Schools - why are they doing this?

[Scrooge89]

Why are the media preparing us for school closures? They simply can’t do this to us…

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59673271

Not to my children. My youngest struggled so much at home and was one of the 25% who couldn’t go to school (although I saw how much some people fudged the key worker card I may have to do it).

Most of our classrooms are tiny. You can't fit more than 24or26 in. And then only if no kids get up to go to the bin. Who's going to build these classrooms that hold 40 kids?

@CovidCath

Ok so I’m going to receive a wave of MN hate here…. I lost one parent to covid this year and I have a seriously immune suppressed parent. I also have Covid right now as does DH and we both have asthma. We both caught this days before booster. We’re feeling a bit shite but have definitely felt worse with colds before. I’d actually chose this over most colds. Actually even felt worse with hangovers. This business of ‘dangerous’ and keeping people safe is massively over egging the cake for MOST people and frankly Covid has become skivers charter. It annoys me massively as the damage to our economy and children’s schooling is far worse than the effects of omicron I believe. After the horrendous news of kids being killed on their parents’ watches recently, primary schools at least must stay open. I’m not sure when the world became so soft but we need to start living with this. Admittedly, a more dangerous variant may come along, but equally, we can’t live lives based on ‘what if’. Finally, the number of times pre Covid that I went to dinner/pub/concert/cinema and was in close proximity to someone with an awful cold that passed it on - well that was a yearly event. I always thought it was selfish but we didn’t close schools because one person spread something. And, vulnerable people have always dies of flu/respiratory illness but we didn’t stop our kids going to school then. Ok….I’m braced….do your worst MN!!

I'm not going to 'do my worse' but politely ask you to not weaponise the death of a child 'on their parents' watches' to argue against school closures.

In its simplest terms, schools can't stay open if there aren't enough staff and not enough supply staff to fill their places.

@CovidCath I'm sorry to hear about your parent
It's a difficult one because I think I was more ill with pneumonia than covid (I had it April 2020). I am asthmatic too and was worried about lungs. But it has left me a different person. I have neurological side effects and the muscles and joints of an elderly person. I have had 6 relapses since of being ill, in some cases, more so than when I had it. I think the unknown makes it scary. I never thought I'd be left different.
I completely agree with your skiving comment.
I hope you and your husband get better soon.

Lanique
Thank you and merry Christmas xx

And yes, as a pp said, when I phone home to tell you that your kid is exhibiting challenging behaviour (excluding and SEN) I'm being polite. What I really mean is: I'd be fucking gutted if my kid behaved like yours, how have you managed to raise such an Ill mannered, entitled child?
No:
It's not a personality clash
I don't think x is dyslexic/add/adhd
I don't think a set move would help
I don't think x is bored
I don't think x is anxious

I think you needed to parent properly about 10 years ago.

I'm always a bit about threads like this where people are like oh no, not my child, my child can't miss out on school. Then on the Covid board it is full of people saying 'oh no, not my child, my child can't wear a mask' and 'oh no, not my child, my child won't be vaccinated'. It feels like a whole chunk of mumsnet wants to forget that covid is a thing entirely so won't make any mitigations at all, yet get angry when it all falls apart.

I havent read the thread just the title but I took a photo of my daughter whose year 11 today, just in case the worst happens and its her last day at high school, my eldest finished in March 2020 just like that so I took the photo just in case...

@TheMoth

And yes, as a pp said, when I phone home to tell you that your kid is exhibiting challenging behaviour (excluding and SEN) I'm being polite. What I really mean is: I'd be fucking gutted if my kid behaved like yours, how have you managed to raise such an Ill mannered, entitled child? No: It's not a personality clash I don't think x is dyslexic/add/adhd I don't think a set move would help I don't think x is bored I don't think x is anxious

I think you needed to parent properly about 10 years ago.

[SHOCK]

Well, how heart warming.

Shows your true colours. Quite the contrast to @TheHoneyBadger's lovely post.

There's the small matter of legal limits of class numbers for Health and Safety too, but don't let small matters like that get in your way, Xenia.

