What do we do if cases rocket in September?

[ncnoclue]

If schools etc being closed means that cases massively drop and we can in fact, live normal lives. And then once they go back, they shoot up again and we can't cope.

Is the plan to keep everything else closed, just to keep schools open? So even though everyone who wants it has been vaccinated and there's no other answer, we keep the economy closed indefinitely to keep schools open?!

@noblegiraffe

you have been arguing about all the quick and easy solutions?

To improving ventilation. Like fixing my blind. Which the government should have put money aside to do. Yes?

Should, but haven't. So if it’s ‘quick and easy’, what can be done to fix it instead?

@noblegiraffe

People don't seem to understand why my blind hasn't been fixed, given that it seems such a small issue and a quick fix.

But there is no money to fix my blind. That is what I am explaining there.

That’s why I asked about engaging the school community for fundraising for the quick and easy solution. Has that been done?

So even if the blind was fixed so it could open, it would have to be kept shut anyway so keep the sunlight out?

Apparently so. But I'm sure I'll be corrected soon.

But they're not going to. So either you put up and shut up, OR you look for alternative solutions

So you think the solution to a bad government is to simply do the work for them for free yourself?

Not to suggest that pressure should be put on the government to do their job instead of giving our taxes to their mates?

Interesting.

So even if the blind was fixed so it could open, it would have to be kept shut anyway so keep the sunlight out?

The position of the sun changes throughout the day and also there are stages between 'blind fully open' and 'blind fully shut'.

Technical stuff I know.

@noblegiraffe

But they're not going to. So either you put up and shut up, OR you look for alternative solutions

So you think the solution to a bad government is to simply do the work for them for free yourself?

Not to suggest that pressure should be put on the government to do their job instead of giving our taxes to their mates?

Interesting.

In the meantime, while pressuring the government (are you doing that? Have you got a campaign set up?) surely it makes sense to look for other solutions? Rather than just say ‘well the government won’t pay so I’ll have a closed blind forevermore’?

@noblegiraffe

Has the caretaker had a look at the blind?

Of course they have. It's got to the point where no-one even dare mention the word blind to them.

The entire school is in a state. We were hoping to get a new school building under the BSF fund but that was one of the first things the Tories cancelled when they came into power. They've done nothing to improve the situation so 11 years on from being in dire need of a new school building, things are even worse.

It's not something that can be solved by a quick whip-round. A ventilation fund which the government should have implemented would have fixed my blind.

But the thing about my blind is that it is replicated in various ways and forms in classrooms and schools across the country. Schools are seriously underfunded and what should be a quick fix is instead an ongoing problem that affects education due to lack of money.

Fix Noble's Blind really needs to be Fix Our Schools.

And now, due to Covid costing billions of pounds, we're now paying £100billion per year in interest alone. So where's the money coming from? We're spending more on interest than the entire education budget. We need innovative solutions that cost less, rather than the usual approach of wanting £x million for shiny new buildings. Basic maintenance of the buildings we already have would make a massive difference rather than the usual public sector approach of ignoring maintenance and preferring the big things like shiny new schools. Of course, the politicians/managers etc prefer shiny new things so they can get the media attention re the opening etc.

@noblegiraffe

But they're not going to. So either you put up and shut up, OR you look for alternative solutions

So you think the solution to a bad government is to simply do the work for them for free yourself?

Not to suggest that pressure should be put on the government to do their job instead of giving our taxes to their mates?

Interesting.

How much more tax are you willing to pay, how much of a reduction in your wages/pensions will you accept. That's the reality. The costs of Covid are going to sting us all one way or another.

@noblegiraffe

So even if the blind was fixed so it could open, it would have to be kept shut anyway so keep the sunlight out?

The position of the sun changes throughout the day and also there are stages between 'blind fully open' and 'blind fully shut'.

Technical stuff I know.

What kind of blind is it? A roller blackout blind?

I have the feeling practical suggestions and solutions are not wanted here.

Basic maintenance of the buildings we already have would make a massive difference rather than the usual public sector approach of ignoring maintenance

So you agree that the government should have funded maintenance of our school buildings instead of let them fall into disrepair?

I have the feeling practical suggestions and solutions are not wanted here.

I have a feeling that people have no idea whether their suggestions are practical.

Because if it is, you can just roll up the bottom few inches and use a couple of books or something to hold it up allowing a gap for ventilation- similar to how you would just roll it up slightly. We had to do similar when the mechanism on our blind broke.

