#closetheschools is trending

[Allthestarsarecloser]

I work at a university on the front line seeing students 1-1 (I work in student support) and have continued to see students this term at a distance & with measures in place. ALL the students I have seen have been grateful for the human contact.

I also have 2 kids in primary and secondary. I want them to stay in school as my eldest had to have counselling after the last lockdown.

Aibu to say that schools need to stay open and I say that as someone on the front line.

YABU - they should shut
YANBU- they need to stay open

Children must stay in school. Far to many were given little or no work to complete. We will have a generation with weak literacy skills and they will never catch up.

If schools do close they will be much better equipped to give online lessons/work this time around.

It is the weaker students who don’t have support at home who will suffer the most.

Hopefully most of these disadvantaged pupils will still go in to school like last time but sometimes some are not classed as disadvantaged but would still benefit from staying in school.
If you already can barely read and then go weeks without reading whilst another child is reading every day the gap of abilities is just going to get bigger.

This frustrates me particularly in primary school as I don’t know of any child in that age group that’s actually tested positive or even still that has caught it from school.

Isn’t this because most kids are said to be asymptomatic?
So they’ll be catching and spreading it without getting poorly themselves.

It’s difficult. My kids absolutely missed school, it’s so important for their mental health to be able to go. Selfishly I would feel so much better if they were safe at home though.
Ideally I think a circuit breaker for schools would have been ideal for 2 weeks with normal lockdown then open schools only. Imo

This frustrates me particularly in primary school as I don’t know of any child in that age group that’s actually tested positive or even still that has caught it from school.

Children are often symptom free it seems. They aren't being tested very often as a result. Some who have been tested have tested positive.

And we know that children can indeed catch it and can carry it and pass it on.

And as said before, schools do not only involve children. There are many adults working within schools. Children can also pass it to adults at home.

This frustrates me particularly in primary school as I don’t know of any child in that age group that’s actually tested positive or even still that has caught it from school

I can certainly tell you that children have tested positive. Sadly, some are quite ill now and some have long Covid with complications afterwards.

Why is it we seem to approach this with an all or nothing view?

It is very important that students remain in school, it is also important that we protect the health of the more at-risk staff, students and parents.

So I would suggest the following (not that anyone would listen to me):

Primary and secondary: Those staff that are at an increased risk to be assigned to WFH, it is their responsibility to make daily contact with students who are at risk or live with parents/carers who are extremely clinically vulnerable. This would be most difficult in very small primary schools where the cost of cover would be too great, the government should financially assist these schools so that those that need to can WFH.

Secondary only: We then split all year groups into three (at-risk students already removed). Splitting in such a way that sibling groups end up in the same group. One of the groups would include key worker students, vulnerable students or those that the school know need to be in school for whatever reason. Schools then move to a 2-week in, 2-week out rota for the two equal-sized groups that do not include the key worker group. Meaning all students only miss 2 weeks of school and those in school are able to socially distance. In the 2 weeks, the students are out, they can work through predetermined topics with Oak Academy to support them. Those in school receive the same level of teaching as normal. As teachers are repeating the fortnights teaching in the second rota, this reduces workload and allows them time to review work done at home so students at home are not ignored. For the group that has remained in school for the full 4 weeks, they will do the same, just mixed together and in-school.

I think this seems logical... it reduces transmission in schools AND protects the mental health and education of children. Although the students do make LESS progress than being in school for 4 weeks, it is hardly as damaging as "closing the schools". (NOTE: The schools never closed, they were open to keyworker and vulnerable students all along and even opened for longer given they were open for May half term and Easter).

Schools need to stay open. In Belgium, all schools are closed now for 2 weeks (half term been extended) and after that my secondary age kids are only going back 50% apparently, rest online. Primaries and younger secondaries go back full time. I know lots of transmission happens at school BUT to me the benefits of being at school and getting a solid education and seeing friends is way more important for mental health.

Have you not seen how covid has risen since educational settings returned??? How can they not?! Children mixing, all over each other, 30 in a class etc etc ... they SPREAD IT. They silently in some cases spread it to people like me who are vulnerable. I’m 46 with two primary aged kids. I’d rather not die thanks!!!!!! I know most of you don’t give a shit as you’re “fine” but let’s be a little human. You can’t have a lockdown and then have kids prancing all about spreading covid. It’s totally illogical. There are plenty of Asian studies to show the impact young people have on the spread of covid.

