Perhaps there's a middle ground to shutting all schools?

[ChristmasFlint]

Why couldn't we shut secondaries because those kids can stay home alone and are most likely to be able to cope with some form of distance learning. Shut down lessons in primary school and encourage those parents that can have their children home to do so. Run school more like a holiday camp so you can mix ages in together. That would give NHS staff somewhere to send their kids if they have no other option.

That defeats the object of closing the schools.

Yeah because those doing GCSEs and A levels really don't need to be at school

It doesn't defeat the object. Most parents will keep their kids home. The idea is to cut down the contact points and the number of people interacting. But we still need those front line workers to have some form of childcare or they won't show up to work.

schools could stay open but have a rota for each child to go in on 2 days per week and be at home the other 3 whilst classmates get their turn. that would cut class sizes from c30 to c12 which would allow for there to be 2metres between each person which is what is needed to reduce transmission. no assemblies, staggered lunch breaks and a ban on person to person contact in playground games. kids could be more easily set work for the other 3 days if they are seeing teachers regularly.

however there would need to be arrangements for the children of teachers and essential medical and emergency personnel to be kept safe in an uncrowded way which is more tricky. what percentage of school children have no parent available who isn't a teacher or essential medical/ emergency services worker? could a rota system like this with c15 per class still effectively provide the social distancing requirement and allow such children to still attend 5 days per week?

If you have some children in school you may as well have them all in. Children are a risk to the vulnerable because they can carry the virus with no symptoms at all. The Italians left it too late and their health services are strained to bursting point now.

If any schooling needs to remain open it's the GCSE and A level years who should be attending.
The primary aged kids are the most likely to spread it.

How do you decide which adults have to work in schools? After you excuse people who are lone parents, care for at risk people and parent teachers who have spouses who work in jobs in hospitals, police and fire service you are not going to have many people left! Teachers whose spouses are delivery drivers or work at power stations, electricity companies would also have to be excused.

I have 2 at secondary and am anticipating my y9 finishing early for Easter (or going back later) and my y12 going to school as long as possible. This is just a hunch rather than anything based on fact

Strawberry
Yes I have the same feeling- I reckon the two week Easter break will be stretched to a month

Re secondary I think it would make total sense to close to KS3, Y10 and Y12 kids now, and to prioritize teaching Y11 and Y13.

The republic of Ireland are shutting schools as of today. maybe it's time we did the same

Has anyone considered the potential psychological impact on enforcing 2m between children at school? 4 and 5 yr olds?

It’s healthier all round to have a blanket closure. It doesn’t help those who need childcare I appreciate but I don’t know what the solution to that could possibly be.

Run school more like a holiday camp so you can mix ages in together.

Oh, yes-I can’t see any problems with that...

That would give NHS staff somewhere to send their kids if they have no other option.

Which is what’s important, after all. Not virus containment, obviously...

DD is doing GCSE's and I'd rather they were at home now revising tbh

schools could stay open but have a rota for each child to go in on 2 days per week and be at home the other 3 whilst classmates get their turn. that would cut class sizes from c30 to c12 which would allow for there to be 2metres between each person which is what is needed to reduce transmission. no assemblies, staggered lunch breaks and a ban on person to person contact in playground games. kids could be more easily set work for the other 3 days if they are seeing teachers regularly.

Have you ever been in a school?!

GCSEs CAN be delayed. These are exceptional circumstances.

I think secondary schools should be the ones to close.

With UK strategy seemingly being to delay the peak of the outbreak to the summer months, I'm not sure that delaying GCSEs and A-levels is going to help. A massive number could apply for special consideration and with people self isolating rather than being tested, it's going to be hard to prove that you had CV

Lovely and what about the staff?

Or everyone could stop thinking that they know better and have a better solution and just get on with it!!

1. Erm, I would not leave an 11 or 12 yr old home alone all day

1. If schools shut then they all have to

Because it would be pointless. And it's logistically impossible to keep kids more than 2m apart in order to avoid spreading the virus.

i do feel for those who cannot work, and so would have difficulty with finding childcare, but I do think that stopping the virus is more important.

i do feel for those who cannot work, and so would have difficulty with finding childcare, but I do think that stopping the virus is more important

it’s not that easy though, yes of course stopping the virus is paramount, but so is paying rent.
I think the advice for the UK will just to be carry on as normal, until an MP or someone of importance dies because of it

I totally agree op that there needs to be some middle ground, I for example work in the emergency services as does my husband.

We’ve two children, one a baby ( under a year at nursery) and one school age in early years.

What do we do if the schools and nurseries close? We rely on round the clock care as our family to too aged themselves to look after the kids.

We will be needed because we are the emergency services but then where do our children go if it all closes? We can’t work from home.

100 of thousands will be in the same predicament a time when we re needed the most>!

@Namevhanger work separate shifts? 1 work and one not? It's not ideal but this is not an ideal situation. What do you do when a child gets sick?

GCSE and A levels can be postponed. You're going to need teens to do childcare. It can't be the old. If schools told those with respiratory symptoms not to come that's a big chunk gone. Those who have a stay at home parent can keep their kids. That means the schools would likely only have to cope with a fraction of the kids and give front line workers somewhere to send their kids. The reduced numbers of kids means reduced transmission. It's whether or not it's enough.