When do we think schools will shut and likely turn of closure.

[whodunit3]

I don’t like either Nicola Sturgeon or Boris Johnson but I thought NS got it right with her press conference outlying the finding is the meeting and the plan for the foreseeable future. I didn’t agree with the outcome but I was a lot more reassured by her speech than I was by the wally BJ who waffled on with no real clarification or plan.

Are the schools likely to close, how soon do we think this will happen and for how long...

Surely if school closure is imminent the more time you can give people to put childcare, change of work plans, etc in place the better...

Close the schools. Health before economy. Protect the elderly and those at high risk of severe disease/ death from this virus.
Who cares if the school is closed for 13/ 16 weeks if lives are saved !
This is unprecedented, governments around the world have one opportunity to get this right.
Yes, the economy will most certainly crash, economies will recover, lives cannot be replaced.

There is no point closing schools unless you put all those children on complete lockdown.

Is that what you want? 12 weeks of children not leaving their front doors? Because that’s the logic.

@cantkeepawayforever, our schools closed yesterday. Our primary school have set up Google Classroom. There are teething problems, but we received work the kids yesterday and we were able to submit it .
Kids have all their books and copies at home.
It's not ideal, but its necessary in very challenging times.

In Italy and Spain, the schools closed and the parents whisked their children away to 2nd homes outside of the cities, which resulted in the virus being spread across the country and causing more hot spots to spring up.

Well, I don’t know anyone in England with a second home, so can’t imagine that will happen too much here!

which resulted in the virus being spread across the country and causing more hot spots to spring up.

Unless we get some new restrictions in the coming weeks, this is likely to happen when people travel for their holidays during the Easter half term.

@spokeTooSoon, our government have given guidelines .
Kids can meet up in small groups. No large groups of teenagers hanging around shopping malls.
They are encouraging walks in the fresh air, parks etc but to avoid playgrounds.
I'm allowing mine to meet one friend each and only outdoors .
It will be so tough on the kids . Mine were bored yesterday already, after day 1 of closures .
Parents sanity will be tested also, but again what can we do?
They are also advising to limit kids contact with their grandparents at this time . Short visits with no physical contact. They are pleading that grandparents are not asked to mind kids at this time ( I'm sure it's very different if granny lives with you ).

They are advising that college students might offer to help mind kids when parents have to work. Bear in mind, a lot of college students have lost their part time jobs because of this, so a but of child minding may just help them financially at this time, as creches are closed too .
People are very adaptable. Last week we were all saying we will never cope,with work etc, if schools close, and here we are coping .

Some LEAs are thinking about teachers with underlying conditions; mine is and has let us know that they're aware of the potential for this to be more harmful to us, and will be closely following advice.

I think the unions need to make some noise.

They won't close schools.
Other countries are doing Skelton opening, Austria, Belgium, perhaps others...

I'm in education and I'd be happy to work with less students , crowding, staff around me to infect me.

It's only dc under 12 who are the issue really. There is no reason to keep secondary schools going, or colleges or uni.

I really loathe this all or nothing and sir Patrick has this all or nothing mentality too and I directly object and disagree with him.

Lots of dp however will use the symptoms to keep dc off

There is no advice there is no help... This is when people need to take responsibility for themselves. If I was a teacher with immune issues I'd not be waiting around for gov advice

I think they'll finish 27th, so an extra week in to the Easter hols.
Although ds seems to think they are preparing to finish 20th and a letter from the school says they are preparing to work from home.

I don't know where the date 20th has come from; seems to be a rumour.

I'd thought they might shut a week early and take a month for Easter.

I think they will close soon. Ds's teacher spontaneously gave feedback at the door on how he's been doing this term without being asked when I went to collect him this week. I always nip in and out and am only there for a few seconds as there's usually a crowd of parents at the door taking up the teacher's time but this time she held me back to give feedback. Looks like Parent's Evening will be cancelled.

@fedup21

I live near the lake district, and quite a few upper class people own 2nd houses there. There will be plenty of other regions where people own 2nd houses too.

@Designerenvy

But what happens if schools are closed and parents still have to work? A lot of kids will end up in the care of elderly grandparents. :(

It's a tricky situation, I can see pros and cons for both arguments.

Macronspenwiper. Bully for you if you want to keep going in. Not everyone feels like that.

Teachers are in the front line of infection. They need closing. Schools have a responsibility for the health and safety their staff as well as children.

I’m shutting myself personally and my union has been getting some right stick in Twitter about not taking action on this.

A teacher at our school said the school is being told week by week if they are allowed to open that week so last week knew could open until Friday but not for following week. The school newsletter said parents evening cancelled on 19th "as school staff are preparing for school closure". School were handing out details to kids for use if schools close on Friday and have just set up a new website which they were giving kids details of. The school newsletter added that the official line they've been told to give to parents is still school is staying open no matter what. DS's teacher told kids in the class to expect imminent school closure. Was glad he did as DS is ASD and much better warned of change. Obviously wait and see but would be surprised if not closed soon.

We’ve been putting lessons online all week, and students having been given books to work in. This seems to be happening across a large number of schools.

Well, I don’t know anyone in England with a second home, so can’t imagine that will happen too much here!

It’s not as common here as it is in other countries but there are plenty of second homes out there so someone must own them.

The second home thing is more common in other countries. I know Russia and Turkey well and in the hot summer months, people like to go up higher to get out of the heat. A lot of families, even ones we could consider relatively poor, have second homes in the mountains - they're called dachas in Russia.

I imagine it's the same in a lot of countries over that way.

So many second homes in my neck of the wood n. wales. Anglesey, Abersoch, and all down the Lleyn peninsula. Never mind the static homes all around us. The same on the cornish coast. Well I will warn you our hospital facilities are the pits where this virus is concerned. Ysbyty Gwynedd where all the visitors need to go if they have this virus seriously has 4, yep 4 ventilators.

In Italy and Spain, the schools closed and the parents whisked their children away to 2nd homes outside of the cities, which resulted in the virus being spread across the country and causing more hot spots to spring up.

So they had it anyway. Even if they went home they would have spread it.

I think it will be this week

Ds school preparing with online work etc and he will be expected to follow his timetable

Well I won’t be able to stay at home all to support (argue with) him his time table but in support of them closing

Our school is shutting a couple of days early before the Easter holidays. They are using the extra days to test online learning. So school is shut but lessons are on. I’m assuming that they won’t open again after the holidays. It’s the lack of information that is frustrating. I understand the logic of not shutting them yet and I know they probably will shut them. What I could do with is a timetable so I can plan.

The only reason people went to their second homes is that traditionally people live in small apartments but have larger rural family homes which they share with family. They would have though that it's better for the kids to be in a larger house than stuck in a one or two bedroom flat.

Also second homes are often where your family of origin is, so more people to help with childcare or just for moral support. None of the Italians were thinking they would be moving out for a holiday.

Milan is also like London, loads of people work there in the week but live elsewhere, so a lot of movement were people going back home to be with their families. I can't imagine anyone wanted to be locked in London living in a house share, a small flat or a hotel when their extended family is in Yorkshire for example. It makes no sense.

We've just been given the option for dc to return to school on monday.
Not sure what to do.
It's GCSE's for mine, Art coursework and English speaking 23/24th March.
Don't know whether to just send to school, as many went home abroad and won't be returning, so only a few will be there.
dc wants to go back, obviously for GCSE's and they might end up closing anyway. If they don't Easter hols starts on 4th April anyway.
Both me and dh are in the higher risk category, so selfishly speaking we'd be better with her in school, but you want your kids around at a time like this.