Joined Up Thinking?
So, after threatening Greenwich council on Monday with legal action to stop them closing schools early and avoid a possible spike of infection for pupils and staff over Christmas, justifying it by saying online learning was not appropriate, on Thursday schools are told they won't be able to open fully at the start of next term and will have to revert to the more appropriate online learning, whilst they prepare for Covid testing to be rolled out. This announcement on the last day of term was followed this morning by schools minister Nick Gibb stating glibly (pun intended) that full guidance will be sent out next week! Oh and schools will be able to recruit volunteers with absolutely no need for any safeguarding checks.
You really couldn't make it up, could you! 
Comments
-
Isn't there an old saying about lunatics taking over the institution?
0 -
I am not defending HMG on some of the situations they have been faces with (as other countries)
It seems that although there has been a lot of "hand wringing" when anyone mentions children ,teens mostly it seems, and schools are one of the big problems big recent (not the mutated virus strain) spikes in the home counties at least, ,have been traced to them , so i would think when it is said a fast changing situation is correct it just happened now instead of another time (less problamatic? to get implemented
0 -
My wife still teaches and the whole school is just reeling from the announcement. Firstly they, like all schools, found out through the BBC and not from the government.
Secondly the idea of schools finishing early yesterday (my wife's didn't) was partly I recall to give teachers some extra time off to recover from this term and indeed they were told to rest up over the school holidays.
Now by this late announcement staff have to plan to teach remotely for the first week and the only time they can plan is during the Christmas break. They are not being paid during this but I'm sure they all will.
There are also plans to have teachers do the testing.
A serving headteacher has put it very succinctly, "The rhetoric is very much Battle of Britain, the reality, I'm afraid, feels a bit more like Dad's Army,"
4 -
It's not the testing which is controversial. It's the timing, of course, which is ludicrous. The same minister last week gave schools permission to close a day early and take today as an INSET day. Surely we are not being asked to believe that they were not already considering testing at that time?
3 -
I mean that could have made sense, use today to plan for the first week back? But as you say that was never mentioned at the time.
0 -
The left hand truly does not know what the right is doing. I was told by my GP surgery I couldn’t go into the surgery for my flu jab-2 nurses were sent out to administer it on my doorstep. I later contacted same GP Surgery asking for a blood test. . .Yes come in @ xxxx time, err, really?. It’s true I can only be open to covid-19 whilst getting a flu jab, blood tests render me immune to covid-19. Another story from the Govt sponsored book-‘you really couldn’t make it up’☹️
1 -
Elect a clown, then expect a Circus. 🤷♀️
I truly hope that much of the incompetence, lying, u turning, self gratification seeking, lack of compassion, divisive decision making is remembered by the voting public when the time is right.
Sadly, the next decision will be “ok then, but just who do I cast my vote for?” I don’t think British Politics has been in such a shambles one way or another in my lifetime. ☹️
Eton closed early.
1 -
If we open a practice to the many thousands of the patients on its books that require a flu jab there is a very good chance that the practice staff and the practice itself will become corvid infected. It only takes one carrier. That would take staff and possibly the premises out of circulation and nobody will receive treatment there for many weeks. People such as you needing a blood test and other investigation and treatments would have to go elsewhere placing further strain on the NHS.
Were you not asked to go to a mass flu vaccination centre?
1 -
That is my very point-joined up thinking. “I was told by my GP surgery I couldn’t go into the surgery for my flu jab”, it wasn’t my call it was theirs. The whole covid thing has been mismanaged. There never has been a plan B.
0 -
You seem to be missing the point🤷🏻♂️. If it was the safest thing why then tell me to then come in for my bloods-they are both at the surgery & both involve needle in arm administered by a nurse. I had no issue going to the surgery or them coming to me.
2 -
Flu vaccine is not routinely stocked by GP practices. Have you considered that and that to provide you a single jab they may have had to waste the remainder of a pack of 100 or more. I'm only guessing but there will have been a good reason for what they did.
1 -
I’m hoping I’ll find out, however it doesn’t compute at the moment. Both my contacts within & without the practice nurses was the same so I’m surprised I couldn’t go into the surgery for my flu shot🤷🏻♂️🤔. I thought the annual flu phials were kept in a refrigerator not at an extra low temp.
0 -
"Flu vaccine is not routinely stocked by GP practices."
I'm not sure that's correct in normal circumstances is it? Certainly, until this year we were always called to the surgery for our flu jabs - about the one thing our particular surgery can be relied upon to get right! But it is understandable why different arrangements have had to me made this year.
0 -
The date you were "Advised" was available for a flue jab could well be the next tranch of flue jabs they are doing ,rather than as most surgeries are running a very restricted service ,with priority as should be given to those who have had a telephone triage with a doctor who has advised a surgey visit for a more thorough exam ,everytime a patient has visited the doctors/nurses room it is cleaned before another patient can be seen ,so i would not expect a single flue jab to be very important ,and home visits , time permiting ,is at this time more easily managed
0 -
Flu vaccine is kept at normal fridge temperature but it still has a shelf life and comes in batches. Anyway I'm sure the lead partner will be only to pleased to answer your questions. Afterall what else would he or she be doing 🤔 in the middle of a pandemic.
1 -
When we went for our flu jabs this year (November), it was done en bloc, at our surgery. We were given a choice of time-slots. Turned up at allocated time, and it was all done in two minutes, very well organised. I was actually quite impressed.
4 -
Fair point-not much that’s for sure👍🏻. Not like the Hospital nurses/Docs & consultants who are run off their feet☹️
0 -
That’s what I expected too F👍🏻
0 -
The default behaviour of too many teachers is that of persistent whingers - particularly the unions. You can always guarantee they’re find fault with exceptional measures for exceptional times. We saw it in March when this all started and it’s entirely predictable now. Contrast that to the NHS who have a completely different ‘can do’ mindset extending to retired staff and volunteers rolling up their sleeves up and getting stuck in!
3 -
I put up by voting for hopefully competent people, earning huge sums of money, to govern on my behalf. It was patently obvious before this pandemic arrived that a number of Ministers had been promoted beyond their capabilities, or were very reliant upon back room bullies to do their thinking for them. One or two have been subject to parliamentary disciplinary procedures prior to being in the positions they now occupy. Some had been demoted or walked from previous posts.
1 -
“earning huge sums of money, to govern on my behalf”
Whilst I realise that for some the salary of our PM (something in the region of £150,000) will seem huge, is it really that huge for someone who has the responsibility of running (no matter how badly😉) the country? I’d say it compares badly with the private sector? For comparison, US presidents can expect double that. You couldn’t pay me enough, even if I was capable, to take on such a responsibility.
0 -
Some do, some don’t, some are exceptional. However, for decades there have been too many unaccountable mediocre teachers and their students deserve better. I don’t speak from a position of igorance either. It’s too important a job to be left to people who aren’t up to it - a bit like politics really. I could say a lot more about the introspective world of too many teachers, but I’d upset some on here.
0 -
I can’t see how teachers who aren't up to the job would survive. They are inspected, regulated and assessed.
What was your role in education? To know would help us understand your viewpoint.
2
