Son’s school should be closed but not.

Fanny I absolutely take your point, it’s not just older people who are/were vulnerable. But that shows that teachers and doctors who are vulnerable too are nonetheless working and have to accept risk. However, there are people on this site who condemn them and say they were having an extended holiday. As with GPs. And many of the people who would condemn them and criticise them are the very ones who can stay safely at home. Armchair warriors!

Thanks maddyone, I see your point.

Sorry I got completely distracted by the fact that a primary school still had a caretaker, I thought they were extinct!
Yes, even in the small village primary! But she does do the cleaning as well. A very popular woman, always busy and never wanders around aimlessly!

Why couldn't they just have had a two week half-term, Bluebellwould?
I've lost track of what's going on in England, quite frankly. I'm too busy manning the borders.

Until ALL the kids are tested no one will ever know how many kids are positive. If that many kids have it imagine how many have caught it as a result of contact with them . We are in NE and every single day after school ALL the parks are full , no social distancing, all using the same equipment, Patsnts making fools Out of the teachers efforts to bubble groups:classes/year groups etc but what can be done . Do we all just hide away for next year or two . Because believe me there will be the anti vacc lot endangering everyone else with slim ( but possible) reinfection

Thank you, Maddyone. Exactly.

This article sets out clearly the issues that face teachers at present. Have a read, and then realise that teachers (including those who, like my family member, have underlying health conditions) have worked very hard since March - including through the Easter and half term breaks - and are still grappling with decisions from above which are constantly changing.
www.theguardian.com/education/2020/oct/20/how-can-englands-schools-educate-isolating-children-if-families-cant-afford-wifi

As a retired teacher, and with a daughter who is now a teacher, Quizqueen, can I say that the majority of teachers worked harder than ever to keep lessons going on line during the lockdown. My daughter also went into school on a regular basis to teach 'vulnerable' children and the children of key workers. If her children's primary school closed down, she would not be able to carry on going in to work as she would have to stay at home to look after them. I am sure that there are several other gransnetters who agree that teachers - on their low salaries - are delivering an excellent service in these difficult times.

I will risk sticking my head up above the parapet here.

so.. would I be wrong in thinking , that if everyone obeyed the mantra, wear a mask, wash hands, social distance, that there would be no need for lockdowns?

just asking!

A complete lockdown like Wales and NI are doing might bring the R number down again and stop the hospitals getting full. It's far to bitty as it is. If we could get it back to low numbers like we had over the summer, we might get have a chance of beating this and getting hospitality businesses going again. I'm sure the universities returning had a lot to do with it. I'm in York which has been very very busy with tourists all summer but cases remained low. As soon as the 2 universities and 1 college reopened, with so many young people from different areas mixing, (not their fault, you can't expect 18 year olds to stay in their rooms), the cases went up in the areas around the colleges and we now have tier 2 with talk of tier 3 if cases don't drop soon. The present system is messy. York has gone very quiet, tourists are staying away. A short sharp lockdown would be better than this.

polnan

I will risk sticking my head up above the parapet here.

so.. would I be wrong in thinking , that if everyone obeyed the mantra, wear a mask, wash hands, social distance, that there would be no need for lockdowns?

just asking!

I agree. But try getting children to do that. I work with teenagers and my classes are small (overseas boarding school) and I'm still barking 'Put your mask on!' every five minutes.

Milestone,,,
My grandaughters school done the exact same thing, no help or contact from teachers, my daughter became substitute teacher, when she approached the school all they said was,, did the children ask for help,, which ofcourse they did the reply well our teacher's are working very hard trying to get through the new rules that are in force we do apologise.

Callistemon lots of the cleaners were upgraded to caretakers I think. They didn't get the wages or any perks of course and I think the ones I knew were termed "senior cleaners" . They being in charge of the other cleaner!

Teachers' wages will be paid by their union, if their not being at work can be constitued as a strike and the union may well also do so, if their employer, the school authority, sent them home as that would be a lockout in the old sense of the word.

I Denmark, teachers were expected to provide online classes while we were in lockout, so their wages were still paid by the school.

Schools get advice from the Director of Public Health in the county they are in. Schools are divided into bubbles so bubbles will close if there is a case of coronavirus in that bubble but only if the child or adult has been at school during the infection period!
I think it is a political decision to keep schools open where possible.

I agree. I work as support staff in a school. We all worked through the first lockdown and the teachers worked incredibly hard, learning to manage their children, parents and new technology to achieve this. They found that the children managed more work than given so had to up the game. We also had key worker children throughout this. I have never worked so hard. It was incredible and still is. Congratulations to all hard-working school staff, whatever they do!!

Bubbles in school are supposed to be a protecting device and they are up to a point, but my grandson's form teacher tested positive almost two weeks ago and his 'form bubble' was sent home to self-isolate, but the same teacher also teaches several other bubbles because of her subject specialism which she delivers to different year groups, so in fact her one case hit children in different forms and years of the school. And my grandson has friends not in any of those bubbles but with whom he walks home from school, and some of the children in those different bubbles have siblings at home who are at the school but not in those bubbles. It's not rocket science is it?

As for the challenge that teachers were doing nothing in the first lockdown, it's a simple thing to put any such sceptic in the role of a teacher for just a week and monitor the survival or otherwise, and productivity. The reason why we see such misinformed comments is because teachers always go above and beyond what they are paid to do, they make it seem effortless and consequently criticisers have no idea what the job entails. And, they do it for a relative pittance.

My daughter works in primary. Second week of term she and 11 other staff plus one year group were in isolation due to two confirmed cases from pupils. Now there are 3 staff confirmed cases and no one Is being sent home. Staff have no protection and she works physically closely with vulnerable children Across year groups. The rule book seems to have gone out of the window?‍♀️?

Children need to be in school if at all possible they have already missed so much

I have 6 GC in various schools. I’m also a retired teacher and a school Governor. Teachers worked incredibly hard during lockdown and are continuing to do so now. If older people wish to stay away from others then they should do so. Closing schools again isn’t the answer. Those who disagree obviously don’t know about how severely the lockdown affected the mental and physical health of children including one of my GD who has been extremely anxious since returning to school. I do feel however that masks and visors should be compulsory for all school staff to protect them in the same way that these are worn in other public places.

Schools have been told not to report COVID cases

www.tes.com/news/schools-told-not-bother-dfe-covid-cases

Thank you GoldenAge
I feel quite touched reading your lovely comment x

I thought the reason for bubbles was to try to prevent schools closing completely and all the children missing their education

FannyCornforth the school is a large secondary in the West Midlands.

Quizqueen seems quick to sound off but has anyone seen an apology from her? She has clearly hurt a lot of feelings.
Teachers worked very hard and deserve praise.

GranVee

I get really angry at comments like the one from quizqueen "whose going to pay the wages", firstly, teachers have worked very hard during the pandemic, and secondly, the people who shout, we can't afford to pay people are the onces that don't seem to have a problem with this government givinging 12 billion pounds to their mates for a test and trace that is absolutely not fit for purpose.

I absolutely agree