Reply to: Gavin Williamson faces the sack if schools fail to reopen after coronavirus shutdown

[SueEllen]

Head of exams regulator, Ofqual, has resigned.

Ofqual head Sally Collier resigns over exams fiasco | Education | The Guardian

[SueEllen]

This hasn't been an issue in Scotland as there wasn't the full national media to drive panic about it.

Now the English schools are going back SKY and BBC are in full "lets whip up some news and keep ratings up for a week".

The news now just drives most of the anxiety.

Lots media workers are or were on furlough.

[minestrone]

This hasn't been an issue in Scotland as there wasn't the full national media to drive panic about it.

Now the English schools are going back SKY and BBC are in full "lets whip up some news and keep ratings up for a week".

The news now just drives most of the anxiety.

[SueEllen]

Have any of your thought about the following.

1) lockdown ended a good month or so ago and we have seen loads of people not socially distancing, the number of covid positive tests have gone up and yet... Less people are now dying of covid than of flu.

The eldest and most vulnerable are now dead. (Look at the number of excess deaths in each country from the beginning of the year until now.) The people now catching it and surviving, even with long term Covid, are younger and less vulnerable to dying from it.

2) a lot of people who are paid by the government are still on full pay like teachers for example.

Lots of teachers and teaching assistants were working though many were only dealing with vulnerable and essential worker children.

Also if you were worried about your children's mental health it was up to you as their parent to contact the school and make a fuss so they could attend.

3) people are really happy doing nothing and getting paid for it.

Don't presume you know everyone on furlough.

4) how is Gavin supposed to ensure every school opens? Drive to each one to make sure or something?

That's his job.

So why do you think teachers do not want schools to reopen? Is it

A) because they genuinely fear for their health or

B) they want to carry on with their fully paid holiday?

You do talk tulip. Lots of teachers over 50 are starting to resign or have done so. Some secondary heads are trying to make their pupils wear masks due to things like this Coronavirus in Scotland: Peterhead primary closes after two Covid cases - BBC News

[original PM]

Have any of your thought about the following.

1) lockdown ended a good month or so ago and we have seen loads of people not socially distancing, the number of covid positive tests have gone up and yet... Less people are now dying of covid than of flu.

2) a lot of people who are paid by the government are still on full pay like teachers for example.

3) people are really happy doing nothing and getting paid for it.

4) how is Gavin supposed to ensure every school opens? Drive to each one to make sure or something?

So why do you think teachers do not want schools to reopen? Is it

A) because they genuinely fear for their health or

B) they want to carry on with their fully paid holiday?

[elsergiovolador]

Is that legal?

[SueEllen]

[darmstadt]

[darmstadt]

What minister in BJ government has resigned due to failure?

There are no failures in this world beating government....

[SueEllen]

Can't believe I missed this Back Ofqual or I quit, chair of regulator told Gavin Williamson | Education | The Guardian

"Back me or I will quit" says Chair of OFQual, Roger Taylor, to Gavin Williamson.

[SueEllen]

There is a reason Gavin Williamson will not resign, and it is not because he, or anybody else, thinks he is doing a good job under difficult circumstances.


The education secretary needs to stay in post until September so that, when all the promises are broken and English schools don’t, in fact, fully reopen, there can be someone other than the prime minister who can take the blame.


It is so chillingly believable. You just have to look at the government’s record – the more it promises something, the less likely it is to happen. It has made this firm commitment to schoolchildren often enough as to reduce its probability to zero.

What minister in BJ government has resigned due to failure?

[darmstadt]

There is a reason Gavin Williamson will not resign, and it is not because he, or anybody else, thinks he is doing a good job under difficult circumstances.


The education secretary needs to stay in post until September so that, when all the promises are broken and English schools don’t, in fact, fully reopen, there can be someone other than the prime minister who can take the blame.


It is so chillingly believable. You just have to look at the government’s record – the more it promises something, the less likely it is to happen. It has made this firm commitment to schoolchildren often enough as to reduce its probability to zero.

[DoctorStrangelove]

The ERG "Government" has no Plan A for most things.

Total abject incompetence on steroids.

[SueEllen]

Not sure how anyone else culd've done much better.

He fought to keep schools open and everyone said they should be shut for safety.
He tried to get kids back to school before summer and was told this was a bad idea.
He relented and kept schools shut, and was told he should be getting kids back to school.

I predict lots of teachers are going to refuse to go in, and unions will of course back them. Total no-win situation.

Plan B for any government is to use public broadcasters to ensure each age group of children had at least a couple of hours of education a day if their parents could not ensure they got access to the internet.

Unfortunately this government has no plan B when it comes to education.

[darmstadt]

Berlin opened it's schools 2 weeks ago, there are now hundreds of teachers and pupils in quarantine. Although pupils are obliged to wear masks in the hallways, during breaks and when they enter the classroom, but they can take the masks off once they sit in their places and classes begin.

Corona-Falle an 37 Berliner Schulen – Quarantane verordnet – B.Z. Berlin

Lets see what happens...