Longer lockdown or shut secondaries ?

[Coffeeandteac]

YABU - keep open
YANBU- Go to online for 4 weeks to reduce spread for secondary.

I know they say lockdown may be extended now. Though it is clear from today that the lockdown will be longer while schools are still open. It is also clear older children spread the virus like adults from watching Marr and news channels today.

Which would you prefer? Which do you think is right?
In my opinion I would shut secondaries as I think it may not take the R below one anyway.imo.
However if I had a choice I think it would be better for business to have a shorter lockdown and close schools.

AIBU?

I don’t agree all schools should close.

Totally agree with @jamimmi I have a child in the current year 11 and a child in the current year 12. Year 11 and year 13 are definitely the worst off in comparison. DD in year 11 missed so much school last year and online provision from her school was an absolute joke. She is currently trying to work and write in freezing cold classrooms in the the north of England and they are not allowed to wear coats (as they interfere with learning). Yet its ok for the teachers to enter the classroom and teach with big padded coats, hats and gloves.

I would say let those parents who want to keep their children off keep them off in primary or secondary that way year 11 and 13 can socially distance and catch up with some of the education they missed last year.

Also their are no childcare or holiday club provision in my area for kids of secondary school age so surely years 8, 9, 10 and 12 could manage at home.

Agree with @KittyMcKitty @jamimmi The current year 13's are having a really tough time. We need to keep schools open as long as possible and especially for the years taking exams next summer.

I think keep them in as long as is humanly possible, but that the Covid tsunami will be here for Christmas/New Year so they aren’t going to be in school for the spring. I also think we should move the long holidays to the winter if no vaccine is here by Easter. We are going to have to do a radical change and school in the safer summer months is a good part of the solution.

I agree that there should have been a lockdown introduced for half-term, but that ship has well and truly sailed. I hate to think about secondary schools being closed (DD1 is in year 7 and really needs routine due to her SEN), but I can see that we’re in a very difficult situation.

Primary schools are a form of childcare for parents whether we want to see it that way or not, so they really mustn’t be closed except as a last resort.

I don’t pretend to know what’s right. There should have been a short circuit break sooner, to coincide with half-term, plus one week afterwards, which would have possibly slowed the increase in infections.

Although, as I said, it’s too late for recriminations. If closure of secondary schools happens, I won’t like it, but I’ll understand the reasons.

I think they should be teaching at least years 10-13 remotely. I think the government should be funding the loaning of laptops for families who need it. I know it's costly but they seem to have found the magic money tree lately anyway.

Most teachers I know in secondary believe we can manage teaching remotely for older children. They are generally a tech savvy bunch and have no problem submitting work online or using zoom. The schools should offer a provision for some within school but it should be access to an ICT room and headphones so that they can access their lessons in the same way as their peers. The school pastoral team need to work out who most needs support and out something in place.

A long lockdown again would be really wrong for children but 3/4 weeks with remote learning would be manageable.

And as Many others have said if they'd started this 2 weeks ago we could be approaching the final week now.

Remote learning was utterly inadequate last year (DS's y9). I'll happily have the most basic of Christmases and a steady T3 set of restrictions for most of the winter rather than schools shut again.

At the very least blended learning should be taking place.
Unfortunately some schools are still doing everything they can to stop any interactive teaching on line. Such a shame school took this view when so many did normal on line lessons, the dc will be occupied on line, and properly taught, parents can carry on working with little home school input (depending on age) etc.

Sorry pressed to soon, everyone is working and learning and moving forward with the curriculum, they are mentally engaged, they will interact with their peers still like a normal classroom, and most importantly, everyone is safe.

Feeling, lots more lap tops have been made available by the government. But schools also need to be proactive and ask their pupils and dp what tech they actually have.... Ours never did and then blamed the government for only providing one lap top? Maybe no one needed that lap top?

How do they know if they don't ask?

The laptop scheme is great - except that they asked schools how many we needed, agreed a number and then slashed it last minute with no warning.

During the last lock down the school provision was pitiful and only a handful of children were in school so it could have been great if the school had made an effort. Due to this I think schools should be kept open. They proved last time that they couldn't be bothered/were not able to provide online education/guidance etc and appeared to do very little for their pupils.

The school is open, there has been one case to date and no spread from that. Why on earth shut the school.

I think now it's inevitable at some point, whereas it wouldn't have been had they locked down to coincide with half term with an extra week.

I wouldn't like it - DS is in the first year of his Nat 5s but say closing a couple of weeks early for Christmas term would minimise the impact, and in his school they have been going at full steam on the topics, so even if online provision wasn't first rate, it would be recoverable.

