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Coronavirus - how is it/has it affected you?

road2ruin said:
It seems like all the teachers are presently sending in Section 44 letters to their heads to ensure they don’t have to go into school anymore due to safety grounds. Genuine question, what is to stop you (or anyone else) sending in one yourself if you do feel this way? I’m not sure whether the letter is industry specific however the template is as follows...

Dear [name of head],

Re: Health & Safety

I am writing to you following the increase in transmission and infection rates currently recorded across England.
You are, I am sure, aware that you have legal duties to protect the health, safety and welfare of your staff and pupils. Those duties arise under the following legislation: -
  • Sections 2 and 3 of the Health & Safety Act 1974
  • Regulations 3 and 8 of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • Regulation 4 of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
  • Regulation 4 of the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992
Regulation 7 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
The most recent advice from SAGE is that schools should not open in January[1] other than for children of key workers and vulnerable children. This is because the scientific advice is that it is not safe for schools to open. There are new variants of Covid-19 that are highly infectious and infection rates have increased significantly since schools closed.
I appreciate that measures have been in place since September to allow the school to open but according to SAGE those measures may no longer be sufficient. They state in their most recent report: -
The introduction of Tier 4 measures in England combined with the school holidays will be informative of the strength of measures required to control the new variant but analysis of this will not be possible until mid-January.
Based on the above I do not believe that it is safe for me to return to teaching or supporting full classes at [name of school].

If I do attend [name of school] I believe that this will present a serious and imminent danger to my health and safety.
I am therefore writing to inform you that I am exercising my contractual right not to attend an unsafe place of work. I believe that not attending work in the current circumstances is an appropriate step for me to take for the following reasons:

The dangers that are preventing me from attending work are the risk of contracting coronavirus and or spreading coronavirus to others.

The person(s) I am seeking to protect are myself, my family, our pupils, their families, my colleagues, their families and members of the public.

I believe that this danger is serious because coronavirus infection is potentially fatal and has already resulted in more than 73,512 deaths in the UK with a significant up surge in recent weeks.

​
[1] https://assets.publishing.service.g...ile/948606/s0991-sage-meeting-74-covid-19.pdf
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Are you suggesting health workers send this to their employers.
 
road2ruin said:
It seems like all the teachers are presently sending in Section 44 letters to their heads to ensure they don’t have to go into school anymore due to safety grounds. Genuine question, what is to stop you (or anyone else) sending in one yourself if you do feel this way? I’m not sure whether the letter is industry specific however the template is as follows...

Dear [name of head],

Re: Health & Safety

I am writing to you following the increase in transmission and infection rates currently recorded across England.
You are, I am sure, aware that you have legal duties to protect the health, safety and welfare of your staff and pupils. Those duties arise under the following legislation: -
  • Sections 2 and 3 of the Health & Safety Act 1974
  • Regulations 3 and 8 of the Management of Health & Safety at Work Regulations 1999
  • Regulation 4 of the Personal Protective Equipment at Work Regulations 1992
  • Regulation 4 of the Workplace (Health, Safety & Welfare) Regulations 1992
Regulation 7 of the Control of Substances Hazardous to Health Regulations 2002
The most recent advice from SAGE is that schools should not open in January[1] other than for children of key workers and vulnerable children. This is because the scientific advice is that it is not safe for schools to open. There are new variants of Covid-19 that are highly infectious and infection rates have increased significantly since schools closed.
I appreciate that measures have been in place since September to allow the school to open but according to SAGE those measures may no longer be sufficient. They state in their most recent report: -
The introduction of Tier 4 measures in England combined with the school holidays will be informative of the strength of measures required to control the new variant but analysis of this will not be possible until mid-January.
Based on the above I do not believe that it is safe for me to return to teaching or supporting full classes at [name of school].

If I do attend [name of school] I believe that this will present a serious and imminent danger to my health and safety.
I am therefore writing to inform you that I am exercising my contractual right not to attend an unsafe place of work. I believe that not attending work in the current circumstances is an appropriate step for me to take for the following reasons:

The dangers that are preventing me from attending work are the risk of contracting coronavirus and or spreading coronavirus to others.

The person(s) I am seeking to protect are myself, my family, our pupils, their families, my colleagues, their families and members of the public.

