THREAD

1. Dear Primary, Secondary, Further ed and Higher ed colleagues,

Many of you may have experienced working with our youngest children- but as the "foundation stage" the work that happens in these early years will be of great importance to you....

2. Right now whichever phase we work in- whether it is a baby room or a university- it is fair to say that we are all working flat out to do the very best for those we work with. But in this thread I wanted to share with you some of the mess that our sector finds itself in...

3. Firstly- whilst most schools and educational establishments are closed to most students, and whilst we battle with Zoom, teams, google classroom and as lateral flow testing starts to be rolled out- the picture in the sector working with our youngest children is very different.

4. This is the first real piece of mainstream media attention we have seen.
*Cases are rising.
*Staff are not on immunisation plan
*No lateral flow testing on site.
...and if they close to protect staff/children- they may never

5. Now imagaine within your own sector- imagine if you were told there would be a new statutory test coming into force from September 2021. A test that would take you away from your pupils before you've got to know them. A test that won't be for your benefit- or even theirs.