When are we going back to school 2

[RaraRachael]

New thread as the last one was getting full. Feel free to discuss, moan, speculate on anything to do with Scottish schools and what may/not be happening.

But it means more staff are likely to wear them (which protects me) and some students will. I had heard from some English teachers they were flat out not allowed.
I think it would be better to insist on them in corridors, which are akin to shops, and still have SD amongst secondary pupils - but I'm not making the rules.

I love 'where possible'. So who decides what's possible? Is it 'what's possible depending on what the council is willing to spend'? Because that's not quite what a lot of teachers are hoping for. I honestly wouldn't be surprised if the best the council is hoping for us that (in secondary anyway) the majority of kids (and teachers) take their own hand sanitisers and masks into school, and if they leave some blue roll lying about, teachers will clean the desks in their own classrooms between classes.
In my DH's company there is a fairly high up guy who is tasked with ensuring every office in the business meets the strictest COVID prevention standards, and that's with the majority of staff still wfh. Why do I have a sneaking suspicion that nothing even vaguely similar exists in education?

I have no issue with masks and very happy to comply with wearing them. But issues occur when masks are put on and off and touched, people then contaminate every other surface they touch with whatever was on the mask. They only work if worn and removed properly. Can we trust teens in secondary schools to do that?

Can we trust them to wash their hands and not touch their faces?

From what I believe the 42 number is under 16s who attended a hospital, not that were necessarily actually hospitalised.

So either attended and treated without being admitted or tested positive while being hospitalised for some other condition or were ill enough with Covid19 to be hospitalised.

When I think about it that doesn't really make any difference to me. You couldn't just rock up to A & E with symptoms. The designated phone line, GP phone appointments etc all did as much as possible to treat suspected cases in a manner which supported keeping them away from hospitals. So whether a hospital visit resulted in an admission or not the patient was deemed severe enough to require at least assessment in a hospital setting.

This does not fit with the children don't get it or if they do it's very mild rhetoric very well.

Both my children (one primary, one secondary) got it - my DD has respiratory symptoms, fever and fatigue and we thought relatively mildly but four months on, she still has chest pain and fatigue, still cannot ride her bike and is not back to nor al fitness. My son had a fever and more gastric symptoms which he had for 9-10 weeks. I had it severely and still have symptoms. We were all ‘managed in the community’ because we got it at the peak just before lockdown. The point is there are no accurate figures of how many children and young people had it, where they got it and who they passed it on to.
I fully support any teachers who express concerns. I am a single, working parent so yes, schools going back would be great, but I can only do my job if I am well, which is true for all of us.

*normal fitness

I'm sorry about your dc outofthevalley, I really hope they are back to full strength soon.
Thinking about that kind of length of sickness, I have no idea how we (as teachers and parents) would handle that next term. Would have been easier to manage (for us) in lockdown.

Sorry, completely missed that you have it too! Hope you start improving soon

st mirren has 7 cases. Paisley.

I am keeping an eye on the increase in cases here in Scotland and the UK. What I am starting to wonder is that if cases continue to increase, Scottish schools will go back in August, then in September, England will announce 'actually we are going down the blended learning route cause of continuous case increase'. What will NS and JS do then?

I don't think they have part time schooling as an option at all in England, do they?

I believe Boris has basically said schools will not have another lockdown so I assume they will stay open full time while there a single teacher standing.

apparently a number of schools in England want pupils to wear masks. I would not be pleased if my DC had to wear a mask all day.

Is she secondary? It would only be indoors though I agree that would be a lot of time. I, otoh, would feel a lot better about going back if everyone was wearing a mask. It would certainly limit the spread of the disease.

secondary yes.

I can't see teachers having any success enforcing it amongst pupils.

Its difficult enough to wear one for a few minutes in a shop but all day in a school will be more difficult (and yes I know NHS do it but they aren't children)

If its a rule, it wouldn't be up to teachers to enforce it - if you didn't wear the mask you wouldn't get in. BUT it isn't a rule and I don't think it will be either. It would be safer though.
In some countries students wear masks. In some they wear them in the corridor but not the classroom.

... and they will be wearing them on the public buses on the way in.

I’m not having my child wearing a mask all day I’m school. There’s no need for it.

What about 16 and overs? I have a senior heavy timetable and will spend the majority of my working day with young people over 16. They will be wearing masks in their PT supermarket/hospitality jobs, when they go shopping and in public transport.

I have this feeling of impending drama - the announcement on Thursday is going to be a catalyst to people not being happy. Might be parents might be teachers but I’m just dreading it (while wishing it would hurry up lol)

@Mascotte

I’m not having my child wearing a mask all day I’m school. There’s no need for it.

How old is your child? If they are 15 or over they are classed as an adult in covid terms. They could get it or infect their classmates (or teachers).

@mascotte do your children wear masks when in shops etc? What difference do you think a school building has that makes them not able to spread the virus, if they have it? Masks are to protect others not us. I'd feel a lot better teaching if I wasn't exposed to 33 people who aren't wearing masks for 5 hours a day in a poorly ventilated room. It wouldn't be permitted in any other indoor area just now.

Children don’t spread it to any degree. I think it’s perfectly easy to keep a distance from the children. He doesn’t go to shops as he’s so freaked by the doom brigade.