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Covid

Schools will shut, and who will be complaining then?

145 replies

StartingGrid · 08/11/2020 22:03

The sheer amount of people stating "my kids still have to go to school, so why should I do x,y,z..." are so short-sighted... when this fake lockdown doesn't work because of the above, watch an early Xmas closure be rolled out.
A lot of them will be stuffed for childcare but aren't thinking of the consequences of their current actions. I'd eat my hat if the government hadn't initiated this knowing they could blame non-compliance for needing the additional measures down the line but didn't want to look like the bad guys denying education initially. What's the saying about "jam today"?

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Nicknacky · 08/11/2020 22:07

I will be stuffed if they shut but I won’t be blaming myself. I do my bit outside work but little I can do do reduce my exposure at work.

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StartingGrid · 08/11/2020 22:11

@Nicknacky

I will be stuffed if they shut but I won’t be blaming myself. I do my bit outside work but little I can do do reduce my exposure at work.

You're obviously not them one of the people on the thread I just read stating they would have whoever they liked in their home as and when because their kids were still at school, and sorry if idiocy like that causes you a hard time down the line.
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WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 08/11/2020 22:12

Jam today
Sticky tomorrow
?

Ham today
Ants tomorrow
?

People want it all ways, schools open & everything else open/all freedoms.

People doing as they please because 'what's the point if me kid is at school' will only have themselves to blame when the only option left us to close schools.

A longer Christmas break would be good, but it'll be less effective if people just decide the virus will take Christmas off.

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ConiferGate · 08/11/2020 22:16

Where are you in the country? It seems that rates are levelling overall but regionally there is variation. If that’s the case I can’t see blanket school closures, not when in some areas rates are low enough to be able to keep schools open until the next holidays (which are never far away).

I don’t think all schools should be closed just because some schools should be, but likewise I don’t think govt has a clue how it roils manage shutdowns again

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Sweettea1 · 08/11/2020 22:31

Schools should not close are children are failing because of this plus its going to go on for awhile yet.

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StartingGrid · 08/11/2020 22:32

@WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants you're absolutely right...

@ConiferGate I'm in London. Rates locally aren't improving here yet unfortunately

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Thismustbelove · 08/11/2020 22:36

I was disgusted to see photographs on FB of a four year old surrounded by friends and friend's parents whilst having a birthday party in lockdown. There is no point in some people obeying the rules when others think the rules don't apply to them. We'll never get out of it at this rate.

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Heyha · 08/11/2020 22:39

Maybe...a full lockdown Inc school mostly closed (tight definition of keyworkers excepted, as in March) in early December as the next step to 'save Christmas'? That would mean by Christmas most people in theory would have been more or less isolated for two-three weeks so community transmission could be right down low. I'd happily go to work (school) if we were back to just enabling keyworkers as we did before, it was easy to stay safe with the small numbers. With furlough being extended and the FSM over Christmas being agreed I think the foundations are being laid.

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EachDubh · 08/11/2020 22:39

Staff are not immune so if cases are not brought under control there will be more burst bubbles, shortages of staff. To keep schools open we need to keep cases out of them.

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MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously · 08/11/2020 22:44

I'd he quite happy if DS college shut. It's in an area of high transmission rate. Tbh, him going does expose us to a high risk and imo there's little point in lockdown if schools in these areas continue to be open. I think it's massively irresponsible to stay open - it's risking every family and all the staff. Schools should only be open in areas of low transmission rate.

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MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously · 08/11/2020 22:46

My Dad's friends have all been having sleepovers during lockdown. No wonder cases are still high.

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MrsHuntGeneNotJeremyObviously · 08/11/2020 22:46

Not dad's! Dd's

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Qasd · 08/11/2020 22:48

Schools will shut if the government decides to shut schools. This I think will be governed a lot by Europe. So while Ireland, France, Germany and Spain have kept schools open (and while France in particular has more cases) its politically difficult for us to end education in the U.K. (yes I know some European countries..notably Poland have shut schools and some such as Belgium have to older children but a national end to state education would make us an outlier in Europe and therefore be difficult),

Anyway I honestly believe “following what Europe does” seems out main strategy and therefore no nothing I do will impact on the decision...president
Macron however has more power over my kids education than I think even he would realise!!

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BaronessEllaSaturday · 08/11/2020 22:49

I'm in the NorthWest in an area that had local restrictions from August, our rates have plummeted despite schools still being open. I am hopeful that we are over the worst of it here and that nationwide the restrictions now in place will help the rates without the schools having to close. My child would be devastated if schools closed again, she's finding it hard enough that her extra curricular activities have gone back to being via zoom, she needs that social contact with her peers.

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nanbread · 08/11/2020 22:50

I'd be really pissed off if my DC's school closed. There haven't been any cases there yet. I've not even heard of any cases among family members there. My son already missed more than 4 months of education.

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OverTheRainbowLiesOz · 08/11/2020 22:52

Seven teachers out with symptoms or positive cases so far in my daughters school. Am expecting year groups to be sent home soon.

