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?

Priority years, if based on education need, should be exam years - Years 11 and 13m followed by Years 10 and 12.

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.

Whether or not a school is having to have class closures is not whether school is following rules or not. Unfortunately not everyone who catches Covid are the rule breakers and Covid acts like most other viruses - once its in, especially if via symptom free children, it will spread.

There should be a compromise. Blended learning etc. Leaving schools open will not be enough to drive down figures.

But we don’t that do we because we haven’t tried it? Infection rates started rising in August on the back of EOTHO BEFORE schools went back. We don’t know what effect just schools being open has!

Personally I think the government is doing the right thing to at least try closing everything else before schools because I value the education of my child. It seems many don’t give a toss about this now as long as we ‘save Christmas’.

I am alarmed and bemused by the rampant hypocrisy that’s all!

Unis encouraged/coerced students to move onto campuses by promising/suggesting that there'd be face to face teaching, yes, reduced/limited, but they made it clear that there was a reason to be on campus

This. And yes, I know that the Government were more to blame than the universities for that.

But there should have been honesty from the start and there wasn't. Students were offered one thing and on the week they arrived it all changed.
By then students were tied into expensive accommodation contracts (both university owned and privately owned.)

Only last month DD was informed that even her teaching practise placenta will now be done virtually and online!!!

placenta???/

placement!

The only reason I accept sitting at home for the next month with no social interaction and a likely another mental health breakdown for me is because I understand the infection rate needs to be lowered but I also strongly believe schools should stay open and I want to facilitate that.

Being stuck at home for a child from disadvantaged background is horrendous. I think of myself growing up - no supervision, no interest in my education from the adults around me, terrible lazy teachers who only did the bare minimum. And I didn't live in a physically abusive household but plenty of kids around me did, how horrible would it be to never be able to escape that, not even for a few hours a day.

If we're going to go with closing schools and going online, then take a decision now that exams are cancelled so schools can prepare alternative forms of moderation

Totally agree. Scrap exams and don't bring them back. Or shake them up completely. We are the only country that puts our children through TWO lots of public exams with terrible effects on mental health.

It will be extended regardless, so xmas/new year ruined, so no point imo. Rather keep them in school and some normality.

Blended learning

This is fine for middle class families with multiple devices, resources and parents who are interested in education. Not so great for families in poverty. Wake up, this is reality for many children who need to be at school.

Kids are our future. We're looking too short term imo. We need to protect our future and that's the kids education.

I do wonder why we are allowing jobs and business to be lost if the virus still spreads via schools. Wont that be for nothing?

This is a going to be a very costly month for the government. I agree.

@Nottherealslimshady

Kids are our future. We're looking too short term imo. We need to protect our future and that's the kids education.

I’d rather they had access to healthcare and an economy. Education can be caught up on, even into adulthood. Most parents will ensure the remote work is done though, even if it means at random hours etc.

YANBU - if shutting of education was older school years and universities.

@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer

"@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer if the teacher in Wales you are referring to is Angela Stanton she didn’t die from Covid. It was very tragic though. Apologies if it was someone else but the initial headlines were a bit unclear."

There is no news that states the teacher death is covid related though. So your comment about 'did I miss that death' is a bit odd. I don't live in Wales and since the death isn't listed as covid why would anyone link it to covid? The death of anyone is tragic but looking at every post about the lady there is no mention of covid at all.

[quote BooksAreNotEssentialInWales]@LastGoldenDaysOfSummer if the teacher in Wales you are referring to is Angela Stanton she didn’t die from Covid. It was very tragic though. Apologies if it was someone else but the initial headlines were a bit unclear.[/quote]
It was someone else but I now understand her family asked for privacy.

As a secondary teacher I don't relish the thought of being in a classroom with 30 odd teenagers at a time and would quite happily teach remotely as my school did last time.

However as a parent and teacher I think its essential that schools stay open in some format. I think blended learning with pupils in on a two week rota would at least reduce the amount of pupils in school to a more manageable amount. One week in school, face to face, the second week at home with either work provided, a direct link to the lesson taking place in school or a video of the lesson for those that are at home. This way we can manage the workload for those in Yr 10 and Yr 11 so they've got at least a chance of passing their gcses if the government insist on going ahead with them.

