School infection

I did supply teaching in my old school for a number of years after retiring. I have already been asked if I’m available this term. I decided earlier in the year that I’d had enough. Really wouldn’t want to be going into numerous classes dealing with large numbers of children.

GagaJo

I’m no classroom wimp but I wouldn’t teach in Haverhill even without the virus.

Don't be a snob!

I've done supply work there and it used to be a fabulously supportive school. I've also tutored a few students from there and they've survived and gone on to do great things.

PS. I wouldn't do supply work there (or anywhere) now because I don't want to catch Covid-19.

Furret The advice from the DfE is for pupils and teachers not to wear masks in schools, apart from in communal areas, such as corridors.

I have just picked a GC (yr 1) and all teachers and TAs have to wear (and those I saw were) face shields.

Despite large notices on all gates, fences and notice boards saying face coverings must be worn past this point I would hazard a guess that two out of ten adults picking up children were not wearing them or socially distanced. (I adhered to both requests)

The school itself has made that decision. Are you sure all teachers and TAs are wearing masks in the classroom? It's definitely not the DfE advice, although they backed down from saying they shouldn't be worn to a wishy washy "well, wear then if you must" approach.

I’m not a snob growstuff, but working short term (should’ve been permanent but I cut and run) in Sunderland taught me I am past working in very tough areas. 25 years ago, yes.

Problem is GG13, face shields offer virtually no protection.

growstuff

Callistemon

And the transport is public - not a school bus.

I'm not sure what you mean. I know some pupils use public transport, but in this area most of the school buses are "school buses", paid for by the local authority.

In rural areas here the children catch the normal service bus, overcrowded with schoolchildren, people going to work etc. The pupils get a bus pass.

I thought we were talking generally; you must mean one particular school, growstuff.

My niece lives in Wiltshire and went back to school on Friday. Yesterday her year group where put into isolation as 4 staff members have tested positive and one student. Year 9

growstuff

The school itself has made that decision. Are you sure all teachers and TAs are wearing masks in the classroom? It's definitely not the DfE advice, although they backed down from saying they shouldn't be worn to a wishy washy "well, wear then if you must" approach.

All staff are wearing face shields, I know the Head Teacher, several teachers and TAs.

Callistemon

I thought we were talking generally; you must mean one particular school, growstuff.

No. I meant all Essex County Council, which spends £500,000 on school buses. There is hardly any public transport in much of the county, so pupils wouldn't be able to get to school without school buses. It's the same in most rural and semi-rural areas of the country.

Ah. We are in Wales.
Some areas in our LA have school buses with about 3 pupils using them, whilst in other areas the pupils have to cram on to public transport. It seems quite arbitrary.

GagaJo

I’m not a snob growstuff, but working short term (should’ve been permanent but I cut and run) in Sunderland taught me I am past working in very tough areas. 25 years ago, yes.

Haverhill isn't very tough. It's "working class" for sure, but there are also surrounding pretty villages. Increasingly, parents are opting to send their children to one of the two comprehensives in Haverhill and spend their money on tutors, rather than sending them to a private school. The school which has been infected did have very good discipline and it has sets, so brighter children were in top sets and can learn as well as anybody else. The parents who opt for private schools, if they can afford them, were those with average ability children. The school has an exceptional special needs annexe and runs a range of vocational courses, which Ofsted doesn't like much but parents and pupils do.

All the staff at the Haverhill school are TAs, so that means they won't need supply staff. I hope they all recover fully.

The school is now going to operate a rota system, which IMO they should have done from the start.

samuelward.co.uk/letter/important-information-for-parents-and-carers

I agree school buses are a necessity in rural areas and are going to be hot beds for infection.
Some private schools have stopped their minibus pickups totally because it is impossible to socially distance everyone, driver, chaperone and kids. Not a favoured decision by many parents who rely on the early morning collection service and evening return. The children are now journeying into school on the train or on a public bus like everyone else. (Prep schools).

Which is fine, if there any buses and trains, which there aren't in this part of the world. Not all parents have their own car.

If parents opt to send their children to a private school, it's their responsibility to make sure they can get there.

The comprehensive in my town has about 25 school buses (mainly double deckers). Most of those buses are full and the children can't socially distance, either on the bus or at loading and unloading times.

This was all so predictable and I'm so cross that people just looked the other way and repeated the mantra about getting children back into school.

Of course children needed to be back to school, but it didn't need to be either/or. There could have been rota systems from the start, which would have enabled smaller "bubbles" and social distancing.

In Haverhill, they've now ended up with over 100 children at home for two weeks and parents who can't go to work and are more anxious than ever about sending their children to school. In addition there are infected adults, whose own families will have to self-isolate. I only hope the people infected aren't too badly affected and don't end up in hospital. Cloth-eared madness to appease the tabloids!

If parents opt to send their children to a private school, it's their responsibility to make sure they can get there.
Of course, but when parents specifically choose a school for its pick up service, (due mainly to clashing work commitments), it can be a problem if that no longer exists. The school my DGD attends has 6 minibuses covering various routes.
25 is a huge number of buses and I'm guessing the children are on the bus together for quite a period of time?