Schools still a covid shitshow

[noblegiraffe]

"Schools have been forced to send year groups home this week because of "rapidly rising" Covid rates among staff and an inability to find supply teachers, it has emerged.

The removal of the need for Covid testing among staff and pupils was making the situation worse, with some schools now experiencing their worst absence levels of the pandemic, a headteachers' leader told Tes.

Heads warn that some schools are having to send year groups home on a rota or combine class groups in an attempt to protect exam year groups from more disruption."

www.tes.com/magazine/news/general/covid-schools-absence-send-year-groups-home-cases-spike

Some will claim that getting rid of testing would improve the situation, but clearly a situation where lots of teachers are getting ill and requiring a few days off school to recover, regardless of isolation rules, is not 'getting back to normal'.

The teachers that I know who have had covid recently would have required a few days off school despite it being 'mild' even without isolation guidance, even though teachers are well-known for dosing on Lemsip and turning up to school regardless of illness because setting cover work is worse.

Still, the covid catch-up effort has basically fizzled out, and it's looking like zero effort will be made by the government to support children in recovering their education from the impact of absences and lack of teachers.

Exams start in a couple of months for kids who are having an extremely disruptive time. The government has fixed the exam grades so that they will come out with better results than the 2019 cohort, this will basically cover up the impact on educational standards. How this will play out down the line at uni/college/sixth form is anyone's guess.

I thought you cared about your kids being in school, taught by qualified teachers. That’s currently not happened, where’s the outrage?

As long as kids are out of sight, parents (as a whole) couldn’t care less.

The year I trained the government were paying off student loans (£9000) giving a tax free grant (£6000) and a golden hello (£3000) to get teacher numbers up. I daresay they will do something similar if it gets really critical

I trained 9 years ago and got a £15k tax free bursary. It increased later to £20k in my subject. Other subjects reached £25k. I also got a further £5k, tax free, for having had relevant work experience.. I am still in the profession but of the 25 others I trained with (shortage subject), I am one of 3 left in the classroom. And I’m in the private sector and would only ever return to the state sector as a supply teacher.

The situation in some subjects is beyond critical. I am sure I am not the only teacher aged lamenting the poor subject knowledge of many of my younger peers. Lord only knows where we’ll be in another 10 years.

Certainly at secondary parents aren’t informed if their kid has a cover teacher and I don’t think parents would be hearing it from the teen who grunts ‘fine’ when asked how their day was.

Maybe some us actually do have more chatty teens? Who tell their parents quite a lot of details about their school day?

As long as kids are out of sight, parents (as a whole) couldn’t care less.

As a parent I find it quite upsetting if that's what teachers think.

Ds had maths in a canteen today because too many maths teachers were off. They had three forms there at the same time.

My secondary kids have had so many supply teachers since Christmas. Luckily they are lower years so hopefully will catch up a bit

There’s no plan to catch them up from this, there’s not even an acknowledgement that their education is currently disrupted.

It’s only disrupted because of the ridiculous policies in place. No one should be required to even isolate with covid anymore.

Oh yeah I forgot, ALL teachers are all REALLY Ill with covid #allthetime

You don’t think ANY teachers are actually off properly ill with covid?

That’s a bold claim.

@Eyedropeyeflop 2 of my colleagues are in Hospital today. Terribly sorry they can't teach from there. Rest off are sick. Some v sick.
The utter contempt some people have towards teachers is sickening. I taught 92 kids from 3 year groups for 5 hours today. And that's with us closing one year group. Dream on if you think your kids are not being affected.

@howtomoveforwards I'm sorry but no, it's not out of sight out of mind for majority of parents!!! Ridiculous assumption.

When my son's school year was heavily disrupted for a few weeks a TA stepped in, I was happy with this as keeps kids in a routine and with their mates. TA was also really fab.

Plus, I have to work so yes, I do need childcare for my children otherwise we wouid all be out of work!!

It does make you question the integrity of campaigning groups such as Usforthem who claim their goal is to put 'Children First'. They were so vocal in demanding no masks, schools in person, no vaccines etc etc but not once spoke of improving school buildings or protecting the teachers. They seem very quiet now even though so many of the children in the UK are experiencing terrible disruption to their education. Why aren't they threatening the government with legal action on these matters but felt it vital in the past when it came to remote learning?

@Eyedropeyeflop

It’s only disrupted because of the ridiculous policies in place. No one should be required to even isolate with covid anymore.

Oh yeah I forgot, ALL teachers are all REALLY Ill with covid #allthetime

My friend is currently in hospital on a drip because of covid. But obviously - like all teachers - she's just skiving.

[quote Remmy123]@howtomoveforwards I'm sorry but no, it's not out of sight out of mind for majority of parents!!! Ridiculous assumption.

