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.

I’m pregnant and expected back in to teach my Y1 class as normal with no social distancing. A risk assessment hasn’t been written yet but I told the head I was pregnant in July. I expect the risk assessment to say I need to wash my hands more and make sure I social distance from other staff. I’m worried.

@IWantAPetUnicorn I think that this is what I’m worrying about - that nothing drastically different will be expected of me, I wash my hands anyway! Year 1 is barely different to reception at this point in the year, especially this year with how much that missed last year, social distancing is going to be near impossible. It’s such a tricky one and a worry isn’t it?
Maybe try and have a conversation with your head ahead of the children returning voicing your concerns? X

I am 30 weeks today. I am INCREDIBLY lucky that I have been told to WFH until I go on maternity leave. I dont really know how my school has managed it but I am beyond grateful.

If I had to go in to teach (secondary English) I would have been very nervous. I feel like staff in schools have been completely forgotten about. All the news talks about is kids, like they are the only ones in the building. I teach in a school of 2000 kids. I would have been seeing about 300 different students a week. The cleaning just isn't up to what it needs to be despite SLT's best intentions, we would still be taking in books to mark, I doubt many of my kids would wear masks, and behaviour is a big issue so that wont make enforcing good hygiene easy. SD simply wont happen. Teachers are also the ones moving around so the kids have 'bubbles' (of 250. So not actually a bubble) but teachers are exposed to it all.

I had decided if I wasnt able to wfh I would have taken early maternity leave or sick leave (paid or unpaid, I didnt care). I understand though that that isnt a financial option for everyone. Its a horrible situation to be in.

@ALC1985 I’m genuinely interested to know which other roles involve being in a small, poorly ventilated room with 30+ people who do not understand how to socially distance and need close up support, and that doesn’t allow you to wear a mask, gloves or visor?

The OP wasn’t suggesting that she was any worse off than any other role. Is she not allowed to be concerned?

Reception teacher here too. 14 weeks currently. Back in class as normal. Risk assessment just says to wash hands and keep as much distance as possible which is obviously none! Nervous about going back but can't see theres anything else I/we can do. Interesting to see how other schools are handling it though.

Some interesting points from NEU

It is interesting to see that it's not just my school leaving it super late!
I am STILL just trying to get a meeting to discuss this.
I just do not feel comfortable with going back....for the sake of 6 weeks I just don't see the risk as worth it!
I have a planned c-sec booked and the doc said it could be delayed if I tested positive!!!

I'm not in a school but work in a preschool. Will be 20weeks when we go back next week. I've asked to see my risk assessment which I've not received yet and so far all I can see is they're not letting parents in and making children wash hands. There will be no social distancing at all and I'm not sure how I feel about it all.

I'm currently 14 weeks and will be teaching year 1 in September. My risk assessment includes me keeping 2m from children as much as possible and that any toilet issues should be dealt with by my TA. I am also to keep away from all other bubbles in school whereas other staff are being used more flexibly e.g. break duty etc. I feel fairly confident about going back.
My head is concerned about when I go on maternity leave. Baby is due at the end of February half term break and the head is suggesting I think about leaving at Christmas. I would like to do 4 more weeks than this but am I being unrealistic?

I am currently 36 +5 and will be 38 weeks when we return to school (secondary). Luckily, my Mat Leave starts the following Monday so I will only be doing 2 INSET days in school with no students and obviously no teaching. A risk assessment is in place but it just asks for the standard regular hand washing and social distancing, which of course i would be doing when alongside colleagues whether I was pregnant or not. Our SLT have been fab through this, strict measures for returning students, new one way systems, staggered start times, automatic hand saniters in ach classroom, bubbles of year groups with staggered break and lunches and of course they told me to continue WFH since March 17th, keeping me off the vulnerable rota and the reintegration of Y10 and Y12.. despite teaching lots of Y10 groups. Im aware that I've been incredibly lucky with the support and the timing of my Mat leave and hope you ladies manage to experience some of the same in such an anxious time!!

I informed my school of my pregnancy when I was around 5 weeks as I was worried about going in on the rota. They removed me from the rota (as were NEU guidelines at the time) and told me I didn't need to do anything else for the time being. I will be 20 weeks when we go back.

It's my first pregnancy so apart from completing forms for maternity leave and showing my MATB1 I'm not sure what else I should be doing. Did you have to ask specifically for a risk assessment or did your school just put this in motion when you informed them of your pregnancy?

@uglyface the example you give is specific to teachers however there are numerous other professions who are exposed in a similar manner such as doctors, nurses, paramedics, police officers, bus drivers, i can go in but i really don't have time, all these professions are in worse position than teachers imo

Do they have access to and are allowed to wear PPE?

I believe the answer is yes.

And again, the OP was NOT stating that teachers are worse off. She was merely expressing a concern.

Also healthcare workers are being advised not to work on the front line after 28 weeks so are in a good position really

Update for those waiting:

Did a risk assessment with the SLT from
My school and advises I WFH for the next 6 weeks before I go on Mat leave.
I am very very relieved!!!
By the way during my research, those women over 35 and in 3rd tri are in a higher risk group too!
I hope everyone else gets what they need from their places
X

Reposting here in case it's helpful for anyone. I read through all the guidance I could find and summarised it for my headteacher. The links didn't copy across, sorry.

RCoOG (here)

The Royal College of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists have published guidance citing research to show that women in their third trimester are at increased risk of becoming seriously unwell as a result of coronavirus, including preterm birth of their babies. Evidence has now confirmed vertical transmission of coronavirus from pregnant women to their unborn children. Their occupational health guidance focusses on healthcare workers, though the DfE have recommended that pregnant staff follow this guidance. They state that pregnant women can only continue to work in direct patient-facing roles if they are under 28 weeks’ gestation and if this follows a risk assessment that recommends they can continue working, subject to modification of the working environment and deployment to suitable alternative duties. Pregnant women of any gestation should not be required to continue working if this is not supported by the risk assessment, as per the Management of Health and Safety at Work Regulations 1999 (MHSW).

