Schools MUST stay open.

[motherrunner]

I hear this a lot on MN.

Schools maybe ‘open’ but they’re not really depending on where you live.

I’m in Tier 2, due to go into Tier 3 next week prior to the lockdown rules.

Since Sept Yr 10 have isolated twice (4 weeks out of a 8 week half term), Yr 12 and 13 three times (6 weeks of a 8 week half term). My own DS is isolating due to being in contact with a positive until next week and I am isolating until next week as one of my pupils tested positive (and before anyone asks why I wasn’t 2m away well let’s just say, that’s school life).

Before lockdown in March my school had to close just to the numbers of staff off, at one point admin staff were supervising classes.

This morning I read a comment from a poster on the ‘lockdown my thread that teachers just have to ‘hope’ they get a mild viral load. Have we become so disillusioned with this virus that because “schools must stay open” then we minimise they health of school staff?

I am happy to be back teaching my pupils, I’m not happy that I feel unsafe. I am not happy that other workplaces have ‘Covid secure’ measures but I have sanitiser and a ‘hope for the best’ attitude.

So, if you really want schools to stay open then please email your MP and voice concerns about safety and hopefully we can stay open in a meaningful way because there’s a difference between ‘schools open’ with us delivering a quality education and ‘schools open’ with a body providing childcare.

[VikingVolva]

Yes it's become a mantra in its way, hasn't it.

If rumours of the next lockdown, sorry should that be 'circuit break to save Christmas' are true, then that's really throwing a lot of business to the wolves so that schools stay open.

Or rather, as pointed out , open-ish. Because partial closures because of positive cases are bound to be frequent whilst transmission is so high.

[anniversarywoes]

I work in a school and absolutely think they should stay open.
I say that as somebody who hasn't been able to live with my clinically very vulnerable dh since September, thanks to my job!

[IHateCoronavirus]

If they want to bring down the level of infection I would fully support a short sharp lockdown, but if that is what the decide they need to do it properly, schools included as there is too much mixing in school, before and after school.
All this saving Christmas bollocks baffled me. Are we really happy destroying peoples work lives for the sake of a day?

[Flagsfiend]

Yeah our school has the full on hokey cokey, put some students in, take some students out, in out in out. It is complete madness. I feel most sorry for our poor y11s, some had only been back for 4 days from isolation before getting sent home to isolate again.

I'm dreading finding out the figures on Monday. We were nearly hitting double figures of positives per week before half-term. And each case takes out part of a year and potentially staff too. I do wonder if some of the contacts develop it asymptomatically in isolation and then bring it back to school to spread it on their return...

[motherrunner]

@anniversarywoes I’m sorry to hear that. Hope you’re both remaining positive at this challenging time.

I don’t want schools to close either but I’m also realistic in what is happening in my area at the moment. I don’t know a school that hasn’t had a closure. My colleagues and I, and my teacher friends in other schools, are all concerned for the next half term. We have had so many closures already and we haven’t hit winter yet.

[Ijustcantcope]

I wish teachers would strike and refuse to go in. I would be fully behind them. It’s criminal the way that they are being treated and I sincerely hope one of them sues the government.

It’s absolutely ridiculous not to have had the lockdown over half term and schools closed for 2 weeks. That would not have caused much difficulty for anyone and would have brought cases down quicker. Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any shittier........

Ecosse will be along shortly to tell you that schools should be open no matter what and that they should also stop testing children/teachers so that people don’t know the extent of the problem

[lovelemoncurd]

If we are having another lockdown they should also close schools. The infection rate in schools published by PHE per 100k is significant enough to warrant it.

[MrPickles73]

We have been lucky. No closure at all but it's small school so the bubbles are small. So yes schools should stay open.

[SonyaCisco]

Yes - schools may officially stay open, but it will be a bumpy ride. Small town in tier one here, 6 out of 8 schools with cases, both my children have had to isolate in the last half term as close contacts, and my youngest’s School had to close to a year group each day on a rolling basis for the last week before half term due to staff shortages. I don’t know what the answer is, but open as normal without constant interruptions for isolating/staff shortages is just incredibly unlikely! Have to say having been happily back in the classroom full time since June (and on a rota the whole way through) my anxiety is definitely on the rise again the last few weeks.

[Itisasecret]

People minimise the risk to school staff because they want childcare. It’s the same people who shouted the economy MUST stay open. Boris obviously isn’t listening. He’s shutting the economy. What will happen is; they will shut everything and then you’ll still have the elephant in the room. When the system is in crisis by the end of November, he will have no choice to shut them. Which is what they are doing in Italy.

I believe Scottish teachers are considering striking and so they should.

Schools will not stay open as it stands. It doesn’t mean staff want them to shut. If only people listened, stopped sticking their heads in the sand. The ideas of closure never even had to be on the cards.

[RainbowParadise]

@Ijustcantcope

I wish teachers would strike and refuse to go in. I would be fully behind them. It’s criminal the way that they are being treated and I sincerely hope one of them sues the government.

It’s absolutely ridiculous not to have had the lockdown over half term and schools closed for 2 weeks. That would not have caused much difficulty for anyone and would have brought cases down quicker. Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any shittier........

Ecosse will be along shortly to tell you that schools should be open no matter what and that they should also stop testing children/teachers so that people don’t know the extent of the problem

I agree with this completely- teachers have been completely thrown to the wolves and have been treated appallingly.

