to feel beyond annoyed every time someone says 'schools have never been closed'

[thisisthebestoftimes]

Because to the vast majority of children they have been. I feel it completely dismisses how serious this is for most dc and their families. Schools may have been open to 15 or so keyworker dc throughout this, and now to a couple of years worth of dc in years which seem completely illogical (except for the few hours years 10 and 12s have been afforded which is essential).

[thisisthebestoftimes]

But most dc will not see a school or teacher for at least 6 months.

[Onceuponatimethen]

Yy agree op

And actually some have been closed - our school has since lockdown began!

[kohlkat]

The majority of schools in my area WERE shut. ALL secondaries were shut. Some primaries stayed open as hubs for keyworkers.

[CasperGutman]

It depends on context. It's unreasonable to say "schools have been closed" as a means to criticise teachers' supposed laziness or suggest they should work through the summer holidays.

It's not unreasonable to say it if you're highlighting the way most pupils' have experienced this period.

[Milicentbystander72]

Yes it's annoying.

I also find it annoying when the gov say things like "Y10 and Y12 are back seeing their teachers and their friends"

Er no. My Y10 has 3 hours a week with no usual teachers and no friends. Of course, this is what it is for now, but it's by no means 'back at school for much needed time with their teachers socially with friends' as it's sold.

[SeasonFinale]

Our school (1000) pupils was open to 93 key workers children. We are 200m from a major hospital in the area.

Schools have not been closed in as much as they are still working and educating children, the same way many businesses have remained open with staff working from home.

[Thanosatemthamster]

What is your point OP?

[BlusteryLake]

My Yr6 will have had 12 days in school. Really irritates me when I hear "but Yr6 have been back at school since 1st June".

[SomeoneElseEntirelyNow]

I mean, none of the schools near us were closed, and all of my teacher friends were still working full time. For many, it's an accurate statement - the schools remained open.

[thisisthebestoftimes]

My point is that, in general, schools have been closed to most dc so to say schools have never been closed is not accurate for most families.

[Milicentbystander72]

I think the OP's point is, whenever someone expresses concern to schools not being open to all children the blanket response is "they've never shut".

While being physically true, everyone knows they're shut to most children. It's just being facetious.

[Milicentbystander72]

Sorry crossed posts OP.

[SomeoneElseEntirelyNow]

I think though that the majority of "the schools have never been closed" comments are in response to the disgustingly huge number of people who seem to believe that all school staff have just gone off on a jolly. Saying that schools are closed implies that staff haven't been working, which is very very far from the truth. Even if the buildings have been closed, the schools themselves have still been running.

[TSSDNCOP]

I agree with casper

If it is some criticism of the teachers at your school, take it up with your school. Not all teachers everywhere have been posting twinkl worksheets and then lying in their garden.

If it's some implied criticism of school re/opening, again take it up with your school. Many schools have been open to large numbers of KW kids. They know how to follow infection control, and additionally have read the government requirements on opening safely.

Online school is school. My own DC has followed its TT using Googleclassroom and Googlemeet. They are as open as they can be. If your school isn't take it up with your school, not all schools are "closed".

[Mummytime1]

Yes very annoying! Like many I have had to juggle 3 children and actually going out to work the whole way through. Luckily family helped otherwise I dread to think what would have happened.
My eldest has been offered 1 day a week for 4 hours!!!!! So no schools haven’t been open for all kids and even now the years that can go back are not allowed to full time!

[Mummytime1]

I would like to add I am not angry at teachers, they work bloody hard! I am angry at the whole situation!

[Milicentbystander72]

Er, I'm a school Governor. I'm well aware of how hard school staff are working.

That's not what people mean though when they say as a stock response - "schools have never closed". They're talking about the physical building. Which yes, is open to a small amount of children but not most children.

[thisisthebestoftimes]

@SomeoneElseEntirelyNow I disagree. When teachers make comments like 'schools have not been closed' it just irritates people because they have been closed to their dc.

[KoalasandRabbit]

Yes I find this annnoying - neither of mine have been eligible for school since March like the vast majority of kids. There's weeks with no kids at all out of 1000 there normally, sometimes there's 10 but for the other 990 kids school is closed. I've had to give up work because of that and it's like it's all nothing like my kids and I, plus the 990 other families don't exist and the people writing it don't care about us or what happens to those families. It may not be meant that way but that's how it reads.

[imissmydad]

Our local primary and our 2 local nurseries have been closed.

[KoalasandRabbit]

All nothing shouldn't be there

[KoalasandRabbit]

We do have some work from show my homework but the physical school is closed to 990 kids and the show my homework is for 3 lessons a day not 5 and takes 10-20 minutes per lesson to complete with no marking. Y8 and y9 so quite a concern for next year when GCSEs start and being told its closed all next year too apart from the odd hour.

[ResIpsaLoquiturInterAlia]

State (primary) schools that technically remained open with say 3 out of 300 children from critical key worker families or vulnerable socially disadvantaged children for childcare is basically closed for the majority of children. Even those that have accepted a few more children from selected classes who happen to opt to return to school for in school childcare and some in school home schooling supervision are technically also “open” but not if your child is not in the preferred selected category as hence why a schools of usually say 300 children only has 30-50 back to “school”.

I feel a truly open school is just that - a school that is open to all pre Covid pupils and importantly actually doing some sort of teaching and not just supervised childcare in closed off bubbles for reduced hours or selective days etc.

[cardibach]

The school is not just the physical building. School as in learning community has (or should have been) open all along. I’m a secondary teacher in Wales, so none of my classes have been in the building (unless they are key worker/vulnerable children). They have had schooling though, every single week. Recorded lessons, resources, wellbeing links. The fact is that o ky about 30% have engaged with that at all - no work or contact from the remainder, even when I or pastoral staff have phoned home to check on them.
‘Schools have never been closed’ is almost always, as PPs have said, in response to people suggesting that since the building is shut teachers are in holiday and pupils have been abandoned.

[Pussycatinboots]

My local (Academy) school have been open throughout, including the "holidays" at easter/half term. It has classes of key-workers kids every single day.
So YABVU to make such a sweeping statement!