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Secondary education

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Original poster

Masks all day in school

260 replies

ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:25

Furious just about sums up how I feel at the moment. Just had an email from DS1’s school (he is going into Y11) saying they will be required to wear masks all day long in school from the minute they get inside the school gates to when they leave. They are allowed to take them off to eat lunch but will need to be put back on immediately. Before I fire off an email to the school, just wondered how I stand legally with refusing to give permission for him to wear one all day long? It’s completely against the DofE guidance which states corridors and transitions only.
We live rurally and are in a very very low Covid area for what’s its worth, no where near areas on local lockdown.

OP posts:
Augustbreeze · 31/08/2020 12:51

It might feel like a positive when other secondaries start sending children home as they've got several confirmed cases, but his stays open because the masks have limited airborne transmission?

Todaythiscouldbe · 31/08/2020 12:51

@topofthewardrobe

Six months? They've been out since just before the Easter holiday. They've missed about twelve-thirteen weeks of teaching.

Have they ? Schools have been providing teaching remotely for the gcse years haven't they ? Mine was having online lessons all day except the last three weeks when the year tens were in school

Lucky you! My year 10 had nothing. A few PowerPoint presentations to read through. A couple of online quizzes (not set by school), no contact from any teacher at all.
FourTeaFallOut · 31/08/2020 12:54

Is there any reason why posters keep doing this? He has lost six months worth of teaching provision, from March to September. That might be equivalent to 12 weeks of teaching time but no one is getting March to September back. If we want to be really dickish we could take out all the weekends too and whittle it down by several more, how about we take out the average number of sick days in that time, and dinner hours and on and on we go until we can convince ourselves that March to September was hardly relevant at all? We could really gaslight the fuckers in to thinking that their children haven't been fucked over at all.

Original poster
ihearttc · 31/08/2020 12:56

@itsgettingweird
Ok, it’s 6 months since he has been in school. 6 months since he has had any actual input from a teacher. 6 months since he has learnt anything new. 6 months since he has been taught anything that he hasn’t taught himself.
They have received no zoom lessons and no face to face teaching at all apart from 1 hour “meeting” with their form tutor to check they were still alive (yes their exact words).
I work in a school, I’m aware of the guidance. My issue is that other schools have chosen to wear masks in corridors only as per the guidance. I’m been in school throughout with no social distancing and no mask wearing.

OP posts:
Todaythiscouldbe · 31/08/2020 12:57

@FourTeaFallOut

Is there any reason why posters keep doing this? He has lost six months worth of teaching provision, from March to September. That might be equivalent to 12 weeks of teaching time but no one is getting March to September back. If we want to be really dickish we could take out all the weekends too and whittle it down by several more, how about we take out the average number of sick days in that time, and dinner hours and on and on we go until we can convince ourselves that March to September was hardly relevant at all? We could really gaslight the fuckers in to thinking that their children haven't been fucked over at all.
Exactly this, I'm fed up of hearing that 6 months hasn't been missed, it absolutely has!
ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 12:57

Because he hasn't lost 6 months of teaching time from March to September. How many pupils go to school from mid July to August (in England). How many schools provide so much school work for summer holidays that children will need to study 8.30 to 3.30 every weekday in the holidays?

Bridecilla · 31/08/2020 12:59

Leave it be. It's way easier with teens to start with a hard rule and scale it down if things go well than to start with a softly softly approach and try to scale up if when the shit hits the fan

cptartapp · 31/08/2020 13:03

Some of us can only dream of online teaching every day. Most of DS teachers said it was too difficult (they had their own school age DC at home!). Only two bothered, and that for the last six weeks.
I don't care what he has to wear. Get them back.

Bridecilla · 31/08/2020 13:03

and ideally I'd like my students (late teens and adults) to mask up in the corridors and to enter the classroom. Happy for them to de-mask once seated and put them back on if they need to get up for whatever reason.

noblegiraffe · 31/08/2020 13:03

Maybe you should wait and see if it’s a problem before firing off ‘angry emails’ to heads who have enough shit to deal with right now.

As you said, there’s no reason for your kid not to wear one and other countries seem to manage.

Maybe you’ll be smug as your kid’s school stays open as others close or maybe the rules on masks will be relaxed as problems arise.

Give it some time.

FourTeaFallOut · 31/08/2020 13:04

And, fwiw, I agree completely with Bridecilla. It's much easier to go with maximum measures and compliance to begin with than having to scale up when the shtf.

topofthewardrobe · 31/08/2020 13:06

@ineedaholidaynow

The revision work is down to the fact that the Government suspended the National Curriculum so in effect schools would not be teaching new stuff. However, some schools ignored this and carried on teaching the curriculum.
Ds had lessons where the teacher chose a past topic and they discussed it, talked about how it could be used in things like science and tech. Character analysis in English and so on, case studies in geography and discussions of social issues in places.
daisypond · 31/08/2020 13:06

@Greysparkles

The only people who think this is a good idea are those who haven't had to wear a mask for an extended period of time tbh.
And your evidence for this is...?
ineedaholidaynow · 31/08/2020 13:07

@ihearttc did you not have reduced class sizes

Original poster
ihearttc · 31/08/2020 13:07

@noblegiraffe

It wasn’t an angry email and it wasn’t to the head who quite honestly has never actually been seen in the school over the 4 years DS has been there. I emailed his HOY to ask for clarification on the email and what would happen if I didn’t give permission.

