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

[Doordine]

I'm a teacher and it really surprises me how little some other teachers seem to value education. Like it's optional.

Online teaching is great... When you have Internet access, a computer, a desk, a quite home, supportive parents.

What about the kids we teach who are sharing one laptop between 5 siblings? Who share a room with 2 others? Who wont get fed that day? Who don't actually have internet? Who will need to look after younger siblings while their parents go to work in supermarkets or hospitals for example?

Two weeks is a huge amount to miss-especially when your privileged peers are cracking on.

If you are concerned that the measures in place in your school aren't enough to control virus spread then take it up with your school. That's the real issue. We have an important job to do and the younger generations have suffered enough without causing them even more disruption.

[Doordine]

*quiet home

[listsandbudgets]

My DD (14) has already missed 18 days of school this term. 2 covid cases in her year and no spread. Shes a hard worker but is finding the isolation side miserable.

We won't be going anywhere at Christmas. She will be beyond furious if she has to miss more school.

As for 8 year old ds he can't cope with home learning at all. Lockdown "learning " was simply a nightmare. Yet apparently he's well behaved and hard working in school..

All of us suffered in terms of mental health. This isn't just about covid.

And we are really lucky with flexibility in our jobs and plenty of space, enough money and a garden. if we found it hard in spring/ summer I dont even want to think how people in a more difficult situation than us will cope in winter

I'd actually be happier of they just kept rules up over Christmas rather than relaxing things then punishing the children AGAIN.

[premiumhob]

People talking about MH in kids although don't acknowledge that more of them have plummeting MH now than during lockdown because the situation in school is horrible, scary and not at all like normal.

Fair point. Once of mine actually dropped out of school in September as he couldn't handle it at all. I do still believe that generally school is better open than closed though. And I definitely disagree with taking something from children to basically give to adults. Education and 'mixing at Christmas' should never relent be pitted against each other.

[midnightstar66]

Yes I agree but for some reason we are going back significantly earlier than any other year in my memory. Normally our schools go back around the 10th/11th of jan but this year it's the 6th. Seems a bizarre time to change that with already extra exhausted teaching staff and a pandemic that will be in the worst part of flu season. Not to mention all the pimple who will have been mixing will be far from out of any quarantine time. Dreading January I think it's going to be a tough time in schools

[ancientgran]

With all the mass testing could they test staff and pupils before letting them back? Schools have different start dates so it wouldn't all be one day. I don't know the numbers so don't know if it could work. I suppose they could concentrate on older pupils as they are more likely to infect people I think, or then again they could concentrate on younger children so parents have childcare.

It is a minefield isn't it.

[Whatafustercluck]

If schools close for 2 weeks in Jan then 1. Childcare options need to be kept open and 2. Schools must provide an adequate level of online teaching/ learning. Many are still falling well short even for single class bubbles being sent home. Provision is simply not good enough.

Providing those 2 things are sorted, then sure.

[MarshaBradyo]

I’d prefer not letting it spread more over Christmas.

[Castiel07]

Can understand why, but we won't be mixing either.
Having a quiet Christmas with just our household and fil as in our bubble.

[BustopherPonsonbyJones]

Teachers WILL be put at risk by this decision. I can limit my own socialising but will go back to standing in front of children who haven’t. Why should I take that risk? Your child’s education is important but so is the health of the nation’s teachers. And for all of you who keep saying you will be sensible, your children will be in very close contact with children whose families won’t have been sensible. They will bring the virus back to you and all of those vulnerable relatives posters have mentioned.

Solutions? I would limit Christmas to one day of celebration on the 25th and then lockdown for 14 days again, including schools this time. It would add a few days to most holidays, effectively meaning schools go back on the 11th January. For really essential key workers like doctors working on wards, and where both parents are key workers who need to work away from home, the same support could be offered as in April.

[Sewsosew]

DHs family would prioritise New Year over Xmas so maybe extend it even more....
I think of all those children with miserable home lives who get 2 more weeks at home so all the nice families can mix.

DHs company isn’t British and runs jan to jan. They are incredibly busy in December. Lots of staff have already taken their holidays and can’t be off anyway. Closing early isn’t an easy choice for many.

[Sewsosew]

The more you close schools to isolate you are encouraging people to mix. It’s the mixing in homes that’s the issue!

[midnightstar66]

And I'm not actually suggesting missing more school just reshuffling the whole holidays - for us we lost a week of last summer as we went back early and they've slung it on the start of next summer meaning we break up on the 24th of June. We don't need nearly 8 weeks summer holiday when covid is likely to be at a lower point due to weather and vaccines etc. Why not add it on the end of Xmas instead and give everyone the chance to recuperate and spend some time indoors after the inevitable Xmas mixing

[unchienandalusia]

11+ and 13+ pretests for independent schools are in the first and second weeks of Jan. I would much rather fore-sake mixing with family at Christmas than add any delay or further stress to that situation for my 10 year old thank you.

[Storyoftonight]

@Hayeahnobut

So unless they have a terminal illness, elderly /vulnerable mentally or physically relatives should just sit on their own for two weeks so your child doesn't miss two weeks of school?

That's what bubbles are for. If you're not already looking after your vulnerable relatives, why not?

I know this might be mind-blowing , but some families have more than one vulnerable or elderly relative. They can't have them all for Christmas under the current rules.

