Schools should close for 2 weeks after the Christmas mixing

[OverTheRainbow88]

I think that schools should remain closed for face to face teaching 2-3 weeks after the end of the period in which Boris will allow families to all mix.

I don’t want to be in a classroom with 30 different kids 5 times a day who’ve mixed inside with all different family members and friends.

I say online learning until mid Jan, if Boris will allow us all to mix at Christmas

Personally I’m more concerned about the mixing that’s been going on in schools for the past 3 months.

I think it’d be better for them to shut a week earlier and give everyone a bit of breathing/isolation space/time if they are then going to go mix with their families.

Personally even with a bit of families meeting up I think having kids out of the school for a while will actually bring the cases down.

@Glitterblue

I completely agree. We are not planning on mixing but it does concern me that a lot of DD's class WILL be. I feel so sorry for the teachers too. We've already had an email from the head saying that staff have noticed children from various year groups mixing in big groups with children from other schools after school and at the weekends. DD's school is the only one in our town that hasn't had any reported cases but it's only a matter of time.

If they’re doing it now then how will having 2 weeks off after Christmas help? Those socialising against the rules will continue to do so in that 2 weeks.

We live in a society where every one is interdependent. A teacher going to work with children means that someone else can go to work and that allows the teacher to access essential supplies, medical care, utilities, repairs etc. Unfortunately it doesn’t work to remove one section as the rest then can’t function properly. I think most people going out to work do appreciate this. Of course we should all appreciate this and we need to use evidence to reduce the risk. Unfortunately we know that home learning just doesn’t work for many reasons, so schools will not shut unless it is absolutely essential.I expect the plan to allow mixing is based on the presumption that we will have vaccinated a proportion of the most vulnerable by then. If people don’t take up the vaccine I expect it will be the carrot dangling!

@Marzipan12

With all due respect during a pandemic someone's waterbirth is insignificant in the planning for the country. Sorry.

So is people’s desire to see their extended family members on Christmas.

FFS no

My kids go to large secondary of 2,000 pupils
Know how many cases reported subdue sept —— 7.

Schools 100% should not shut!

But what's an extra 2 weeks going to do? You could still catch Covid and not use the birthing pool.
I had a lot of sympathy for teachers at first but getting annoyed with the way they keep thinking they should get extra privileges or time off.

@Rosebel

But what's an extra 2 weeks going to do? You could still catch Covid and not use the birthing pool. I had a lot of sympathy for teachers at first but getting annoyed with the way they keep thinking they should get extra privileges or time off.

Ok, I’m sorry I was just pointing out to a PP who had said it doesn’t matter if teachers get Covid as they’re low risk to die, that there are other factors in the mix that mean it does matter if teachers get Covid. But I’ll accept what you’re saying.

@Possums4evr but it's not a choice between that because people will still get Covid even if schools shut for a couple of weeks. So there will still be year groups being sent home.

Ppl wont be alliwed to freely mix. It might mean you can have 2 households extra. Not a free for all.

If teachers get this 2 weeks, what about those that have to go straight back to work.

@LittleRa I never said it was. But expecting schools to close extra time Christmas so you can have a waterbirth is ridiculous. My kids have had to miss essential hospital appointments during this pandemic, people have missed cancer treatment. A waterbirth is not essential and to be honest a ridiculous reason to close schools which will have a huge negative effect on more people than you missing a waterbirth.

Dontforgetyourbrolly I don't think it would be better for those staff to be sacked/resign than to be able to work from home, given at any time there are pupils isolating who they could be in video contact with from their homes. Hopefully by the end of the school year the situation will have improved, staff may even be vaccinated (though we are at no priority at all on the "list") and then the school doesn't have a drama/maths/p1 teacher anymore and has to re-recruit.
There are many people who have lost jobs but there are also many working from home and indeed on furlough at home. I don't want a race to the bottom, I want everyone to be as secure as possible.

In general, it is frightening in our schools just now and we have the winter still to come. Those who just repeat "schools have to stay open" aren't contributing anything to the conversation.

[quote Marzipan12]@LittleRa I never said it was. But expecting schools to close extra time Christmas so you can have a waterbirth is ridiculous. My kids have had to miss essential hospital appointments during this pandemic, people have missed cancer treatment. A waterbirth is not essential and to be honest a ridiculous reason to close schools which will have a huge negative effect on more people than you missing a waterbirth.[/quote]
I’m not expecting schools to close, I don’t want them to- in expecting people not to mix over Christmas.

