Fellow pregnant teachers -how are you feeling about Coronavirus?

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Hi all,

Teacher here -26 weeks pregnant. Just wondering how everyone else is feeling about working in schools and the spread of coronavirus? I’m feeling quite vulnerable and although it’s great that kids don’t seem to suffer badly from Coronavirus -I feel a bit like Boris doesn’t really care too much about the staff who work at schools and may suffer more! I understand it would cause huge social disruption-but also find it frustrating when I’m hearing about others working from home!

Also interested to hear if you schools are taking any special measures?

All the best.

@user1493212170 Yeah I think stress is what I would end up going for. To be honest, I feel quite stressed since the head sent out the email so it wouldn't be a lie. I've been anxious throughout the pregnancy but doing my best to manage it.

I’m currently 18 weeks and I’ll be going back on June 1st teaching a small group of the oldest primary children. I’ll work until 28 weeks as per the guidelines from the national society of midwives. The risk is no higher unless you have health conditions. I don’t feel too worried.

Having said that I’ve not been on the key worker rota at all.

I think at the minute they just don;t know about the risks.

They don't believe the risk is higher at the moment but there is so little evidence as of yet.

I also think that we shouldn't be put in the same category as everyone else anyway, as it is not just our own health we are worried for. (Thus why we are a separate category as 'clinically vulnerable.')

My school CAN manage without me being in, which is why I resent being in just to be 'extra' staff.
Will wait and see what Monday brings! We're waiting to hear back on how many children we should have in.

I know that my school can manage without me. I'm in a pastoral head of year role so don't teach. My year group aren't due back and the other 5 heads of year will be in to cover two year groups (Years 12 and 10) so I don't think I'm needed.

A colleague of mine who has been rota'd in to support the vulnerables has said that she does very little and thinks we should be working from home as there isn't much for us to do.

That's good to hear Pinktruffle :)

As all our classrooms will be used if our Y6 and Keyworkers are in, it's not as clear cut as to whether they could say I am needed. However I haven't had a class of my own this year so they do have 9 teachers to cover 9 classrooms without me.

The complications of covering PPA seem to be the issue as the Head would like two adults per room (even though only 12-15 children) to cover for this (the teachers will still need to make calls home to the other year groups).

Fingers crossed for whatever plans come back from all of our schools next week.

Obviously that's just my take on it that I'm not needed. My school may feel very different. Though the impression I got from my heads email is that it will be a rota basis that staff will be going in.

We have been making calls to our students to be fair, but I've had no issues with doing that from home and I'm happy to continue doing that.

Hello all.....

How are you all how with Sept start looming?

Are you going back or not?

I will be 32 weeks by then and I really don't want to go back to secondary!

Hope everyone's pregnancies going well!

Hi @gettingupearlyzzzz

Exactly the same as you. I will be 32 weeks and I teach secondary school school. Absolutely dreading it. To me it seems daft that schools are expecting us back in our third trimester. I know we can't avoid work forever and other pregnant ladies have worked throughout... but it seems silly that with so little time to go, we are at risk of getting infected.

Really anxious about it.

Have your school given you a timetable for September? Mine hasn't as I think they don't see the point ... so I'm not sure what they expect me to do.

Can I be nosy and ask your due date too? I am 24/10.

Xx

There was a new thread about this the other day. Currently RCOG recommends for women in their third trimester to work from home (the legislation is posted in the thread) - NHS are sending staff in third trimester home.

My school told me in July that they didn't know if I could come back, if they try to make me come back I think I will argue my case to say it's not safe.

Thanks @Pinktruffle ☺

I'm not sure my school is aware of this info. And im also worried they will make me take early maternity leave. Which I know technically they arent allowed to do but even just the thought of the conversation discussing it ... I hate confrontation or difficult conversations! 🙈

I think the government has been piss poor with its guidance to e honest so I don't full blame schools @StephyRose.

I'm not good with confrontation either and it doesn't help that I have good relationships with the staff I may have to be confrontational with, that makes it even harder! I think we will have to advocate for ourselves and do what we think is best and get Unions involved as we feel necessary.

This is all really good info, thank you truffle!

Do you happen to have a link to the information, I've looked for the other thread and can't seem to see it.

Totally get it as I HATE these types of conversations too....I agree, it just doesn't seem safe and for the sake of 6 weeks it is just not worth it! It's also not fair on the NHS staff who have to deal with us during delivery etc if we've got it!!!!

Stephrose, I'm due on the 28/10 but will have a week earlier do to planned CS. Are you going to speak to your school again then? Do keep me posted on how you're doing x

@gettingupearlyzzzz This is the thread

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/pregnancy/3992946-working-in-school-in-3rd-trimester-covid

Someone has posted the guidance in there. I agree with you, for the sake of a few weeks, it's a huge risk to put ourselves and our babies under. If it were just me, I would probably return but I won't risk the babies health. I missed my students getting their A-level results today ☹

Hi ladies @Pinktruffle @gettingupearlyzzzz

I just had a text from my Head of Dept asking if I am back in Sept until Mat Leave .... 🙈 I really don't think my school is aware of guidance and I feel too chicken to say anything but I know I am going to have to man up.

