Schools reopening

[user1468867871]

AIBU to share with you UsforThem. It is a group of mums who are campaigning to send children back to school as normal with no restrictions. They can be found on FB and Twitter #UsforThem. There is also a link to sign the petition on FB

@MrsArchchancellorRidcully because not cos* Also the selfishness of this group you’re talking about is beyond irresponsible. Who cares if the teachers get sick eh? I’m BAME and our family friend has passed away from Covid 19 with no underlying health issues. She left an eight year old and a twelve year old, her husband was discharged from ICU after four weeks on a ventilator. The poor lady was calling everyone to tell them to pray for her husband and didn’t anticipate she’d die first. Just because some of you or most of you don’t see any deaths under 40 around you probably because most people on mumsnet are not BAME, doesn’t mean it doesn't happen. For goodness sake start thinking of others too.

Have they not heard there's a pandemic? Do they think school staff and their families don't deserve to be kept safe and that social restrictions should apply to everyone but kids and school staff?! Are they thick? Or selfish? Or both?! Or just pissed off that they're having to look after their own kids during a pandemic lockdown ffs

Flumposie - I too am a teacher and mum. I will be no more ‘at risk’ in a classroom with no SD or PPE than if I went shopping. Stop with the hysteria now and educate yourself. Do you refuse to teach when it is ‘flu season. What is safe? Not getting in car? Refusing to fly? Crossing the road? The real stats are there if you are in the mind to do some research.

Well This story is in the news today a child has tested positive at an Infants school even with restrictions in place.

what a load of bollocks OP. In a supermarket you would be expected to SD and can/should wear a mask.

In a school you can/should take as many measures as practicable to ensure safety of staff and pupils. Why are you calling for no measures? It's like crossing a busy road with your eyes closed. Just open your eyes and cross carefully ffs. It is a risk but it can be mitigated so why wouldn't you?

And stop comparing covid to flu. They are completely different.

Your petition is quite frankly irresponsible.

Which countries have opened schools full time with no SD?

Australia
Only thing in place really is hand sanitizer and no parents on grounds unless pre arranged with office but otherwise Buses on, school sports on, no SD, assemblies on, teaming up for projects or activities on, canteen open, playgrounds open
School is back as normal in my state South Aus, we never really closed, we had a choice and it was encouraged to stay home but no you must.
The last week of last term was made into pupil free days and schools went back for all years 3 weeks later, 2 of that was normal school holidays so no term missed. DD only missed 2 weeks of school technically, as we pulled her 2 weeks before the proper end of term, a week before pupil free days

@Lovingmummy9 see love you lost me with your snobby wankerish grammar correction.

So I stopped reading after your first sentence COS you were a prick. I might have read what you put had you not been such an arse.

Or would you prefer arsehole dear?

And you know what any death is sad. You do know deaths occurred before Covid yes? 50,000 excess flu deaths in 2017/18 I believe. Flu has an R rate of 7. Yet we don't close schools. I KNOW covid isn't flu. Point is it's not the only thing that kills. Or don't they matter? I'd quite like to get a smear test so I don't die of cervical cancer. I'd quite like to keep my job so I can do things like Leto food on my table. I notice no one had suggested what I can do in sept with ds if the schools don't go back. Might just have to leave him home alone but that's ok, there have been no cases of child referrals from schools due to abuse since March so I won't get caught 🤦🏼‍♀️

I am sure the government said something about this regarding primary school children, with only the teachers acknowledging the social distancing. Although it would be maintained in secondary schools.

For us to take all children back there would be no social distancing for anyone even with a large marque in use.

Yet the guidance says teachers/staff to try to observe the 2 meters and secondary schools children to try to observe the 1 meter distance.

That doesn't make sense to me when two primary children and some staff have tested positive in Leicester?

If two meters still means a risk why are they saying no distancing in class except for the teacher?

Doesn't make sense?

Funnily enough most private primary schools are already back full time. Its been amazing for kids and teachers, a very positive experience. No specific outbreaks yet. Happy to be the guinea pug for that one!

I’d love to go back to normal in September if we can, all teachers would. We’re just not sure yet what the situation will be and whether it will be safe. At the moment each bubble has their own section of the playground, and drop off / collection is staggered. If we’re still operating bubbles in September, even if it increases to bubbles of 30+, that element of it is going to be a bloody nightmare.

