1/ Line up of witnesses by @CommonsEd on the science of school closures is very questionable.

All four have downplayed transmission, risk to workers and stuck to backing up the government narrative that schools are safe.

Where are SAGE and NERVTAG representatives?
#edutwitter
2/ Viner:
Late September he explained away disruption in schools as due to too many children being tested, said this was because they were getting tests for other symptoms.
This wasn't the case still tests for 3 main symptoms and there are concerns around this being too narrow
3/ "Misplaced and unscientific concerns about transmission in schools"

Full article here
amp.theguardian.com/society/2020/s…
4/ Viner questions and dismisses studies on transmission in schools while his own work has been used by skeptics to back up their arguments, but there are issues with how he has reached his conclusions
5/ Gone on record saying there is no evidence that masks would be useful
6/ Alongside Munro, Viner is one of the key voices worldwide being used by skeptic to dismiss safety and transmission in education.
7/ Next up, Jenny Harris:
"Children are more likely to get hit by a bus"
"Low transmission in schools"
"Workers at no greater risk"
"Masks don't work"
"Mass testing isn't appropriate for UK"
"Mass gatherings aren't an issue"

Useful witness?
8/ Osama Rahman:
Was the DfE advisor who said the science hadnt been consulted on policy for reopening schools in a select committee, and then flipped his story 180.
Willing to speak truth to power? Will speak out against DfE?
9/ Dougal Hargreaves, not as much on him, he's worked with Viner on multiple occasions but they are both pediatrics.
His timeline is full of Munro tweets so it's fairly safe to assume he'll provide the message the DfE wants to hear
10/ So a discussion on science of school closures which includes none of the epidemiologists or virologists who advised the government that this was needed

Add in the DfEs one sided call for evidence on impact of the move to remote,where's the balance?
This does seem to confirm my concerns that the gaslighting will continue. UK government has been selectively quoting on schools all along.

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More from @karamballes

14 Jan
1/ The day mass testing in schools was announced I started raising concerns.

The government knew this wasn't an appropriate use and was actually dangerous, we know they'd been warned about this, yet they decided to continue

amp.theguardian.com/world/2021/jan…
2/ SAGE NERVTAG said no
The manufacturer said no
The regulator said no
NHS said no to this as a replacement to isolation
Experts working in testing said no

So why did the DfE say yes?
3/ Original thread here.
This was more PR exercise rather than PH initiative.

DfE prioritised reducing isolation in exchange for increasing the risk of isolation.

Some really twisted logic going on here, whats the thought process going on behind this?
Read 30 tweets
10 Jan
1/ Thread:On request, a quick look at Independent SAGE's A Safe Schools Plan

This is an update on the urgent report on safer schools to take into account the current lockdown

independentsage.org/a-safe-schools…
2/ Due to transmission in schools spreading into communities it was essential for schools to be included in the lockdown in order to protect NHS and save lives.
3/ A National Education Task Group involving all stake holders should be set up to look at the following points
Read 12 tweets
1 Jan
1/ Thread: Remember Sunak saying recently once 15m people are vaccinated we can just open up and pretty much get back to normal?

Its the latest iteration of GBD, protect vulnerable, everyone else just carry on , forget about long covid and many CEV,CV not vaccinated yet.
2/ This is why they are scrapping the vaccine second dose, to get up to that 15m as fast as possible, of course there's also panic about rising rates but if they were that concerned about cutting transmission they wouldn't be planning 30 kids in classrooms without mask next week
3/ While a logical argument can be made about giving as many people the first dose as possible, it seems the move has alarmed many in the medical and scientific community.

It is a sudden change of strategy, first to suggest it was Tony Blair and that was met with derision.
Read 26 tweets
31 Dec 20
So @GavinWilliamson and @BorisJohnson claimed that schools would be secure from the new strain

Looking at the latest advice from a SAGE sub committee it appears they are clearly being dishonest,this is so reckless its shocking
#edutwitter #CloseSchoolsNOW
gov.uk/government/pub…
Without stringent control it will spread rapidly
Really reinforces the need to take every mitigation measure seriously
Lockdown recommended
School operations must be changed
LFTs as the only new measure is clearly inadequate

2m should be reinforced, additional aerosol transmission is a serious concern

Masks should be worn in classrooms!
Read 8 tweets
30 Dec 20
So the November national lockdown didn't work, cases and deaths have risen dramatically, why do they think these Tiers and secondary going back a week or two late in January is going to do a better job of getting cases down and keeping them down?
So what will be the difference between mid January and mid December besides replacing isolation in schools with unreliable LFTs?

Why did @GavinWilliamson claim primaries will continue to get regular testing?
Why did @BorisJohnson and @GavinWilliamson claim transmission isnt happening in schools with their comments about household mixing and community infections and then claim testing would cut transmission chains.

They just made out there wasn't transmission chains in schools
Read 8 tweets
30 Dec 20
If schools are safe Johnson, then why won't you answer FOIs on infections, hospitalisation and deaths of workers?
#edutwitter #lockdownuk
#PressConference #pressbriefing
#CloseSchoolsNOW
The Tiers are a mess as well why is Redbridge not on the contingency list with higher rates than some on it?
None of the LAs in Berkshire which is in Tier 4 are on the contingency.

Readings hospital has ambulances queuing outside, yet primary schools open fully next week

Here's a Berkshire school, seriously think its safe for all students back next week. Image
Read 8 tweets

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