And I love the idea that the fact that my classroom has a broken blind is now being painted as my fault instead of a serious failing of government whose job it is, using taxpayer money, to provide an adequate education for our children.

What, like taking a blind down and sticking some paper up on the windows as a temporary measure?

Sounds pretty practical.

Pretty sure the caretakers in the schools I've taught at would have managed something.

Obviously Noble's school needs a sum of money to fix/replace the blind. But hers won't be the only blind/window. PTA's shouldn't NEED to fill this gap (and half of MN hates the PTA anyway). It's not good enough to Chuck this back at parents - many of whom have already been thumped financially by the pandemic.

We've had CV for what 16 months? We've known it's airborne for a good section of that and still there hasn't been any central campaign to fix those small elements that might make a big difference.

Instead we spend £200 million on a trade yacht. We've spent millions with friends of the Government.

Yes I've written to my MP - she's good but has little sway in Westminster.

There are temporary solutions that can be found whilst also lobbying the LA/Government about funding. Its not either/or

@Notonthestairs

Obviously Noble's school needs a sum of money to fix/replace the blind. But hers won't be the only blind/window. PTA's shouldn't NEED to fill this gap (and half of MN hates the PTA anyway). It's not good enough to Chuck this back at parents - many of whom have already been thumped financially by the pandemic.

We've had CV for what 16 months? We've known it's airborne for a good section of that and still there hasn't been any central campaign to fix those small elements that might make a big difference.

Instead we spend £200 million on a trade yacht. We've spent millions with friends of the Government.

Yes I've written to my MP - she's good but has little sway in Westminster.

I agree it's absolutely not good enough, and the government have handled this entire thing appallingly (closing schools between March and July last year for example).

However at some point, rather than waiting for the government to come along and fix everything and moaning that they don't, we roll our sleeves up and enact some temporary fixes. A can-do attitude.

@Notonthestairs

Obviously Noble's school needs a sum of money to fix/replace the blind. But hers won't be the only blind/window. PTA's shouldn't NEED to fill this gap (and half of MN hates the PTA anyway). It's not good enough to Chuck this back at parents - many of whom have already been thumped financially by the pandemic.

We've had CV for what 16 months? We've known it's airborne for a good section of that and still there hasn't been any central campaign to fix those small elements that might make a big difference.

Instead we spend £200 million on a trade yacht. We've spent millions with friends of the Government.

Yes I've written to my MP - she's good but has little sway in Westminster.

And I agree with all that. But there must be a solution in the meantime. Unless we should just do nothing on principle because the government be paying? Our PTA buys books. It shouldn’t have to buy books. The alternative is the the kids don’t have the books it needs.

However at some point, rather than waiting for the government to come along and fix everything and moaning that they don't, we roll our sleeves up and enact some temporary fixes. A can-do attitude.

Yes. If ventilation is that important to the health and safety of pupils and teachers then brainstorming ideas of how to achieve that without waiting for the SLT/LA/Government to pull its finger out would be welcome, I would have thought?

No, Bordois, the way the windows open mean you'd be trying to prop it up in midair.

So people now agree that there are quick and easy fixes to improve ventilation in schools but are now suggesting that instead of government funding them, teachers and parents should fund and implement them?

It is amazing how time and time again people are willing to let this government off the hook.

Whilst we rely on PTA's to make up these shortfalls the schools without good backing from parents or in areas of existing deprivation will come off even worse.

I understand that life isn't fair, wealth isn't distributed evenly and never will etc but I think we can do better.

Dismounts from high horse.

Yes I hope the caretaker can sort Noble's blind this summer.

@noblegiraffe

So people now agree that there are quick and easy fixes to improve ventilation in schools but are now suggesting that instead of government funding them, teachers and parents should fund and implement them?

It is amazing how time and time again people are willing to let this government off the hook.

Not letting them off the hook. Let me know what campaigns you’ve got going on and I’ll happily lend weight to them. But in the meantime you think it’s better to do nothing, and leave your blind shut?

"We need to improve ventilation in schools"

"Well that's totally impractical, it would require millions of pounds and months of work so you can't expect it to happen"

"Well actually, we could improve ventilation by fixing blinds and windows in individual classrooms and this could be done quite quickly and cheaply"

"Why haven't YOU fixed the blinds and windows in your classroom? God, you're useless"

Astonishing deflection.