@myself2020 How is your school managing playtime / lunchtime / collection times etc? Are there enough classrooms and staff to create bubbles for every year group? Wish we were in that position! It’s so sad seeing how many children aren’t back yet.

I work in a school. I'm currently back at work in a bubble which is working just fine. I feel 100% safe and I'm working one to one with a child with SEN with little to no social distancing as it's impossible. We wash our hands constantly, all of children have their own exercise books and stationary etc which are only to be touched by them and we have PPE to clean toilets etc after use. Without these measures I wouldn't feel safe and feel your friends are being extremely selfish. Two of my own children are absolutely dying to get back to school however I'm happy for them to wait until it's safe as opposed to them literally dying in order to be back at an unsafe school.

@VashtaNerada they have enough space and quite literally roped every teacher in for a bubble, including the SenCo (with some outside bubbles as emergency cover).
Drop off/collection is organised like a military operation with everybody not teaching (including the SLT ) organising traffic and directing kids.
school has a massive field that is used fir staggered playtimes, lunch either on field or in classroom.
About 90% of kids are back.
I’m extremely impressed with the school, and the kids love it (they all get their own desks “ like in big school” my year 2 tells me - they love it)

@myself2020

Funnily enough most private primary schools are already back full time. Its been amazing for kids and teachers, a very positive experience. No specific outbreaks yet. Happy to be the guinea pug for that one!

Yes probably because the class sizes are at a maximum of 15 so no changes!

I imagine they probably have better resources too.

How is this even a comparison. How do I fit 36 students in my room safely? Those that have come on a crowded bus or train? The Y10s I've been teaching the last few weeks don't socially distance or wear face masks on public transport now.

I want things to be normal in sept but I think that the there are legitimate concerns.

Why do people think state and private schools are comparable?!

@treenu most private schools have class sizes around 18, so need to find another teacher, TA and room for every 2 classes. Not quite as bad as for state schools, but not easy either
And I said primary. secondary is a completely different kettle of fish (and most private ones are still online).

And my point was that there are plenty of(private) schools currently volunteering to be guinea-pigs to see if spread in schools is as bad as feared - or not.

@pennylane83 you're right that the Leicester outbreak appears to be from factories, specifically textile and meat processing. It also appears to have been spread by men aged 20-40 which would correlate with the workers in those places.

However, these are often staffed by immigrants on low pay and living in cramped accomodation. Certainly one of the factors appears to be little or no knowledge of lockdown rules. If there's selfishness involved it isn't the workers who may not even feel particularly ill.

We can't keep ignoring the glaring inequality that is spreading this disease and causing so much devastation both from Covid itself but also from poverty and hunger.

@myself2020

And my point was that there are plenty of(private) schools currently volunteering to be guinea-pigs to see if spread in schools is as bad as feared - or not.

Ah ok - the expected class size for private schools around here is 15 according to colleagues that have moved over. Again maybe that's a secondary perspective.

@user1468867871

Flumposie - I too am a teacher and mum. I will be no more ‘at risk’ in a classroom with no SD or PPE than if I went shopping. Stop with the hysteria now and educate yourself. Do you refuse to teach when it is ‘flu season. What is safe? Not getting in car? Refusing to fly? Crossing the road? The real stats are there if you are in the mind to do some research.

That's not true because you social distance whilst shopping.

Also as a teacher do you not care about colleagues who are at risk? I want normal but I dont want to be more at risk than anyone else - if offices are still having go be covid compliant do should schools.

@myself2020

And my point was that there are plenty of(private) schools currently volunteering to be guinea-pigs to see if spread in schools is as bad as feared - or not.

Sorry quoted the wrong point in my previous post!

However I hardly think that you can call private schools representative of the population. As it has been widely reported that COVID-19 is spreading faster in deprived areas so I don't think private schools are true guinea pigs in that sense.

Thank you OP, I’ll have a look.

"I will be no more ‘at risk’ in a classroom with no SD or PPE than if I went shopping."

Of course there will be higher risk of the virus spreading because everyone may be in close contact with each other for long periods of time unlike when shopping. Ds has been in school throughout as a vulnerable child and due to his needs there cannot be full social distancing but of course there has had to be changes to the number of children and adults he mixes with and the removal of some types of activities.

Please don’t risk the health and life of the staff who work in schools. We have families too.