Trouble is I suspect once schools are shut, we'll have a devil of a job getting them open again. There are no safety measures and unions will be pushing for proof that they are now safe environments, which they aren't. DS has lost some of the weight from lockdown and is now reasonably enthused by his topics and the sports he is playing. It worries me so much that we are heading to all that being shut off to him again .

To be fair to schools, the last lock down they should not have been providing any work, and because no formal registration was required, the Ed department/government won't have a realistic idea about how many carried on.

And what an utter joke the laptop scheme was.

It should be regional like the tier system should be. In our secondary there have been 3 cases total (so far) out of 1200 kids plus teachers etc

So why close schools in quiet areas?

@Newgirls

It should be regional like the tier system should be. In our secondary there have been 3 cases total (so far) out of 1200 kids plus teachers etc

So why close schools in quiet areas?

Because the gap will widen further if you have some in and some out. Not all schools never mind parents/guardians have the resources/money to go online.

The government were aware of this prior to the lockdown.
They were aware when a pupil is off for long periods of time, although they should be getting educated still, they aren't.

Looking at threads on here and opinions on other forums and in the media it's looking as though there has been a distinct shift from "schools open at all costs".

A lot of people realising the costs are too high.

My Y10 child needs to be in school now. This year is the year they learn the main content of their GCSE courses. She is struggling with maths and needs the real time input of a teacher otherwise she is going to fail that subject. She can remote learn the subjects she is good at but things like maths and science are different (for her).

I’d rather my Y7 child was at home and my Y10 stayed in school if they did have to choose year groups to shut.

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer I think we have to be aware though that this does not mean that long term blended learning is still a palatable alternative.

I'm reasonably accepting of a short sharp overall lockdown including all schools. Do it to coincide with holidays for most of it and accept there will be minimal teaching during the period. Ensure everything else is shut where possible to support it, do not let people in from round the world.Repeat every 6-8 weeks until we get to Spring when hopefully a vaccine can be given to most vulnerable and cases fall.

I'm not supportive of long term blended aka part time learning plans. The governments will use them to open up everything else, whilst our DCs get short changed.

@canigooutyet

To be fair to schools, the last lock down they should not have been providing any work, and because no formal registration was required, the Ed department/government won't have a realistic idea about how many carried on.

And what an utter joke the laptop scheme was.

Why should the schools not have been proving any work last time ? You are right though some schools didn’t or did very little, however some did full school days online and that’s the argument / disparity, it was so unfair some students how is that defensible ?

@Newgirls

It should be regional like the tier system should be. In our secondary there have been 3 cases total (so far) out of 1200 kids plus teachers etc

So why close schools in quiet areas?

Exactly. Before half term there was one case in my son's 6th form college. There have been a few in his old secondary school but not many, and I saw on their website that the headteacher was thanking parents for making sure their kids isolated when asked and were following rules in schools.

If some schools are in a mess, put them on rotas. No need to punish schools and kids who are managing things well and following rules.

I said this yesterday - close schools and we will be very lucky to see them reopen by Easter, more likely next September again. Be careful what you wish for.

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer

You say "A lot of people realising the costs are too high." in relation to keeping schools open.

How so? The predictions by some were that children and teachers would be dying - they aren't. It is apparent looking at the published figures (not made up ones spread on here) that the majority of schools were able to stay open. That's not to say that improvements could not be made and I think more money needs to be given to increase the space schools have/more insistence on mask wearing by older pupils and other methods that some teachers on these threads have suggested.

Indeed

"If some schools are in a mess, put them on rotas. No need to punish schools and kids who are managing things well and following rules."

Some schools are well managed and appear to be doing really well, some not so. It's not a race to the bottom and all should not be closed because some are not well run or some areas are not coping well - just close them.

I think many schools will close anyway as there will be too many cases among staff and children. This will mean an unfair system with some children being in school while others are not.

I don't want the schools to close, but the government has to do more to ensure they stay open. That might be increased testing or working on a rota system.

@rookiemere
@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer I think we have to be aware though that this does not mean that long term blended learning is still a palatable alternative.

I totally agree with you. It's up to the government to make schools safer for teachers and children. If they refuse to do that then schools will have to close and we will know who is to blame.

@TiersTiersTiers
The predictions by some were that children and teachers would be dying - they aren't.

One teacher died last week in Wales, did you miss that? Very sad. Not in any vulnerable category either. I suspect they are trying to keep deaths quiet.