Thread by @karamballes

1/ Thread: Nick Gibb and the Education Select Committee

Masks
Tiers
Infections
Isolations

Very little clarification and a lot more confusion, plus the usual head in the sand over the DfEs inadequacies

2/ Nick got confused about masks.

The issue is national restrictions are based on a 3 Tier system, while the specific measures for schools laid out in the Containment Framework is a 4 Tier system.

tes.com/news/school-fa…

3/ So he said all schools were in Tier 1 of the containment meaning masks should be worn in communal areas,however all schools are in Tier 1 or higher of the 3 tier restrictions

Schools minister doesn't appear to understand the rules, does he think all schools should have masks?

4/ Tier 1 of Containment starts in intervention areas, now Restriction Tiers 2&3.

The real question is when will Tier 2 of Containment come into play, this is blended in secondaries, primaries just stay fully open up to Tier 4 when they shut.

This is what Gibb said about Tier 2

5/ Does anyone think his phrasing of "criteria such as" suggests they haven't decided yet on what the thresholds are?

Personally I believe the Containment Tiers are there to fob us off, to make it look like they are prepared to be flexible without ever acting.

6/ When we consider there are some schools which when you check local infection rates at PHE postcode level are at 2000 cases per 100k due to large localised outbreaks, schools with many confirmed cases partially shut due to the number of isolations that haven't moved to Tier 2,

7/ you really have to question what
it will take. These schools are
already pretty much onto blended
learning due to the amount of
isolated students in need of remote
learning. Around 50% of schools
now have sections of their students
in isolation, its unsustainable.

8/ So a shambles on masks, what about isolation?
I've been worried DfE had decided to stop isolating bubbles to minimise isolations even though this ignores asymptomatic cases and risks larger outbreaks.
Gibb confirms my concerns but sells it as a positive

https://twitter.com/SchoolsWeek/status/1318490658919845888?s=19

9/ I was busy working at the time so don't know who asked the question below that prompted Gibbs response above,whoever it is doesn't understand tthe whole point of bubbles was infection control, its only bloody extra measure we have in reality to March

https://twitter.com/SchoolsWeek/status/1318490407907610625?s=19

10/ Once again questions about concerns that cases are causing infections, not one question reported by schoolsweek or TES by anyone on the committee regarding the safety of staff particularly those in at risk groups.

Nobody seems to give a toss about education workers

11/ Worth reading the full summary, Gibb fails to provide meaningful answers on exams, laptops, Ofsted, everything really.

https://twitter.com/SchoolsWeek/status/1318476463524511744?s=19

12/ What is worrying is the questions that weren't asked and how Gibbs comments about saftey were taken at face value.

10 Questions I would have asked⬇️

https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1318300024426668032?s=19