Close the schools!

I think I've posted this before - apologies but these are the only stats I've been able to find. 65 COVID deaths in schools before the end of April, 17 of whom were secondary teachers
schoolsweek.co.uk/ons-figures-reveal-65-covid-related-deaths-in-education/
I've never been able to find any school stats after April.

I've also explained before that govt policy before October half-term was that teachers didn't wear masks in the classroom, no govt money was made available for extra teaching or cleaning staff, and govt were adamant that neither learning rotas (one year of pupils in one week, not the next on rotation), nor blended learning (part in school, part Zoom) was acceptable. Govt also reneged on their promise to get poor kids electronic devices for home learning in October.
Shop workers are compared to teachers. Customers have been counted into shops for ten months. Classrooms have much greater density (people to room volume) than shops, and shops have perspex screens, workers have masks.

Good point Ellianne. And of course, a lot of older teachers have been drummed out of the profession. Certainly my teacher friends and colleagues who have so far dodged Covid are on their knees with exhaustion. Plus of course those who have contracted it. One friend, 35, is on her 3rd week of Covid. One, has long Covid and has been unable to function properly for months. And all because they chose to be teachers instead of another profession.

I agree that this is probably putting untold stress and fear onto teachers in the older category (50+). But how would it be possible to protect just them?
The younger ones may just feel inconvenienced by it all, but it doesn't spell disaster for them.

I’m pretty sure people working in Asda didn’t sign up to risk their lives either but some things are essential and children’s education is one of them

It isn't just about how many teachers have died though, is it? It is about the risk, the fear. Teachers aren't soldiers. They didn't sign up to risk their lives. As I said, there will be a retention and recruitment crisis if we don't have a bit more care and concern for teachers now.

So who would look after your primary school age GC @bobbydog or do their parents not work? This could go on all year...

I too think schools should stay closed until this covid is under control because it is totally out of control at the moment. I have two grandchildren, one in high school and one in primary. The one in primary has been in and out like a yo-yo and was isolating up until Christmas Eve due to child in his class testing positive. Almost every teacher in his school has had the virus. Primary school should be able to safeguard the pupils as the teachers and TAs are with the one class all day (the bubble)so as long as they don’t cross over it would limit the transfer greatly however it was apparent in my grandsons school that teachers were crossing over into other classes due to the teachers being off school. My granddaughter at high school only had one week off and that was due to a teacher going off and the knock on effect. Both grandchildren were not affected in any way with the time off they had during lockdown earlier in the year, they actually enjoyed it and did their home work diligently every day. I agree, schools shouldn’t be used for babysitting because in my opinion that’s why the government kept them
openfor so long.

It's not the teachers and teachers who are catching it who are the issue. It's the fact that pupils are infecting each other and then taking it home to their families.

Quite honestly, the fact that you don't appear to know much doesn't tell me anything at all.

Maybe you'd volunteer to sit in a room about 8 x 8 metres with 30 others for six hours and no protective clothing at all.

PS. There aren't 11 million children in the UK.

PPS. As you think Covid-19 is only supposedly deadly, maybe you'd like to have a look at a few dead bodies. Are they only supposedly dead?

The likeliest answer I can find to my question is 26. And none of them caught it from a child they were teaching. For this we are ruining the futures of 11 million children. Will someone please put some perspective into this issue!

GagaJo

GrannyRose15

Closing schools damages children. We cannot continue to sacrifice our children to add a few more years to the lives of the old.

But you're happy to sacrifice teachers in order to get this? There was a teacher retention crisis in the UK long before Covid appeared, due to the terrible working conditions they have to endure. After this debacle, I predict that teaching will be an even more undesireable career choice.

And then of course, parents will be even MORE unhappy with the state of British education.

Do you know how many teachers have died from this supposedly deadly disease? No neither do I. Don't you think that says something?

So do you think there should be a partial closure of schools?

That's what the teacher unions have been suggesting for months.

BTW Who do you think should be responsible for setting the "home week" work plus teaching pupils face to face?

I don't think that we should shut the schools but I do think that parents should be able to make a judgement decision about home tutoring or sending children to school without fines or having to de- register & potentially losing their places.

