Our school is shut from tomorrow

[leafygarden]

Just had an email from DD large secondary school in northwest saying they will be shut from tomorrow until the Easter break - and to wait for further updates on whether they will open after Easter.

I'm presuming this is nationwide

It just seems strange to assume that it's nationwide when you could take 30 seconds to google it and avoid causing panic

The school where I teach are now rotating year groups - 11 & 13 in every day, other year groups in every other day. It's due to staff absences.

This is going to be very hard on families without internet connections or no decent computers

Exactly. We have thought about this in my school. KS1 children have paper based work packs including topic based projects, and KS2 are putting work on the school website which will then be completed on paper, photographed and emailed to the teacher. We have worked on the assumption that nearly every household has access to a smartphone or tablet, few will have access to a laptop per child.

Quite a few of the high schools around us have shut but very few of the primary school? Is that similar to other posters areas?

@WyfOfBathe don't worry - I've already been told how dreadful I am for starting this thread.

But thanks anyway for the heads up there.

Emoji, apologies if you are offended. It is just my opinion. I just find it bizarre personally and not something I would choose to do in my work. I wonder if you can see it from a parents' perspective? I am incredibly upset and anxious at the prospect of having to work full-time AND replace the teachers role by educating my children full-time as well. It is a very frightening prospect. My kids will of course suffer massively and it just adds more stress that the school are taking these extra days which means that is probably them effectively off now until September, without any face to face explanation from the teachers to the kids or us.

First, there may be something contractual about not expecting teachers to be in school if the children aren't - I don't know. Second, the teachers can of course pass it onto each other - remember the national advice for everyone is to work from home if at all possible. Third, who do you think is looking after all the teachers' own children if schools are closed but they're still in work?

But comic, they are there this week without any kids? My point was that they could have waited and spent the last few days WITH the kids - then done this work next week before shutting up shop. They have made it very clear that they don't expect to open again to the kids.

Still only a few schools have closed as far as I know?? None near us, anyway.

As for the last line..... do you think they care about who is looking after my kids this week after this short notice closure? Of course, not, because it isn't their problem. And vice versa surely

We got an email from school this lunchtime stating it will remain open until told otherwise by the government with a list of what preparations they have made. They also stressed that exams are going ahead under the current situation.
One of Local infant schools was like a ghost town yesterday, people keeping kids off school is what a friend of mine told me. Large proportion if SAHMs so in practical terms it works for them but not their own sanity.

There is half a dozen schools closed here in the NE in the last hour, others will follow suit...

Count yourself lucky OP. They are still open here. Everyone should be social distancing not sending kids to school.

Our school have prepared packs for pupils with and without ICT .
They will all receive a ‘School Closure ‘ exercise book for each subject.
Maybe I’m lucky to work in a school where we try to facilitate our pupils needs no matter what they are.
I hope I can stay in and work with the children of all ‘front line’ workers if we do close.

Our school is going to keep going on but a local school has sent y9s home (not enough teachers) and another is shut for deep cleaning

ladymal, thankyou - you have no idea how good that makes me feel to see there are some out there who care about us NHS workers I have had a really bad day and needed to just see someone cares. I cried all morning about how I am going to juggle everything whilst trying to educate my kids, trying now to pick myself up and move on!

@catspyjamas123 yeah, some of us don't have a choice. Unless the government say they're gonna suspend rent and bills then I'm sending mine in as long as school is open, because if I don't go to work we have no income.

I’m sorry but my health and the health of my family comes before your child’s education. Sorry if any of you have a problem with that.
Teachers need protecting too

The atmosphere in my school is frantic. Kids saying they feel exposed.

They can't have a meal in a cafe or ' maccys' but they can sit in assembly and a class of 30 and corridors of hundreds and squshed lunch queues.

We had 300 kids off today, some kids removed from lessons to self isolate. It's scary for them. One girl burst into tears when she thought her Mum had it.

Then there are the kids that come back still ill or ill and stay in.

All they ask is when will we shut? Corona is every other word and some are passing on germs to be funny. Coughing in faces.

It sets a bad example that everything is ok when schools are open but it isn't and they know this. Especially in secondary.

Bulb, thankfully me and none of my NHS colleagues feel that way We are all happy for schools to close, just not this sudden closure by choice of schools, so they can prepare for months and months off You must be able to see your reply is over-dramatic in that context.

My DC primary has 15 staff members off already. I bet it's closed by the end of the week.

Also when does it come a point that I am setting more work for kids that are off than the ones I am teaching.

My college in north west has closed until after Easter

Aw Jane, bless them. Why is it still so packed f there's 300 off? Our secondary has cancelled assembly and because so many are off, they are spread out around the classroom. They are really well prepped for closing and taking tomorrow off to complete preparations, hopefully back the rest of this week though. My DC is GCSE age so it is all very stressful right now. I hope your school gets clarification soon

We just had email from infant school
Saying very much open and will
Continue until they are told otherwise. Within last 10 mins. We are in SE.

Jane, the schools my kids attend made it clear from a couple of weeks ago that work would not be set for kids who choose to not attend before official closures. How lovely that you are doing otherwise It must be so hard for teachers to juggle all of this, you sound like a wonderful and caring teacher.