UK Covid death toll

[Derek Hardballs]

At present we have barely any safeguards in place at Primary and at senior school we have finally started vaccinations and bizarrely enforcing mask wearing in corridors and communal spaces but not in classrooms (virus doesn’t like lessons apparently). There haven’t been any ventilation systems put in place when we had months to do so last summer. There is very little that makes any sense health wise with regards to keeping children safe from the virus.  

I certainly don’t want my children off school, I want them to have the best education they can have but I also realise that just saying kids should be at school regardless of the spread of the virus is not necessarily practical, safe or realistic if the virus is just allowed to rip through the schools over the next few months.

It sounds a good idea but how do you finance and practically install the modern efficient ventilation systems in 24,360 schools in England, in the required time scale you suggest?

What are these ventilation systems that are readily available can be easily installed without detailed surveys of the buildings? Where are all the qualified installation engineers to be found? And all this to be done in months?

So, we continue to hamper a generation’s education and possibly more important, social development? (Which you will complain about, down the line, ignoring the fact that you called for it)

So we do next to nothing to keep schools safe because it’s too complicated for this government to deliver? We have had at least a 18mths to start putting better ventilation in place and generally making schools safer. The only thing we have at the moment is the ability to open a window! We only ask young people to wear masks in communal areas for no logical reasons and testing is pretty much based on trust. 

How can you keep school’s running if you let this more contagious version of Covid rip through schools If you get numerous teachers and half a year group off? How is that going to help childrens education? This argument that schools must stay open no matter what is flying in the face of practical problems as basic as do we have enough staff that are well to keep them running? 

Six cases already reported over the weekend from schools my children attend. Only one member of staff in school office due to Covid