Coronavirus and education

[Mike4]

Not seen a great deal of discussion on this despite the news being full of it.

I'll kick off by saying there was a person on the radio this morning saying (broadly) that schools must open again immediately as children's education is suffering. Out of the school environment young children are forgetting basic things they've already been taught.

She seems to be overlooking the price of opening thousands of schools across the country is further acceleration of virus transmission and a few (or many) thousands more deaths and families ripped apart by grief.

[dealtn]

Not seen a great deal of discussion on this despite the news being full of it.

I'll kick off by saying there was a person on the radio this morning saying (broadly) that schools must open again immediately as children's education is suffering. Out of the school environment young children are forgetting basic things they've already been taught.

She seems to be overlooking the price of opening thousands of schools across the country is further acceleration of virus transmission and a few (or many) thousands more deaths and families ripped apart by grief.

I didn't hear the radio discussion, so can't comment specifically on her attitudes and beliefs.

What I would say (yet again) is this isn't a binary good/bad decision and choice of outcomes. Like so much else it is about balance, and to be frank the more binary attitudes appear at least to me to be on the "schools must be closed" side of the argument. Most school governors and headmasters, and no doubt teachers and local education authority officers seem to have a much more balanced consideration on this.

My wife is a nurse by profession, but after many years in the "healthcare" industry, has worked in "education" as a school nurse for the last ten or so years. She has certainly seen (and commented on) the impact of the pandemic on teenage children's mental health. Some of which is "dealing with" deaths and illnesses of family members, some from the restrictions in socialising, some from the lack of "normal" education.

There is certainly a recognition that "suspending schools", maybe as a way of limiting the spread of infection, creates issues with some schools ability to deliver "online" education to large swathes of students. There is a real spectrum of "education poverty" and at one end there is limited provision of devices, sharing of devices, not to mention the monitoring and policing of their use.

It is very easy to call for universal, and binary, decisions such as stopping school opening, but there are real effects of doing so as offsets to the immediate Covid benefit. There are arguments that the earlier, and sooner, these are done, the shorter and less impact they ultimately have. There may be some validity here, but not completely so. Such decisions have greater impact on the less fortunate, and for many the opportunities presented for economic advancement, flexibility and removing of ceilings that education provide are in the long term more important than short term health considerations.

Sadly my wife is able to relate a large increase in negative thoughts, and ultimately suicidal thoughts amongst teenagers (and no doubt older generations too). One of my son's close friends has attempted (and thankfully not successfully) suicide in the last year, and we are aware of 2 successful adult suicides that have affected our close friends.

[johnhemming]

She seems to be overlooking the price of opening thousands of schools across the country is further acceleration of virus transmission and a few (or many) thousands more deaths and families ripped apart by grief.

We do, of course, ourselves now have access to information to see what is actually happening (not the government's case figures) in different parts of the country. From that it is clear that it is not the same in all places in the country hence to suggest the same thing is done everywhere is not a reasonable proposal.

[dealtn]

What I omitted to say, and something I think could have some traction both practically as well as politically, is to "promote" teachers, and other school employees into Category 2 alongside healthcare providers, with respect to when they can be vaccinated.

This would address both health and educational issues. The minor demotion of some other individulas, from a society perspective to accommodate this, would I think be negligible.

[vagrantbrain]

I guess the alternative is close the schools, set the kids back even further, have a significant proportion of the workforce at home looking after the younger kids (including a lot of women in caring/healthcare jobs), and still have rising cases because people just will not respect the restrictions (mostly the ones shouting loudest for lockdowns while still popping round their friends or neighbours for a cuppa, or standing gossiping in groups at the school gates). Close the schools and just like the spring the teenagers will simply chin it off and go hang around in groups with their friends negating the benefits.

[ReformedCharacter]

What I omitted to say, and something I think could have some traction both practically as well as politically, is to "promote" teachers, and other school employees into Category 2 alongside healthcare providers, with respect to when they can be vaccinated.

Little is has been mentioned in the press about special schools, apart from the fact that they have had to remain open because the majority of those children are 'vulnerable'. At my OH's establishment a high proportion of staff are employed as healthcare assistants due to the profound disability of many of the pupils. But those healthcare staff are not employed by the NHS and therefore will not be covered by whatever priority will be given to NHS staff despite doing exactly the same work. A lot is being asked of these people.

RC

[dealtn]

What I omitted to say, and something I think could have some traction both practically as well as politically, is to "promote" teachers, and other school employees into Category 2 alongside healthcare providers, with respect to when they can be vaccinated.

Little is has been mentioned in the press about special schools, apart from the fact that they have had to remain open because the majority of those children are 'vulnerable'. At my OH's establishment a high proportion of staff are employed as healthcare assistants due to the profound disability of many of the pupils. But those healthcare staff are not employed by the NHS and therefore will not be covered by whatever priority will be given to NHS staff despite doing exactly the same work. A lot is being asked of these people.

RC

Absolutely. These people are amongst the (many) unsung heroes.

I suspect their treatment, with respect to vaccination, and other things relative to "frontline NHS" isn't deliberate or vindictive, more a form of oversight (by politicians and possible society as a whole).

[swill453]

After Gavin Williamson told parents to contact Ofsted if they felt their school wasn't providing suitable remote learning, Ofsted has been deluged with emails from parents praising the schools https://schoolsweek.co.uk/ofsted-deluge ... b-schools/

Scott.