UK schools could, and should, begin to reopen as soon as practicable after the initial wave of cases has passed through

[Otherrooms]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-52180783

What do you make of this?

Schools could go back even whilst social distancing rules are still in place?

Have these people ever been in a school? School corridors/classrooms anyone?!

@Piggywaspushed I don't know if that post was aimed at me, but what I have written is not "my interpretation," it is the Government guidelines which are available to all on the gov.uk website.

Pregnant women were and are included on the broader vulnerable group, more as a "rather safe than sorry" measure than the fact there is any research indicating that they are more vulnerable to caching Covid.

However, there is a subset of pregnant women who are extremely vulnerable and this is pregnant women who are significant heart disease, congenital or acquired. There were and are advised to shield for 12 weeks.

It was never announced that all pregnant women are "extremely vulnerable." Please do not spread things like this as it causes confusion, as can be seen on this thread.

Government guidance on who is extremely vulnerable and therefore require shielding for 12 weeks is here.

Government guidance on who is vulnerable is here.

Here is the letter asking NHS staff to help them weave their way through the original wider list :

www.england.nhs.uk/coronavirus/wp-content/uploads/sites/52/2020/03/200321_COVID-19_CMO_MD_letter-to-GPs_FINAL_2.pdf

Do you not think my family have had extensive medical advice given my DH has a valve replacement? And that we, therefore, have been told by the heart consultant of his frustration over the shifting of the government definitions?

No desire to derail thread.

It was never announced that all pregnant women are "extremely vulnerable." Please do not spread things like this as it causes confusion, as can be seen on this thread.

I never said that. I said there was an original lengthier list of vulnerable people. When that list was shrunk to provide the shielded group, many people did not realise they were, therefore, not at the highest level of vulnerability.

I've got an exam group heavy timetable this year. I was really looking forward to my "gained time" I had loads of stuff planned to do in it. Including working out better methods for the year 13 required practicals that didn't work properly. I'd like to be back June time... if it's safe!

Mind you the hospital has all the safety specs now so who knows when we'll be able to do practicals again

This weblink also shows that there is a group (of heart patients specifically ) identified as 'particularly high risk'

www.bhf.org.uk/informationsupport/heart-matters-magazine/news/coronavirus-and-your-health

@Piggywaspushed you did say it was announced that all pregnant women are extremely vulnerable, here: "Not all pregnant women etc are in that group despite being initially told (wrongly) they were." But they weren't told that initially. In fact, the list of who makes up the 1.5 million extremely vulnerable has not change. You can read the initial press release about it from the 21st March here. The list is the same as it is today.

It's really important that people who are concerned that they are in either the vulnerable or extremely vulnerable group access accurate advice from the Government website (links posted in my previous post) or from the NHS website.

As can be seen from this thread, some people have the wrong information, inaccurate information, or incorrect interpretations of the official advice.

What I was trying to say was, at the point when schools were about a week pre closure , those staff were being treated as if they were 12 weekers ,and thought they would be and now aren't. This was before 21 March when anyone over 70 was also preparing not to see their families for a long time and believed they would be locked away. The government was slow to produce their actual shielded list. What I did not ever say was that app pregnant women were shielded.

The cynic in me thinks that that was an economic decision to get more of the nation back to work after lockdown but you are free to disagree on that.

I didn't say told by the government. I understand why it would have been read that way, so apologies for that. Told by the media, various advisers, unions, and sometimes GPs/midwives etc.

You actually only need to look at all the threads on shielding (like the one on RA now) to see how many grey areas there actually are. And it is the people on the grey bit who concern me in terms of any return to work in teaching or any other difficult to stringently social distance job post lockdown. I also worry for the shielded group after 12 weeks.

These articles all read about the safety of the kids. They will be fine etc etc. None of them mention how keep staff safe??? It’s like we are an acceptable byproduct/ that lovely 2-4% extra deaths they mentioned.

I just think we are at a point now where it would be best to keep schools closed now until the end of the academic year and to plan how we can deliver remote learning to all children. I'm a little envious of how in America many districts have made this decision and teachers are concentrating on planning and teaching remotely. This also means we need to consider how to support less well-off families who don't have the technology of course but more than half the anxiety comes from all the uncertainty and the fears about putting ourselves, our own families and our students at risk.

i'm so done with the closures. I feel like our reaction has been totally over the top. The numbers dying are tiny, even in places like sweden where they haven't locked down.
coronavirus is only the 4th largest cause of death at the moment, for example. my kids are way more likely to die in a crash on the motorway than by catching coronavirus at school.
reopen the schools!!!

How would reopening work in the school you work at?

How does the likelihood of dying on a motorway increase with the number of journeys you make on a motorway? 🤔

A decision needs to be made. Either the govt needs to decide that we are closed until September, in which case we can focus energies on reaching the disadvantaged kids and delivering effective remote learning for all, or that we are going to open in some form for the summer term. A directive is essential and it should come a week today when the current lockdown period ends. Teachers and parents cannot continue in limbo: someone needs to have the balls to make a decision and to own it. We are not in the cloud of ignorance and fear that we were in 6 weeks ago, and there needs to be some leadership.

i'm so done with the closures. I feel like our reaction has been totally over the top. The numbers dying are tiny,

Eh? Twenty six THOUSAND is not tiny.

likeafish I agree with you. A decision needs to be made.

The limbo is making it harder for everyone. Personally, I think September would be best for reopening as normal. That way, whatever other social distancing measures can be continued until then and hopefully numbers can continue to fall.

Or, bring some year groups back (say 10 and 12 at secondary).

Either way, I hope a plan is announced next week.

France have said no more than 15 children in a class, and voluntary sending back to school. Younger children first. Face coverings to be worn.

Not sure what that means for children still at home.

What about the TES legionnaires story? That is something else schools need to sort out as well before we go back

#healthandsafety

I would rather get the opinions of these two - chief medical officer Chris Whitty and Sir Patrick Vallance, the chief scientific adviser. Maybe they could join a MN debate

#solidarity

www.tes.com/news/coronavirus-pm-plan-reopen-schools-will-be-set-out-next-week

www.tes.com/news/williamson-rules-out-summer-holiday-school-opening

#solidarity #saveoursummers

In terms of legionaires, staff in school have been running taps etc as they would during a holiday.

I think we'll open in a phased way after half term and close soon enough when there's another spike in cases. Then we'll stay closed till September. Who knows after that.