Page 5 | Schools - why are they doing this?

echt · 16/12/2021 09:07

@Bollocknays

I just hope that the majority of teachers in the rest of the UK are vaccinated because here in the SW - many teachers and head teachers are against the vaccination and therefore schools are already closing.

It’s a bit of a mess.

You don't know that.

BungleandGeorge · 16/12/2021 09:08

They need to prepare given that the government did a 180 on this last year with practically no notice! I think we just have to accept that ‘normal’ will have to be put on hold for a bit. Im sure if it was left up to schools and parents the result would be a much more sensible outcome than that which comes from central government. Whilst there’s lots of disparaging remarks about ‘babysitting’ I personally think that doing craft/PE/ reading practice/ easier elements of the curriculum would be an improvement on kids being left at home on their own or with a parent wfh. Not only do they not have anyone teaching them but they’re not receiving adequate supervision or support either. And many schools had a cap on places and turned away key worker parents so no it’s not really an option to ‘fudge’ your way into a place!

echt · 16/12/2021 09:10

@Ohnomoreno

Not safe....hmm. I can't help being puzzled by the disparity between the SA data, the almost total lack of deaths after nearly 4 weeks and this idea that we're all in great peril. Can't help thinking it is convenient for a beleaguered govt.

It's not about deaths.

It's about the number of people who will have to isolate, therefore fucking the economy.

middleager · 16/12/2021 09:10

@Greentrees2021

But what is the long term plan? Last year the January closures bought time to get vaccinations done. This year we could close schools for 2 months and Omicron will still be waiting and just as infectious when we reopen them again!

Exactly. Not to mention any new variants that may then crop up. There is no long term plan for schools or the NHS, we lurch from crisis to crisis.

Karma1981 · 16/12/2021 09:15

I will support what ever my children's school have to do if that's them open or shut.
But I won't be homeschooling my 7 year old, my other children can manage and did the last 2 times.
The 7 year old did not he has sen and it was truly horrendous for all of us.

santasmuma · 16/12/2021 09:15

@Ohnomoreno

Not safe....hmm. I can't help being puzzled by the disparity between the SA data, the almost total lack of deaths after nearly 4 weeks and this idea that we're all in great peril. Can't help thinking it is convenient for a beleaguered govt.

It's not about deaths. However although we are seeing less death/serious illness than the previous variants, we are about to see thousands more cases than previous variants, which means more death/serious illness which in turn means our health services will collapse.

toomuchlaundry · 16/12/2021 09:19

Don't blame the schools/teachers for no long term plans by the Government.

Wouldn't it be great if the Government provided funding for ventilation/filters, rather than tell schools they could buy them. With what? Schools have spent all their money on supply, to try and help the schools keep open, but the pot of supply teachers is now empty too

Greentrees2021 · 16/12/2021 09:20

I do think some of our solutions are exacerbating the problem. For example, our school has a rule that no parent helpers are allowed due to Covid risk. I understand the thinking but when the school (amd country) has high Covid transmission anyway, a few extra people in the school will make minimal difference to covid spread but could make all the difference in being an extra pair of hands when TA's are off sick etc. I work part time as do a number of other parents at school and we've been saying we'd be more than happy to help out on our days off because we can see the shortages in school but we are not allowed "because of Covid".

Itisasecret · 16/12/2021 09:20

@PinkWaferBiscuit

because they’ve been quite loud about it on social media and taking part in protests in the City. It’s just all 3 schools near me and their teaching crew.

Really? I find it hard to believe the school is posting this on their social media or that all the staff feel that way, teachers in the same school are not some hive mind that all share the same views.

I’m in the SW and one not heard of any such thing…

NinaDefoe · 16/12/2021 09:21

@OYeMuppets

My DCs' school has already switched to remote learning

That's awful, poor children.

Our school are doing business as usual, over the last week we had a large Christmas concert, Christmas plays, Christmas lunch for all years, all matches and fixtures have gone ahead, even indoors ones with other schools. After school clubs are running as usual and we had a wonderful winter fair this weekend.

We probably all have Omicron now but we'll probably all be immune by January. I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities.

That’s an interesting perspective.

Maybe feel fortunate that the staff at your DC’s school have yet to become ill.

santasmuma · 16/12/2021 09:21

@Greentrees2021

I do think some of our solutions are exacerbating the problem. For example, our school has a rule that no parent helpers are allowed due to Covid risk. I understand the thinking but when the school (amd country) has high Covid transmission anyway, a few extra people in the school will make minimal difference to covid spread but could make all the difference in being an extra pair of hands when TA's are off sick etc. I work part time as do a number of other parents at school and we've been saying we'd be more than happy to help out on our days off because we can see the shortages in school but we are not allowed "because of Covid".

I think there is a lot of admin involved and checks before you can just be a parent helper though. Covid may be the reason but not just the risk of spread, staff are lacking all over the country so maybe the red tape is too sticky

bowlingalleyblues · 16/12/2021 09:22

The symptoms list should include testing for headache, nausea, cold, tummy trouble - those symptoms have been known to be more common in kids than the classic 3 for over a year. Yet the government STILL hasn’t updated the guidance and my kids school is still telling us not to even bother testing until there’s a cough, fever or loss of smell. The strategy and communication is crap, that’s why everyone is confused.