I have two primary aged DC, of course I want schools to stay open. But the government had all summer to sort out a way to provide education that will lessen the risks and they did fuck all. Not one single alternative or decent emergency plan put in place.

[anniversarywoes]

@motherrunner Thank you, yes it is a bit rubbish but I try and be positive and count my blessings!
I totally hear what you're saying, maybe we've just been lucky but my school has remained covid free, despite being a large, very diverse inner city school.
The thought of closing is heartbreaking, our children are thriving and so so need to be back in school.
I also have teen dc that are in crucial secondary school years, so I worry so much for them.

[Iamdobby63]

Yr 11 Mum here and whilst I don’t want schools to close I strongly believe that if we are at the stage of needing to go into full lockdown then schools should also close. My fear is that without closing schools the nationwide lockdown will be extended because it will take longer to bring the infection rate down which will be even more devastating to business, employment and the economy.

[Napqueen1234]

How do you expect parents to cope for 1 month when they both work full time, have multiple kids off who need home schooling and there’s no furlough option? It’s not possible. I understand secondary as in theory they need less supervision but I can’t possibly work with two primary age children and a nursery age baby. Do I just have to give up my job and risk losing our house?!

[THATbasicWITCH]

@lovelemoncurd where can i find that data please?

[Parker231]

There isn’t a way to try and protect the economy and jobs if schools close. Everyone knows that school isn’t childcare but parents have to work whilst their DC’s are at school.
Some schools have had no cases or bubbles sent home.

[ouchmyfeet]

I think schools should stay open, definitely primary schools and possibly secondary too. The data shows that the jump in cases in September was in university age kids, not school age. I prioritise my kids education and mental well-being and I won't apologise for that. Schools should be flexible with vulnerable staff as my own children's school has been. They have hired substitutes this term to cover teachers who are shielding, and plenty have taught from home while the class is supervised by a TA

[Grobagsforever]

The problem with PPE in schools is that if a head implements half the staff complain and if he or she doesn't implement it the other half complain. The simple solution of telling teachers to wear PPE if they wish seems to be beyond everyone's thinking and comprehension.

[Sunflowers246]

With GCSEs and A levels going ahead, years 11-13 absolutely meet to be in school.

It would not be a fair otherwise as many kids don't have access to laptops or have space at home.

And if exams were cancelled again, you'd have another chaotic situation about grading and many kids giving up learning/revising.

Kids aren't much affected by the virus anyway.

[NeurotrashWarrior]

Schools have been open throughout.

There has to be a system of tiers for schools to match local measures.

I feel strongly that my own setting should stay open as we are sen, (and I'm clinically vulnerable) but "open" can include a range of part time options, full time for key workers and certain children who need full time. Sen schools came under different guidelines in the summer.

However, local infections rates are impacting sen schools severely, and all schools. There needs to be trigger points for schools before their staffing is reduced by a third due to Covid related reasons, as happened to a secondary school locally.

And masks and ventilation are being woefully under used.

Class sizes need to be cut, certainly in secondary, part time blended learning. Following work books and feeding back to class teachers when back in school. Not nationwide perhaps but certainly in very badly affected areas and certainly before infections climb.

A teacher died in Wales last week due to Covid. If there's no staff there's no teaching at all.

[Sunflowers246]

How do you expect parents to cope for 1 month when they both work full time, have multiple kids off who need home schooling and there’s no furlough option? It’s not possible

Yes, this is, in addition to exam preparation point, another argument n favour of schools starting open.

Other countries including Germany and France have also stressed the importance of keeping schools open.

[H1978]

Mum of a y11 dc too and she definitely needs to be in school. Of course we feel for the teachers, my dsil is 4 months pregnant working in a large secondary school so I understand the concerns but some year groups need the face to face teaching.

Dd has came out of isolation yesterday because a girl she sits next to tested positive and I’m glad a week of that was the holidays. She got a bit unwell in the week so got her tested because I don’t want her sent home on the basis that she might have covid and it’s just seasonal colds.

[SuperbGorgonzola]

As a teacher, I hope schools stay open.

As a parent, I'm concerned about nurseries as we have two children under 4 and my husband cannot work from home.

[Susanwouldntlikeit]

Schools need to stay open and I’m hoping the government holds its nerves this. Children should be our priority if we are not to store up (even more) mental health time bombs for the future. Society now depends on the structure of school and families will suffer without that structure. Even if the virus spreads in schools, that is still a far lesser ‘evil’ than the downside of the suffering many will endure otherwise. I don’t have school age children so am not personably simply seeking ‘childcare’ and I do work on a school where thankfully the staff all want to keep the schools open because we have seen how the children wilted and are now finally starting to settle back into a routine and thriving again. Another schools closure would be disastrous, and I’m astounded that anyone who actually works with children and cares about them would it be lobbying for schools to stay fully open (or not just for KSW children) during any national lockdown.

[Piggywaspushed]

The data shows that the jump in cases in September was in university age kids,

It really doesn't : that is and has always been a selective reading that everyone who actually regularly looks at the data knows is not true. The ONS report yesterday specifically states that teenagers in years 7- 11 are the biggest group.

The DfE need to get their heads out of the sand and act on summer exams and various other issues because what is happening at the moment in many many school is not working.

We all know children's education is not expendable : the current 'ram them all in crowded buildings' is contributing to the spread and is not providing many many schoolchildren with a fulltime educational experience anyway.