It’s worrying. Government doesn’t want to send whole school year home if a child tests positive. Only those within a couple of meters of said child. I question this . In PE at my sons school the whole year has PE together. ..Girls and boys separated.... how do you work that out. Sons School sent an email saying a case in school only those that need to be will be contacted. My doesn’t son know who( mind you a bomb could go off at and he wouldn’t know or tell me🙄). It was a teacher. My sister was contacted. My son did not get an email. My nephew and son are at school together. They both have this teacher at the same time. My son didn’t get a letter as only the first 2 rows at the front of the class . ???? Government is determined to keep children in school at any cost 😡🤬..
Am I being over reactive? Do other feel that risks are being taken?
My son mentioned something similar about only the front row of pupils being sent home when a teacher was infected - think it was something he read in the Guardian. You couldn’t make it up could you.
Think it’s just how the schools have decided to play it.
I don’t think so. I work in a primary school. It’s an academy and my school and my sons school are all part of a large academy. As teachers we are uncomfortable with this. The principal has constant changing information from Dept of education. ( although thus inflammation hasn’t been shared)When the Covid break was a possibility we were told schools would not be included. Schools to stay open no matter what. Universities all went back look what’s happened.
A colleague daughter is in her final year and hasn’t left her flat bubble only to shop for food. Her bubble is 4 . No lectures ( only on line) no socialising 1 person takes it turn to do the shopping . The flat next door 2 people tested positive within 2 days . They did not leave the flat . Other bubbles shopped for them and left it on the step. My colleagues daughter caught Covid within 14 days . Wore mask sanitiser used. Understandable her mother is worried she can’t go to her just like flu she can’t get out of bed.
It’s a complete nightmare isn’t it. I feel so sorry for kids who have gone to university and who end up locked in like that only to get all their lectures - and some have hardly any of them - via Zoom. It must be a miserable experience for a lot of them.
I heard something on the radio news talking about how so much more is understood about covid now. I know it’s cynical but I just d9nt believe that.
I hope you everyone else who works in a school is able to enjoy half term and have a good rest.
Since being back at school my youngest daughter (primary school) her teacher has had to self isolate due his wife having a +ve covid test, teaching assistant in Lower year tested +ve. My daughter has not been told to stay off school.
My eldest in high school has had 3 teachers had to isolate due to partners having +ve tests and there is absolutely no social distancing in any of the schools.
The high schools have staggered the start times to avoid crowds but all the kids just congregate in big groups outside on street 🤷♀️
The schools in my opinion been put in an impossible situation, they've definitely been conscientious in their organisation but its very hard to get all children to comply.
I feel for all teaching/ school staff, I would be beyond worry if I worked ina school.
I'm currently off the methotrexate so am back to my disease being uncontrolled and I am staying in as much as I can but my children are coming back from having been in school all day and the same with my husband from being at work 😲
The family who live opposite me are always out, recently went to Chessington World Of Adventure (quite a journey from where we are) and I think i am the stupid one for staying in ?
Sounds completely bonkers to me. On our local news this morning it said that the universities are now trying to take legal action against the government for students returning to university and having such high fees but lectures mostly online. 🤷♀️ x
It has been decided to educate children...is paramount.
If they all stay home for fear of a virus ... that experience is proving is very rarely serious in children ....what will become of them?
Presumably children with health problems are still being home educated.
Education used to be the pride of the U.K...it won’t be again if we let a whole tranche of children hang around at home.....with those most needing structured teaching not having the means to access it.
I have a family member who is a headmistress in Birmingham where the infection rate is very high ....she has worked all through .....teaching key workers children and she is quite relaxed about the whole thing ...a couple of her pupils have had CV19 , & recovered well......
Parents just have to decide...ensuring their children behave appropriately.
If teachers don’t want to go into school - they like the rest of the work force who make that decision will presumably not get paid...so as adults they must make the choice....but whatever is decided the children should not suffer.
The UK has not been at the top of the education charts for a very long time, sadly.
I agree that children should be in school. I do think it needs careful management though, and in most cases that is probably happening. However, I really don't think universities should be open to anything other than online learning with exceptions for practical courses or modules.
I am very pleased that I am retired and don't have to face any of this!
Me too.....I agree about university students I cannot think where somebody’s brains were that all young people going back to university or even just starting were not tested for CV19 before they were allowed to go back.
But then the testing system is a car crash......so why would anyone there have thought thousands of young people migrating throughout the country might spread the virus?
👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼👏🏼 Well said! We would be letting whole generations down if they didn’t receive an education. Their whole life chances ruined. It needs perspective.
I honestly don’t think the government knows what it’s doing! It seems the economy takes priority over lives. Except, it can’t be seen to be money focussed.
In situations like a pandemic of this nature, there should be a body of scientists, doctors, health and social care professionals, who are empowered to take control of public health. The government of the day, should be left to make all other decisions. Just my thoughts as a retired teacher and lecturer of politics, economics, business and art, not that this means much 😂
To be honest, I wouldn’t want the PM’s job at the moment, but I am quite sure others could do it better.
To play devils advocate though, you can’t print money out of thin air. If everything keeps closing who’s paying everyone’s salary? How many deaths will there be from suicide alcohol/ drug abuse? What if there isn’t an effective vaccine like everyone seems to think there will be? Needs to be some way to keep everything ticking and try to live with it. I’ve seen barbers etc get fined in Victoria in Australia for opening in the last week and the entire province had 5 cases. It’s bizarre.