[Frazzled13]

[quote LadyPenelope68]@WillowSummerSloth
And what should those of us that are both key workers (both doctors) with young children be expected to do
So you working is ok even if it puts teachers health at risk? Nice![/quote]
You’re right. Any Drs and nurses with children should probably all quit. That seems safer for everyone.

[Coasterfan]

I was thinking about this last night. I ve followed the rules and not been particularly anxious about catching covid, last time my children stayed in school until the last day, I didn’t remove them early. We did all the things we were allowed to from June through to this lockdown, several U.K. breaks, zoos, theme parks, farms, beach etc but they all felt very safe. Now I m concerned about the potential free for all over Xmas. I don’t want covid, I m fat and I smoke so I m not sure I d fare particularly well against it, also I m self employed and not entitled to any government help so I cannot afford to take time off work unwell. We have huge outgoings and I m the main earned by about 3x. I m genuinely considering telling my kids schools they are isolating in January for the first two weeks, they won’t miss the work as they will get it online, but I m not sure if I m being overly paranoid/cautious. Interesting to see a lot are feeling the same. Oh and regardless of whether restrictions are lifted over Xmas we won’t be seeing anyone. My mil will die if she gets it and that won’t change just because the government relax the restrictions for a few days.

[Vintagevixen]

No schools should remain open, our kids education has been sacrificed enough.

My DD has access to internet, a laptop, a quiet space to work and no food poverty. She is privileged - so many do not.

[Anxioustoddler]

Something needs to be done but coming from someone who almost definitely lost my job because I couldn’t work as was looking after children over lockdown, I can’t go through that again either. The majority of people I know who lost their jobs over corona were working mothers, coincidence? I doubt it.
2 weeks unpaid would push us into homelessness. I do wonder if teachers knew their jobs were on the line, or had to take all time off school as unpaid, if they’d be so keen to push for closing the schools rather than another alternative, becuase that is the reality for many working parents right now.
Furlough doesn’t help those who have already lost one job and accepting or asking for furlough is an easy way to put your job at risk.
Long term, the impact on these children, the economy and the adult and child MH is going to be severally damaged by all of this and we need to start moving forward to give people some stability.
We need testing available in schools as a priority, completed on a mass basis on the first day back after Xmas and then tests when needed when a child/staff member has suspected covid or a bubble breaks. The current process is not working. I understand schools are not childcare but for working parents they are also needed as childcare, if the stay at home parents want their kids home then they should be free to do so, as this will make bubbles smaller anyway but closing schools is not a suitable option at this point, we’ve had 6 months of that and were right back where we started.

[NailsNeedDoing]

Seems strange how that two weeks matters to parents when on here pre pandemic there was often a lot of support for parents taking their children out of school for term time holidays.

When all this is over, I’ll look forward to never again having to deal with the disruption of a suntanned child coming back into class either trying to lie about where they’ve been or trying to excitedly share holiday stories with the rest of us who’ve been at school working. It won’t happen now that parents have realised how much children need every week of their education, right?

[Littlepond]

In my area every primary school I know has had at least two years close for two weeks due to cases. Both my sons schools have had to close 3 different year groups at different times. My sons heading year has Covid. My daughters after school club has closed for 2 weeks (thankfully she wasn’t there at the Same time as any of the identified Covid cases). So there are children in her class isolating for 2 weeks while the rest of the class are in school.

Finding childcare is difficult of course but if all schools close for two weeks extra at Christmas at least we will get some notice. Every day I hold my breath waiting for an email to say my kids have to stay at home as school year groups are dropping like flies in all schools.

Of course it is difficult when your kids have to be at home but there is every chance this will happen for your child anyway, certainly from what I’m seeing where I am (London borough)

[Medianoche]

I think they should be clearer about the risks for different households. There’s not a huge problem with people who are currently staying at home meeting up with one other household of people who are also staying at home. The risk gets much higher if you’re bringing together one or more households that are more likely to have been exposed in the previous two weeks. It’s rough for key workers etc and for families with school age children - but it’s those households mixing indoors with other households (and then going back to work/school) that could end up with huge repercussions.

[premiumhob]

Seems strange how that two weeks matters to parents when on here pre pandemic there was often a lot of support for parents taking their children out of school for term time holidays.

It isn't just 2 weeks though. There had been a huge loss to education and wellbeing this year for children already.

[ZombieAttack]

There were a lot of kids that fell under the radar during lockdown last time, closing schools is a real risk to these kids. We saw a massive increase in child protection and camhs cases during the last lockdown.

As a pp said, home schooling might work if you have interested parents, WiFi, a laptop, clothes and warmth. Lots of kids don’t. Lots of kids have parents who don’t give a shit.

[TheKeatingFive]

Why not add it on the end of Xmas instead and give everyone the chance to recuperate and spend some time indoors after the inevitable Xmas mixing

Because the working world isn’t in a position to adjust at a moments notice to your plan. My team has a huge project finishing up in mid Jan. We absolutely can’t afford for all the parents on the team to have to take extra time off with such little warning (we’re having to be tight about Xmas leave as it is).

It would scupper an enormous contract, costing jobs and (much needed) tax revenues. The end client is not based here, so wouldn’t be in the same position themselves.