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.

@OnceuponaRainbow18

My school have just emailed all parents saying those with covid symptoms and a temp can’t go into school even after 1st April.

Seems common. Taken from a local small primary academy newsletter today.

a challenging week in school with 4 teachers poorly with Covid.

You may have seen the new covid rules announced this week for use going forward:

	If a child tests positive on either a PCR or LFT, they need to remain off school for 3 days but can then return, as long as they are well enough and no longer have a temperature.
	If a child shows symptoms of a respiratory illness e.g. bad cough or chest infection type symptoms and has a temperature, they should stay off school until they no longer have a temperature and are feeling well enough to return.
	Lateral flow tests are no longer available for free and it is no longer recommended that children are routinely tested if they do not show any symptoms

Yep - new dfe advice is 3 days

@Feenie

Yep - new dfe advice is 3 days

Where are they getting the 3 days from? I thought most people were contagious from before symptoms show until at least day 5 or 6? So kids with harmless cough will have to stay off for three days for no reason but those with actual covid will be back while still contagious? It all seems a bit daft and unmanageable.

They've pulled it out of their arse. There's no science behind it.

Doesn't matter anyway as the three days is for kids who 'test positive' and that would require tests.

@containsnuts - no, the guidance is that it’s fine for children with a rampant cough to be in school, it’s only if the parents don’t follow the advice not to test their children so that they unfortunately find out their child has covid that they are advised to isolate for 3 days - unless they don’t want to, of course. Also, if they are ill enough for a medical professional to suggest testing them, then it’s 3 days isolation (if they want to follow the advice). The official advice is to remain in ignorance of the cause of illness and to do what parents have been doing for years - dose their child up on paracetamol and tell them they have to go to school.

meanwhile in a parallel universe our medical professionals are advising to do everything we can personally do to avoid contracting covid.

They're creating the perfect environment for a new mutation to take hold, that's for sure.

I've never felt the 'sending kids in while ill dosed up on calpol' was a good idea. It demonstrably spreads disease and results in more time off school in total for all kids. Kids can't learn if they've got a temperature and I'm guessing teachers aren't doing their very best lessons if snotty and coughing and feeling like shit too.

@theemperorhasnoclothes Unfortunately, not many people give a shiny shit about teachers becoming unwell.

[quote CallmeHendricks]@theemperorhasnoclothes Unfortunately, not many people give a shiny shit about teachers becoming unwell.[/quote]
This seems true on here, but I do and my DDs hate it when their teachers are unwell. Supply isn't the same, plus they like and care for their teachers. Actually my littlest will say quite happily that she loves her teachers! When they're ill, it's not good for children. Funny how all those so worried about the mental health consequences for kids of lockdown don't see the obvious mental health consequences of seeing their teachers repeatedly getting very ill.

Prof Pagel says this about trying to just go back to normal with no mitigations "Despite the constant comparison to the flu, coronavirus is more infectious than flu and has worse health outcomes (both in terms of death and long-term ill-health). Simply adding it to our population without any policy adaptation may return us to what feels like normal life – but it will be a shorter and sicker one"

And that probably is true even more for teaching staff.

I just don't understand why people aren't up in arms about the lack of ventilation &/or air filtration in schools. It's quite clear the air filters bought by parents have made a difference in littlest DDs class.

I'm a GCSE teacher in FE. We've had so many staff and students off this week Covid positive and I'm seriously worries about the GCSE exams which start in juat a few weeks

Lots are off because their children are off school / nurseries have closed etc. It's a shit show.

@Wizzbangfizz

My faith in the "media" is even less than my faith in the government given the drivel that they put forward as truth about schools during the lockdowns and since.

Lets also not forget the picture that that the "media" has being painting of teachers and education for years.

Just something for those complaining about schools.

If everything is so hunky dory why are the exam boards still putting out videos and information to schools which say that exams still may not go ahead.

theemperorhasnoclothes

I just don't understand why people aren't up in arms about the lack of ventilation &/or air filtration in schools. It's quite clear the air filters bought by parents have made a difference in littlest DDs class.

Because according to the usual suspects on here, air ventilation doesn't make a difference and teachers should just crack on with it.

Teachers ARE cracking on with it. That's why we keep getting ill.

Invasionofthegutsnatchers

I agree that we are cracking on with it, but there are some posters, media outlets and the government that would have you believe that we are not, and have been spreading this crap since the start of (and in some cases before) the pandemic.

We are totally cracking on with it. As of Friday, 28 members of staff at our city Comp were off with mostly covid and we've had to send a year group for home learning.

One department is 3 men down leaving 1 teacher to record oracy examinations with a huge student body. Head tried to contact the exam board in question (several thousand pounds to enter these pupils) and told "do the best you can."

So, to do the best they could, the one specialist teacher (recovering from Covid and on his knees) with the help of amazing well-meaning staff from other specialties and by no means qualified in the language, got as many pupils recorded under exam conditions. Christ knows how they sound as the pupils they teach needed as much support and encouragement as possible and(dare I say it) they needed their regular teachers in with them because they knew these kids strengths abs weaknesses.

SMT couldn't get in specialist supplies - there were none to contact as they were either off ill, or working elsewhere. In fact, there were no supply agencies left to contact at all because no one had anyone to offer.

I'm off with covid too. Pretty sure I caught it off a pupil who's parent refused to have them tested and kept sending them in to school.

Our staff feel like we are just about holding the fort, with the barest of reserves. It also feels like only in recent months are we seeing the true effects of this pandemic on our pupils. Difficulty concentrating and cooperating for full lessons, unable to respond respectfully to staff trying to teach them - it's a minefield (but that's another thread altogether).

I've NC for this - would hate for my school to be ID'd as we're a committed bunch mostly working for the greater good, but it's quite a struggle at the moment.

And yes, multiple classes being taught by a single staff member.
Our TA team have been incredible and supportive too - again, woefully understaffed.

Thank you to all the educational staff who are battling on in these extreme conditions

Birmingham Live's Politics & People editor has posted this today, which paints a worrying picture for my city:

I’m in the West Mids that is nonsense.

There’s a thread on AIBU which is full of posters discussing the problems faced by those with loved ones in hospital which would suggest that it isn’t nonsense. Covid continues to place horrendous strains on health and education and it’s notched up again in recent weeks.

Just so long as no one takes away the freeeeedom of the ‘it’s just a cold’ brigade though.

@BustopherPonsonbyJones

Oh well if there’s a thread on AIBU, then it must be true. Hospitals must be in chaos .

And if some random anonymous poster who claims to be from the West Midlands says otherwise then it’s all rubbish?

Chris Whitty was warning the other day that hospitals are under unbearable pressure.

“Hospitals are under significant strain as rising Covid cases cause ambulance delays and staff shortages, Professor Sir Chris Whitty warned yesterday.

The chief medical officer for England told a Royal Society of Medicine conference that coronavirus waves were still occurring. “The NHS is under significant pressure and I don’t think we should allow anyone to imply otherwise,” he said.”

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/covid-cases-in-hospital-are-near-peak-of-omicron-wave-v0p028vq6

@Eyedropeyeflop
Mmm, I see what you’re saying. My point being that if I read thirty (anecdotal) points all saying there is a problem and one (anecdotal) point from you saying there isn’t a problem, I will suspect that the majority have a case, especially if they aren’t the usual posters on all things Covid. I can’t prove it either way because Mumsnet is anonymous but you saying there isn’t a problem (without evidence) doesn’t end the debate either.

I'm glad your experiences in your area are positive @eyedropseyeflops. Sadly it isn't the experience of my friend's area - Hospital problems in another county