Coronavirus

[Lighthouse]

Meanwhile, on Bill Gates’ laptop...

[Turkish]

I wonder how Bill Gates spent his first day controlling Margaret Keenan, 90, from Coventry  

[View From The Top]

1 hour ago, Turkish said:

I wonder how Bill Gates spent his first day controlling Margaret Keenan, 90, from Coventry  

She can't explain why she felt compelled to go out and by a XboX or why she gets up and salutes every time the Windows start up music plays.

[Turkish]

DOnt take the vaccine if you've suffered an allergic reaction then....

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, Turkish said:

DOnt take the vaccine if you've suffered an allergic reaction then....

Severe allergic reaction. Both reactions were from people who carry epi pens. This form of the vaccine won't be going to that many anyway. 

[Weston Super Saint]

34 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

Severe allergic reaction. Both reactions were from people who carry epi pens. This form of the vaccine won't be going to that many anyway. 

Even the flu jab has a warning that it contains egg products and not to have it if you have 'dairy' allergies.  A non story really.

[LGTL]

The media is going to be full of these types of stories over the next few months. God help us with some old dear passes away inbetween injections. 

[Turkish]

46 minutes ago, LGTL said:

The media is going to be full of these types of stories over the next few months. God help us with some old dear passes away inbetween injections. 

THE DEADLY TORY VACCINE IS A KILLER

[Whitey Grandad]

53 minutes ago, LGTL said:

The media is going to be full of these types of stories over the next few months. God help us with some old dear passes away inbetween injections. 

Statistically that is quite likely.

[Lord Duckhunter]

Oh dear, looks like two of the worst Covid Harpies have been suspended. Poor Beff & Burley, shame Bunter Boulton wasn’t invited to the bash, Sky News might start becoming watchable again. 

[badgerx16]

Daily death toll in the US is now higher than 9/11.

[AlexLaw76]

Does anyone else think that the first minister of Wales is a lunatic?

[View From The Top]

On 09/12/2020 at 20:52, Lord Duckhunter said:

Oh dear, looks like two of the worst Covid Harpies have been suspended. Poor Beff & Burley, shame Bunter Boulton wasn’t invited to the bash, Sky News might start becoming watchable again. 

I struggle to believe that you're actually an adult.

[Winnersaint]

Of all the crap published by this rag this is right up there with the very worst. You know fuck all Rod Liddle.

This is the author of the bile explaining in an article in the Spectator in 2012 why he couldn't become a teacher. Words fucking fail me.

Edited 13 December, 2020 by Winnersaint

[Turkish]

A new strain then. A virus that was created in a lab in wuhan has reinvented itself to a much more contagious version on the streets of Kent. WALOB.

Nothing to do with the fact that schools are open and the huge rise is in youngsters.

Edited 15 December, 2020 by Turkish

[Weston Super Saint]

To be fair, the treatment of kids has been nothing short of a shambles during the pandemic.

Lockdown 1 and they were out of school for months.  The majority of schools just weren't equipped for online tutoring so kids were left to fend for themselves with little or no interaction from the school / teachers.  A lot of expectation on parents to take on the role of 'teacher', people who fundamentally aren't equipped to be teaching kids, that's ignoring the fact that for a lot of parents work continued full time during lock down.

Then the kids were allowed back to school, but in the case of my daughter's school (and every other school in North Somerset), entire year groups were sent home if one person tested positive.  Again, they had to endure the non existent online teaching and were largely left to their own devices - we get a 'google classroom' report at the end of each week, highlighting what 'should' have been completed (why not at the beginning of the week when we had time to do something about it!!), but that has been poorly managed and is often 2/3 weeks out of date!!

For kids that are due to sit their GCSEs in a couple of months, they've been pretty much abandoned for the best part of a year!

[Jimmy_D]

6 hours ago, Turkish said:

A new strain then. A virus that was created in a lab in wuhan has reinvented itself to a much more contagious version on the streets of Kent. WALOB.

Nothing to do with the fact that schools are open and the huge rise is in youngsters.

Unfortunately it's a common feature of coronaviruses in general that they mutate, regardless of how they first came about. With COVID 19 there have literally been thousands of variants already identified.