I’m (not in)

Rosebel I'll think about all those "extra privileges" when I'm at work tomorrow with hundreds of teens, and most of my friends and family are working from their sofa. You haven't a clue.

[quote Dontforgetyourbrolly]@NoIDontWatchLoveIsland
I agree . I never hear of supermarket workers collectively complaining about going into work when many are over 50 or even 60 and are mingling with more than 30 people a day .
Although I do have sympathy for teachers and absolutely feel they should be one of the first in line for the vaccine ( whatever their age) , covid is posing a risk for everyone not just them.[/quote]
If you work in a supermarket you can have a Perspex screen between you and the customer. You can restrict the number of people entering and use masks. Supermarkets are much more spacious than schools and have big budgets for cleaning as they are profit making organizations who don't want their share price affected by sick workers and customers.

There is no extra money to make schools more Covid secure. Not even money for them to clean more often.

There are other groups who are facing difficult working conditions eg people who work in prisons so if you're going to tell teachers to suck it up at least use a better example

Agreed !

I'm not surprised you're not happy about going back to the classroom after Christmas OP.

To my way of thinking it would make far more sense, given that we're in the middle of a pandemic, for people to accept that this Christmas is going to be completely different and families just won't be able to mix in the way they normally do over Christmas.

It's not just going to be families mixing either. There'll be parties everywhere and a great many people will behave as if the virus has gone away because they've been told by the government that it's somehow 'safe' during the Christmas period to mix and mingle as much as they like.

There'll no doubt be another spike in infections and deaths a few weeks later and then we'll all be back in lockdown once again. What the hell is the point for one bloody holiday.

@Rosebel

But what's an extra 2 weeks going to do? You could still catch Covid and not use the birthing pool. I had a lot of sympathy for teachers at first but getting annoyed with the way they keep thinking they should get extra privileges or time off.

Eh?

It's hardly a privilege to ask that we get kept safe. For what it's worth I don't think they should shut. But yous are having an absolute laugh if you think people should be allowed to do as they like over Christmases and us privileged school staff aren't allowed to be worried because child care comes first.

It’s not particularly frightening in our local schools at the moment. If there is an outbreak of flu, meningitis etc in normal times schools are investigated and may need to close. This is no different. I think talking about widespread closures is more about a strategy rather than individual schools being scary though. Schools are an essential service, the same as healthcare, utilities, essential council services, social services. We had a panic in March and shut them all because we knew little about the disease but after seeing the consequences they’ve been reclassified.

The only people on the vaccination schedules currently are those at clinical risk. The rest of the population will be prioritised l, I imagine teachers will get priority at that point, it makes sense doesn’t it

@Possums4evr

Rosebel I'll think about all those "extra privileges" when I'm at work tomorrow with hundreds of teens, and most of my friends and family are working from their sofa. You haven't a clue.

What do you mean I hawent a clue? None of my colleagues have had a single holiday since March. None of them are getting a break over Christmas apart from one day! None of them are working from home. It's you that hasn't a clue.
Its not just teachers that are at risk. Lots of us are but we can't just go oh well I'd like an extra two weeks off/working from home!

@Torvean32

Ppl wont be alliwed to freely mix. It might mean you can have 2 households extra. Not a free for all.

If teachers get this 2 weeks, what about those that have to go straight back to work.

There's a rumoured 5 days though. I wouldn't put it past the government to say 2 households per day or similar.

Ds has an exam on 11 Jan. How on earth can everyone sit exams with this free for al?

@Rosebel What extra privileges am I getting ? Going to work with over 2,000 humans with no social distancing, no screens, minimal mask wearing. Having to do double by work as teaching on line and in person at the same time. Rewriting the curriculum so fits remaining school year and ensuring lessons are now all changed so can be taught in non labs.
Having to provide work for students who are isolating.
I worked all through lockdown, often 13 hour days as had to learn how to teach remotely as well as deliver lessons.
If the extra privileges are to be exhausted and unsafe them yup, I have those.

@Rosebel

What do you mean I hawent a clue? None of my colleagues have had a single holiday since March. None of them are getting a break over Christmas apart from one day! None of them are working from home. It's you that hasn't a clue. Its not just teachers that are at risk. Lots of us are but we can't just go oh well I'd like an extra two weeks off/working from home!

We don’t want an extra two weeks off, we want people to not mix over Christmas.

What time will the OP be coming round to pick my kids up so I can get to work?