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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

Anyone else’s Secondary School being targetted by Antivaxxers?

26 replies

GreenAndSpringy · 30/09/2021 16:23

In person, not just by email?

DD just got home with her fists full of torn up printed. About half a dozen young women were holding up signs and distributing leaflets at her school’s exit.

I didn’t get to read the pamphlet as it had been gleefully destroyed (and then taken to our garden for a burning ritual) by DD. Camden School for Girls isn’t exactly the most receptive target for this kind of stance, and those doing the aiming didn’t seem to have been long out of school themselves. Is this a widespread phenomenon or are others being spared?

Will be picking up my kid tomorrow and for the coming week.

OP posts:
ExiledinIslington · 30/09/2021 16:41

Yes, my DD's secondary was 2 or 3 weeks back. Very likely the same people as she said there wasn't many of them. Her school told the kids to go straight home and big engage with them, an email said the kids had handled it well.
I believe they have been outside various secondary schools in Camden and Islington.

Camdenish · 30/09/2021 22:51

I was trying to work out why the protesters thought this would work. The children were in school so couldn’t get involved. The children’s parents are likely to have signed the agreement forms already and even if they haven’t they won’t be at pick up or drop off.

I’ve not heard the other local schools were targeted.

Thejoyofslippers · 01/10/2021 07:28

Bloody hell!!

And no thank God! DD is already not keen on the idea without having some muppet reinforcing that.

Malbecfan · 01/10/2021 12:51

My school is fairly rural so the protests have been confined to bombarding the Head with emails and calls. Unlike his last but one predecessor, he really doesn't deserve it.

Most of the students have made up their own minds and don't need this. As a school, apparently we have to allow the health service people in to do mass vaccinations - there was a flu one last week. A minority of parents have kicked off about it claiming that we are indoctrinating their kids. The advice from the leadership team has been not to discuss it with the kids at all, something I'm happy to comply with.

Original poster
GreenAndSpringy · 01/10/2021 13:31

@Malbecfan

My school is fairly rural so the protests have been confined to bombarding the Head with emails and calls. Unlike his last but one predecessor, he really doesn't deserve it.

Most of the students have made up their own minds and don't need this. As a school, apparently we have to allow the health service people in to do mass vaccinations - there was a flu one last week. A minority of parents have kicked off about it claiming that we are indoctrinating their kids. The advice from the leadership team has been not to discuss it with the kids at all, something I'm happy to comply with.

Malnecfan: “ The advice from the leadership team has been not to discuss it with the kids at all, something I'm happy to comply with.”

We live in the same country, our kids are similar ages, going through the same education system using the same language, but it is glimpses like this into other people’s lives that make me feel that we can be worlds apart. I honestly do not know how I would react if I were to receive advice like this.

OP posts:
TeenMinusTests · 01/10/2021 16:13

Green I think that Malbec is writing as a teacher, not a parent.

So saying that the teachers have been advised not to discuss vaccinations with students (ie leave it between parent, child, and health authority), not saying parents shouldn't discuss with their own child.

(Or maybe I'm misunderstanding you, which is quite possible.)

ducksalive · 01/10/2021 16:14

We have family in London whose school is being targeted.

BitterTits · 01/10/2021 16:17

My school and others in the area have West Mids)

EvilPea · 01/10/2021 16:20

Seriously.
What gob shites think this is a good idea?

I can think of a few kids at my dds who would enjoy the “bants” with them. But how is this even allowed?

Autumn101 · 01/10/2021 16:23

We had some before they broke up in the summer - signs and handing out leaflets

Original poster
GreenAndSpringy · 01/10/2021 17:09

@TeenMinusTests

Green I think that Malbec is writing as a teacher, not a parent.

So saying that the teachers have been advised not to discuss vaccinations with students (ie leave it between parent, child, and health authority), not saying parents shouldn't discuss with their own child.

(Or maybe I'm misunderstanding you, which is quite possible.)