The vast majority of mutations will immediately kill the virus it occurs in, the vast majority of those remaining won't really have an effect, and some, like this one, will make it more survivable in some way. In this case it's more contagious. Once that happens it'll generally end up being the dominant strain.

[Turkish]

1 hour ago, Jimmy_D said:

Unfortunately it's a common feature of coronaviruses in general that they mutate, regardless of how they first came about. With COVID 19 there have literally been thousands of variants already identified.

The vast majority of mutations will immediately kill the virus it occurs in, the vast majority of those remaining won't really have an effect, and some, like this one, will make it more survivable in some way. In this case it's more contagious. Once that happens it'll generally end up being the dominant strain.

Fully aware of that. Like you say, thousands of mutations. The fact of the matter is the majority of infections are in schools and colleges, it’s got FA to do with a new strain, that’s just scaremongering. 

[View From The Top]

8 hours ago, Weston Super Saint said:

To be fair, the treatment of kids has been nothing short of a shambles during the pandemic.

Lockdown 1 and they were out of school for months.  The majority of schools just weren't equipped for online tutoring so kids were left to fend for themselves with little or no interaction from the school / teachers.  A lot of expectation on parents to take on the role of 'teacher', people who fundamentally aren't equipped to be teaching kids, that's ignoring the fact that for a lot of parents work continued full time during lock down.

Then the kids were allowed back to school, but in the case of my daughter's school (and every other school in North Somerset), entire year groups were sent home if one person tested positive.  Again, they had to endure the non existent online teaching and were largely left to their own devices - we get a 'google classroom' report at the end of each week, highlighting what 'should' have been completed (why not at the beginning of the week when we had time to do something about it!!), but that has been poorly managed and is often 2/3 weeks out of date!!

For kids that are due to sit their GCSEs in a couple of months, they've been pretty much abandoned for the best part of a year!

I've streamed every lesson on my timetable since March for those not in class via Teams and the kids "attend". In effect teaching two classes simultaneously which has been a serious learning curve, as has learning what works and doesn't work in a virtual world. 

Even last week when I was in Track and Trace prison I taught every session from home.

My wife has done/does the same.

When my daughters bubbles have been out they've had a full timetable. Neither of them, Y10 & Y9 feel they missed anything.

Not ideal but around me the schools and colleges have worked their nuts off to make things work.

[Fan The Flames]

9 hours ago, Turkish said:

A new strain then. A virus that was created in a lab in wuhan has reinvented itself to a much more contagious version on the streets of Kent. WALOB.

Nothing to do with the fact that schools are open and the huge rise is in youngsters.

It can be both things.

[Weston Super Saint]

11 hours ago, View From The Top said:

I've streamed every lesson on my timetable since March for those not in class via Teams and the kids "attend". In effect teaching two classes simultaneously which has been a serious learning curve, as has learning what works and doesn't work in a virtual world. 

Even last week when I was in Track and Trace prison I taught every session from home.

My wife has done/does the same.

When my daughters bubbles have been out they've had a full timetable. Neither of them, Y10 & Y9 feel they missed anything.

Not ideal but around me the schools and colleges have worked their nuts off to make things work.

Fair play.

I know my nephew's school have done the same thing with everyone present with cameras on for every lesson when not in school.

Embarrasing that the schools around us haven't had the same philosophy but I guess the 'academy' set the rules and have the monopoly on schooling in the area.

[hypochondriac]

11 hours ago, View From The Top said:

I've streamed every lesson on my timetable since March for those not in class via Teams and the kids "attend". In effect teaching two classes simultaneously which has been a serious learning curve, as has learning what works and doesn't work in a virtual world. 

Even last week when I was in Track and Trace prison I taught every session from home.

My wife has done/does the same.

When my daughters bubbles have been out they've had a full timetable. Neither of them, Y10 & Y9 feel they missed anything.

Not ideal but around me the schools and colleges have worked their nuts off to make things work.

A lot of schools have done this and it's important to point out that it's not the teachers that want any of this. Having said that, there are some teachers (most unionised) who are pushing their luck. As you know, it's not a black and white issue. 

