There’s now a strong chance schools will NOT go back full time in September

[Redolent]

Schools have been set up to fail by the careless summer relaxation of lockdown.

• No mandatory face masks in shops and indoors. The UK is an international outlier here.
• Reduction of 2m rule to 1m which is basically the normal distance people talk to each other. Factor in alcohol and social distancing is now non-existent in pubs and restaurants. Oh, and nobody cares about the 1m ‘plus’ bit. They just hear 1m.
• Reopening of too many indoor venues at once, including things like places of worship which are high-risk for transmission anyway.
• Bypassing the idea of social bubbles straight to unlimited two household meet-ups indoors. You can visit different pubs/restaurants over the weekend and go inside multiple households throughout the week. Zero attempt to break chain of transmission.
• No functioning app and poor test/trace system (see SAGE’s Stephen Reicher on the latter)
• ‘Pausing’ of shielding in August

All of the above will led to a rise in cases.

Meanwhile:

• Shit is absolutely hitting the fan in the United States, India, Pakistan, Mexico, Saudi Arabia, other parts of the Middle East. Our quarantine policy is so terrible it may well be scrapped anyway. Will see more imported cases.
• The weather will turn cooler and allow perfect conditions for the virus to thrive

So by end of August/early September, our cases and hospitalizations will be rising significantly. Flu season will kick in. The NHS is already groaning under the weight of its huge 10million waiting list - another shut down cannot happen. A full time return to school under those circumstances will be untenable. Blended learning will see a turn as will part-time schooling.

YABU: we need to get the economy going in all its forms as quickly as possible, and schools will also go back with no issues.
YANBU: you cannot have things both ways. This summer relaxation is setting us up for an autumn/winter spike and more part-time schooling.

Comment from friend's ds when he was told that Schools were all going back in September: "yes, and they said WWI would be over by Christmas".

I agree op. It's madness. I think people will use their own judgement though. Just because pubs and restaurants are open doesn't mean it's a good idea to go.

I feel really quite despondent about the school situation. My dd needs to be back at school with her peers. I am a teacher so educationally I'm able to do a lot with her at home and have ensured she hasn't fallen behind. However, she's miserable at home and needs to be around children of her own age and learning in a "busy" environment. I don't care whether September is full or part time learning in school for her...I just want her at school at some point each week from September.

I think it’s pretty certain that cases will go up whenever we come out of lockdown whether it’s now or in 6 months time. Lockdown wasn’t to eradicate the virus but rather to slow its spread to a steady amount that we and the NHS was able to cope with.
It’s better as previous people have said to have another wave of the virus now during the summer rather than stay in lockdown for another 3 months only to life it at the start of the winter and have to cope with a second wave then on top of normal winter illnesses.
Don’t forget that other illnesses like cancer etc haven’t stopped and mental illness has increased. People are committing suicide because they can’t cope with the loneliness of lockdown.
Which lived do you choose? Stay in lockdown and save some people from the virus but let all the cancer go undiagnosed, people’s businesses go bankrupt and suicides increase?
We need to start living but with some things in place to help protect us. Nothing will be 100% safe. You could get knocked over by a car, or choke on a grape or any number of the millions of things that kill people every day.

To get everyone back in their regular class sizes full time there won’t be social distancing in schools by September. The classrooms aren’t big enough and many English class sizes are already at 30+. It will be interesting to see what happens to case numbers of Coronavirus in schools particularly secondary where the protective bubbles of children are not feasible if students are being taught their options and ability grouped. Government are hedging their bets it will be ok but their track record so far is extremely poor in my opinion.

How can we have pubs open but schools closed

And with all kinds of treatments still not being provided by the NHS! Priorities are all wrong.

^My dc is still banned and getting even more behind because she point blank refuses to do the work. It's disgusting^

Sorry the fact she is getting more behind is entirely your fault. Do some actual parenting and make sure she is educated, either by doing what school provides or you find her other stuff. Precisely what consequences have you put in place for not doing the work???

