OT. Schools...normality and Coronavirus.

[ramAnag]

I totally ‘get’ where you’re coming from Swale and, at a personal level I long for the whole thing to be over...like many others I just feel as if my life has been ‘crossed out’ for the last three months.

I do accept that children seem to be, as is the case with many diseases, less at risk of serious illness, however I’m not convinced of the science as regards their role as spreaders. It really doesn’t seem to make sense and the BMA have voiced their concerns. The safety of children, school staff and the avoidance of a second spike, which will immediately send everything back into full lockdown, are all paramount imo.

Two questions...would you, honestly, teach in, support individual children or clean a room that had had 15 children in it for six or seven hours without appropriate PPE, and would you, as a Headteacher or Chair of Governors, be prepared to accept responsibility for opening a school when this might lead to such dire consequences.

On balance, for the sake of six or seven weeks of part time voluntary education I think I’d be inclined to leave things till September but I recognise it’s a horrible quandary to be in.

[swaledale]

I totally ‘get’ where you’re coming from Swale and, at a personal level I long for the whole thing to be over...like many others I just feel as if my life has been ‘crossed out’ for the last three months.

I do accept that children seem to be, as is the case with many diseases, less at risk of serious illness, however I’m not convinced of the science as regards their role as spreaders. It really doesn’t seem to make sense and the BMA have voiced their concerns. The safety of children, school staff and the avoidance of a second spike, which will immediately send everything back into full lockdown, are all paramount imo.

Two questions...would you, honestly, teach in, support individual children or clean a room that had had 15 children in it for six or seven hours without appropriate PPE, and would you, as a Headteacher or Chair of Governors, be prepared to accept responsibility for opening a school when this might lead to such dire consequences.

On balance, for the sake of six or seven weeks of part time voluntary education I think I’d be inclined to leave things till September but I recognise it’s a horrible quandary to be in.

So its fine for transport workers health staff, carers, truckers, police, shop workers, maintenance workers (often going into homes) to be exposed to in many cases several hundreds of people on a daily basis but its too risky for a teacher to deal with up to 15 children and keep their distance from between 5 and 30 other staff?

Plus what about the thousands of other deaths that have happened and are happening now as a result of the lock down? The deaths that will happen over the longer term and the adverse impact on peoples lives that a tanked economy will have?

Also 6 or 7 weeks of no school will impact on the ability of people to return to work.

I'm not sure what dire consequences you are talking about - the risk to children is low, the risk to teachers is low, unless they have an underlying health condition, but then thats the worse for people who are still working, whats the difference?

Of course the science isn't there, but it won't be there in totality for months, exactly what will have changed in pure risk terms?

Nothing, we don't as a society have a good understanding of risk or that actually its impossible to be risk free - I will give an example - there is an awful lot of talk about the risks of taking a drug like ecstasy, yet on average 1 person dies from taking it in a year, whilst on average 250 people die as a result of a horse riding accident, on risk terms we would ban horse riding.

As for the second wave, it will come its bound to, we are going to have to live with this virus, with those that are vulnerable taking a decision on how to protect themselves, others will just have to get on live their lives. Thats the reality.

I personally am not bothered about the lock down, apart from not going out to restaurants, gigs, theatre, holidays etc. I am pretty much doing what i normally do. I can work from home though I've taken the decision to wind it down and retire fully. But many are not in that position, their jobs are under threat, their education is stalled, careers halted and the impact will be felt for years not months.

I can see why those on furlough are reluctant to return, take away them being paid to sit at home and do nothing and the mood of the nation will change quickly!