Department for Education (here)

“The Royal College of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (RCOG) has published occupational health advice for employers and pregnant women. This document includes advice for women from 28 weeks gestation or with underlying health conditions who may be at greater risk. We advise employers and pregnant women to follow this advice and to continue to monitor for future updates to it.”

NHS (here)

The UK Government continues to classify pregnant women as clinically vulnerable. Advice for clinically vulnerable groups is to keep social interactions low, maintain 2 metres distance when interacting with others, and be extra diligent with hand hygiene. The advice remains that pregnant women who can work from home should continue to do so. Those who cannot work from home can work in a public-facing role if the employer can make appropriate arrangements to minimise exposure to the virus.

NEU (here)

Pregnant women should not be required to attend school during a lockdown or if the risk assessment does not advise that it is safe for them to do so.

Employers can adjust working arrangements to enable teachers and support staff to work from home if it is safe to do so. If working from home is not possible, pregnant women and breastfeeding mothers should be offered suitable alternative employment at the same rate of pay, if this is available. If neither option is possible, employers can arrange for women to be medically suspended on full pay for as long as necessary to protect their health and safety.

I think you need to check you can be in school i know there are 3 staff who are pregnant 20+ weeks the HT said that you are not allowed in school after so many weeks 26 possibly so they are returning to school next t week

The problem is everything is contradictory. My MW says don’t go in (I’ll be 30 weeks when we return). My GP said it’s not great with the numbers involved but with enough allowances you should be okay but the government line is it’s fine with a risk assessment. I’ve got my risk assessment meeting on the INSET day next week and from what school have said I’ll be in as usual with full size classes (36) doing double lessons.

@MrsR87 As you are in your third trimester, the risks are higher. My Occupational Health team recommend working from home from 28 weeks. This should be the outcome of your risk assessment - it might be worth highlighting this to your SLT so they can prepare for it.

I am incredibly lucky that even though I'm only 20 weeks, my school are giving me the option to stay at home if I want to. I'm a Reception teacher so it's going to be really hard for me to take any precautions. My DH is very keen for me to do this, he keeps spamming me with scary links to articles and studies about the potential risks. Some of it is quite worrying really. Basically we just don't know the long term effects yet, and won't for a long time.

I know logically I should do everything I can to protect myself and my baby and take them up on their offer. I'm just having such terrible teacher guilt about abandoning my school and my team.

I've still had nothing from my school. We are due back ok n Tuesday. I've emailed the SLT member with responsibility for HR today asking what's happening and I've included the guidance @Amwl posted from DfE and RCOG so let's see what they say...

@MissHoney85

Yes, I’ll be 30 weeks when we return. I’ve told them that my midwife said I shouldn’t be in, but then the GP said a strong risk assessment would be fine. Personally I can’t see how a risk assessment can mitigate the risks the GP mentioned as there’s no room for manoeuvre in terms of the (high) numbers.

I haven’t had a risk assessment yet, but all the anecdotal emails I’ve had are suggesting I’ll be in until the previously given maternity leave start date.

It’s just frustrating that the guidance isn’t clearer as people I know are experiencing everything from being signed off to pretty much nothing at all!

I’ve sent my SLT all the relevant things I can find, so I’ll have to wait and see what they say at the risk assessment meeting.

I’ve still not had a written risk assessment but I went in to set my classroom up and the head made it very clear that I’ve to find a way to make sure I stay 2m away from other staff and the 30 5 year olds in my class plus 3 teaching assistants.

@MrsR87 maybe try getting in touch with your union. Their advice is that pregnant women should not be in school unless supported by a risk assessment. It seems like most of the risk assessments people are having take into account the increased risk after 28 weeks. Btw they are not allowed to make you take mat leave early - if it's not safe for you to be in school on H&S grounds then they should find a way to let you work from home, or medically suspend you on full pay. That's the law! The unions will back you up on that.

I'm a little hesitant to post this as I don't want to unnecessarily worry anyone, but I guess it might be useful to some people.

My DH is a very scientific and data-driven person and has been busy this evening trawling studies about Covid and pregnancy. He's written this summary for me to share with my SLT / OH and I thought it might be useful to some of you going through risk assessments. It's worth noting that the likelihood of getting Covid is still small, and the likelihood of getting it seriously smaller still, but there is so much unknown about this virus and its longterm effects. We are finding out more all the time - several of these studies are from the last month or so. I'm posting it in the hope that it doesn't cause alarm, but might help someone. School Leadership Teams and even Occupational Health are not necessarily aware of many of these risks.

• Pregnant women may be at a higher risk for Covid 19 being classed as severe if they catch it. Particularly pregnancy has been assoicated with increased hospitisation, risk of intensive care unit admission, mechanical ventilation, but not death. Large study from US - www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7316319/. Study authors suggest that prevention of COVID-19 should be emphasized for pregnant women and potential barriers to adherence to these measures need to be addressed. Second Swedish study showing that the risk of being admitted to ICU may be greater for pregnant women here: www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7273089/

• Higher chance of Cesarean section if infected (47% symptomatic, 46% asymptomatic, 31% non covid admissions p=0.044 i.e. 96% chance it's not random chance) pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32633022/ July 2020. Second study also found higher instances of ceasrean birth in mothers with Covid 19 (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32555034/)

• Higher chance of post birth complications for the mother (postpartum complications) - typically fever, hypoxia, readmission. These occured in 12.9% of women with covid, vs 4.5% of women without covid p

I just don’t know what to do when all of the guidance for schools just says do a risk assessment!