It is tricky. In an ideal world, the world would work together to fight this pandemic, supporting one another in every way... As it is the poorer nations and poorer people within those nations, will suffer the most and the rich will follow the money. As it ever has been and ever will be... Greed and Power win the day
As far as I know government are paying two thirds of most peoples wages, at least for the time being. Is printing money out of thin air the same as borrowing it, which I believe is what the government is doing to finance these emergency measures. Whichever it is, it will eventually have to be paid back once the crisis is over.
Yes by increasing everyone’s taxes in what will probably be a recession. Not saying it wasn’t necessary but this routine of lockdown open lockdown won’t exactly be sustainable and who’s to say this won’t be around every year like the seasonal flu.
Agree, at least about not increasing taxes until the economy is well on the road to recovery. What happens to the NHS if we can't subdue the virus, which is the main reason we are having these lockdowns, though I'm not sure that is the correct term as current measures are nothing like as harsh as they were in the national lockdown. Latest news for a vaccine seems promising. I might even get one before my annual flu jab, but that's another story.
There has to be a balance. The people advising government are a group of scientists, public health directors and medics. It’s not just one or two people. It includes psychologists too who talked about lockdown fatigue which was partly why lockdown was when it was so that people still complied at the highest point of disease activity.
Every country is managing it in a similar way with traffic light systems. Same as our tiers.
Yes, I know SAGE has been great. The government said they were following the science but much of the time they have ignored it. The conservatives are predominantly money, business and economy focused, they will only look out for the 'people' as a resource to be utilised. We are expendable assets in economic terms. Had the Gov. been able to get away with 'herd immunity' they really would have but it was not painting them in a very favourable light.
The measures are too vague, the messaging unclear, there are no parameters... It does not encourage people to follow the guidance when much of the time and many of the people don't understand it. The less educated do not read or watch the news, many teenagers do not watch or read the news, and they are not very likely to look up what measures are in place. I have a very well educated friend who, when I asked what the measures were in her hometown (Blackburn), beyond being unable to mix households she had no idea!
We certainly should avoid another lock-down. We really do need improved management of the situation. We absolutely need clear and concise guidance and messaging.
Well enough scientists, clinicians ,economists & others supposedly qualified to advise are rolled out to give their opinions......trouble is.....those with the clout(& the ego) don’t listen.
Hopefully one day ...even without a pandemic.....those in charge of all Government departments in all political parties will actually have some expert knowledge of that department’s brief.......& not be someone relying on secondhand expert opinion from civil servants ......especially when they probably don’t understand what they’re being told in the first place.
The biggest problem is that people don’t look, don’t care enough to look.
The rules vary too much from area to are and are therefore vague regarding the tiers.
Should be for all those in tier x , y rules apply without exception. There should be parameters, everyone should know or be able to find out what levels lead to which tier being applied!
I agree. From my original post it was changes that we are not told about. First it was the entire bubbles sent home to isolate if a positive test. Then only those who had been within a certain distance of a positive person. We were not told if changes.
This week I had 2 children in my class taken out of school just after lunch as their mother had just received a positive test. These children were at school for 2 days while mother was awaiting test . Apparently you only need to isolate if a family member receives a positive test not while waiting for it .. I don’t find this acceptable
I was always taught if you don’t know please ask because you can make a real muck up if you do the wrong thing!
From Day one it has been proved too many people think they know best...& have continued to gather in all sorts of public places , ....where clusters of CV have caused infection to spread.....young people are not wholly to blame...plenty of old uns have behaved badly too.
Like many people I would love to do exactly as I want to do & ignore all the rules .......mostly I just don’t want to be controlled, but particularly I don’t want CV19......so I mostly stay home alone, no family in U.K., most friends 70+ in similar situations......but by doing that I hope I am keeping others safe as well as myself.
People are not taking the advice... muddled as it is - seriously.......& the penalties.....apart from the £10k fines are derisory ....& tbh I bet the majority will never be paid.
Make breaking the rules uncomfortable and maybe they will be observed.
Cancel the passports of all those off on holiday if they refuse to quarantine on return.....or make the fines eye watering & make laws not advisories to make sure they are paid........just deduct from salaries.....big wake up!
I appreciate we should be allowed to spend our money as we wish but not when spending it on a holiday to a virus ridden country endangers the rest of the population....but to do that would be “unpopular” & that is a big NoNo in all Governments .
I haven't read all the responses, but I do think our strategy, what we had of it , is fragmenting. The approaches to containing Covid and moving on with life in some resemblance of normality are seen best in East Asian countries who have experience of dealing with similar issues and have populations who will 'sit and stay' when told to do so. Gross generalisation, but we appear to value our individual freedom to choose, over long term public health gains.
My husband works in a school. He says children keep disappearing from class and he is only told after they come back if it is Covid. He is now paranoid for my sake and comes home showers washes clothes and hand sanitizers before saying hello.
I work in a school aswell as a TA, I have a low immune system due to fibromyalgia and IBS, on the friday before the holidays we were the only class left in the whole of KS1. All had covid cases.
Makes me so anxious but school have said we all have to be back at work in a bubble.
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Covid can f*** off. 
Best Wishes for a Happy, Blessed Christmas, from Across the Waves!
What Chance of Survival With The Virus.
Sorry moaning again 
