How many adults in a school building

As a secondary school teacher in my 50s, i want to remind the Scottish Government that within large secondary schools you dont only have over 1000 pupils, you can also have around 200 adults in the building at the same time. We hear lots of mention that the rate of transmission between young people is low , but once you open schools again you will being all these "older" people together too. I want to know what protection you will provide 200 staff in a school, that will be different to that which was non-existant on Friday 20 March when we closed the building. What reassurances will we be given that we WILL have additional cleaning, that we WILL have hand sanitiser in EVERY classroom, that we WILL NOT be villified for asking for measures. Staff are your biggest resource in schools - look after them or you wont have resourced schools to open.

Why the contribution is important

This idea is important as cleaning of schools and lack of ppe, social distancing was disgusting. Staff were made to feel awful for asking for it or even raising concerns.

by Minigal on May 08, 2020 at 02:46PM

Current Rating

Average rating: 4.8
Based on: 14 votes

Comments

  • Posted by GIN May 08, 2020 at 16:31

    Also coach drivers to transport children to school. Many are elderly.

  • Posted by Topsy May 09, 2020 at 01:19

     I am a secondary teacher - over 60 - there are still quite a few of us left! I feel vulnerable and overlooked by those repeating that school pupils are less likely to be affected by the virus. Don’t forget the many staff of all ages - including ones with health issues or even just a bit older than average. Many parents are also vulnerable and even before official closure were keeping their children off school - to protect not just their children but themselves. Even cutting classes to 50 percent of previous size would not reduce big classes to numbers that could safely observe social distancing.

  • Posted by MrsAytsy May 09, 2020 at 07:53

    Additionally, many school buildings are overcrowded old rabbit warrens with high numbers of staff crammed into small rooms all day long, with no other option due to lack of space. Narrow corridors are also an issue. Many of these buildings were not fit for purpose prior to covid-19 and are definitely not now. Presumably money ringfenced for new buildings has been used elsewhere and the new builds may not now happen? I hope this is not the case. But I wonder if the original plans need to be ripped up and restarted to ensure safety from this new consideration in the architectural plans.

  • Posted by Charlj81 May 11, 2020 at 19:23

    I think masks for children and staff should be compulsory in addition to shift patterns for pupil to adult ratios. I currently work in a HUB, and there is no PPE and no encouragement to bring your own. Social distancing doesn't happen, and all we have is hand sanitizer. There seems to be the usual culture of, "educational staff are just bound to get it no matter what we do, so what's the point?" This is a risky attitude for both staff, children and the key worker families that they return home to each night.

    It would be great to follow the lead of other countries that are ahead of us in the process. I agree with the comment above that not all school spaces are the same. Some schools have large classrooms and corridors, while others are the small and narrow. There are also open plan schools. Outdoor learning is a great option if your playground or local area caters to that, however this isn't the case for many schools, especially in the city. There is a lot to consider, and being closed goes against the heart of every teacher.
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