introduce mitigation measures, improve track and trace and look into blended learning was published on 2 Nov 2020 (the date is on it).

Of course, no-one took any notice of the NEU, transmission rates rocketed, no mitigation measures were brought in, track and trace remained a joke and the government closed schools January until March.

It is a bit of a leap of logic to say that this was because of the NEU, when they were clearly asking for short-term measures to reduce the likelihood of the sustained period of closure that happened.

@cornflowersandpoppies

And who started a petition to close schools?

Have you actually read the letter?

The NEU weren't campaigning to 'close schools'. They were campaigning for a short period of school closure while covid rates were rising rapidly and using that time to put measures in place to prevent longer closures and more disruption to children's education.

Their overall goal was to keep schools open as much as possible.

Well if the NEU can be ignored in favour of a parent run pressure group then they’re pretty shit at doing their job, aren’t they?

@Ifitquacks

Well if the NEU can be ignored in favour of a parent run pressure group then they’re pretty shit at doing their job, aren’t they?

Is it a parent run pressure group? The way it's being painted on here - they'd put the fucking Illuminati to shame (but have baby wipes and huge handbags full of anything potentially needed as well).

The teaching unions are pretty toothless in terms of informing policy.

They find out what the government's plans are from the telly, at the same time as everyone else.

It's quite retro how powerful MN seems to think teaching unions are.

Then what’s the point in them?

Not as powerful as others seem to think Us For Them are!

@beyondstresssedandmore

The teaching unions are pretty toothless in terms of informing policy.

They find out what the government's plans are from the telly, at the same time as everyone else.

It's quite retro how powerful MN seems to think teaching unions are.

It seemed to actually do something when members took industrial action on Mon 4th January. The NEU did push the government's hand on that one. The government was wanting children in school until the NEU pulled that stunt.

@Ifitquacks

Well if the NEU can be ignored in favour of a parent run pressure group then they’re pretty shit at doing their job, aren’t they?

If you read the Bylines Times article I linked to you’d see they’re not.

I’m sure the teaching unions aren’t particularly powerful, but how powerful do you think U4T are?

The ones making the decisions are the government. We may have opinions and those opinions may differ but ultimately Boris and co will do as they do.

@bookworm14

Not as powerful as others seem to think Us For Them are!

This is what is baffling me . People blaming Us For Them (a parent run group) for informing policy while claiming that the NEU (a long established union) have no power to inform policy. Time to scrap the unions if they can be bettered by Us For Them?

If you read the Bylines Times article I linked to you’d see they’re not

So they achieved their aim of extra mitigations in schools then?

It seemed to actually do something when members took industrial action on Mon 4th January. The NEU did push the government's hand on that one. The government was wanting children in school until the NEU pulled that stunt

I think it was rather the group of local authorities who challenged Gavin Williamson when they took the collective decision to not reopen fully.

Wanting safer working conditions is hardly a 'stunt'.

And mrshoho is right - local authorities took action, having had their concerns ignored before xmas (indeed, Greenwich were threatened with legal action should they move to online learning despite staff and children falling like flies).

A day before most schools in the borough had to close due to too many staff isolating, by which point transmission of the virus was out of control, lots of the country were told to quarantine over Xmas and schools closed for several months in the New Year.

Why are people so keen to let the government off the hook, time and time again?

Honestly, it baffles me.

I meant they’re not a parent-run pressure group.