Schools contingency framework released

[noblegiraffe]

The contingency framework guidelines for childcare settings, schools, colleges and universities has been released.

Not much to see except that schools should seek public health advice if:

For most education and childcare settings, whichever of these thresholds is reached first:
• 5 children, pupils, students or staff, who are likely to have mixed closely, test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period; or
• 10% of children, pupils, students or staff who are likely to have mixed closely test positive for COVID-19 within a 10-day period

Additional measures might be onsite testing or reintroducing masks but is much more likely to be simply:

At the point of reaching a threshold, education and childcare settings should review and reinforce the testing, hygiene and ventilation measures they already have in place. Settings should also consider:
• whether any activities could take place outdoors, including exercise, assemblies, or classes
• ways to improve ventilation indoors, where this would not significantly impact thermal comfort
• one-off enhanced cleaning focussing on touch points and any shared equipment

Interestingly, 'mixing closely' includes students who have shared a classroom, not just those who sat within 2m of a positive case.

No reassurance for CEV pupils.

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/1011704/20210817_Contingency_Framework_FINAL.pdf

I wonder if schools will receive them in the timely manner they received the promised laptops

@ineedaholidaynow

I wonder if schools will receive them in the timely manner they received the promised laptops

😂 I wonder....

@Backofbeyond50

Worried about school staff and their families?

Especially year 13s
Year 13s have not sat external exams before and are now facing exams which will determine whether they get into their university choice
Year 12 was a mess with self isolation and teacher shortages

True for so many. And all those from the class of 21, with assessed grades, who chose to have a gap year and will be applying for university alongside the class of 22 who have had the most interrupted teaching and their first formal exams.

Has there been any word on whether A levels will be adapted?

Or if universities are gearing up to make contextual offers depending on Year of grades?

Unfortunately doesn't say vaccination status.
But if I was headteacher with pregnant staff or I was a pregnant teacher I would be worried as the risk is greater.
So sad and ni does seem to be Increasing I don't think their school returned yet.

www.belfastlive.co.uk/news/northern-ireland/covid-northern-ireland-pregnant-mother-21366858.amp?__twitter_impression=true

At some point in autumn way too late for c02 monitors.
My sons classroom is a old portacabin hot in summer and cold in winter I best invest in some thermals.
Many 16 to 17 year old wouldn't have had 1 jab yet for just had 1 which takes 21 days to take affect.
Many vulnerable 12 to 15 year old are still waiting and couple weeks until school starts.

@noblegiraffe

All state schools to receive C02 monitors, 1 per two classrooms, this Autumn.

schoolsweek.co.uk/all-state-schools-to-receive-carbon-dioxide-monitors-to-help-ventilation/

And what will they do when the alarms go off?? Because monitors don't actually do anything except tell you there's a problem.

This is going to be interesting.

I sometimes teach in a classroom with a CO2 monitor (it's a science lab and cuts off the gas supply if CO2 is too high - think above 3500 ppm, it also makes a beeping noise). It regularly goes off if I have a full class in. It's tricky to get the number down even with opening the windows, usually I end up stood in the doorway using the door as a fan.

Knowing there is a problem doesn't help unless you have an action plan for what to do...

@User5827372728 if you were to look at my posting history you will see that I have frequently shared my concern fir the whole if the school community. Just typed for all in the school community. Just too tired and poorly last night to think straight. So apologies.

And obviously too asleep to write coherently this morning but you get the idea.

I also have a CO2 monitor in my classroom (new school). Pre pandemic it would go gradually red about an hour into each lesson, quicker in the winter when the windows were closed. My class are very good at watching it and alerting me, but we are in the lucky position of being able to open windows. All it does is lets you know that the room needs ventilating, it does not ventilate. Those classrooms where windows don't open will be no better nor will those with staff who ignore them (we have some of those in our school). I would also like to know why they are only providing them for every second room. Which children matter less?

Starting to get pretty worried. About safety obviously but also workload if we’re spending another year being expected to provide work for those who are at home on top of our actual job with no concessions to reduce workload in other areas to make up for it. It’s unpaid extra work and time when your plate is already overloaded.

I don’t think I can do that for another year

I agree @TheHoneyBadger.
It's unsustainable!

@TheHoneyBadger

Starting to get pretty worried. About safety obviously but also workload if we’re spending another year being expected to provide work for those who are at home on top of our actual job with no concessions to reduce workload in other areas to make up for it. It’s unpaid extra work and time when your plate is already overloaded.

I don’t think I can do that for another year

Me too :-(

Is there not already a supply of on line work from the past 2 years? Would that not help, at least a little bit?

My school had us teaching the kids at home and in school at the same time via Teams. This was a lot of extra work and was to the detriment of the education of those in the classroom while not providing a good experience for those at home either.

However it was easier for management and for parents, so that was the most important thing.

@herecomesthsun

Is there not already a supply of on line work from the past 2 years? Would that not help, at least a little bit?

It depends. Yes, we have ‘double plans’ for the whole of last year (so we can refer back to those for unchanged subjects - we always review and refresh planning so some subjects will have new plans). For those weeks when we had someone learning at home, we also have doubled resources.

For the weeks of complete lockdown, and weeks when a whole class was at home, we had different planning, designed to be taught in a different way. Those are not suitable for in-school teaching, nor for non-live/video learning at home, so if no teacher is available to deliver them full time for those at home, they will need to be re-double planned and re-double resourced.

However, I am not doing anything for home learning in advance. I fully expect that, when the Government realises that there is STILL a peskily high number of infected children and teachers missing school due to 10 day isolation, and employers complaining that parents are having to stay at home to care for isolating young children, the rules will be changed. I expect the guidance to be changed to ‘only stay at home if positive and too ill to be in school’ at some point in the Autumn term.

It already is only stay at home if positive for 18 and under and the double vaccinated.

I’d only have remote learning lessons ready available for the period of total lockdown January to March last year. We had virtually no one off and no positive cases for the first autumn half term so nothing for that period and up until January it was all quite as hoc and I didn’t save anything as it was the odd child here and there at different points in schemes of work and different year groups.

Think autumn is likely to be a shit show and my remote provision might just be sending them a copy of the PowerPoint. I can’t see me having the time or energy for more than that on top of the rest of my job this year

Does anyone think the schools will close again? Same with universities, I think it'll be chaos this coming autumn /winter.

I expect the guidance to be changed to ‘only stay at home if positive and too ill to be in school’ at some point in the Autumn term

I wouldn’t put it past our government to try this one-‘yes, you’re positive but you’re not actually that ill, so come in’ which I guess is what they’re doing with the stopping of LFD tests-so nobody will even test unless they are ill.

That’s what the JCVI committee report advised when they said we shouldn’t vaccinate kids.

It’s gearing up to a ‘fine to get covid now’ campaign.

If I get covid, I will be too sick to work or to set work.

Israel are giving their school staff a booster.

I was considering mid sept going into a walk in and getting a jab as a booster but maybe saying it’s my first?!!’ Is that bad?

@User5827372728

Israel are giving their school staff a booster.

I was considering mid sept going into a walk in and getting a jab as a booster but maybe saying it’s my first?!!’ Is that bad?

It won't work, they look you up on the computer system before jabbing you!

I expect the guidance to be changed to ‘only stay at home if positive and too ill to be in school’ at some point in the Autumn term

I expect the guidance to be changed to 'don't test'. This is already what was happening last term in Primary Schools.

@FlagsFiend

My husband said they jabbed him in primark then after wrote his name on a bit of paper!

@MrsHamlet

If I get covid, I will be too sick to work or to set work.

Me too MrsH - in fact I think all teachers should be!