Someone on another thread answered that with ‘Schools cost money and pubs make money.’ I think that says it all.

Response to @Kazzyhoward

I am very shocked at the YABU vote, which was 58% when I clicked YANBU

Just to reiterate, YANBU - in caps, bolded.

Risks to children are infinitesimal.
The teaching unions have a great deal to answer to.
The impact of not going back will be far greater than going back.
The overall risk to those who aren't vulnerable is infinitesimal.
Is your glass always half full OP?

I believe they will be back.

The gov are grooming us now with the lifting of lockdown, saying shielders can go out etc, for the inevitable fact that the country is going to have to just risk it.

The country won't be able to afford to go on another full lockdown, it's pretty much on its economic knees already and I reckon Boris would rather eat cat shit than fund furlough into next year and lock us back down.

It's not going away for a while if ever. Even if they find a successful vaccine this year, the manufacturing, logistics & distribution on that scale would take some time, even with full steam ahead.

Never mind the DC debacle, the MSM have reported terribly on the lifting of lockdown. The constant headlines of its now 1m miss the whole point that the govt are still stressing you should be 2m apart when possible and if not then mitigating actions need to be taken.

Lazy, lazy reporting.

@jgjgjgjgjg

Odfod

My dc was initially enthusiastic about home learning and doing the school work set every day. She now cries regularly that she misses her friends and school. It's been too long. Yes, I could put in place punishments for not doing it but I'm prioritizing her mental health right now.

Right little Ray of sunshine, aren't you OP.

It would have been better to have the kids in school June / July when cases were low and weather conditions a bit more favourable.

But no everyone shouted that their children would die and they needed to keep them home to keep them safe.

Schools returning in Sept has never been the perfect answer. In fact I have more concerns over a Sept return date than I did June.

I will still send my kids in Sept as I do think that it will still be safe.

But surely most of the kids can't go back. Not after all the fuss their parents have made?

Requisition the pubs - plenty of space, plenty of tables, plenty of electric points and plenty of toilets, lots of them even have outdoor space... use them as temporary classrooms!!

I'm only half joking

@Silenceisnotgolden

There was never any guarantee of a full time return to school in September.

This. Schools can't even plan for September really, whatever they do plan would have to change several times. What needs to happen is a decision urgently about the 2021 GCSEs and A levels.

I'd imagine that all children will go back to school full time in (in primary school anyway) bubbles of 30.
But anytime one of those children gets a cough or temperature, which with children is very frequent, that whole bubble will have to isolate until the infected child gets a test. And repeat with each new child who gets a cough.
So I'm preparing for a very disrupted couple of terms, with no assemblies, staggered drop offs and pick ups etc.

Surely the title should be " In My Opinion There’s now a strong chance schools will NOT go back full time in September" as you have provided no evidence that they will not.

There will not be extra funding for extra cleaning, sanitisers, plastic screens etc. It is all to come out of the normal school budget, which has been cut over the last few years.

My son starts college in September.

They have already stated they will be doing blended learning until 2021. They aren't budging whatever government decides.

I worry tbh that the cohort who didn't take GCSEs also will have a poorer first year in college.

I'm tempted to get ds to start with a level 2 course and do a level 3 when he can learn in college.

He has an EHCP but I'm not sure even having 1:1 support via teams in chat room will be enough.

But I'm not sure what alternative is. This pandemic is disruptive worldwide. We have to learn to love alongside it and suck it up I guess?

they should go back but there might be local lock downs

Although having read the the government papers earlier re scientific research into transmission in schools and amongst children I'd say they are fully gearing to open up fully.

I am very confident the schools will be back full time.

Our school has already confirmed reopening (secondary) and many others in our area.
I think there may be outbreaks and spikes, but it will be regional and controlled, and during the winter. I have no concerns about schools staying closed anymore. Summer holidays will be great, kids back in the autumn.