Department for Education has refused to plan, fund and implement a multi-layered, scientifically recognised covid mitigation strategy for schools.

[Zotter]

I have not seen - may have missed it - much coverage on the government failing to offer a mitigation strategy for levels of CoVid in schools. Other countries have done so but not England. A good, short article on this and the repercussions of not doing so.

yorkshirebylines.co.uk/news/education/safety-in-schools-and-covid/

Not all secondary kids have the right technology at their fingertips though

@GoldenOmber

My government actually did develop a model based on ‘blended learning’ and ‘rotas’, was all set to roll it out, and then went back in it post haste once it became obvious to kids and parents what that actually looked like.

I know, I know, we’re selfish short-term-ists who don’t care about science, etc etc etc. But the reality is that while there’s a decent amount of public support for the general goal of “invest more in education”, there is not much public support for “2 days a week in school, max.” And if people are not going for that, it’s probably for reasons other than having a sense of hope.

I think Government has lost all sense of purpose, then, if it ever had any, other than to encourage selfish short-termism.

I’m not sure blended learning would ever work. School is childcare. It may double as education but it is childcare.

@JanglyBeads

Not all secondary kids have the right technology at their fingertips though

Nor do lots of the staff. When I look back to the start of the first Work From Home period in 2020, my friends not in Education were having desktops and screens and desks and twirly padded chairs and foot-rests etc all delivered to their homes, and contributions made towards wifi and heating bills. Teachers? Nada. Zilch. Use your own laptop and if you haven't got one, get one delivered from Amazon at your own expense and we need full curriculum sent out remotely by tomorrow please. On a platform you've never used before in your life, so get busy familiarising yourself with it. And we got annihilated by parents too.

True, Hendricks.

@Changethefloorthroughout

People don’t care about vulnerable children, they care about their own children.

Do I think this makes them horrendously selfish and awful? Honestly, no. It’s understandable. I do understand this.

I endorse @thecatfromjapans post but I’d add I just don’t think there’s anything you can do to mitigate covid in schools that isn’t disruptive. That’s why everyone either avoids talking about it or argues about it.

They could install hepa filters. It’s a recognised effective mitigation and isn’t disruptive

Costly?

We have something co2 monitors and they are ignored. Like every other walk of life some people think it's all nonsense and shut windows all the time even when the machine is on red?

There is no proper structure on ventilation and what to do, it's all trickle down effect.

Children and staff could also be encouraged to wear whatever clothing they like.. To keep warm.

@Imdreamingofapeacefulxmas

Children and staff could also be encouraged to wear whatever clothing they like.. To keep warm.

Agree with this.

Warm clothes encouraged.
Masks/social distancing encouraged
Ventilation
Bubbles
Not sending household members of positive cases into school
Pause Ofsted

I'd prefer warm clothes to flipping blazers.

We've had ofsted this term. Hugely stressful for all involved

We never got co2 monitors in our primary school as far as I know. I've never seen them anyway but I'm just a lowly TA.I was opening the windows but a couple of weeks ago our head came into our classroom and shut them all because it was too cold and we didn't need to do that (ventilation) any more.

A few days later I got covid and so did half the class.

Khara

That's absolutely disgusting.

I’m not sure blended learning would ever work. School is childcare. It may double as education but it is childcare.

Summer 2020 we could have done a combo in most primary schools. But we weren't allowed to try. Decisions were made about years R, 1 and 6 without considering individual school circumstances. Could have it as an emergency option now too. Half a week in classrooms, so half the contacts. Other half childcare using sports coaches, incoming music teachers and so on, who aren't working when schools are closed. As @thecatfromjapan says further up, we could have got communities up and going to provide premises (not people - the whole 'pull child care staff from your arse thing just isn't a thing). Different for all schools, so that's a con, but loads of schools could have done some good things. Anyway, too late now.

Decisions were made about years R, 1 and 6 without considering individual school circumstances.

Totally agree here. For infant schools, this decision was bizarre.

Our co2 motors are located right next to am open door in year R which is surprisingly enough due to free flow provision, open all day. Put it in a crammed year 2 classroom with everyone breathing each other's air on top of each other all day.

@Moonface123

We need to be open to exploring other forms of education other than having kids sat in schools, but people are so addicted to the familiar and are frightened of change. The fiasco of recent homeschooling has only scared people further, yet as a parent of a 16 yr old who has home schooled himself the last three years and just sat his exams, (currently awaiting results,) his education wasnt hindered one iota, and because of his age l was able to continue working as normal outside the home. Older kids do not need to be in schools, the technology is at their fingertips, allow them the responsibility and they will suceed, as most kids do want an education and to go on and do well in life, most have outgrown school by this age. Fear is what is holding us back, we need to put faith over fear, and start to move forward in a positive way. Then maybe think about utilising the space left by secondary age kids to spread out the younger, and more vulnerable ones.

If lockdown has taught us anything, it's taught us that this is balls.

There are an awful lot of kids out there who cannot learn or who will not learn without an adult explaining to them exactly what they need to do, or who will make them do it.

Give a kid a laptop and they'll teach themselves. HAH. Give them a laptop, they'll install FIFA and use the remote lesson Teams chat to discuss their player purchases.

Nothing from the Prime Minister on protecting children from covid tonight then?

Or on improving the quality of their education which of late relies heavily on unsuitable substitute teachers and multiple classes being supervised in the sports hall by a random adult.

Schools will be shut in a week. Then the govt can have the xmas holidays forgetting about them and then a 'shit, is it January already' moment and a last minute email on Friday evening before the bank holiday telling us to vaccinate all the kids while covid testing them or something.

@noblegiraffe

Schools will be shut in a week. Then the govt can have the xmas holidays forgetting about them and then a 'shit, is it January already' moment and a last minute email on Friday evening before the bank holiday telling us to vaccinate all the kids while covid testing them or something.

Or force them to open for a day before closing them all? Something like that, anyway.

@olivehater

Christopholus what do you mean staff who haven’t been infected are just waiting? Everyone of working age in pretty every job that involves being in the same vicinity as other people is just waiting. Everybody I know is getting infected. It isn’t unique to teaching. Stop pretending it is.

@Christopholous didn't say anything of the sort!

OP I totally agree, the way this government have managed pretty much everything in the pandemic has been very laissez-faire with no real thought given to realistic measures that might help us all to live through this pandemic as safely as possible. It is a fiasco that air filters etc haven’t been installed in every school in one of the richest countries in the world. I’m a GP and similarly no real advice has been given between “don’t see anybody and do everything remotely” and “see everyone who wants it”.

Noble we had break out rooms on Google where adult led one, two or more pupils in what they needed to do if they needed it.
You can also follow exactly what they are writing, and you can nudge them.
Any pupils who dissappearsd were called or parents called.
It was in many ways eaiser than in the classroom because you did have their full attention and you could see exactly what they were doing.

It’s very telling how out of touch this government is. I’m assuming that they’ve got zero clue about how schools work and can’t think of decent covid mitigations. They can’t even do basic test and trace in schools.

I’ve written to my MP multiple times and she’s finally passed on my latest one to DFE asking for their rationale on their current approach. I look forward to their shite response.