For the last few years all we have heard about is how damaging it is educationally for a child to have a week or two off school to go on holiday, but apparently teachers are capable of getting children back up to speed when they miss months of school.

Children's education has to be a priority. We have to accept that Covid is going nowhere (latest BBC report stated that it would be 5 years before we are back to normal) so they have to work out how to make schools a safe environment to remain open. We can't say children can have this level of disruption for the next 5 years.

If they stay open schools need much better safety measures to stop the spread. Otherwise the lockdown is pointless.

Ps schools closing for a few weeks won’t kill anyone (covid might!!!!) as the school day is so pathetically slow and is less anyway, your darlings will hardly miss a thing!! I have to home school now to avoid covid and believe me we are excelling the curriculum quite easily and quickly as it’s so full of padding!

@Vinomummyinlockdown

Maybe lay off the vino; Especially when homeschooling.

I too am on the fence, I am a full time carer for my mum and I'm a single mum to 2 primary school boys. I'm lucky I know on that I didn't have a job to worry about, but trying to care for my mum plus homeschool my children was so hard, my youngest has sen and he's extremely hard work. Mentally I would struggle so much. Trying to teach my sen child just did not work at all. Schools need to close but schools need to stay open.

Always on these threads we have lots of 'we have to do this, we have to do that'. I understand why people want schools to stay open, I'm just not sure it's feasible.

I don't know what the answer is, but carrying on regardless seems... foolish.

Schools need to close but schools need to stay open. I agree with this

Maybe lay off the vino; Especially when homeschooling

@OverTheRainbow88 thanks for your highly intellectual contribution.

For the last few years all we have heard about is how damaging it is educationally for a child to have a week or two off school to go on holiday,

This is mainly because when some are off to go on holiday they miss a chunk of education and it wouldn’t be fair to the others to go back over it just for them. And this would happen most weeks as different students will be off different times so they will all be missing different chunks.

In lockdown the entire class missed the same chunk so when they came back into school it was easier to know what to go back over because they’re all in the same boat - obviously some did more than others but I think this time there would be tougher consequences for those who don’t do any work from home.

@OverTheRainbow88 thanks for your highly intellectual contribution.

No problem. My pleasure.

The kids will bring it back into the community & their homes without PPE, masks in corridors, proper distancing and plenty of fresh air.

but I think this time there would be tougher consequences for those who don’t do any work from home.

Single parent. Full time job. How exactly do I homeschool my 5 year old?!

Ps schools closing for a few weeks won’t kill anyone (covid might!!!!) as the school day is so pathetically slow and is less anyway, your darlings will hardly miss a thing!! I have to home school now to avoid covid and believe me we are excelling the curriculum quite easily and quickly as it’s so full of padding!

Are you also doing this while working full time?
It nearly broke me last time. I don't think I have it in me again.

'the school day is so pathetically slow and is less anyway, your darlings will hardly miss a thing!! '

Tbh I agree. Ours had to isolate for 2 weeks and as our school is set up for live lessons they actually got more done than when they're there.

Obviously an issue with those who don't have access to WiFi and printers but I really think they should cut the amount of kids by 50% by having them all in part time. Why don't teachers wear visors in the classroom? You'd think the unions would be fighting for that.

Single parent. Full time job. How exactly do I homeschool my 5 year old?!

With great difficulty, which is why most teachers want schools to stay open. However you can't work if you get very sick with covid bought back into your home, so the safety measures are now crucial. The schools won't stay open if teachers get sick with covid.

If you have to choose between YOUR husband /DP/Parents dying OR your kids going to school . What would YOU choose . ?

I'm not just talking about Covid . I'm talking about a sudden heart attack, finding a lump and it not getting diagnosed because the hospitals are full of Covid /Flu patients. . Your child contracting Menegitis.. ?

Is having to stay at home really not worth that to you ?

@OverTheRainbowLiesOz

Single parent. Full time job. How exactly do I homeschool my 5 year old?!

With great difficulty, which is why most teachers want schools to stay open. However you can't work if you get very sick with covid bought back into your home, so the safety measures are now crucial. The schools won't stay open if teachers get sick with covid.

My post above acknowledges this. I do not think the conditions teachers are being expected to work in is acceptable, but I also do not think closing schools again is acceptable either.

The Government has to make it safe for teachers to be at work. Covid isn't going to be gone by January, so how long do we keep opening and closing schools for? There has to be an actual solution for teachers (a safe working environment) and pupils (access to proper education).