Any primary staff just waiting to get ill?

[skylarkdescending]

My school seem to be paying lip service to the gov guidance.

There is no social distancing within bubbles for staff or children. The bubbles are 120 children. Live marking and supporting children in class going on as normal. Resources, books, equipment etc is being shared within classes/across year groups. Except reading books from home which must be quarantined for 72 hrs. No such policy with other items from home though.

Staff room is open but chairs spaced apart. Staff chatting in corridors/in and out of each other's rooms. 'Flexible' drop off/pick up but in reality there are over 400 parents in the playground within a 10 minute time frame.

One child in my class already isolating awaiting a test result.

The only protection I really have is increased hand washing

Does anyone else think it's just a matter of time until we get ill?

Yup. Except I don't even have increased hand washing cos there's no sink. It's not limited to primary though, secondary sounds much the same aside from some schools having children photograph and upload their work for marking.

Yep.

We have put in as many measures as possible - handwashing, staggered start & finish times with masks, extra cleaning...etc

But it's all bollocks isn't it? Because schools by their very nature just cannot be 'COVID safe'

Lots of children off with symptoms & being tested.

One staff member confirmed positive as of today

DH and I have been discussing what happens when I get ill (eg. sleeping arrangements, DC's school stuff).

Not if. When.

Yep. No masks, very little distancing, fine to sit next to a child side by side. I am struggling with it, especially as dh works public facing and they are doing it all super cautiously. I don’t see why my life is worth less than his.

The same as you! I have managed to not catch a thing for 6 months and 7 days back at school and I'm ill. It's only a cold but if I've caught a cold with all my extra handwashing, I'm certain I'll catch Covid which is meant to be more contagious!

rubbish to hear there are many of you in similar situations. I can't see how we'll make it to half term at this rate!

What is the policy for closure at your schools? We have been told we are using a new app for home learning but as yet it isn't set up and we have had no info on expectations of setting home learning in the event the bubble pops and the class have to isolate.

There will be one video intro/demo per core subject, per day. Followed by an activity for the children to complete. Also using an app this time cos apparently uploading to the school website was taking IT too long.

I was up at 5 panicking. My SLT seem to be in deep denial. My only mitigation seems to be keeping doors open and spraying hand sanitizer on the kids as handwashing "takes too long".
We are teaching as normal, kids all using one cloakroom as normal, marking as normal, reading with the kids as normal, assessing as normal, have an observation and book scrutiny timetable as normal, have extra interventions with TA crossing bubbles as normal, staff meetings as normal just in the biggest room. Our head is seeking approval to swap classes across keystage to set for maths and english, which will mean combining 4 bubbles. Apparently wiping tables will mitigate any problems.

I'm 5ft tall, my year 6 are mostly my height if not taller. They are with me all day apart from my 20 minute break. They are utterly shit at social distance and to be fair, there's that many of them in one class it's impossible anyway. I am utterly fatalistic about it now and I feel like i'm inhabiting a weird alternative universe. Our SLT are basically gaslighting us (last staff meeting the head said "ofcourse when all the social distance nonsense is over with...") and with the exception of a few other older staff trusties the rest are all bright young things who think they are invincible and are "owning the risk" by "bravely" acting like it's all normal. The deputy is constantly reminding ushow the children must come first. It's not a fucking war! It's a bloody job!