[View From The Top]

3 minutes ago, hypochondriac said:

A lot of schools have done this and it's important to point out that it's not the teachers that want any of this. Having said that, there are some teachers (most unionised) who are pushing their luck. As you know, it's not a black and white issue. 

Where I work the staff are VERY unionised but union membership is secondary to the needs of the kids. The union rep is in my team.

Locally the unions, Academy Trusts, councils, governing bodies, staff, parents, everyone, have worked together to try and make things work and learnt from each others mistakes, especially same curriculum areas across the city/region. Cross school/college collaboration has exploded.

This has meant that issues have been ironed out quickly and everyone is trying to keep the kids and staff safe and engaged.

We had an OFSTED "visit" week before last to look at online learning and how we've managed T&L during the pandemic and the kids couldn't praise us highly enough.

That'll do me.

[hypochondriac]

1 minute ago, View From The Top said:

Where I work the staff are VERY unionised but union membership is secondary to the needs of the kids. The union rep is in my team.

Locally the unions, Academy Trusts, councils, governing bodies, staff, parents, everyone, have worked together to try and make things work and learnt from each others mistakes, especially same curriculum areas across the city/region. Cross school/college collaboration has exploded.

This has meant that issues have been ironed out quickly and everyone is trying to keep the kids and staff safe and engaged.

We had an OFSTED "visit" week before last to look at online learning and how we've managed T&L during the pandemic and the kids couldn't praise us highly enough.

That'll do me.

I'm glad your school is doing that. Clearly not the case everywhere though. A lot of it is led by the headteacher I have found. 

Edited 16 December, 2020 by hypochondriac

[ecuk268]

Strange that Basildon Council (Tory controlled) closed 25 of it's schools early but Islington (Labour Council) gets threatened with the law.

Another sensible decision by the Fireplace Salesman of the Year.

[badgerx16]

1 hour ago, ecuk268 said:

Strange that Basildon Council (Tory controlled) closed 25 of it's schools early but Islington (Labour Council) gets threatened with the law.

Another sensible decision by the Fireplace Salesman of the Year.

Threatening legal action against an organisation trying to protect it's employees from the pandemic by closing a week early, amongst a surge in cases, is grade A bullying by somebody who has been handed too much responsibility, yet lacks sufficient common sense.

Edited 16 December, 2020 by badgerx16

[View From The Top]

We, and many of the local secondary schools, have taken the decision to be remote only the 1st week back after term.

Everyone is anticipating shit loads more cases after the inevitable mixing over Xmas and NY. This gives an opportunity for quarantine etc and act as a local firebreak.

I'll be in work and delivering via teams from my room so I can use the Smartboard etc but none of the students, bar the vulnerable/key workers/LAC etc will be in.

Edited 17 December, 2020 by View From The Top

[whelk]

Giving Christmas mixing the ok is clearly mental. 
Attempting a circuit break whilst keeping schools open is mental

And some wonder why there is less deference to the rules and respecting the guidelines. Johnson just wants to win the popularity contest but just confused messaging so often.

 

 

[Adkins' Bus]

On 15/12/2020 at 19:59, View From The Top said:

I've streamed every lesson on my timetable since March for those not in class via Teams and the kids "attend". In effect teaching two classes simultaneously which has been a serious learning curve, as has learning what works and doesn't work in a virtual world. 

Even last week when I was in Track and Trace prison I taught every session from home.

My wife has done/does the same.

When my daughters bubbles have been out they've had a full timetable. Neither of them, Y10 & Y9 feel they missed anything.

Not ideal but around me the schools and colleges have worked their nuts off to make things work.

It certainly seems to vary greatly between schools even within the same council areas. I wish my lads school had managed to do even half of what you describe. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for the first few months before asking the question about when they would sort out virtual learning. I was told that they couldn't do it mainly because some kids would miss out due to not having internet/device access (yeah right!) and because of privacy issues with the teachers. 

My lad struggles quite a bit academically and we find it very difficult to try and give him the right support, so we certainly feel like he has been left behind with GCSEs coming up this year. 