Thank you, that does make sense. Completely reasonable from that perspective and not at all shocking.

Alas, nothing seems unbelievable nowadays.

OP posts:
JaffavsCookie · 01/10/2021 20:10

Another school in our town was targeted. We have been told as staff not to discuss it with the kids, bit tricky as currently doing vaccinations with both my y10 groups in science and understandably they have questions.

underneaththeash · 01/10/2021 20:13

According to DS - every child, apart from 3, in his year had the vaccine yesterday. DS didn't as he's been really unwell the last few days, he was in a side room with a boy who's mum is vulnerable and has already had both jabs and someone else.

Effzeh · 01/10/2021 23:12

A similar group doing the rounds of local secondaries in our area of the rural south-west. Half a dozen noisy middle-aged protesters with big yellow signs, accosting children coming out of school with fake information about risks of teenagers dying from vaccination side-effects. School staff and police are aware, and have been in attendance, but apparently they're not actually breaking the law.

According to my dc the kids refer to them as 'the Covid nonces', which is obviously deeply inappropriate, but also somehow quite deserved, and shows that at least the dc are treating them with the contempt they deserve.

Camdenish · 02/10/2021 09:43

I wish the school had told the parents this had happened. Common courtesy maybe. I’d like to know what they did and what their plans are for if it happens again.

Camdenish · 12/10/2021 08:23

They were at Fortismere this week.

spiderlight · 12/10/2021 13:11

Our area is doing 12-15s' jabs at mass vaccination centres. My DS hasn't been called yet, but a friend whose son is slightly older was there this weekend and the antivaxxers were apparently out in force, screaming at the parents that they were allowing their children to be treated as guinea-pigs etc. As far as I know, they haven't turned up at schools in our area, though.

User5827372728 · 12/10/2021 13:13

Not yet, but they are preempting it so have security outside!

Verite1 · 12/10/2021 13:22

Also Camden and my DS’s school has been targeted at least twice. I understand that the kids have rather relished the encounters with them. I felt a bit sorry for the protesters by the end 🤣

PeachesPumpkin · 13/10/2021 16:35

@Camdenish

I wish the school had told the parents this had happened. Common courtesy maybe. I’d like to know what they did and what their plans are for if it happens again.
Why are you blaming the poor school/teachers? Having heard this was happening around the country I spoke to my children and warned them it might happen and how to respond. Why can’t people parent their own kids now, rather than leave everything up to the poor teachers who are already overworked, stressed and overwhelmed?
Camdenish · 13/10/2021 18:05

Blaming the poor school/teachers? I doubt the teachers would put together an email to send to the parents but maybe the SLT could have? As I said, it would seem common courtesy for a school to inform parents that this had happened. Not that it may happen. Not telling the kids about antivaxers. Just literally telling parents that there was an incident outside school and saying what, if anything, the school had done about it. I was referring to the fact that a Pp had said Fortismere had informed parents. I’m not sure CSG did.

I’m not sure that your post is really in the spirit of the supportive parenting community that is MN. However, I’m too pissed on Strongbow to have a fight about it.

owlmummy · 13/10/2021 19:38

There were a couple of protestors outside my daughter's school (APS, North London) this morning, handing out leaflets. She ignored them and then the Head came out and told everyone to ignore them, my daughter said some of the younger children looked a bit scared and had taken a leaflet.

RockinHorseShit · 13/10/2021 21:54

It happened at one of our local SE secondary schools a few weeks ago to, to a similar reception & the school got the police involved.

GherkinsOnToast · 14/10/2021 20:06

There is a group targeting the public busses children from our town use to get to school in the next town across. They are handing out leaflets etc. School have asked parents to report incidences to the police and kids are to report any one approaching them to the pastoral lead.

bendmeoverbackwards · 14/10/2021 22:26

Makes me so angry.

I’d almost be tempted to go undercover and pretend I was interested. For a laugh.