To think schools will close soon

[hibbledibble]

We may well have as many cases by new year as we did in the first peak. In which case school closures could be a very real possibility.

@Blowingagale the science is that the rose in cases in Lnd and SE has been driven by young teenagers.....where have they been mixing without restrictions on masse.....

@MarshaBradyo

Technically, if you could get everyone to prepare, to isolate, to have full access to PPE for key workers, and to have tests for afterwards, logic would say it would take 2 weeks. That's the longest of the self-isolation times, so as long as there was the absolute minimum of contact during that time (only key workers doing their jobs), and with no-one breaking the rules, the virus would then fade out in the people that had it at the beginning, and it would be gone.

But everyone would have to be behind it, otherwise it would take much longer if people broke the rules. It'd be so much quicker than half-arsed semi-lockdowns, and even they have some impact.

[quote Tinselerama21]@Blowingagale the science is that the rose in cases in Lnd and SE has been driven by young teenagers.....where have they been mixing without restrictions on masse.....[/quote]
So nothing to do with all the idiots protesting in their hundreds ?

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

‘I think they will close the absolute bare minimum, just the school's in certain tiers’

I think the whole country will be in Tier 4 judging by the headlines. I’m not sure Tiers work anyway. People from a high tier go to a lower tier to socialise. So why bother with tiers?

Tier 4 is just another name for lockdown.

I know, l think the whole country will be in full lockdown. Practically every other country is.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

‘I think they will close the absolute bare minimum, just the school's in certain tiers’

I think the whole country will be in Tier 4 judging by the headlines. I’m not sure Tiers work anyway. People from a high tier go to a lower tier to socialise. So why bother with tiers?

Oh I agree, it's completely pointless with such a high degree of movement between the boundaries. But the government tends not to make much sense, so my prediction is they will do another cobbled together last minute measure instead of looking at what actually works. Far better to either close all the schools or close none, based on the spread in January.

Our primary school where my dgs attends have had no cases and the senior school attached has had 5 since March. I really hope they don't close the schools. The senior school where my mum works are introducing weekly tests in January hopefully as the head really wants to keep the kids in school. If primary closes I will be having my dgs everyday as his mum my dd cant work from home. I wont cope. Hes an amazing 5 year old but I have various long term health conditions (am 47) and home ed my 14 year old and she will struggle too.

Please noooooo!!!

[quote duffeldaisy]@MarshaBradyo

Technically, if you could get everyone to prepare, to isolate, to have full access to PPE for key workers, and to have tests for afterwards, logic would say it would take 2 weeks. That's the longest of the self-isolation times, so as long as there was the absolute minimum of contact during that time (only key workers doing their jobs), and with no-one breaking the rules, the virus would then fade out in the people that had it at the beginning, and it would be gone.

But everyone would have to be behind it, otherwise it would take much longer if people broke the rules. It'd be so much quicker than half-arsed semi-lockdowns, and even they have some impact.[/quote]
You do make it sound easy. Wouldn’t it require longer as people in households may not get it all at once.

How good is your PPE? Also sounds stricter than China. How would you enforce it?

I think it sounds nice in theory but you’d have to look at the reality.

Why not remove fines, put work on line and let those who can stay at home and those that can't go in? Take names now and see if this is viable, try and get 50 reduction. Esp in primary then single mums can use it and those that work from home or sahm can keep dc at 🏡?

Putting work online and also teaching those in school sounds like double the workload for teachers? What about children without laptops and internet?

Re the testing in secondary, how does that work?.
You will have to gather people to start with, which is a bad idea then d thy do the tests themselves? Where do they wait, what happens if they are positive? There are rumours that this strain is infectious at 2 meters and for less time?

How and where will they gather people to do it?

Parker it was do able in my setting yes. Very easy actually, the teacher records the lesson. Those that can't see it live can go back and watch it.
Most kids have access to a smart phone at the very least but the majority have tech. It's only a small amount who don't.

Why can our teachers do it but not others, what am I missing? Why did some places take the initiative to ask pupils what tech they have then work before lock down to plug those gaps through asking school community etc?

Yet others were totally passive... Waiting for outside help?. Perhaps it's down to the head really...

I really dislike it painted as an unworkable option because I've seen it done.
I dislike this... Strain of can't do attitude as well.

It has been done (not by rich schools either) it can be done... So do it.

It's two months... Two months before the weather, science etc vaccinations start to filter through. And most importantly, everyone is safe

Parker it was do able in my setting yes. Very easy actually, the teacher records the lesson. Those that can't see it live can go back and watch it.
Most kids have access to a smart phone at the very least but the majority have tech. It's only a small amount who don't

Are you in the UK, in a state school ?

