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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To ask how confident you are schools will be going back as normal

91 replies

demitrimendeleev1 · 21/12/2020 18:58

Excluding the changes with secondaries staggered start back
Yabu- I think schools will go back as normal
Yanbu- I don’t think schools will go back as normal
Please say why?

OP posts:
DoThePropeller · 21/12/2020 19:00

It can’t be so dangerous you can’t mix for just one day and also fine for 30+ households to mix in one room for hours per day. I think most of January will be remote, at least for Secondary.

PointyDragonPokingThing · 21/12/2020 19:01

Well they're not going back as normal here (Scotland)

xmasfairybuns · 21/12/2020 19:02

I haven't heard about the staggered return for secondaries, where did you hear that?

Original poster
demitrimendeleev1 · 21/12/2020 19:02

@PointyDragonPokingThing

Well they're not going back as normal here (Scotland)
What’s happening to Scottish schools?
OP posts:
Original poster
demitrimendeleev1 · 21/12/2020 19:02

@xmasfairybuns

I haven't heard about the staggered return for secondaries, where did you hear that?
It was on the news and your child’s school should have contacted you about it
OP posts:
OohKittens · 21/12/2020 19:04

Both primary and secondary here (pembrokeshire) have told us the 11th everyone will be back.

MaskingForIt · 21/12/2020 19:04

Boris said that the schools will go back after Christmas as normal, and based on everything he has promised will happen, the schools will definitely not be going back as normal.

Jenifirtree · 21/12/2020 19:04

Theyve not been normal since march. What type of school do you work in, op, that you think theres even a chance?

UncomfortableSilence · 21/12/2020 19:04

I think Boris changed tack very discreetly in tonight's press conference by saying schools will be back if at all possible instead of the usual insistence that they will keep them open no matter what.

From a selfish perspective I hope Y11 & 13 get to go back at the very least. The mantra that exams will go ahead will fall short if there is another period of school closure surely?

Crazycatlady83 · 21/12/2020 19:05

I am the most optimistic person when it comes to schools, but I honestly don’t think they will go back. If they say the main drivers are the schools, it would be rather counterproductive to open them for the new term. I do worry about the impact of the open / close / open mentality and the level of uncertainty this will cause to our children

Cornettoninja · 21/12/2020 19:06

I’m becoming less confident in their reopening as this week goes on tbh

Morgan12 · 21/12/2020 19:07

They aren't going back as normal in Scotland? Remote learning from 11th, so a week later. And then back on 18th.

Personally I don't think they will be back on the 18h.

ArosGartref · 21/12/2020 19:07

Also in Wales and the plan is that pupils won't be back in school until 11th January, possibly 18th. I'm expecting the latter as our tier 4/lockdown is being reviewed near then.

Brown76 · 21/12/2020 19:07

They are waiting till end of December to see what the case numbers are and the impact of Christmas Day mixing. I think in London 60% chance they will be closed or only partially open (key workers only) based on listening to both Sage experts and local nhs and education worker friends.

Bonsai49 · 21/12/2020 19:08

I’m pretty desperate for mine to go back in January - we were in the camp where despite my best efforts they both didn’t do well with home schooling - I will be very surprised if it all work out ok .

Hapixmas · 21/12/2020 19:11

@MaskingForIt

Boris said that the schools will go back after Christmas as normal, and based on everything he has promised will happen, the schools will definitely not be going back as normal.
He didn't say that at the press briefing tonight.
Mousehole10 · 21/12/2020 19:11

Pretty sure they won't be back in January at all. Boris said they will be back 'if at all possible'. Christmas mixing will make thins worse, not better. It's not going to be possible fro schools to go back.

Mousehole10 · 21/12/2020 19:12

I also think it's pretty hypocritical to moan about schools not going back but also mix with family for Christmas. Anyone wanting schools to go back shouldn't be mixing.

Cuddling57 · 21/12/2020 19:12

I have a year 11 who doesn't work well at home. He doesn't overly like school either! His year are going back on the 5th with the other years remote learning that week.
There have been so many cases in the school that most were learning from home anyway even though school was officially open.
I think they will be open with lots of testing.
If only they could offer the vaccine to the teachers. Fingers crossed for them to get priority if the Oxford vaccine is approved

Zofloramummy · 21/12/2020 19:12

According to the news there is a suspicion that this new mutation spreads more easily amongst children and is highly contagious. From that small snippet of info I suspect the go to have already planned to shut schools for at least a month. That’s what they seem to do, seed the media with small amounts of info and then change policy a week or two later. That plus the DFE changing their statement from ‘keeping children in schools’ to ‘keeping children in education’ makes me highly suspicious.

optimisticpessimist01 · 21/12/2020 19:13

I'm a secondary teacher and I think things will continue as normal.

Schools are the best places for students to be and education just isn't the same when done remotely, and I also think that is the same view the government takes. However, the government seem to take it to the extreme and bury their heads in the sands and completely deny that schools are a problem.

We had over 30 positive cases in the last 2 weeks amongst students and several more amongst staff. When we come back after Christmas it'll be close to 0 and then rise again as the term goes on. It's been the same story since we returned.

I do think its a catch 22 problem, education is hugely hindered when done remotely but we are not going to get out of this mess any time soon with them open. I don't know what the right answer is and I don't think the government does either

Zofloramummy · 21/12/2020 19:13

Govt not go to

ArosGartref · 21/12/2020 19:14

@Mousehole10

I also think it's pretty hypocritical to moan about schools not going back but also mix with family for Christmas. Anyone wanting schools to go back shouldn't be mixing.
I'll be 'mixing' with the people who will be looking after my kids when the schools are shut.
cabbageking · 21/12/2020 19:14

We have planned to return under the same conditions.

Staggered starts and bubbles.

hennybeans · 21/12/2020 19:15

Once this new strain fully hits the rest of England, by January I reckon, schools will have no choice as it will spread like wildfire. If hospitals are strained now, in Jan and Feb we'll have to do every single thing possible to slow it. The usual " half hearted lock down" isn't going to cut it. There's nothing left but to have schools go online.

On the news tonight, they said there has been a case in the US with a prison guard catching the new strain from an inmate even though the guard never spent more than a minute at a time with the prisoner. Our current estimation says under 15 minute contact should be ok. Think of we change that to less than a minute of contact is unsafe. It's no wonder the rest of the world is trying to prevent the spread of this strain.

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