When my son's school year was heavily disrupted for a few weeks a TA stepped in, I was happy with this as keeps kids in a routine and with their mates. TA was also really fab.

Plus, I have to work so yes, I do need childcare for my children otherwise we wouid all be out of work!![/quote]
TAs are fab but if a TA is teaching, another teacher will be planning for them as well as for their own class and the TA then doesn't have a TA! It's still disruptive.

Most teachers I work with need at least a week off. Funnily most of the people I know who are not teachers also need at least a week off. It's not just teachers.

2 of my colleagues are in Hospital today. Terribly sorry they can't teach from there. Rest off are sick. Some v sick.

Wow. That's really awful and very unlucky. Hope they all recover soon!

Funnily most of the people I know who are not teachers also need at least a week off. It's not just teachers.

That's not everyone's experience thankfully. Most (vaccinated and boosted) adults I know both at work and among friends and family had very mild cold symptoms for a couple of days.

Viral load. Teachers exposed to lots of the virus so are getting sicker - as told to me by A&E doctor I saw yesterday when I drove my colleague in. Both of them on oxygen but hopefully will be ok. Long term, who knows. Meanwhile we continued babysitting and not teaching.
Campaign for boosters for teachers if you want you kids taught. And ventilation systems. They work.

You drove your colleague in, who had tested positive and was needing oxygen, and spoke to an A and E doctor while you presumably waited in A and E with her?

@Auvergnewater

Agreed seems far fetched

As a parent I find it quite upsetting if that's what teachers think

When we are faced with the utter rubbish seen on this thread - just a few posts up sarcasm about how teachers are always off sick with covid, for example, I personally find it difficult to think anything else.

The profession is under more and more stress every single day. It’s not OK that TAs, paid pennies, are expected to teach. It’s not OK for them and it sure as hell is the wrong thing for children. Parents should be demanding minimum qualification levels for the people stood in front of their children. Parents should be aware that their children being taught in the canteen in massive groups because of staff shortages is impacting the quality of the education being received. Parents should be concerned at the numbers lost to the profession in recent years, the systematic bullying of staff who have experience so they can be replaced by cheaper NQTs, the fact that the Government has done sod all to support teaching staff to be minimally impacted by covid which would put children at the centre of education. The missed recruitment targets, year in, year out. The fact that their are teachers visiting food banks. From personal experience, the fact you have single parent teachers entitled to thousands a year in tax credits/universal credit then they’re successful products of our education system with post graduate qualifications….I could go on. I teach a shortage subject, and additionally have a Masters and PhD, I could be earning four times my teaching salary in the private sector with less than 5 years experience.

If you are not writing to your MP on a regular basis about the mess, you really don’t care about your children nor, frankly, the future of this country. It is simply not good enough to be a parent and to be standing by and watching this shite happen. If you are a regular reader of mumsnet, you know all this. Teachers are shouting about it constantly. But instead of actually waking up and thinking just a little bit about how this impacts on all of us, now and in the future, parents moan that we’re getting sick in high numbers, some of us very sick, because our job entails being in enclosed, small spaces with multiple children who are a largely unvaccinated population with no ventilation and no other mitigation whatsoever. Within the profession, I am sure we all have horror stories related to covid - I am aware of 2 education deaths local to me and more than I care to count people who have long term issues believed to have been caused by covid. It’s not going away. It’s shifting and changing but the circumstances of our work make it risky. Even more people than usual who would have considered teaching are not going to bother - recruitment is currently is at an all time low. Do something. Stop blaming teachers.

@Auvergnewater nope. I drove her in as the ambulance was going to be hours and her oxygen sats were 89. GP told her to call a taxi so she called me. We wore masks with windows open - I'm surrounded by positive cases daily and have already lost one colleague to covid, I'm not losing another.
Doctor came out and spoke to me as he was kind. Apparently I looked exhausted and he wanted to check I was ok. Said they have seen lots of teachers in last few weeks. Weird ?

Ah well, Onceuponarainbow thinks people who are well enough should come to school, so not surprised to see that they are also disparaging about hospital Covid stories.

@Feenie nothing surprises me anymore. Although the q of ambulances outside the hospital was a bit shocking.

@Auvergnewater do you know why ? Because we are a massive school in a v v poor area where families live 2-3 to a bedroom. First wave was hideous. And lots of our staff are BAME and seem to be more vulnerable. But hey, you question it. I'm going to bed as too exhausted now. V v v angry tonight.

@Feenie I actually think you might have confused @OnceuponaRainbow18 with another poster.

Whatever side of this debate you stand on, it is far fetched that someone would test positive, be so unwell as to be admitted to hospital, get a colleague to take you to A and E whilst testing positive (strictly speaking @mumsneedwine should be isolating pending a PCR test, surely?) and be spoken to by a doctor when there.

And I’m guessing must be a PT worker.