Safety in schools

As a teacher I am concerned that discussions regarding school safety have been very vague and contradictory up until now. School staff need clear guidance which is strictly adhered to in order to ensure the safety of everyone in the school. Many staff in our school would be unable to return as they are shielding/living with someone who is shielding and that has an immediate impact on our staffing. Therefore contingency plans would have to be made to facilitate any return. A return would be best in the autumn term if it is safe (following the implementation of proper track, trace and isolate procedures) to allow for the huge changes and preparations that would have to be made.

Schools need time to scrupulously consider the whole school day and how to minimise the possible spread of infection. Teachers must have PPE, particularly those with younger children who will need close help eg tying laces, putting on coats etc. There must be assurances that stocks of PPE will not run out. Routines will need to be reconsidered and redesigned e.g how do you ensure social distancing in toilets, if it means only one child can visit the toilet at a time how is this managed over multiple classes with a lack of staff? Children will need to be provided with their own set of resources eg crayons, pencils, etc and teachers will be unable to collect in paper. Shared resources such as toys could not be used in the usual way, and teaching resources such as cubes, counters etc would have to be disinfected between uses. Time and staff would have to be factored in for this. Ordinary ways of teaching could not continue eg partner work, group work, sending home of reading books, play pedagogy. Contact would have to be minimised as far as possible. Lunch halls would have to be organised so that children could be socially distanced and the current system where children queue, get their own cutlery, pick up a piece of fruit, serve their own salad could not continue. The school “bubble” would have to be minimised for the protection of both staff and pupils and in order to facilitate contact tracing. Teachers and staff could not be expected to spend time with different cohorts of children throughout the day. If “viral load” indeed has an impact on the severity of illness this is particularly important in protecting the health and safety of staff. Entrances and exits to schools would have to be marked out with 2m between and it would be impossible for a whole school of children to return at once. Drop offs and pickups would have to be staggered. There would have to be hand sanitiser outside every classroom and toilet for use after each entry and exit. There must be adequate stocks of liquid soap and paper towels. There would have to be provision for social distancing in staff areas and proper and regular cleaning of staffrooms and microwaves, fridges. There should be minimal face to face contact between adults and meetings should continue to take place online if required. Time spent on the premises should be minimised.

If all of this was in place, it would be necessary to have children attend school on a rota/part time basis to facilitate social distancing. Staff would have to work in teams eg Team A week 1, Team B week 2 to minimise contact. There would need to be guidance as to curricular priorities. I would suggest that the mental health and well-being of our children would be the first consideration. There could be a focus on the development of these resources by education bodies at this moment. I would also suggest that all children are issued with an IPad or similar to use in class . This would ensure equity and would allow for ongoing online learning and provision for further possible lockdowns. The Scottish Government should also facilitate free WiFi for our must vulnerable families.

The health and safety of staff and children is a priority. We know that this virus thrives in institutions. There should be no rush back to school just to boost the economy. This must be done with the utmost of care, thought and consideration. Guidance must come from the top down, and must be clear, sensible and manageable. It cannot be empty words - it must be meaningful and it must be enforced. No one should accept unsafe procedures. No learning can take place if there is not a focus on safety. With some reports of an inflammatory illness related to COVID which is affecting children, and the indiscriminate nature of the virus in terms of how it affects adults, it would be dangerous and extremely foolish to rush into a return with the economy as the priority. As much as I miss the children I teach, I would not want to put them in a position where I could potentially transfer this virus to them or to their families.