To think primary schools won’t close

[getwhatyougive]

I don’t think the government will bow to the pressure this time.

@Hmmph

Only closed in London, because it’s not safe for Londeners. But if you live in an area outside London EVEN WITH A HIGHER RATE than many London boroughs then the staff, children, families and community don’t matter.

The reason why London boroughs are slightly different is the proximity of London Boroughs. There are five London boroughs within a ten minute walk of my home, with covid cases per 100k of between 580 and 986. Of local parents with children that I know, several of them travel way outside of those five boroughs for school, and presumably many more teachers travelling in to London too. If you compare that to an out of London area, say Hastings - the area covered is far larger, and the population less dense, and presumably less children travelling outside the area for school.

They will. But in a unplannable way that increases risk to older people and CEV and pressure on the nhs. So your childs bubble could close several times and then staffing could close the school for a bit and then your child might be off waiting for test results. So they might be 'open' but that will involve a lot of time at home.

@annie987

We're the same, so far two-thirds of the teachers have issued warning letters from their union, it looks like we will only be open to keyworker/vulnerable children

The primary where I teach is closed to all but key worker and vulnerable children. The Headteacher emailed staff last night with an update. We've got about half of our pupils coming in. Far more than last time. I don't see how that's going to work as a circuit breaker.

@DecemberSun
No what's weird is all these first time posters making threads about not wanting schools to close

No they won't. Instead, cases will go through the roof and entire class bubbles will have to be sent into isolation and it will be a hell of a lot more of a disruption for working parents.

Primary school closing means provision for children at risk and key worker children.
Isolation means none of that.

Now I know the list of key workers is huge, but schools could refuse to take children when the other parent is a SAH parent to lighten up the load.

Keeping the schools opened, especially in Tier 4, is ridiculous because it will be more disruptive for everybody than a clear closure for a couple of weeks.

I think they should probably close in Tier 4 (or create a Tier 5 and put all the relevant boroughs into it immediately) because all the government have achieved is muddying the waters. No one understands the criteria and it’s leading to fear.

However I don’t think they should all close regardless of tier status. Parts of the country have a lower rate of transmission, and schools can open if it’s safe there. Plus the secondary ‘testing’ is madness and I don’t want the primaries also being closed to facilitate the same thing.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-55521580

Boris insisting that schools are safe has sealed it for me that my DC will not be going back tomorrow.

It is extremely frustrating, as DS2, in particular, is much better off at school. I will be working (at least I'm WFH). I don't take the decision lightly. The new strain is spreading like wildfire in my area (tier 4).

How are you going to avoid the fines @Velvian? I’m absolutely livid at Boris.

It’s not safe, sage has said it’s not sage. The unions are saying it’s not safe to teach.

I don’t want to send mine but can’t deal with a fine. I wonder if the numbers of people de registering will soar.

@Frouby

I don't either. We are tier 3, can still go non essential shopping, gym, swimming, hairdressers. Been tier 3 for months, rates lower than average, hospitals not overwhelmed etc.

If they close primary here it will be because teachers don't go in. I don't see our teachers doing that tbh, not yet anyway and I wouldn't support them if they did, rates are lower here than October.

Agree with this

[quote GoldfishParade]@DecemberSun
No what's weird is all these first time posters making threads about not wanting schools to close [/quote]
The U4T trolls, like the poor, are always with us.

I'm not going to lie. I'm planning to say that I am keeping them at home as I do not believe that it is safe for people from different households to be mixing.

We risk £240 (2 DC there) of fines, but I just can't bring myself to leave an answerphone message full of lies.

I think those calling for school closures (and from what I can see its people who can afford it, or are still on furlough, or are SAHP so a bit of an "I'm alright Jack attitude") need to let us know when they think it WOULD be ok for schools to open. When the COVID case numbers are 0? That might be never.

Not all teachers are shaking and sobbing at the thought of going back either. I teach secondary, I'll be doing online classes from 11th and then back into school on the 18th. I'm happy with that, I like that there'll be mass testing and I don't think children should have to suffer any more than they already have

the problem is, keeping them home is not keeping them safe.
I don't believe children on house arrest for months is doing them any good, especially when all their friends are having a more normal life and education and they miss out.

What about when they need medical treatment? Kids can get sick, fall, hurt themselves and they (or you) might need doctor/dentist/hospital.

I think those calling for school closures (and from what I can see its people who can afford it, or are still on furlough, or are SAHP so a bit of an "I'm alright Jack attitude") need to let us know when they think it WOULD be ok for schools to open. When the COVID case numbers are 0? That might be never.
JamesMiddletonsMarshmallows

not so close after people mixed joyfully around Christmas, had gatherings and sleepovers with people from other areas, other schools and the numbers are rocketing.

A couple of weeks on strict lockdown would be better.
Let's be honest, even areas already on Tier4 mixed at Christmas, TIer4 people went shopping in Tier 3, went on outings, cinemas, everything that was still opened. People were asking if venues checked their address or if it was "safe" for Tier 4 people to sneak in!

Going back to school so close makes the concept of "bubbles" absolutely pointless.

Numbers in my area are absolutely rocketing. I guarantee the schools will run out of first aiders or essential staff, and we'll end up dealing with a lot more disturbance than a longer Christmas break. And what do you expect key workers to do when the school is in isolation?

@Iknowwhatudidlastsummer

Children aren’t under house arrest, they can still go out to play or for exercise and they can certainly access healthcare. All children’s outdoor sports can also continue.

This is going to be for a month maximum and it’s the month when most people social lives are curtailed naturally because it’s January.

Maldives2006

I am not saying they can't access healthcare, I am saying it's pointless to keep them home if they do. They can't stay in a bubble.

All children’s outdoor sports can also continue.
well no, not if schools closed! What's the bloody point otherwise!

If you are one of the parents who do take them out, then you are an hypocrite. You can't pretend it's unsafe to send them to school but let them mix with other people out of school! It's just as unsafe and that's why numbers are shooting up!

There are a couple of cases here where parents took the kids out of school 2 weeks before closure in December, haven't seen any family or indoor anything due to new restrictions, and the families just tested positive... They don't know if they got it from a delivery, or from the times they went out and passed people, but they clearly got it from somewhere. They are not happy.