I also believe that it would make sense to perhaps halve the classes and have children in alternate weeks offering much more space in classes. Teachers could teach then children could undertake work on their 'home week's (obviously provision would need to be made for vulnerable children or those of essential workers).

Kamiso yes he started to have problems in around February
(dd called into school etc) had the school nurse who was supposed to refer him(but she didn't) she has now left, kept waiting and waiting, then Covid arrived put everything back.

Sen teacher is occupied with another child so a waiting game.

He has now got an appointment with Pediatrician in January.

Nanna58

What rhetoric! Teachers are not being ‘ sacrificed ‘ any more than many other workers and a lot less than some.

Not true Nanna58. There was a report which calculated that teachers are at greater risk than nearly everybody except frontline healthcare workers.

The report relied on data from before the summer holidays, when schools only had a small percentage of pupils in the building. Since then, the situation has become worse.

The issue is that teachers don't have PPE (unlike healthcare workers). They are being forced to be in cramped, poorly ventilated working conditions for many hours every day (unlike almost everybody else).

The main reason that teachers (and, more importantly, teaching assistants) can't be vaccinated as a priority is that there are quite simply not enough doses. There are almost a million adults working on the frontline in schools. Currently, the UK doesn't have a million doses going spare. Maybe the situation will change if/when the AstraZeneca/Oxford vaccine is given the green light, but that would still displace nearly a million people who are more likely to suffer serious symptoms from the queue.

The only solution is to shield teachers from direct contact with pupils until a vaccine can become available.

Message withdrawn at poster's request.

Why are teachers not being vaccinated? DD teaches seriously deprived primary ages with social emotional needs in a school beset with constant bubble closures . She keeps being told to maintain 2 m distance. If she did she could not do her job. No protection and no vaccination. She has health issues if her own and lives alone. How long before she gets the virus?

And I only retired from teaching quite recently so certainly don’t have a ‘down’ on the profession

What rhetoric! Teachers are not being ‘ sacrificed ‘ any more than many other workers and a lot less than some.

Bikergran: Others may know more but perhaps your grandson needs to be assessed by the CAMS (?) team. A friend’s grandson has been assessed recently.

bikergran some children are really struggling this year. I had one here who couldn't cope during the summer and mum removed him from my care. Going back to school hasn't proved any better.

V3ra she did have a childminder, but then gs started to become hard work,the childminder could not cope and refused to have him.

Hence she lost her post at the hospital. Also with Covid the childminder could not have him anyway.

Dd is really struggling with gs and now has been offered help.He may have some form of ADHD or something.

The school have exluded him twice in the last month and would not let him go back on the last day. I will pass on your information, thanks.

bikergran has your daughter contacted her local authority Family Information Service?
They can help with details of all the childminders in her area.

GrannyRose15

Closing schools damages children. We cannot continue to sacrifice our children to add a few more years to the lives of the old.

But you're happy to sacrifice teachers in order to get this? There was a teacher retention crisis in the UK long before Covid appeared, due to the terrible working conditions they have to endure. After this debacle, I predict that teaching will be an even more undesireable career choice.

And then of course, parents will be even MORE unhappy with the state of British education.

Couldn't agree more Coco51. I left school with ONE O Level and through evening classes and part time study while working, worked my way up to a Masters.

I am a teacher now and MANY of my international students are older than their year group. I currently have an 18 year old just beginning the equivalent of A Levels. Last year I had a 20 year old doing the same. A few years ago, I had 18 year olds doing GCSEs. The end result is what is important, not WHEN you do it.

I so agree with you Gagajo. How is it that we cannot visit a family of six, yet it is perfectly fine for hundreds of children to mix? There is no logical explanation. Education should be a life-long learning experience. Would it be so terrible if curriculum studies were set back a year? The Open University is proof that education can be successfully carried out on-line, and for secondary pupils a good route into the discipline of personal study. Most EU countries don’t start formal schooling for primary pupils until they are six and I cannot understand the rush GB imposes to start educating children almost as soon as they are weaned. Whilst key workers need childcare facilities, the smaller numbers of children going into these settings put a limit on possible infections.