The Return to School

[Bantamzen]

Too right I would. Played at Saturday lunchtime, legged it to work and put a late afternoon shift in many a time when i had to go in on Saturdays.

50k dead, thousands with covid, millions on furlough, hundreds of thousands paniking about their jobs/businesses and you're worried about little Banta because she's a bit sweaty in maths? If you're warm, sit in your kit, if cold then put your pants on over the top. In all my years at school I never, ever met another pupil who was bothered about being sweaty after lunchtime football - which we played in our uniform, not even PE kit.

<Sigh> Not this crap argument again. Remind me where the largest proportion of cases come from again? (Hint, places where victims where tipped into by the government)

Kids usually run round in uniform on breaks. PE lessons tend to be no more intensive than that. They're not doing hour-long HIIT sessions.

I'd expect the dislike is more about things being uncomfortably different. I'm sat here now in what is basically the same as school PE kit bar what's printed on it. It's what I wear every day pretty much.

A lot of kids don't just peg it around at lunch, but that is not the point.

 

[yorkie]

The reality is that if you ask a group of kids these sorts of questions you will get a huge range of answers. I know this from experience.

 

[Bikeman78]

Two interesting reads below.

‘I do not see a single student wash their hands': teacher’s diary of the first week back at school

Children packed in like sardines, few face masks ... an English secondary teacher records pupils’ return

www.theguardian.com

...The staff there are rightfully vigilant about children sanitising their hands as they come in. My youngest is caught off guard. “Hand sanitiser, please!”. He has his water bottle in one hand and his packed lunch in the other, his face contorting as he puzzles through his dilemma. His bottom lip wobbles, then he sticks his water bottle under his armpit, threads his other hand through the handle of his lunchbox, and sanitises like it’s going out of fashion.
‘I am deeply scared for so many children’: diary of a headteacher in lockdown

This makes me think about my own school. It is easy to bemoan the absence of adequate PPE, but are the schools that enforce strict safety rules in danger of scaring the life out of young people?

'Our first case of Covid. Parents are hounding me, staff are afraid': diary of a headteacher's week

The exhausted head of a school in England wonders how much more he can take

www.theguardian.com

...Over the weekend I’ve received 15 emails from parents either arguing that our Covid-19 safety measures are not robust enough, or that Covid-19 is a hoax and by enforcing our safety measures I am abusing their child’s human rights. I have stock responses referencing official advice. I’m not engaging with these parents – it is too draining....

 

[takno]

Two interesting reads below.

‘I do not see a single student wash their hands': teacher’s diary of the first week back at school

Children packed in like sardines, few face masks ... an English secondary teacher records pupils’ return

www.theguardian.com

'Our first case of Covid. Parents are hounding me, staff are afraid': diary of a headteacher's week

The exhausted head of a school in England wonders how much more he can take

www.theguardian.com

I think it's a lot of things all at once, and in general it is starting to calm down a bit as everyone gets used to being out of the house as much as the new routines. The other factor is that as more and more schools get cases, the whole thing becomes commonplace and people are much less up in arms about the whole thing.

I may well think the whole Covid thing is a pointless pantomime, but it's a pantomime teachers have no choice about taking part in, and education is something we can't do without. Hopefully it will get more parents engaged in real life again, and as they see the virus not having a massive effect on the community they will get bored with supporting the restrictions

 

[Darandio]

Two members of staff in our youngest's primary school are both self-isolating because of being in close contact with others who have tested positive although neither have tested positive themselves.

Their response? Send a letter home asking all parents to wear masks outdoors when picking up and dropping off the kids. Not a cat in hells chance.

 

[trebor79]

Their response? Send a letter home asking all parents to wear masks outdoors when picking up and dropping off the kids. Not a cat in hells chance.

We've had that too. My wife does, I don't. About half the parents do, though notably none of those who are health professionals mask up in the fresh air waiting for the kids to come out.
Wearing masks outside is absolutely absurd.

 

[initiation]

Opt-out testing in Liverpool starting Monday.

 

[johnnychips]

^ That’s a bit shocking. I don’t disagree at all with the idea of mass testing, but surely you have to give permission to have someone put a stick up your child’s nose rather than it being the default. Perhaps I have read it wrong.

And what’s that bit about major disruption at the end? Bit late now, sure others will look at that letter tomorrow.. are we sure it’s not a fake?

 

[initiation]

are we sure it’s not a fake?

Broadgreen - Important information about Coronavirus Covid-19

Click the 'letter from the headteacher"


I guess the major disruption is that they will probably find a load of positive test results (whether asymptomatic or false positives) that will require people to drop out of school and work.

 

[johnnychips]

Hi @initiation It was a lot easier to read using your link; thanks. If I were a parent I would be playing hell.

 

[Darandio]

More shenanigans from the secondary school that two of my children go to. A member of kitchen staff has tested positive so all other kitchen staff have to self-isolate. The catering company cannot provide any further staff so from Monday there are no hot meals for over 1000 students until further notice. Students on free meals will be provided with a 'cold bag' daily, i've no doubt it will be nutritionally useless. Those who pay for meals have to bring a packed lunch.

 

[david1212]

Some of years 11 and 12 at the local secondary school have been requested to self-isolate. Back in September after one full week year 13 were all requested to stay at home.

More shenanigans from the secondary school that two of my children go to. A member of kitchen staff has tested positive so all other kitchen staff have to self-isolate. The catering company cannot provide any further staff so from Monday there are no hot meals for over 1000 students until further notice. Students on free meals will be provided with a 'cold bag' daily, i've no doubt it will be nutritionally useless. Those who pay for meals have to bring a packed lunch.

Of course times have changed from 40-50 years ago not least training, qualifications plus elf & safetea. Then staff were directly employed by the school / education authority. Thinking more about the village primary school I'm sure in this situation cover would have been arranged by relatives, friends and parents.