When do you think Secondary Schools will go back (Tier 4)?

What I don’t understand is how schools can run with some years in school and the rest online? How do the teachers manage as they have to be in school for years 11&13 so presumably at risk but having to run online lessons for rest of school and potentially have their own kids at home. How does that work?! I have a y11 and keen she is in school as has not done mocks yet but just don’t get how it works?!

Since this is a guessing thread, does anyone have an opinion as to whether Year 12 students who are (theoretically) taking 1 year AS Levels in the summer count as being in an exam year (at least for the subject to be examined)? IMO they should be, but all the communications seem to talk about solely Y11 and Y13 (who I appreciate are more numerous and important). There's doubtless other exceptions - schools where Y10 take GCSEs early, vocational quals where there is exams in Y10/13.

If schools closed until Easter that would be catastrophic for the life chances of so many children. Many still can’t access any online learning. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

Teachers should be one of the top priority categories for the vaccine

I think they'll be closed for the whole of Jan.

I think schools will be shut until at least February. That’s what we’ve been planning for.

If you ask a question like this on mumsnet, somebody will say ‘Easter’ or ‘2023.’

Well as far as staff know it's exam years from 4th and everyone else from 11th with no mitigations to protect us. Rest assured that our health will be the lowest priority. On that basis, I'd say that's exactly what will happen of Gav has his way.

Not possible for secondary to go back on Jan 11. No point in bojo announcing tier4 and then letting the age group with the highest number of infections to go around spreading covid19.
My bet is that schools will be online till Easter. That way the vaccine will be well distributed.
The lateral flow tests proposed for schools only pick up 50% (at best) of positive cases so is pointless. It is not what those tests were designed for but will give bojo a set of statistics which he can quote to keep schools open.
It is very convenient that this new strain allows bojo to do a few uturns and blame it on the new variants.

DD1 is in year 9, her school have told the parents we will receive a communication on 2/1 telling us what will happen.

I spoke with a friend on Tuesday who is a deputy Head, he told me not to be surprised if they were off for the whole half term until February

I think Y11 & Y13 will go back as planned for their mock exams

I also think after Feb half term

DH and I were talking about this earlier. I've got a horrible feeling the number of new cases will shoot up over the next few weeks due to Christmas mixing (half my street has had visitors in their houses today...if this is representative of the whole country the impact will be huge) I think it's really unlikely that secondary pupils will all be back in full time on 11th. I really hope I'm wrong though.

February (probably after half term). I think mass testing will be deemed to make schools "safe" but there is no way that most secondary schools will be able to roll it out in under a few weeks.