[View From The Top]

15 minutes ago, Adkins' Bus said:

It certainly seems to vary greatly between schools even within the same council areas. I wish my lads school had managed to do even half of what you describe. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for the first few months before asking the question about when they would sort out virtual learning. I was told that they couldn't do it mainly because some kids would miss out due to not having internet/device access (yeah right!) and because of privacy issues with the teachers. 

My lad struggles quite a bit academically and we find it very difficult to try and give him the right support, so we certainly feel like he has been left behind with GCSEs coming up this year. 

The privacy issue is bolloxs.

I have my camera on with a California background or with it blurred if I have to stream from home until I share my screen. At work I just leave it running with my laptop camera pointing towards me and my Smartboard is shared via teams when I start the lesson proper so that's all they see until I share another page.

Kids joining have mics and cameras off. I choose when their mics can go on. If they have a question, it goes in the chat box.

Kids having access is a genuine issue. I have plenty whose only access is a phone and the data on their contracts/PAYG and there is little doubt that they have suffered.

Even after supplying laptops etc we found out we had 28 kids with no wifi at home. The most disadvantaged have paid a higher price academically. 

The whole virtual learning/streaming thing has been a massive learning curve and there is little doubt that some places have done a better job than others. Plenty of it is been about how capable the staff have been to a whole new world. My younger staff have driven it as they've a better grasp of the digital universe. Us oldies have been the content experts. When we've got stuck we've worked with other schools and colleges to find a workable answer

We are on our 3rd version. We've tried stuff, seen it's not working, and been brave enough to bin it and start again. It's been a huge workload, with no government guidance at all but we've made it work.

We've even managed to get a full set of GCSE assessments in electronically via our virtual platform, from those bubbles in isolation (I'm supposed to be marking right now but the CBA has kicked in).

When this is all over and my institution and colleagues take stock, we will know that we did our utmost and played our part. Not just academically, but in supplying food parcels for those in need, for offering a safe haven, be it a somewhere where parents could find help, or somewhere where the neglected to take a hot shower and get a hot meal and it's a record we rightly going to be proud of.

[View From The Top]

33 minutes ago, Adkins' Bus said:

It certainly seems to vary greatly between schools even within the same council areas. I wish my lads school had managed to do even half of what you describe. I gave them the benefit of the doubt for the first few months before asking the question about when they would sort out virtual learning. I was told that they couldn't do it mainly because some kids would miss out due to not having internet/device access (yeah right!) and because of privacy issues with the teachers. 

My lad struggles quite a bit academically and we find it very difficult to try and give him the right support, so we certainly feel like he has been left behind with GCSEs coming up this year. 

I'll also add that my own kids, when their bubbles have been out (Y10 & Y9), their school has supplied a full timetable via Teams from the following day.

For example, if they've been sent home on the Tuesday then remote learning has started on the Wednesday. Full lessons with classwork on Show My Homework etc.

 

[badgerx16]

I'm not sure how you get out of tier 3, we have had a 50% reduction in the rate of infection but are staying as we were. ( We had a lower rate than London when the new regime started, but still got T3 whilst they got T2 ).

Edited 17 December, 2020 by badgerx16

[View From The Top]

5 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

I'm not sure how you get out of tier 3, we have had a 50% reduction in the rate of infection but are staying as we were. ( We had a lower rate than London when the new regime started, but still got T3 whilst they got T2 ).

Similar where I am.

[Weston Super Saint]

1 hour ago, badgerx16 said:

I'm not sure how you get out of tier 3, we have had a 50% reduction in the rate of infection but are staying as we were. ( We had a lower rate than London when the new regime started, but still got T3 whilst they got T2 ).

We've been promoted from 3 to 2  

 

[buctootim]

Was tier 2, still tier 2. We're living it large with American Romana in Pizza Express.   

[Weston Super Saint]

Macron infects Europe  

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-europe-55347406

[Jimmy_D]

https://www.bmj.com/content/371/bmj.m4857

Info about the new variant that's been in the news.

Initial data suggests infection rates of the variant are high, based on how prevalent it's become quickly. It's also prevalent in areas that have seen a higher than expected uptick in cases. There's not enough data yet, though, to say for certain that it's one of the causes for it.