This suggestion of rapid flow testing in schools is, frankly, bullshit. First, the schools don't have the capability to manage it (unless you close down some years and have them with online learning and just have physical school for those with exams this year). Secondly, and more importantly, while some say they are accurate up to 70% it is abundantly clear in some areas where they have been used already it can be as low as 48%. That is completely useless - yet these are the tests they say should be used in care homes to be able to allow physical visits. Barking fucking mad. Care home residents have been, in most cases, under virtual house arrest for 10 months and most have yet to even hear when they may start receiving vaccinations - even a lot of care home staff have yet to be vaccinated, despite them and care homes being supposedly number one priority along with the NHS.

@MarshaBradyo

"Wouldn’t it require longer as people in households may not get it all at once.

How good is your PPE? Also sounds stricter than China. How would you enforce it?

I think it sounds nice in theory but you’d have to look at the reality."

Perhaps slightly longer than 2-3 weeks then.
It's not stricter than China at all. Though China has been very successful in controlling it. Rather than enforce it, I'd appeal to people's keenness to get this over and done with. We either sit here with hundreds dying every day, with everything disrupted, businesses going under, schools having to close - or we all pull together in the national interest for a few weeks, and we get this under control so we can live our lives again until there's enough vaccination to protect us.

But I wouldn't be giving contracts of billions to my friends. I'd be using that to support everyone in doing this, to buy good quality PPE, to focus on this one thing for a few weeks and to try to get to the state that other countries have managed, with far denser populations and far larger populations, and with land borders. I'm desperate to get out of this, like everyone, and this would be the quickest way.

[quote duffeldaisy]@MarshaBradyo

"Wouldn’t it require longer as people in households may not get it all at once.

How good is your PPE? Also sounds stricter than China. How would you enforce it?

I think it sounds nice in theory but you’d have to look at the reality."

Perhaps slightly longer than 2-3 weeks then.
It's not stricter than China at all. Though China has been very successful in controlling it. Rather than enforce it, I'd appeal to people's keenness to get this over and done with. We either sit here with hundreds dying every day, with everything disrupted, businesses going under, schools having to close - or we all pull together in the national interest for a few weeks, and we get this under control so we can live our lives again until there's enough vaccination to protect us.

But I wouldn't be giving contracts of billions to my friends. I'd be using that to support everyone in doing this, to buy good quality PPE, to focus on this one thing for a few weeks and to try to get to the state that other countries have managed, with far denser populations and far larger populations, and with land borders. I'm desperate to get out of this, like everyone, and this would be the quickest way.[/quote]
It’s an interesting proposition in theory. Keenness is the hard part! And will you replace everyone’s wages?

PPE needs to be full proof. And all transmission chains cut. There’s a lot. Also can you convince the ROW to do the same ;

@PandemicPavolova

Our LA expects that pupils working online MUST be able to access their work during the lesson. They must follow their timetable. This means that a video would have to be made before the actual lesson, doubling the work. It cannot be put up retrospectively.

Our LA expects that any live lesson must not feature any images of the children. How do you film the live lesson without accidentally getting a ‘present’ child on camera?

Online live lessons are taught from in front of the laptop webcam. How do you engage a physical class if you are stuck in front of the webcam?

As a parent of a 15 year old, given a ‘choice’ I’d send him in and hope other parents choose to home school. Where we are, parents weren’t give a choice as such, but were told that no fines would be given out for keeping a child at home. We still had 89% attendance.

My last point is that as a teacher, I have never been given a say in what happens. I’ve never been asked what I’m willing to do. I’ve never been asked how I can make things work. Everything is decided at a government level and information is simply passed to me. If I’m sent home and school closed or gone to blended learning, it’s not because I as the teacher have asked for that.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I know, l think the whole country will be in full lockdown. Practically every other country is.

Except the UK's version of "lockdown" is absolutely nothing like other countries' lockdowns!

School in my area of Scotland closed on 18th December and are due to reopen on 18th January

Kids are getting 3 weeks holiday then 1 week on line learning

If I record my lesson, I then have to watch and edit it before I'm allowed to show it to kids. How long will that take?
I've already had parents comment on my live lessons too, from when isolating kids dialled in. And of course, just cos a kid has dialled in, it doesn't mean they're actually listening/ working. How many of us spend time in virtual meetings actually engaging?

@Indoctro

School in my area of Scotland closed on 18th December and are due to reopen on 18th January

Kids are getting 3 weeks holiday then 1 week on line learning

Primary as well?

What about Key worker/vulnerable children?

Just close schools and childcare for a few months.
Furlough the teachers and leave kids to their parents to sort out.

Yes primary’s are closed in Scotland too Schools open for kids with both parents as key workers or vulnerable children

"Something that has come up a lot is how vulnerable and at risk some children are at home, which is apparently left for schools to deal with."

A child being vulnerable doesn't mean there is a problem with parenting. Children are vulnerable for reasons other than that.