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OverTheRainbowLiesOz · 08/11/2020 22:54

You won't necessarily know about cases unless your child is a direct contact.

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ktp100 · 08/11/2020 22:55

My experience of this is that most want kids in school so they can work, some want them in because of their education and then there are those who just can't be arsed having them at home.

I get that people don't want schools to close but I do think we need to prepare for it happening. Things are really ramping up now and if Lockdown 2 doesn't have much of an effect it's the obvious next step, especially if ITU's are filling up again.

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3littlewords · 08/11/2020 23:00

@Heyha

Maybe...a full lockdown Inc school mostly closed (tight definition of keyworkers excepted, as in March) in early December as the next step to 'save Christmas'? That would mean by Christmas most people in theory would have been more or less isolated for two-three weeks so community transmission could be right down low. I'd happily go to work (school) if we were back to just enabling keyworkers as we did before, it was easy to stay safe with the small numbers. With furlough being extended and the FSM over Christmas being agreed I think the foundations are being laid.

Difference being this time theres more than just key workers going out to work , not everyone who isn't a key worker is furloughed or wfh
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EasterIssland · 08/11/2020 23:05

@Heyha

Maybe...a full lockdown Inc school mostly closed (tight definition of keyworkers excepted, as in March) in early December as the next step to 'save Christmas'? That would mean by Christmas most people in theory would have been more or less isolated for two-three weeks so community transmission could be right down low. I'd happily go to work (school) if we were back to just enabling keyworkers as we did before, it was easy to stay safe with the small numbers. With furlough being extended and the FSM over Christmas being agreed I think the foundations are being laid.

Not all of us are key workers or on furlough. So for those of us that have been following the rules and have carry on working during this year we need to suck it up that some think they are more important than us and our kids need to lose 1 month of their education?
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RB68 · 08/11/2020 23:07

I think yrs 789 need to be home schooling to be honest. The pressure and worry for 11 and 13 this yr is far higher than last at the moement, test and mocks are being crammed when they can with only up to 2 weeks notice max at my dd school and she is feeling a bit overwhelmed by the shifts and getting things in now so they can count as assessments if they need to.

I think we are in for a series of rolling lockdowns - can see why else furlough would be put out till March to be honest. But people do not understand how this works - levels of exposure are critical and by picking areas to expose, the argument to lockdown is not being won at the moment and people don't understand the need to reduce levels of potential exposure by not meeting in groups, not travelling unless essential, not having socials, as many as possible wearing masks and to keep up the handwashing and sanitizing and if there is a choice Wash as its better.

I am missing hugs with people, physical contact, even handholding never mind visiting vulnerable friends (mental health) or my Dad clinically v vuln etc. Anxiety and cussidness is at an all time high with many and some of the ridiculous responses of some people on and offline to issues is very wearing. I think we all need to count to 25 these days and stuff 10

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Qasd · 08/11/2020 23:10

Oh and I want schools open because I think educating the population is really important it provides our future doctors and scientists for example, any covid vaccine developed here will come down directly to our investment in education institutions notable at the moment two of our leading universities, Oxford and imperial.

It is actually pretty rare for a modern country to decide to work towards having a high skilled economy and not have a state education system (actually not having a state education system is a pretty unusual thing for most countries and state education actually pre dates the nhs as a state run service that was worth investing in). Shutting it down temporarily could be justified but longer term to me it’s the equivalent getting rid off the nhs and most people saying “cannot people just do their own medical care they are sooo lazy”

Ultimately of course the right to education didn’t make it into the un convention on the rights of the child due to them wanting to protect parents right to “have a bit if a break from their kids”. But the one thing this pandemic has really shown me is education for education sake is very under valued in this country..I honestly hadn’t realised!

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Trumpetpants · 08/11/2020 23:28

Does anyone know if teaching assistant who works full time in one class tests positive will class have to isolate please?

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Nat6999 · 08/11/2020 23:29

I'm fully expecting schools to be shut down in December & the two weeks at Christmas if the present lockdown doesn't work to bring numbers down. It takes around 5 days from being in contact with a positive case for the virus to incubate, then probably another 14 days for them to be at the worst if they are going to need a hospital bed which only leaves less than 2 weeks for them to recover before lockdown ends. Chances are that hospitals will still be overwhelmed by the date we are due to come out of lockdown, so the lockdown will need to be extended, that is before the bad weather starts, for all we know we could be knee deep in snow by the beginning of December. Closing schools for 3 weeks before the Christmas break would be a better option than leaving them open & cases piling up so badly that schools need to close longer after Christmas. Before anyone starts shouting that I want schools to close, I don't, ds has just started sixth form & is loving it, this is brilliant for a former school refused.

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nanbread · 08/11/2020 23:31

You won't necessarily know about cases unless your child is a direct contact.

Really? At our school we have been told the school will inform us of any positive cases and I'm pretty sure it's the Council policy for all state schools here.

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