OP posts:
Bridecilla · 31/08/2020 13:08

@FourTeaFallOut

And, fwiw, I agree completely with Bridecilla. It's much easier to go with maximum measures and compliance to begin with than having to scale up when the shtf.
Yup. Our government have proved this. Soft measures to start with means lots haven't taken the situation seriously. If they'd been tougher from the start (we're an island ffs, should have been relatively easy to minimise covid) I'm sure we'd have had a better handle in it. It's also virtually impossible now for them to upscale the 'rules'

Good on the head for trying to avoid this in his / her school

Bakeachocolatecaketoday · 31/08/2020 13:11

@topofthewardrobe

Six months? They've been out since just before the Easter holiday. They've missed about twelve-thirteen weeks of teaching.

Have they ? Schools have been providing teaching remotely for the gcse years haven't they ? Mine was having online lessons all day except the last three weeks when the year tens were in school

Ah but some parents have allowed their kids to do f-all. I think at primary there was an estimate of 20-30 % were actually doing work. Secondary slightly higher but more like 50%.
Original poster
ihearttc · 31/08/2020 13:12

Reduced class sizes whilst I was working you mean? Yes we did so maybe High Schools should be doing blended learning then? If it’s so unsafe to bring them all back so they all have to wear masks then maybe they shouldn’t all be there.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 31/08/2020 13:12

what would happen if I didn’t give permission.

I would hope that the school would reply that it didn’t need parental permission to set and enforce rules.

Sadly the DfE have already undermined them on this.

Not sure why you wouldn’t want to work with your kid’s school in these difficult times though.

PinkFondantFancy · 31/08/2020 13:14

I'd personally send an email to the head saying that your personal view is that it's unnecessary and that you'd be happy with a return without masks, just with increased handwashing or whatever, and what will be the threshold/criteria for a removal of this rule? He won't care actually what your personal view is but if all those not keen remain silent, they'll assume everyone's thrilled with it.

In reality I'd give it 2 weeks until the whole idea is binned. What's going to happen when people turn up without? Make them fish one out of lost property?

MintyMabel · 31/08/2020 13:14

What is the problem?

Original poster
ihearttc · 31/08/2020 13:19

@noblegiraffe
Honestly I’m always on the side of the school and normally wouldn’t hesitate to support them but their handling of the pandemic has been quite frankly appalling. My school provided a full curriculum from 9-3 each day on google classroom with all work submitted and marked in full each day (this is for both KS1 and KS2) yet DS1 in the middle of his GCSE’s has basically been left to teach himself.
I’m fully aware that they will say tough luck he will have to wear one but I’m curious to know their reasoning behind it when it doesn’t say it’s recommended in the guidance.

OP posts:
itsgettingweird · 31/08/2020 13:19

[quote ihearttc]@itsgettingweird
Ok, it’s 6 months since he has been in school. 6 months since he has had any actual input from a teacher. 6 months since he has learnt anything new. 6 months since he has been taught anything that he hasn’t taught himself.
They have received no zoom lessons and no face to face teaching at all apart from 1 hour “meeting” with their form tutor to check they were still alive (yes their exact words).
I work in a school, I’m aware of the guidance. My issue is that other schools have chosen to wear masks in corridors only as per the guidance. I’m been in school throughout with no social distancing and no mask wearing.[/quote]
Some schools were better than others but I assume your son did independent study and conciliation using things like BBC bitesize?

But right now you're complaining they were shit during lockdown and now complaining they want to take highest levels possible to prevent locking down again.

What do you want?

(And I work in schools)

Original poster
ihearttc · 31/08/2020 13:21

@PinkFondantFancy

That’s pretty much what I have done. I just want them to know that I think it’s completely unnecessary and it’s just going to open up a whole new load of issues.

OP posts:
noblegiraffe · 31/08/2020 13:22

I’m fully aware that they will say tough luck he will have to wear one

At the end of they day, they can’t.

But as it’s the rules, he should.

I really wish that parents wouldn’t use their unhappiness at lockdown provision (which has been massively varied due to the lack of guidelines or standards) as a reason to be unsupportive in the return to school. We really need to work together and find a way forward through this mess because there are no clear answers and the head will be juggling the needs of vulnerable staff and pupils with the wants of other stakeholders.