Aibu to think kids will be back in primary school after half term?

[Malbals]

What do you think? I’ve bee told by a teacher friend that primary aged children will be at school after February half term? I do hope so I feel so sorry for my children I just can’t give them what they need and feel like I am failing them
They are so sad and missing friends and routine

I'm sure however they decide to reopen schools, it'll piss large numbers of people off. If they open to eg just Reception, Year 3, Year 6, Year 11 and Year 13, you'll annoy parents who have children in Year 1+2. If you just do KS1, those who aren't fussed about having their little ones back, but are desperate for their Y4-6 to be in the classroom.

^^
It undoubtedly will piss some people off, whatever they choose to do. But then they just made their decision last time - yes R,1 and 6 (although our school didn’t get to try 6 because they didn’t have space) - and people had to accept that.

I’m hoping they’re dont. I want numbers a lot lower. I have potential long Covid and have seen now that there are kids with long Covid, it’s horrific and I want mine home until I feel it’s actually safe for them to return with very low numbers and low risk.

I doubt it. I think September probably although I really hope I'm wrong. I'm worried about my Y10.
I know they are all in the same boat but they've missed so much school. Their exams will probably (hopefully) go ahead next year but they'll be at a massive disadvantage because they haven't been taught half of the material. I mean the school are good at setting work but it's not the same as actually being taught.
Anyway I think half term is really unlikely. I think the government want the numbers low and a good proportion of people vaccinated so they can avoid yet another lockdown

Highly unlikely. I have just typed out a big post and then deleted it because I don’t want to be accused of being a scaremongerer. I work in maternity and we are at crisis point due to the number of staff currently infected or self isolating. Most people have no idea how bad it is and some still think it’s an excuse. Similar issues across social care and other essential public services. Easing up any restrictions right now would be enormously irresponsible. Not to mention that if school staff have to do LF tests, they will turn up loads of asymptomatic positives just as they have in the NHS which will lead to frequent periods of self isolation - and this isn’t even getting into the risk to school staff. I am desperate for my kids to go back but doing it too early would be catastrophic. The first wave was nothing like this.

It's not just about numbers dropping per se but the safety of staff in a school.
Trapping teachers in rooms with maskless children in winter with windows open isn't acceptable anymore.

There is also the looming spectre of a test system, implemented and solely relied up on to get school back.
The tests give high false negatives which means positive children in school, acting like they are secure with a negative test, doing even less sd, washing hands and taking care.

They will also remove the one safety blanket of si to rely solely on the wonky tests.

I don't know op, but now the unions have joined together, it's another factor to consider. Rightly so.

I second @ProtectMaternity in her opinions, teachers really are not in any way the source for opinions on it, they didn’t know schools were closing. Numbers are sky high and all counties are bubbling with numbers spilling over into other regions. I would love for them to go back but no I think we are looking at Easter.

I’m hopeful they will be. There are a lot of KW kids in school already. 13 in my dds class.

Teachers dont get insider information, they find out the same time as the rest if us.

My dh couldn't believe it when Boris announced schools would shut the next day. The rest of the evening was a flurry of texts between him and his superiors and the team below him trying to sort out the next day 🤦‍♀️

We'll be lucky if the kids go back after Easter at this rate...

Also earlier this week some regulatory body said that schools shouldn't use the lateral flow tests as they're too inaccurate. That was the only thing the government were using as justification for schools being open anyway.

Easter surely they cant risk repeating the sane mistake again by opening too soon ??

I am beginning to wonder if these threads are from government shills to test the water (so to speak) about going back.

But it will be interesting to see how they get around the section 44 issue.

September at the earliest.

@Sewrainbow

Also earlier this week some regulatory body said that schools shouldn't use the lateral flow tests as they're too inaccurate. That was the only thing the government were using as justification for schools being open anyway.

Sadly the government are going to go ahead with the lateral flow testing in school to replace self-isolation anyway, despite the MHRA not giving their approval.

September.

Your teacher friends a bit eager.

I doubt it, though maybe they'll try and got Reception/Y1 in? Everyone else after Easter, maybe a few weeks late.

Though a lot will depend on the new variant - bear in mind we went through all of last spring/summer without kids in school, so whether things can stay low with kids in school and the new variant is a significanr question.

I honestly think there is zero chance of them going back after half term. It would be lovely to be wrong though!

It would be great to open schools up after half term. Really hoping that all vulnerable people will be vaccinated by then.

I think primary may be back after half term, with secondary phased in between then and Easter starting with key years. But then, I'm looking forward to getting back to normal life, so many on here seem to love the COVID strife and drama

Apparently it's not the vulnerable or elderly clogging up icu now, it's younger people 60,50 and below?
So how would opening up school help with that?. As painful as this is I'd rather stick this through for as long as possible to surpress the bastard as much as possible, get more jabs done and hopefully by Easter, warmer weather will ease conditions, being inside, outside windows open...

Eating, drinking Al fresco and we can put this behind us and fire up the economy. And we can all stay safe, until we can all get jabbed.

Hopefully Easter

just a little note to all those saying their kids need to see their friends....Facebook post from a couple I went to school with Weds, late 30’s like me. He’s just come out of hospital after being admitted in a sorry state on Christmas Day. Nearly a month in hospital, nearly 2 weeks in ICU, they were told to prepare to say their goodbyes. He’s 38, healthy, no underlying conditions, coaches their youngest’s football team. He’s 38 and nearly died. 4 kids.....I wonder if you’d asked their kids would you rather your Dad dies or you get to go back to school and see your friends what they’d say??

I hope so...my dd is massively struggling right now. I'm so sad this weekend...they broke up for Christmas nearly a month ago...it's another month till Feb half term..so if we're lucky it will be two months of her not being able to play with other children...please god, don't let it be any longer. I'm so worried about her.

I hope not , my year 11 can learn at home for now and learn in an school later. Education can be caught up on and even if it’s not well so be it, you can’t bring back the dead.

Mentally prepare yourself to have random batshit strangers telling you to mentally prepare yourself for September without a single ounce of inside knowledge, logic or reason.

Mentally prepare yourself to realise that MN is a Petri dish of anxiety, misinformation and hysterical illogic.

(The vulnerable elderly never did ‘clog up’ ITU. ITU would not accept them. They are ‘clogging up’ hospital wards. Vulnerable people who are not elderly are the ones clogging up ITU, though a small proportion of them have no known vulnerability. That doesn’t mean they dont have one.