Type 1 and Teacher

[La8890]

Same situation but I’m in a preschool. Are we still suppose to social distance?? Which I won’t be able to do in my setting.
What am I suppose to tell my boss? Can I work or not..... I don’t want to put myself at risk

 

[UK T1]

Johnson just told parliament those with underlying conditions or those who are pregnant and so considered vulnerable should continue to stringently follow social distancing measures and work from home where possible. This will cover staff, but also pupils.

Those who have been told to shield should continue to do so.

I think it is reasonable to request to be performing any planning/preparation/support type duties from home if at all possible. There will be pupils unable to attend school (eg being told to shield, or as members of their household are showing symptoms) and it seems reasonable to request that you support these remotely from home rather than attend school. Staff at school will have enough on to be supporting these too!

Your employer must be able to provide a safe working environment. I can only imagine it will be a nightmare for SLT to be ensuring the safeguarding of vulnerable pupils and staff when social distancing is so difficult to enforce in schools, that they most likely wouldn't want to open themselves up to reports of failure in this regard, so would happily accept an offer from vulnerable staff to be performing duties remotely. As long as you are still 'pulling your weight' so to speak, I'd think they'd have to prove that they have a lack of staff at school to force you go in. So it will also depend on surveys of how many pupils are expected to attend, and so what the legal ratio requirements therefore are.

I can only assume the headache this vagueness will be causing for SLT!

 

[KK123]

Of course! Thank you!

Can’t find diabetes mentioned in the new guidance anywhere.

Hi, the govt website has changed its info from today (11/5) but this bit refers to us;

QUOTE;
8. Clinically vulnerable people
If you have any of the following health conditions, you are clinically vulnerable, meaning you are at higher risk of severe illness from coronavirus. You are advised to stay at home as much as possible and, if you do go out, take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household.

Clinically vulnerable people are those who are:

• aged 70 or older (regardless of medical conditions)
• under 70 with an underlying health condition listed below (that is, anyone instructed to get a flu jab as an adult each year on medical grounds):
• chronic (long-term) mild to moderate respiratory diseases, such as asthma, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), emphysema or bronchitis
• chronic heart disease, such as heart failure
• chronic kidney disease
• chronic liver disease, such as hepatitis
• chronic neurological conditions, such as Parkinson’s disease, motor neurone disease, multiple sclerosis (MS), or cerebral palsy
• diabetes
• a weakened immune system as the result of certain conditions, treatments like chemotherapy, or medicines such as steroid tablets
• being seriously overweight (a body mass index (BMI) of 40 or above)
• pregnant women

END QUOTE.


Hope this helps but I suspect it will make things even more confusing. 'Stay at home as much as possible and if you do go out take particular care to minimise contact with others outside your household'?, hard to do if going into work. I'm guessing the same rules apply re work which are 'work from home if you can' which leaves it up in the air (still) for Employers. x

 

[KK123]

Johnson just told parliament those with underlying conditions or those who are pregnant and so considered vulnerable should continue to stringently follow social distancing measures and work from home where possible. This will cover staff, but also pupils.

Those who have been told to shield should continue to do so.

I think it is reasonable to request to be performing any planning/preparation/support type duties from home if at all possible. There will be pupils unable to attend school (eg being told to shield, or as members of their household are showing symptoms) and it seems reasonable to request that you support these remotely from home rather than attend school. Staff at school will have enough on to be supporting these too!

Your employer must be able to provide a safe working environment. I can only imagine it will be a nightmare for SLT to be ensuring the safeguarding of vulnerable pupils and staff when social distancing is so difficult to enforce in schools, that they most likely wouldn't want to open themselves up to reports of failure in this regard, so would happily accept an offer from vulnerable staff to be performing duties remotely. As long as you are still 'pulling your weight' so to speak, I'd think they'd have to prove that they have a lack of staff at school to force you go in. So it will also depend on surveys of how many pupils are expected to attend, and so what the legal ratio requirements therefore are.

I can only assume the headache this vagueness will be causing for SLT!

Only the actual written gov guidance now says 'take particular care' and does not mention the word stringent. Does that make any difference?, dunno. x

 

[Miawhitlock]

Same situation but I’m in a preschool. Are we still suppose to social distance?? Which I won’t be able to do in my setting.
What am I suppose to tell my boss? Can I work or not..... I don’t want to put myself at risk

I’m the same really don’t know where we stand as working at a preschool and social distancing is impossible, I have decided to tell my boss that I won’t be going back until I have more government guidance x

 

[Emilyprice]

Hello all. With the potential impending reopening of schools for some students I am querying where I stand. As a type 1 for 40 years i am unclear as to guidance in regards to me returning to school when it reopens. There is no pressure coming from my employer however any advice would be most welcome. Thank you Jon.

Hi there, I’m primary and feeling the same way as you. I’ve just looked at the gov guidance (pretty useless) but it definitely does say if you are clinically vulnerable, which we are, you should not leave house unless you must and to socially distance as much as possible. With the impossibility of socially distancing at school, I have told my employer that I can’t be on work. They have been really good about it but I think I’m quite lucky there. Unlike most sectors, it seems they are resigned to it being impossible to socially distance in majority of schools so it does seem more risky than in other professions. Just my view!

 

[Azzie5]

Hello all. With the potential impending reopening of schools for some students I am querying where I stand. As a type 1 for 40 years i am unclear as to guidance in regards to me returning to school when it reopens. There is no pressure coming from my employer however any advice would be most welcome. Thank you Jon.

Hi
I am type 1 diabetic and have read advice from government about teachers which says if you are clinically vulnerable then you should work from home if you can. If you can't your employer should help you to work at a safe distance away from others. You may choose to work with the children and take the risk of working closer than 2m but if you do you and your employer should discuss whether it is an acceptable level of risk. If you look at the sky news report on diabetes and coronavirus that might help you to decide.

