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

@SomewhereEast

Could we just corral all these threads into a single Close The Schools!!!! megathread, which will still be running into 2059 if the NEU is anything to go by.

The NEU has been absent from the media recently almost as much as Gavin Williamson. Who's he? Well, one could be forgiven for wondering. He's our Education Secretary. I've forgotten what he looks like. Anyway, the NEU's stance has been to open schools safely, not close them willy-nilly.

@Rockbird

It would have been better the other way round. So two weeks before Christmas, then everyone knows who is safe to visit, asymptomatic aside.

Whatever, I work in a school and have decided not to see my parents or in laws over Christmas. Heartbroken but I just can't risk it.

Sorry to hear that, that does sound like a good alternative

We will be having a vulnerable elderly grandparent to stay so we won’t be mixing at all - I’d be gutted if again my kids weren’t in school - my sons had to self isolate twice already - his mental health is battered

@BreakfastOfWaffles

They should put it to a national vote - "which would you rather sacrifice - seeing family over Christmas or our children's education?". Personally I would far rather ditch the family Christmas gathering than sacrifice yet more of my children's education.

Unfortunately, it has to be a collective decision. So, whilst you would obviously prefer to keep your kids in school, there are millions who don't have children of school age who couldn't give a toss. Although we do need to bear in mind the knock-on effect of children spreading the virus, which does affect those without young kids.

Me? I'm just doing as I'm told. I'm dutifully going in to school each day and doing my job to the best of my ability, implementing as many safety precautions as I can. Outside of school, I am staying home, apart from daily dog walks in deserted places. I don't even go to supermarkets. Dh and kids are all working from home and not seeing anyone. We won't be doing many/any of our usual Christmas lovely things, and probably spending the holiday just us 4 at home.
So, carry on the bun-fight. We will never all agree, and the government will ignore us anyway, so it's a bit futile really.
For the record, however, I should like schools to remain open as normal, both before and after Christmas (although I acknowledge that there are areas of the country where the infection rate might mean that's not possible).

Anyway, the NEU's stance has been to open schools safely, not close them willy-nilly

The NEU's definition of 'safe' seems to involve a 100% cast iron guarantee that literally no one in a school setting - no matter how low risk that someone might be - will ever get Covid ever, which is on par with demanding the moon on a stick. And it gets airtime because teachers are - unlike say cleaners or care home workers or delivery drivers - a body of highly articulate middle class unionised professionals

@wizzbangfizz

But "meaningful planned for online learning" won't happen anymore than the govt doing a u turn and making the schools as safe as teachers want them to be.

My own school and that of many of my friends in our local area found the online provision woeful and inadequate and that is with parents who actually care/can afford computers etc... god help the ones who couldn't.

This. My children's school was useless during the last lock down. A weekly email and only 20 children on average in so they worked a rota and most staff appeared to do nothing. I wouldn't trust them with online provision now....they should last time how little they bothered.

Schools open for me after the last farce

Showed not should

@LITHIUMcomeasUare, Keep up!
Since October 22nd, it is now law that schools are able to switch to online provision straightaway after any closure.

Online learning is really not the same. Our children can’t be expected to sit exams if they are missing out on so much school.

I work at a school and would prefer it to stay open but I guess we’ll have to wait and see what unfolds.

No, it's not the same but what with, you know, this pandemic and everything, beggars can't be choosers. It's the best we've got.

Absolutely OP. I think they should be closed for face to face teaching from 14th December till 18th January.

"If there’s a 2 week planned closure, meaningful online learning can be planned for."

Some children cannot be taught remotely. Their level of need makes that impossible.

[quote CallmeAngelina]@LITHIUMcomeasUare, Keep up!
Since October 22nd, it is now law that schools are able to switch to online provision straightaway after any closure.[/quote]
There is no stipulation of how much or what it should contain though? So some schools have a bank of set work available on line whilst others are including live teaching and other media. So they can’t provide nothing but there will still be huge inequality in what is provided

I’d be more than happy to keep mine at home for 2 weeks after the Christmas holidays... it would have the added benefit of keeping me out of my workplace too therefore reducing my risk of contracting it.
Someone would have to pay my wages though.

T'was ever thus, though. There is a huge inequality in what schools provide even outside of Covid.

@WillowSummerSloth

ladypenelope68 Are you for real? You think we shouldn't work? Husband is an ITU consultant and I work with COVID patients. Rotas already pressed to capacity. If we take parental leave, it will literally result in patients with COVID not being treated.

And what will happen if the schools go back and someone in your DC class tests positive?

Or their teacher catches it?

They will be at home then and you'll have to sort it. I'm currently a teacher with Covid, btw. A month in, still very poorly. Caught in school from a pupil.

Yeah, by all means I'll do the teaching at home for 2 weeks.

Can you and your colleagues go and staff the local hospital then please as myself and numerous colleagues being off is pretty shit for the patients. It's hard enough at the mo as it is.

I don't think there's been any suggestion of doing this anywhere. After any ease up of lockdown the tiers kick back in, and the usual rules about self-isolating after coming across someone who has been diagnosed. Doing more than that with a blanket 2 week closure seems impractical, and possibly unnecessary with a huge knock on impact in different areas. I'd really like to see more blanket and regular testing so that asymptomatic kids/people were detected before going into schools etc though. And before going back to school (especially secondary) everyone is tested.

For starters I don't think we should relax measures for Christmas. One fucking year people it's not forever! But no way close schools/colleges/university's for 2 weeks. My DS is in sixth form and two weeks teaching makes a lot of difference.

@1FootInTheRave

Yeah, by all means I'll do the teaching at home for 2 weeks.

Can you and your colleagues go and staff the local hospital then please as myself and numerous colleagues being off is pretty shit for the patients. It's hard enough at the mo as it is.

The local hospital will also be in bother by the end of January if people do go mad over Christmas and straight back into school and work after.

Of course the ideal would be children being in school but already it is clear that even children mixing minimally leads to bubbles closing, be that primary classes or some whole year groups in secondaries. Three local comprehensives closed entirely for two weeks before half term .
I think this will happen more after the Christmas holidays so will be even more disruptive than schools open for key workers or half bubbles and blended learning for others for the first week. There are no real solutions for this. It is clear that the ‘children don’t get coronavirus or spread it’ argument has proven to be wrong. They do get it and it spreads quickly amongst bubbles, disrupting learning for everyone.

I don't want schools to shut and why would keeping secondary school shut until February help.
There will be students taking GCSEs and A levels in May. They can't miss out on weeks of school.

@CallmeAngelina is quite right. It has to be a collective decision. You are all fine, upstanding members of the community who won’t party like it’s 1999 but all it takes are a few families in each class who don’t show your restraint and the end of January will be a bloodbath. So many of you don’t seem to worry about this as long as the schools open on January 4th. This seems very odd to me given how (quite rightly) you value your children being in school long term for their education . I really hope it works out for you. I have my doubts but I’d really love to be wrong on this one.

I think it’s more important for children to have their education, routine and socialisation of school rather than families to mix at Xmas.

So what if we have to experience ONE Xmas without big family meet ups, parties and travelling to see relatives? That sort of mixing (often in hot, under-ventilated, over-crowded rooms will spread covid faster than ever).

Why should kids miss out on more of their education just because people want a big fun family Xmas with multiple generations mixing?

Xmas is a luxury. Education is not. Closing schools should be a last resort.

If they close schools (and wraparound childcare and nurseries) there will be many parents unable to work because they’re home schooling or caring for toddlers. This isn’t a time we can afford to have lots of the workforce on leave, especially NHS staff!