I believe that this danger is serious because coronavirus infection is potentially fatal and has already resulted in more than 73,512 deaths in the UK with a significant up surge in recent weeks.


[1] https://assets.publishing.service.g...ile/948606/s0991-sage-meeting-74-covid-19.pdf
Click to expand...

That letter I totally get.What I don’t get is the government has known for some time that this vaccine is coming.
The table that shows who is getting it and in what order for me is a bit wrong.
Throughout this pandemic, the government has juggled balls trying to balance the economy with managing the pandemic. Yes the elderly are the most vulnerable. But what about those that are now working in supermarkets, teachers, and a few others. That letter what the teachers can send in. There’s nothing stopping a few others doing the same.
 
Tashyboy said:
That letter I totally get.What I don’t get is the government has known for some time that this vaccine is coming.
The table that shows who is getting it and in what order for me is a bit wrong.
Throughout this pandemic, the government has juggled balls trying to balance the economy with managing the pandemic. Yes the elderly are the most vulnerable. But what about those that are now working in supermarkets, teachers, and a few others. That letter what the teachers can send in. There’s nothing stopping a few others doing the same.
Click to expand...
Surely if we are to trust the priority for vaccinations then millions of doses would be wasted on those under 50 who are working in those professions, ie, they are not at the greatest risk. Meaning hundreds of others could die while Billy and Jessie, both aged 30, and teachers/Armed Forces/Police/Supermarket Checkout Staff etc get it when not really needed just yet.
 
pauldj42 said:
Surely if we are to trust the priority for vaccinations then millions of doses would be wasted on those under 50 who are working in those professions, ie, they are not at the greatest risk. Meaning hundreds of others could die while Billy and Jessie, both aged 30, and teachers/Armed Forces/Police/Supermarket Checkout Staff etc get it when not really needed just yet.
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Not all staff at schools and supermarkets are aged 30, some are elderly and vulnerable, unfortunately schools and supermarkets are the biggest places it can be transmitted.
me I would let the Aldi staff give the vaccine. They would do the country in a weekend ?
 
Tashyboy said:
Not all staff at schools and supermarkets are aged 30, some are elderly and vulnerable, unfortunately schools and supermarkets are the biggest places it can be transmitted.
me I would let the Aldi staff give the vaccine. They would do the country in a weekend ?
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But the elderley and vulnerable are already a priority.

Rupert Murdoch has had his first jab, the Australian born, US Citizen who lives in Henley, meanwhile the papers are full of 90+ yr old UK Veterans who haven’t even been contacted yet.
 
I hope the teachers sending letters to school saying they will not be attending are not being paid if they are not delivering a full day of lessons online.

It's disgraceful that schools aren't already prepared to do online learning. Some near us are not opening so they can prepare to deliver lessons online. I excpect my sons schools will send a message out at some point tomorrow saying they aren't opening on Tuesday. What on earth have they been doing for 9 months?
 
BiMGuy said:
I hope the teachers sending letters to school saying they will not be attending are not being paid if they are not delivering a full day of lessons online.

It's disgraceful that schools aren't already prepared to do online learning. Some near us are not opening so they can prepare to deliver lessons online. I excpect my sons schools will send a message out at some point tomorrow saying they aren't opening on Tuesday. What on earth have they been doing for 9 months?
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We’ve been very lucky. My daughter’s college have been setting work online as and when required without any noticeable delay whilst they prepare to go virtual. In this day and age it should not be an issue for any secondary school to deliver online lessons.

I understand it a little more at primary level, where I suspect more 1:1 interaction is needed. But I certainly agree all schools have had ample time to get their acts together.
 
BiMGuy said:
I hope the teachers sending letters to school saying they will not be attending are not being paid if they are not delivering a full day of lessons online.

It's disgraceful that schools aren't already prepared to do online learning. Some near us are not opening so they can prepare to deliver lessons online. I excpect my sons schools will send a message out at some point tomorrow saying they aren't opening on Tuesday. What on earth have they been doing for 9 months?
Click to expand...

Today folks have taken to Twatter to say why should their school open if Eton/ Harrow is shut.. interesting thought
 
Mudball said:
Today folks have taken to Twatter to say why should their school open if Eton/ Harrow is shut.. interesting thought
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Not interested in the politics of envy. Many other private schools are open.
 
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