The detected cases in my school have all been asymptomatic, picked up through testing for other reasons, still resulting in bubbles being sent home. Who knows how many more had the virus but were not tested as they too may have been asymptomatic.

Unless practical subjects I think universities should be teaching on line only. Primaries need to stay open for a whole variety of reasons.

Badbadbunny absolutely.
It’s been obvious it’s all about money which is disgusting.
Give them the money back for the rest of the term and let them go home.
End this charade .

As a secondary teacher I don't relish the thought of being in a classroom with 30 odd teenagers at a time and would quite happily teach remotely as my school did last time

@June2008 that's good for your school but what about the many, many schools who didn't/couldn't offer any remote teaching?

I think that exams will definitely be cancelled next year. I cannot see how they can go ahead .
The number of children who have had to stay at home self isolating due to positive Covid tests has made it obvious that it will be extremely difficult to close the educational gaps.
I really want the schools to stay open, but am resigned to the fact that they will eventually close.

Universities are mostly online now. Certain degrees require practical learning so they have no choice but to go in but the majority are learning from home.

I’m a college tutor and most of our courses are online atm too. I’m on mat leave so not having to facilitate but I know in the English department the majority of tutors are WFH still.

If anyone watched the South Park pandemic special I can imagine many teenagers would be like Cartman .

Schools have so many roles beyond just learning and should stay open. Unis and colleges should do online learning till end of academic year. Would make so much sense. Uni students are adults and don't need the care and structure kids need. I don't understand why the government are so rigidly sticking to keeping them open. Refund the halls fees for the rest of year (cheaper than economic impact of longer lockdown).

If it were up to me I'd close secondary schools, take a week or so to move all learning on line until Christmas. After Christmas bring back years 11 and 7 part time with blended learning. leaving all other years on online learning until spring.

Part time for primary school except children of key workers and those at risk, or profound SEN, and looked after children. Options are: wfh, furlough, or work around this. You are either a)a key worker needing childcare, b) not a keyworker and can be furloughed (and should be if you are not a keyworker and can not work from home, your employer is not sticking to the guidance and needs to be pulled up on it) c) Wfh.

If employers had any sense of social responsibility my husband would be on furlough as of Thursday. But he won't be because too many employers insist their operations are essential, and they can't work from home. We all know what is essential work, and many roles are not.

All schools need to be made safer, if for no other reason than teachers never signed up to risk their health, and they have a right to expect the same health and safety measures as any other worker.

I'd have a cautious phased reopening of shops and businesses on Dec 2nd. If they reintroduce tiers they need an effective system that limits travel across all of England and UK. Its not sufficient to tell tier 3 they can't socialise, eat or shop in tier 1. And its not OK to police it, or to impose any sort of authority using police. Its not acceptable. Instead we need to remove the temptation or reward from people. So measures such as pubs reopening should be facilitated with people having to register to use certain facilities, and then needing to book in advance, and then having to give their details on arrival. I'm sure lots of creative ways can be found to keep businesses open only to local people and to prevent travelling out of your place of residence. As things were the tier system would not work.

I think we shall see schools close in first week of December, and only because they are driven by desperation. There will be no forward planning, its all driven by panic and public opinion. As things are they are killing the economy with slow torture, whilst still prevailing over many unnecessary deaths. These ridiculous ideologues are killing the economy in little bits whilst failing to properly manage the safe operation of businesses that would facilitate safe working, and a situation where businesses could continue to operate in ways not necessitating regularly to lockdown the entire country.

Maybe some blended learning, but what this thread proves is that there is no age group it is 'fair' to send home. I think any more missed learning will be a disaster for the many children who didn't get an education between March and September. Schools need to remain open.

I really don't care about "saving Christmas" it's just a day after all. I do care an awful lot about messing up education yet again. Closing the schools and making them go online will only exacerbate all the inequalities and problems from last time. The improvement in my DC's mental health and wellbeing from being back at school has been enormous. TBH as the decline was gradual over lockdown I only really realised how low they had got once they were back at school and perky again.

TBH school children will be paying the price for this epidemic for many years to come so the least we can do is to enable them to continue their education. If that means grandma won't come for Christmas then so be it.

If it were up to me I'd close secondary schools, take a week or so to move all learning on line until Christmas

FFS, the amount of 'I'm all right Jack' on here is unbelievable! There are thousands of children who don't have devices and therefore cannot learn online. What are they supposed to do??