Our school is preparing for return to online in January and has sent info out to all parents on what the contingency plan is. Let’s hope it isn’t needed, but glad they are prepared.

In early March 2020 medic friend in Spain was saying that they had so many Covid patients they were having to ration treatment (basically not treat some patients, just help those with the best chance of survival). So alarming. Our government would have known this and yet they didn’t lock down for another 2 weeks.

ArseInTheCoOpWindow · 16/12/2021 09:25

we are managing the emergency right now and I can't see why it would be worse in January

😂are you in La La land? Omnicrom is hugely more infectious. That’s why it will be worse in January…

NinaDefoe · 16/12/2021 09:26

Schools - why are they doing this?
Scrooge89

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

When you say ‘they’ OP, do you mean the Government? The media? Or the schools and teachers?

Remember that schools do what they are instructed to do by the Government.
The media reports what the Government is planning.

Original poster

Scrooge89 · 16/12/2021 09:27

The media…I don’t blame our schools for anything I can see the affect it’s had on the teachers. I just feel if people can go to pubs/restaurants / mix then we cannot close schools.

OP posts:

Remmy123 · 16/12/2021 09:28

Ive says this before. It should be on a schol by school basis not a blanket closure.

Our school was bad for a few weeks and now very low cases all back to normal.

If they close again they won't open for months like last time and our kids will be fucked.

PinkWaferBiscuit · 16/12/2021 09:30

Im not sure why the media is to blame they are the only ones who actually reported on the shit situation within schools when the Government were bleating on about how schools were safe and how children didn't spread covid.

The only people to blame are the Government.

gogohm · 16/12/2021 09:30

Currently we have to isolate if we test positive, this includes teachers. It's not that school staff are sick necessarily, they simply have a positive pcr so must stay at home. If we stop the charade of keeping people home who aren't sick because they were honest enough to test (not everyone does) then schools don't need to close and students assuming they aren't sick can go to school - obviously this has implications for vulnerable children or those who live in houses with vulnerable people but for the majority it's no different to other diseases we don't take such precautions over

NinaDefoe · 16/12/2021 09:30

The media like to scare monger but they also know that Government has something planned for January. The Government drip feed the media information all the time.

The Government are to blame.

Zilla1 · 16/12/2021 09:32

Perhaps the question is why after 21-odd months, the government in England have made next to no progress in funding the installation of air filtration and heat exchangers and other measures that would make any airy statements about prioritising education have some substance. As with 'Eat out to help out', taking schools to court last December then ordering shutdown in January and hundreds of other decisions, perhaps judge a government by its actions?

toomuchlaundry · 16/12/2021 09:34

@Greentrees2021 many TAs are having to take classes as teachers are off sick, would you be willing to do that?

Parent volunteers will need a DBS check, it is simply not the case you can just rock up. Many TAs are 1:1s, not general TAs.

The best thing parents can do if they want to help is lobby the Government for more funding for schools, both to help through this pandemic but generally too

Greentrees2021 · 16/12/2021 09:34

I think there is a lot of admin involved and checks before you can just be a parent helper though. Covid may be the reason but not just the risk of spread, staff are lacking all over the country so maybe the red tape is too sticky

I used to help pre-covid and we had to do a DBS check at the start of the year which took a couple of weeks to come back and then you were fine to help for the year. There used to be a little army of parent helpers and now the poor teachers have lost this valuable asset alongside having to deal with the extra absences and difficulties from Covid. It just feels like the "solutions" to the problem (ban parent helpers) make the problem so much worse sometimes for very little gain!

Pawprintpaper · 16/12/2021 09:36

[quote Foolsrule]@htfdth

I'm fully expecting a delayed start to 2022. You'd be bonkers not to.. the media and government are ramping it up to the max. I was one of the parents who sidelined her own working from home to ensure her children did all their schoolwork daily at home, kept the routine ticking over and went for an hours walk daily.. only to be told when I questioned the head why they were going over the same work we'd completed at home that 'not everyone had your standards' this time round I'm going to enjoy flexible living with no school run and zero fcks will be given to complete any work.*

Same here. I could also be classed as a keyworker but deliberately kept mine at home as that was the right thing to do (and I could do some work from home). In the meantime, there were parents who worked weekends as keyworkers using school places for 5 days a week, so many pisstakers! It was awful actually to see people I respected and thought of as friends blatantly taking the piss. Not this time round! Mine will be going in if they possible can. I’m simply not prepared to put us all through that again.[/quote]
I feel like this too, I work in the veterinary industry (can’t work from home) but not an official key worker, massive massive staff shortages in our industry and busier than ever before (lockdown pets). In a small practice we have 3 staff on the verge of a mental health breakdown and one with long covid. That’s without any active covid infections/self isolation. I don’t know what I will do if I can’t get the children is as kw. It sounds trivial compared to human health services but we seem to have a caesarean or other such emergency every day at the moment.

Treaclepie19 · 16/12/2021 09:37

@Imdreamingofapeacefulxmas

And why hasn't the gov "recommended" children can wear what they need too to keep warm? Why the hell are they still in school uniform??

Thankfully my children's school have taken the initiative to say they can wear their pe joggers which are really snug. It's helped a lot.

Treaclepie19 · 16/12/2021 09:38

I'm a parent helper. I think currently I'm the only one. All you need is a dbs check.