There are changes to the spike protein, but they're not expected to make the vaccine less effective as the vaccine has been designed to train the immune system against several different targets on the spike protein. It's unlikely that COVID-19 will be able to mutate enough to completely evade a vaccinated immune system AND remain infectious, but if it does, it's relatively simple to update the vaccine to train against the new targets.

[Sheaf Saint]

Might as well try and eke out some humour from this situation.

[View From The Top]

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55348886

 

On the day many schools and colleges finish.

The are beyond inept.

[badgerx16]

54 minutes ago, Sheaf Saint said:

Might as well try and eke out some humour from this situation.

That might be funny if it wasn't true.

[AlexLaw76]

33 minutes ago, View From The Top said:

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55348886

 

On the day many schools and colleges finish.

The are beyond inept.

Surely it is not beyond the capabilities of a collection of rounded and smart individuals such as teachers, to make this work? Is that an incorrect assumption?

All you hear from (mainly public sector employees) is negative comments. In this case, not as if this action needs to happen next week is it.  If it is next week, cannot be too difficult to implement, surely? 

Edited 17 December, 2020 by AlexLaw76

[View From The Top]

7 minutes ago, AlexLaw76 said:

Surely it is not beyond the capabilities of a collection of rounded and smart individuals such as teachers, to make this work? Is that an incorrect assumption?

All you hear from (mainly public sector employees) is negative comments. In this case, not as if this action needs to happen next week is it.  If it is next week, cannot be too difficult to implement, surely? 

The remote learning is straightforward enough, we've planned for that and the kids knew that was likely to happen (my kids) and deffo happening (my students).

Read the rest. We are now expected to have a test system in place for the 1st day back. We've finished for Xmas. How are we supposed to have a testing system in place for Y11 & 13 at 09.00 on the day of return? How do we train the staff? What staff do we train? When do we train them? Where are the kits? When are they being delivered?

It suggests we recruit an army of volunteers to help. How? How do we train them? Are the DBS'd? 

This should have been decided a couple of weeks ago, not on the day that schools and colleges close for the holidays.

[Tamesaint]

2 hours ago, View From The Top said:

The remote learning is straightforward enough, we've planned for that and the kids knew that was likely to happen (my kids) and deffo happening (my students).

Read the rest. We are now expected to have a test system in place for the 1st day back. We've finished for Xmas. How are we supposed to have a testing system in place for Y11 & 13 at 09.00 on the day of return? How do we train the staff? What staff do we train? When do we train them? Where are the kits? When are they being delivered?

It suggests we recruit an army of volunteers to help. How? How do we train them? Are the DBS'd? 

This should have been decided a couple of weeks ago, not on the day that schools and colleges close for the holidays.

Junior Tame teaches. He has just being the same things to me. Williamson's and his Department's lack of competence is absolutely beyond  comprehension.  

Edited 17 December, 2020 by Tamesaint

[badgerx16]

54 minutes ago, View From The Top said:

 

It suggests we recruit an army of volunteers to help. How? How do we train them? Are the DBS'd? 

 

They reckon the Armed Forces are going to help. How many secondary schools are there in England ?

[badgerx16]

39 minutes ago, Tamesaint said:

Williamson's and his Department's lack of incompetence is absolutely beyond  comprehension.  

As Willie Wonka says - "Take that, reverse it".

[View From The Top]

10 minutes ago, badgerx16 said:

They reckon the Armed Forces are going to help. How many secondary schools are there in England ?

Plus all the multi-campus FE and 6th forms.

[badgerx16]

3 minutes ago, View From The Top said:

Plus all the multi-campus FE and 6th forms.

The DfE have been clueless for years.

[Tamesaint]

1 hour ago, Tamesaint said:

 

Thanks Badger. 😄😄 

Edited 17 December, 2020 by Tamesaint

[View From The Top]

This is our guidance. 

We're being expected to set up our own testing regime, from scratch, for the kids going back despite us finishing for the holidays.  

[AlexLaw76]

6 minutes ago, View From The Top said:

This is our guidance. 

We're being expected to set up our own testing regime, from scratch, for the kids going back despite us finishing for the holidays.  

Couple of weeks to prepare as best you can. Maybe, you have not quite finished as Xmas is another week away? 

Good luck.