To ask when you think all schools will shut

[Helpmechangemymindsetplease]

Due to the corona virus.

Have been talking to a relative and am more worried than I was. Have three dc, one of whom gets ill at the drop of a hat.

Facts emerging from Italy are not great, so why aren’t we in complete shut down now? What is the government waiting for?

My head of dept and I (UK school) are predicting we'll close a week early for the Easter hols on 27 Mar. But more action needs to be taken now in other areas imo.

I don’t think they’ll close at all
Other than Easter obviously
Even with Italy’s numbers -500 in the grand scheme of things is a lot of deaths but it isn’t significantly more than the thousands who die of flu each year and we don’t shut down then

It’ll be a huge disruption which won’t make a blind bit of difference

I think that’s why they’re not even testing everyone as they know most will recover anyway so no need.

At end of the day -
People won’t self isolate
People will move about with silent infections -get food, walk pets etc
-Vast majority only get cold flu symptoms

It’s a huge over reaction to shut everywhere down

Most GCSE & alevel classes have pretty much finished their courses (in my school anyway). Revising & doing past papers at home won’t hurt them now as much as it would have done just a few weeks ago.

Even in Italy on lockdown people are still working and still travelling for work

I have a teacher in the family who has mentioned severe Y11 stress. I do hope that GCSEs and A Levels are undisrupted and we don't have two 'corona years' going through the system who are always haunted by their results.

I suspect that we will mostly make it to the Easter break closures with some local closures the week before and perhaps not returning promptly afterwards (or for all students). But who knows? We haven't been in this situation before.

At least childcare is as planned more or less as usual for the official Easter weeks. Family trips will however be compromised.

@MaryBerrysBomberJacket .
I know 3 staff who have the flu despite a flu jab
I currently am off with a flu type illness (definitely not a cold!) but had the flu jab earlier in the year. My understanding was that it was quite far off 100% effectiveness (ie you could be unlucky and still get flu).
I don't think my symptoms match coronavirus at all, but my worry is if I got it on top of the way I feel already.

Given that closing schools will be a massive ballache, in terms of the knock on effects of e.g. NHS workers not being able to work, plus exams, by the time the gov DO recommend this, you can bet that it will be fully needed.

Those who are concerned about exams etc - these are not life and death. People getting coronavirus potentially is. And even if not death, needing to be ventilated (about 10% of cases) isn't fun. Exams and everything else can be sorted out afterwards. Life can't.

I appreciate it's horrible if your DC has exams this year, but exams have never been the be all and end all of life. The parents acting as though they are aren't helping their kids.

I don't think schools will close. The amount of drs, nurses, paramedics etc. who would have to take time off to care for children would cause chaos.

If a young person dies there will be pressure to close. Of course this is just my opinion.

It all depends on how things progress, but I think that schools will shut at Easter and not reopen, except hopefully (DC1 is taking GCSEs this year) to allow years 11, 12 and 13 to take their exams.

At my school today, we were asked to start preparing for shut down- not because anything official has been said but just so that we are as prepared to help year 11 and 13 as we can be. I think it will be an extended Easter holiday. The ramifications would be so massive though, for exam years and, potentially those in years 10 and 12 too. I would not want to be making these decisions.

And god help the millions of parents who will suffer massively if they can’t work because of childcare issues.

I think if schools close you run the risk of spreading it further with people mixing from different schools to get childcare resolved. Kids being packed off to relatives.

I don't think schools will close. The amount of drs, nurses, paramedics etc. who would have to take time off to care for children would cause chaos.

Do people think that health care professionals in the countries that HAVE closed their schools just don’t have children? Of course they do, and the measure has been taken anyway. The social and economic impact is just the same in other countries as it would be here, and no doubt the same considerations would have been taken into account but the decision was still made to go ahead.

I think schools need to close where there are confirmed cases in the area.

I appreciate it's horrible if your DC has exams this year, but exams have never been the be all and end all of life. The parents acting as though they are aren't helping their kids

Why should the young suffer when the adults get their Cheltenham festival, their Football and their Rugby?
After all, its, primarily, a fatal disease of the old and sick, not the young, yet we want their futures get screwed over.

There plenty of other things we should be doing before shutting down the education system. This disease will be with us for many months if not years before a vaccine is available and even then it will take many more months before enough is made for us all.

Given they aren't closing down or even deep cleaning schools where there are confirmed cases. It seems unlikely they'll close schools at all

Slazenger schools arnt even closing where there has been a confirmed case... In the school.

Viral specialist just said, viruses start themselves but it's people who transmit them. Without people to feed on there is no where for the virus to go.

Stop people.

My new bet is that they will introduce the rule that people have to isolate for any cold symptoms and the education system will instantly collapse due to lack of staff. Some schools will try to limp on with classes in the hall, while increasing numbers of parent remove their kids due to it being a waste of time, at which point the government will give up trying to keep them open.

My daughters school sent a letter home today to say if the school closes they will do lessons remotely. My daughter already has passwords to sign Into these classes. She's year 8.

noblegiraffe then they can blame the schools

Sounds about right, ineed

Fuck knows. I had a throat infection followed hot on the heels by a chest infection, and pretty horrible flu symptoms throughout. I already had a few sideways glances when I was at work (a school) but GP said I was fine to work as wouldn't be infectious. 🤷 This time in a week or so I probably wouldn't have been welcome.

My new bet is that they will introduce the rule that people have to isolate for any cold symptoms and the education system will instantly collapse due to lack of staff. Some schools will try to limp on with classes in the hall, while increasing numbers of parent remove their kids due to it being a waste of time, at which point the government will give up trying to keep them open.

Yep.

I reckon about 75% of teachers in my school at the moment have cold symptoms.

We’ve had to start preparing stuff at my school too. Nothing definite, but we have to have it ready just in case.