 

[emma4747]

The guidance on schools reopening says those who are clinically vulnerable, which is us, should work at home where possible. I've just asked my head teacher his stance on this and am awaiting a response.

 

[Azzie5]

Of course! Thank you!

Can’t find diabetes mentioned in the new guidance anywhere.

Hi
Diabetics are classed as clinically vulnerable and still advised to work from home if you can.

 

[4mum_]

Hi Jon,

I’m in exactly the same boat and just logged in to see if there was any advice. Type 1, 31 years, secondary teacher coming into contact with hundreds of kids every day if you hear anything from school please update and I’ll do the same.

In the first few days of virus, it was like if you have diabetes, go home now! Which then seemingly vanished with the ‘shielding’ for ‘extremely’ vulnerable. The fact that it’s unclear is starting to worry me. Is it because there is such a huge Type 2 population that it would cause further chaos with so many still off work? Did they just get it wrong? I understand the argument that if you are well-controlled T1 then you ‘should’ (?) be fine but what about the theories that viruses cause autoimmune diabetes/ other conditions? I also have autoimmune under-active thyroid but I don’t want to ruin my career (especially as only second year in new school) making things difficult for others and more than awkward for myself. I wish there was clear guidance just saying yes or no should there be a phased return to school. Rant over. Will follow the thread.

Thanks a lot,
Dee

Hi. I'm a secondary school Librarian with T1. I have a full classroom like timetable with the class.coming in for reading time and using the reading programme. I'm also concerned regarding distancing from the students but then also I have to deal with all the books that have been home all this time and then future handling with students. Our head has said if you feel unsafe, get signed off. Which when picking up with my DSN during a phone appt yesterday she agreed. I'm working from home atm but also preparing options (reasonable adjustments) how to run if I'm due in. u

 

[elcreech]

Hello!
I’m in the same situation. I’m type 1 with hypothyroidism and am a teacher in a primary school. I’ve tried to find a clearcut answer but I think the government website can be interpreted in various ways, depending on whether it is seen as possible to be a teacher from home. I can’t see how social distancing will be possible. I live with my father, who is also vulnerable as he has had pneumonia twice (the last time put him in ICU for 2 weeks), he has a tracheostomy and feeds via a tube - yet didn’t receive a shielding letter!
Fortunately, I’m under no pressure from my employer, but I’d like a definite answer.
Any advice would be greatly appreciated

 

[Griffo32]

I’ve just been checking the sky news websites this evening and found a worrying article about coronavirus and diabetes regarding death rates. It states that a quarter of uk deaths had diabetes. I wonder if government might reevaluate given these statistics.

 

[Fairygodmother]

I’ve just been checking the sky news websites this evening and found a worrying article about coronavirus and diabetes regarding death rates. It states that a quarter of uk deaths had diabetes. I wonder if government might reevaluate given these statistics.

Are you a member of a union? If you’re not then it might be good to join one now: there’s also a group that’s decided to boycott the reopening. You won’t be alone if you decide not to participate in the reopening. At the risk of being pessimistic, people with diabetes do seem to figure quite a bit on the mortality stats that I’ve seen, though without proper testing and evaluating I can’t trust any stats that appear at the moment.

 

[Griffo32]

Yes I’m in a union. The sky news story is from today but there is not much detail. I will keeping an eye on it more nw tho. I work in a school with over 2000 pupils and a lot of staff. Hopefully common sense will be used.

 

[emma4747]

I've just been told by my boss that the guidance is I have to go in! Which is not how I interpret it?

 

[Nickymcp]

I think we should be careful about ‘diabetes’ in the mortality rates. My understanding is that the majority of these are type 2 diabetes, not type 1. I think the guidelines should distinguish between risks to the two different types but suspect there is little chance of that.

 

[Calibos]

I tend to find asking your employer to do a risk assessment helps. Diabetics appear to be higher risk so what are they going to do to ensure you can work safely?

Thanks for this one. I am a teacher in the same situation and after the ONS figures today that 26% of deaths have had diabetes, I am now not happy to go back. My head is very good, he sent me home the day after Boris said vulnerable people should start shielding and I had a week off before the lock down even happened. I don't know what will happen though if I say I don't feel ready to go back. I am definitely going to ask for an extra risk assessment for me.

 

[Fairygodmother]

https://www.ft.com/content/c567d185-cc0f-41bb-8b17-b61792b56d1b
This article in the TES covers Unions’ reactions to schools reopening. Any worried teachers might want to contact their Union Rep.

 

[Calibos]

Johnson just told parliament those with underlying conditions or those who are pregnant and so considered vulnerable should continue to stringently follow social distancing measures and work from home where possible. This will cover staff, but also pupils.

Those who have been told to shield should continue to do so.



Did people here receive a letter from Boris telling them to shield? I did not get one and my Head Teacher has asked if I did get a letter so that he knows if I should be coming back or not.

 

[Em16]

https://www.ft.com/content/c567d185-cc0f-41bb-8b17-b61792b56d1b
This article in the TES covers Unions’ reactions to schools reopening. Any worried teachers might want to contact their Union Rep.

I'm also a teacher and having spoken to my union I was given the clear message that all employers have a duty of care towards employees under health and safety regulations. This means that because diabetics (any type) have been indicated as having a vulnerability the school have to put a risk assessment in place. As I teach SEN children, my union said PPE would be considered essential as social distancing is impossible and other issues (hygiene/intimate care/feeding/challenging behaviours such as spitting and biting hike up the risk). I hope they are right and it is all straightforward, but if it isn't I've already made the decision that I won't be going in as I just would not feel safe without protective wear.