Fed up off OPEN THE SCHOOLS posts !!

[Lulu1919]

I've been in school since we closed including the holidays with KW children
But that's very different to opening the whole school and staffing it and keeping socially distant etc etc
I just don't think it's something that should be rushed into
Me and another member of staff with six children using two rooms is doable and I feel fine doing this.with lots of hand gel and hand washing and changing my clothes etc as soon as I get home ...I'm not sure I'll feel so comfortable / happy going back to my real job in three weeks time ...which seems to be when a lot of people think we should....
Or is this just me overthinking?

They need to re-open as soon as possible -May half term at the latest.
I came into education as I believe it is essential - and so I hate the fact that the pupils are missing out.
It is the most deprived who will suffer most from schools being closed.

Is that why you work in a private school ?

Stella, it is the most deprived who will suffer, maybe they could go back in, those on fsm, too.
Education is important, but you don't need a school building to be educated.
Why are pupils missing out? Some parents have got it covered, others have lessons online from school.
Some are home educated and never go to school, I can assure you they are being educated.
You go into school and risk your life but don't expect other teachers, especially those in higher risk groups to agree with you.

They've had 2 weeks off school so far. 4 including the Easter break. Less than a usual school summer break. Are you saying that we should only ever have 2 week breaks from school because education is essential and in those 2 weeks children are deprived?

I hate the fact that many of us will be expected to take serious risks with our own lives and health if they re-open schools to early and don't provide teachers with PPE (which, considering the lack of it for health care workers seems exceedingly unlikely).

Whilst enjoying my job and wanting the best for my pupils I don't actually want to risk leaving my own children motherless, thanks, so that we can all pull together and the economy can get back on its feet.

That's a fucking sacrifice too far in my book.

The 'open the schools' and 'when will schools open' brigades are really wearing now

They seem to totally miss that many adults who work in schools (not just teachers but admin/cleaners/catering/TAs) may be vulnerable and even those who are not can obviously still catch it. Children can catch/carry it. Then all those people go home to their families (who may/may not be vulnerable) and risk passing it on, and they go to the fuel station and supermarket and risk passing it on.

They also don't seem to grasp that social distancing in a full school is impossible. Our school has around 1500 pupils and 200 staff. All.in one building. With the best will in the world, social distancing isn't possible. These people have also obviously never observed teenagers attempts at handwashing.

Plus, kids then get onto school buses/walk home in mixed groups/hang about it the park together. So, any virus being carried gets spread between households.

I love my job and miss the kids I teach but I don't want either them or me to be at unnecessary risk.

In an ideal world, provided it can be done safely, I'd like us to be able to go back, say after May half term, with Y10 and Y12 as they have external exams next year. That way, with Y10 we could split classes up so that they are smaller and distancing is possible. The Y12 classes are small enough anyway.

I see they have extended furlough until the end of June, which is good. I can’t see schools reopening whilst that’s still in place.

Interesting article about Denmark :

www.nytimes.com/2020/04/17/world/europe/denmark-schools-coronavirus.html?referringSource=articleShare

We have year 12 classes of 25+...

All of our classes are 30. We have a room and teacher per class, one hall (doubles up as canteen), a library/ICT annexe (isn’t even a room!) and a small playground. We have no staff room, 2 TAs and a strip of field.

I really really want to know how this is working in Denmark. Do they have loads of spare classrooms? Are only 1/3 of the children in at once?

Tea ladies coming round regularly to disinfect??

Piggy, I feel your pain! Mine are the same. When I asked earlier this year about 'what's the limit now on 6th form classes, then?' I was told - "30, the same as all other years".

Except I've got 32 in one of my Y10 classes, and I know others have as well...

I like what the Welsh minister said too that there was transport and education to think about too as well as all of the adults mixing.

I really really want to know how this is working in Denmark. Do they have loads of spare classrooms? Are only 1/3 of the children in at once?

I read they were outside where possible.

What’s a tea lady?!

This guy’s plan for social distancing in schools is great (at showing how ridiculous it is) twitter.com/mr_minchin/status/1251089002100330496?s=21

What works at primary won’t work at secondary either, as the kids need to move around the school. I wonder how Denmark will deal with that.

Good clip Noble 🤣

@RigaBalsam I guess they must have much bigger grounds than we have.

From buzz feec Alex Whickam

Stage one — in a "best case scenario" — begins with schools and some businesses reopening in early to mid-May

— non-essential retail shops
— manufacturing and construction
— some of the strictest social distancing measures could be relaxed if data allows

They are obsessed!

Apparently the front page of the Sunday Times tomorrow is that ministers plan to open schools in 3 weeks.

So for reference the DfE have just tweeted this.

Schools can't stay closed until it's safe to reopen, as that would be in 12-18 months when a vaccine is available.

They are only closed to get us through the peak, to keep downward pressure on the curve and protect the NHS.

A gradual reopening, with pupils in for part of the week, or alternate weeks, is inevitable imo but I did think it would be after half term. Schools have put in a lot of work to set up remote learning; hardly worth it for 3 weeks.

That's a fucking sacrifice too far in my book

Quite. Who will tell my children they probably won't have a mother by the end of this school year? Who will tell my youngest that as a result they will have to leave their school and move hundreds of miles away ?

We can't stay closed until a vaccine has been found, manufactured and rolled out to millions.

We've always known that everyone will get this virus. We just don't want it to all be at the same time.

Who will tell my children they probably won't have a mother by the end of this school year?
How ridiculously over dramatic!
Most of the population have been exposed to the virus now, many have had symptoms, a few have been serious and recovered and a minuscule minority who were seriously ill with other conditions already have died slightly sooner than they would have anyway.
Children's mental health is being seriously impacted by adults panicking and panicking the poor kids.

And but the way it is not 'fed up off' something - seriously hope the OP is not a teacher.

Most of the population have been exposed to the virus now

I don't really want to engage with you but , given we are in lockdown and have been for some time , this is not true. Given the woeful lack of testing, no one really knows, but a recent estimate was maybe 10% of us has had it.