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.

It is a bit far fetched I’d say

Doesn’t give you the right to question someone’s integrity and say so though. And how cruel if you happen to be wrong. You have no way of knowing whether you are right or being a twat.

@Feenie

I don’t think kids with covid who are well should be in school. Both my kids have just had covid and I kept them both home even without symptoms. I am also a teacher in a large secondary, had covid at Xmas and half term.

Yes, we have a lot of BAME staff as well.

I’d get that PCR test, given you’ve been in a car with someone with a particularly nasty case of covid and sat with them in A and E.

I’m not getting a ban over this; it isn’t worth it. I just really don’t like peoples real loss and pain - because covid does exist, and people have died from it - being used to score cheap points.

I see. So this must be another Onceuponarainbow18 (who can’t spell) then?

@Auvergnewater 😂😂 what planet are you on ! PCRs not been needed for a long time. Didn't matter what tests said anyway. She was sick, needed to be in hospital and no ambulances were free. Isolation is no longer a legal thing (if it was schools would not be in such a mess). Im not losing another friend.

I haven’t done an advanced search (for @OnceuponaRainbow18 anyway ) I just recognise her name as always having supported teachers. It doesn’t really matter to me either way.

Neither have I - I was in the same thread.

Isolation is no longer a legal thing (if it was schools would not be in such a mess

Ambulances and A and E aside, isn’t the issue being discussed the fact that schools are unable to effectively deliver the curriculum because of so many teachers being off with covid?

Yes, and the relaxation of restrictions like those are exactly why we are in the mess we are!

Well - they aren’t, are they @Feenie?

How long have things been a mess for? I can’t think of a time in the last two years, restrictions or otherwise, when things haven’t been a mess.

And things are a mess in Scotland and in wales too, despite restrictions there.

Our school policy is still for staff to isolate for five days or when they have a negative test result. I think we’re over the worst of it now, although we did have some v ropey moments in autumn 2 and spring 1, but it could go under again very quickly because there’s obviously still a nasty virus circulating and there are no cover staff.

I just don’t see that changing any time soon, if I am honest. Supply teachers have been shat on for years, anyway.

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.

Yes, the posts 'my kid's teacher was off and they've been taught by a TA all week and I'm fine with that' are particularly frustrating. That's probably a TA dropped in the shit (teaching and being a TA are very different jobs), possibly not paid teaching rates, and if not a qualified teacher, then no matter how 'marvellous' the parents might think they are, they're not qualified to do what they are being made to do.

I don't see what's so far-fetched about electing to drive someone to A&E rather than wait for an ambulance.
My friend's son was knocked down by a car last week, and the wait for an ambulance was likely to be up to four hours. He was lying in the effing road!
The police advised his dad to drive him to hospital (having ascertained he had no head or internal injuries).

Even when discrepancies are spelled out they aren’t accepted, which is indicative of some bias. I would agree that the ambulance service is shocking at the moment.

My DD and SIL's schools are asking teachers who test positive to isolate for the full period, because having them come in to infect other staff (and some vulnerable kids) would make things even worse.

They've nearly all had it at least once, and for most of those who've had it in the last six weeks it's been worse than expected. Some still suffering after a month, and for most, certainly worse than a cold, and involving a day or more (six in my SonIL's case) mostly in bed. I wonder if the B version of Omicron is worse than the initial one?

DP teaches and said it’s a mess at the moment- quality of learning is in the shitter. Their school is fighting to keep kids in but many are in blended classes with substandard teaching due to staff absences across the board, also the Covid measures in place that helped keep the school day structure in place have all gone so it’s chaos. I’m glad I don't have any children in exam years they’re screwed.

Living with Covid it would seem is pretty tricky.

TAs have been teaching long before covid. I know a “teacher” (she really isn’t) no degree, and the “head of school” who also has no degree, but is an incredible box ticker who balances the books.

That issue has been an issue long before covid.

Pathetic!!….. plenty of pointless, tokenistic letters to MPs that have achieved nothing from myself.

Do I believe all teachers get really, really I’ll from covid ?

No I don’t. I do believe some do. But definitely not the magnitude that is prevailing currently on threads like this.

@Feenie

Umm I was saying we follow the rules… like the 48 hour rule. Not sending my kids in even thought they were totally well with covid.
And yes in my school, lots of staff off (18 today) but luckily none very ill, and yes 500 kids have been off for a week as we’ve had to close year groups.

Far fetched about how many critically ill, driving to a&e and managing to speak to an a&e doctor. Sorry if far fetched was an offensive phrase.

I don’t think we should turn on each other, I agree it’s shit at the mo, Fridays are my non working day and I’m working tomo and did last week and my youngest is doing another extra day at nursery

I do believe some do.

Ok, so you at least believe that some of the disruption in schools is down to covid, and not simply down to the isolation rules, as you previously claimed.

My dd's school had to close to 2 yeargroups last week. They're all back in masks in classrooms.
I said this earlier in the thread. DD had covid last week too, she felt pretty crap and wouldn't have coped at school for the full week.

There are tons of staff off ill at her school. Every day this week she's had at least one, usually two, cover lessons. She chats to me about school, every little thing is told to me. But, while she talks about lessons, she doesn't talk about teachers. So until I asked directly if she was having cover lessons she hadn't even thought to mention it as it's normal in her world view. She's only been at secondary school since September, so she doesn't realise that she's having far more cover lessons than is normal. And that's having a detrimental effect on her education, her peers' (and possibly her tbh) behaviour, and the morale of the staff. It's hideous. Yet DD thinks this is normal secondary school life, and that school is somewhere to be tolerated rather than enjoyed.

Btw, I teach in a different secondary school. My school is getting off lightly at the minute. Every class has a couple of kids off with covid (all too ill to compete any of the work I'm setting, so doesn't seem to be mild cold for them), but very few staff have gone down yet.

'So until I asked directly if she was having cover lessons she hadn't even thought to mention it as it's normal in her world view.'
Food for thought.

This is my city this week - higher than ever. Two year groups sent home in the closest high school to my primary school, two at my son’s - he reports lots of cover in his year. He’s doing his GCSEs this year. I can’t see how we can avoid an outbreak in my SATs week or his exams at this rate. No supply available anywhere.

Right, had some sleep and back to the coal face.
I really really wish I was wrong. I hate this week, it's been emotionally draining and I can't see it getting better for a while. Although, apparently I like to make things up so that's probably not true either.
Teachers are not off due to isolation, they are off sick. Most are on 2nd or 3rd time around and have been more sick this time. Whether it's waning vaccinations or a stronger strain who knows. Just know it's worse.
I'm tired of no one caring about kids education enough to ensure teachers are made safer. No masks, no ventilation, no boosters, but full school assemblies, in person parents evenings and crowded stairs and corridors. It's all going so well.

Solidarity, Mums.

Every single week feels longer than the last right now.

Teacher absence is high. Ergo student behaviour is poor. Ergo we are all exhausted and at the absolute end of our tethers. And round and round again for what feels like it's never going to end now, does it?

Numbers are creeping up in our town too, albeit slowly. At least it’s nearly Easter holidays which should give people a break.