Twiterwhooooo
I didn’t intend to weaponise the argument but I’m pointing out that the consequences of not being in school can be WAY worse than a bad cold.
I feel that if the nhs is found to be ‘on its knees’ in the next month, it won’t be because of an overwhelming number of patients but an underwhelming number of staff as they’re forced to isolate with a bad cold. (When they don’t want to!!)
I’m not being unsympathetic as nobody wants to be unwell. I completely sympathise and know Illnesses are very subjective and different for everyone.
But, this omicron variant, in my humble opinion, would already have taken lives like alpha and delta did if it was that dangerous. There has been enough time.

@luinagreine

I'm always a bit about threads like this where people are like oh no, not my child, my child can't miss out on school. Then on the Covid board it is full of people saying 'oh no, not my child, my child can't wear a mask' and 'oh no, not my child, my child won't be vaccinated'. It feels like a whole chunk of mumsnet wants to forget that covid is a thing entirely so won't make any mitigations at all, yet get angry when it all falls apart.

How is it parents fait that it is all falling apart? Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term. You can't possibly expect 4 & 5 year olds to wear masks and if you do, you are in the wrong job.

Coffeeneedednow
I’m sorry to hear that and you are one of the people who really should be protected right now. Stay well and have a good Christmas xx

Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term.

In corridors. Not in classrooms where they spend most of their time. And that’s without those that are exempt this time round but we’re fine to wear them last time.

How is it parents fait that it is all falling apart? Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term. You can't possibly expect 4 & 5 year olds to wear masks and if you do, you are in the wrong job.

I'm not sure how my views on mask wearing mean I am not suitable for my job in communications but ok rant on.

Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term

Only in corridors though. I got an email from dd15 school via local public health requesting students wear them in classrooms on Monday. Some other areas may not have had this. So there isn’t proper mask wearing in school.

But, this omicron variant, in my humble opinion, would already have taken lives like alpha and delta did if it was that dangerous. There has been enough time

Watching Whitty and another big public health person this morning. Both saying week between Xmas and New Year will be the week that hospitalisations will start.

@CovidCath, Just who, exactly, are you suggesting is skiving under the excuse of Covid?

@CarrieBlue

Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term.

In corridors. Not in classrooms where they spend most of their time. And that’s without those that are exempt this time round but we’re fine to wear them last time.

Is this for real? Teenagers in the UK don't wear masks in class? I'm shocked at that tbh and that poster thinks wearing masks in a corridor counts as mask wearing?!

Yes it’s true. They are all ‘facing the front’ in class, so less likely to spread it🙄

Who the fuck made that shit up l don’t know.

@CarrieBlue

Secondary schools are all wearing masks and have done since half term.

In corridors. Not in classrooms where they spend most of their time. And that’s without those that are exempt this time round but we’re fine to wear them last time.

In class everywhere throughout the school day were we live. Ours have done mid October.

Is this for real? Teenagers in the UK don't wear masks in class? I'm shocked at that tbh and that poster thinks wearing masks in a corridor counts as mask wearing?!

Yes it's true. There are no masks in the classroom, but students are asked wear them when travelling around school.

And I think it's absolutely the right thing to do. Secondary kids school all wear masks in all areas apart from PE obviously unless exempt. I'm surprised that this isn't the case for all schools.

should wear masks

ArseInTheCoOpWindow
Quietly chuckling to myself here as to how you arrived at that name 🤣
Yes, you’re right. The numbers will inevitably go up but it might be matched with lower staffing levels overall but also lower overall illness. A GP friend ranted this week that problem is the unvaccinated. The percentage of unvaxed is relatively low but the actual numbers are high.
Not going to get into a vax vs anti vax discussion as it’s not my beef but the numbers are not purely based on hospitalisations due to a horrible virus we can’t manage……

@Xenia

I would prefer schools to stay open even class sizes return to the 40+ per teacher my mother taught after WWII in NE England. We could also tighten up rules so that no pay when off sick other than SSP after day 3 and also once you have a negative PCR you go in. also teachers with covid but are in the one third with no symptoms could certainly teach classes of children in many cases if most of the children have had covid anyway.

Then you cannot expect much quality teaching with a class of 40. The curriculum is far more dictated and stuffed than it was in the 50s, we are more rigorously inspected on assessment data, and few children are leaving before 16 to take in manual roles at the local factory or farm.

By all means, pack ten more kids into each classroom, but this is not the answer.