What date are you due @Pinktruffle?

Baby is kicking as we speak. I feel so sick at the thought of putting them at risk.

I'm due 26th November so I literally start back at school as my third trimester starts. I had a colleague ask me the same today! I don't think our MAT has a policy yet regarding women in the third trimester so I wonder if HR are waiting for that?

I am worried and confused. I'll be about 22 weeks, and I'm an EYFS teacher so will not be able to do any kind of social distancing or mask wearing. Part of me really wants to go back, as I do really miss school - the children, my colleagues, the routines. I feel as a Reception teacher it's especially important that I'm there at the start of the year and not a random supply teacher. On the other hand, this virus can be really nasty in really unpredictable ways and no one yet knows the long term effect on anyone, nevermind on an unborn baby. My DH is also very worried about it which adds pressure.

My HT said in July that it would be my choice and she didn't need me to decide until the week before the start of term. The Union guidance now says that pregnant women should not be in school unless supported by a risk assessment. I've asked for a referral to Occupational Health so they can do a risk assessment. Hopefully they will either give me some extra safety precautions to take, or tell me to stay home.

I'll be 35 weeks when school restarts. I had my occupational health appointment to support a risk assessment and he has written to my school to say I need to follow the RCOG guidance and remain working from home until my maternity. There was no question about me returning as "the risks are unknown so cannot be determined as to what is or is not reasonable" those were the OT's words. I'd recommend everyone to get a referral ASAP to ensure you have everything in place either for a risk assessment or confirmation of working from home.

Any updates ladies after speaking to your schools?
I'm still awaiting a decision and getting very worried how close school is looming now! X

I have had no update whatsoever! Not even a response to me sending in my MatB1 form which I did electronically and asked if they want me to post it.

I'm going to get ik n touch myself I think towards the end of the week if I hear nothing as we are due back a week tomorrow. I'll probably email with an outline of the RCOG guidelines and a link to them and then await a response.

Following with interest.

I’ll be 32 weeks when we go back. My midwife said I should not be going back in. This of course contradicts the government advice. I called GP, they said that although they have concerns about the numbers of pupils involved, with a risk assessment it will be okay.

I love my school and I know they will do everything they can to try and make a decent risk assessment but with the layout of the rooms and the sheer amount of people involved. I don’t see how this is possible.

Without bump being involved, I’d be so happy to be back in and willing to take the risks of not being able to socially distance and mix with hundreds of kids over the course of the week but my friends and family keep telling me I have to put my baby first and this has now sunk in.

I'm hopefully having my phone appointment with Occupational Health this week. Cutting it really fine! I could really do with just knowing one way or the other.

Hi everyone

Just jumping on here as I can’t find a similar thread.

Over the summer holidays I’ve found our I’m pregnancy (yay!)
It’s still very early days, have my first midwife appointment on the phone on Wednesday.

Anyway, I’m a reception teacher and feeling a big nervous about going back next week!
Obviously it’s super early days and I wouldn’t normally be telling people yet but I feel it’s important that I tell my head on the inset next week so that she is aware as I imagine I will need a covid specific risk assessment.

Other than that, I’m not sure what else to expect? Obviously working in the one part of school where social distancing is pretty much non-existent and the expectations around covid are much lower than the rest of school, I just wondered what any of you ladies who are further along in your pregnancies experiences were before the summer holidays - what should I be expecting from my school? X

@MabelBunny4 congratulations! I'm also a Reception teacher, and nearly 20 weeks pregnant. I told my HT as soon as I found out and she immediately took me off the Key Worker children rota. Once my class returned later in the term there was no expectation for me to return and another teacher took my class. I carried on WFH.

As for what happens next, who knows! The HT has said it's my choice but I've asked for a referral to Occupational Health so they can make the choice for me. It definitely complicates things being in the EYFS - as to say, social distancing will be pretty much impossible. At the same time I would feel bad about a random supply teacher taking the class at such a crucial time and 'abandoning' my team.

Definitely familiarise yourself with the Union advice, which is pretty much that pregnant women (of any gestation) shouldn't be in school unless supported by a risk assessment. That risk asses should take account of the extra risk involved in the EYFS. Good luck!

Thank you!
As I say, it’s still very early days (infact, I don’t even feel any symptoms yet and keep taking tests just to make sure!!) I’m anywhere between 5 and 8 weeks (hard to know as I have irregular/long cycles!)

It sounds like your school have been really understanding about it. I just feel a bit like September is almost feeling more on the ‘normal’ side than how things were before the holidays and I’m worried that my news will just be taken as it would have been done pre-pandemic, if you know what I mean?
I don’t at all want to get out of working and absolutely agree with you that it’s so important for me to be there for my children starting school in September, but I’m just not sure what expectations I should have of how I should work any differently to ensure that I am doing what’s best for myself and my baby! It’s just so hard in EYFS!

I’ll be interested to know what occupational health have to say to you about it! X