Decision on schools closure coming 'imminently'

[mymoonmyman2020]

From Guardian reporting on PMQs -

'Johnson pays tribute to teachers, and thanks them for their work in keeping schools open. He says further decisions will be taken “imminently” on schools, that will square the circle of stopping the spread of the disease, while wanting to relief the pressure on the NHS.'

Scottish news on schools also expected soon apparently.

Boris has just said that going forward not all schools will be open as with time they'll be able to work together and pool resources, but on Monday all schools should be open for the children of key workers and vulnerable children

I think we'll quickly get into one or two schools open in each area to mind all the kids who need it once it's been established how many children that is

lazylinguist they might be able to reopen though if they've only got a small number of children in school.

I guess so. I wonder how it will work though. Some staff in, or all? Presumably you won't need all of them in to teach a small number of kids, so who will be chosen to come in, and on what grounds? Will teachers be expected to teach kids of key workers in school and still also provide distance learning for all the rest? Will teachers count as key workers? If not, what will they do about looking after their own dc if they have to be in school teaching? Etc. Just wondering about the logistics!

@mackerella no worries! Northern Ireland will close today, but the rest of the UK closes at the end of the day on Friday.

Schools in the state sector in England to close from Friday night but essential workers (who are those? lawyers - many are doing good legal work and need to work, barristers helping criminals and the innocent? or just doctors and nurses even if the doctor is so rich he could afford a daily emergency nanny? will be allowed into school premises and be supervised).

I believe the PM said school exams in May and June are cancelled - that is a massive issue for those poor children about to GCSEs and A levels.

I’m not sure what will happen with our school. I work in a special school so all our children are considered vulnerable.and thye a,l have an EHCP. However if the transport company who bring the children in have staff who cannot work that will scupper us,

Not just state schools. Boris stated that they have the power to close independent schools if they don't follow the same plans

@lazylinguist They won't be teaching in the sense of teaching to the curriculum, especially with the mention from the PM about eventually pooling resources and not having to open all schools because the small numbers could be facilitated locally in one or two places

That's the thing how do you define a key worker without including every job in one form or other. Leading to pretty much every child being in school anyway

We need more clarification on who the key services are. I might be one but i’m not sure.

No Xenia, it’s not lawyers or barristers, most of whom will have their children in private schools, as will NHS consultants. It’s junior doctors, nurses, emergency services, supermarket staff, delivery drivers, all the people who provide essential services and keep society moving.

Kids can take their exams any time. So they repeat a year, it’s not the end of the world.

Lol at lawyers being key workers.

That's the thing how do you define a key worker without including every job in one form or other. Leading to pretty much every child being in school anyway

The list the government will bring out will likely clear it up.

So with shop staff it'll be supermarket or food shop staff for example. Someone who works in Smyths or TK Maxx won't count, but Asda, Tesco or the local butcher will.
Delivery drivers for supermarkets will, but maybe won't for Argos.

I also suspect that kind of detail will also be why on Monday all schools have to be open, but in time not all will need to be open. That'll give time to sort and modify the list, work out who qualifies (for example we wouldn't because DH's job would, I'm a SAHP), then see how many parents send their kids (SIL as a single parent who works in ICU will qualify, but her 4 kids are coming to stay with us) and then they can tailor it from there.

They are creating a specific list of key workers

Key workers would be doctors, medical equipment technicians and other hospital staff, nurses, ambulance sfaff,police, staff required for keeping our infrastructure running , pharmacists, people working in food shops and logistics for those, some delivery drivers, people working in factories that produce food and medicine

Would be much better than mock grades

I think so...having said that i checked with dd and her two predicted are both Bs, her mocks were B and C

So ive calmed down somewhat...

Lawyers

I believe the PM said school exams in May and June are cancelled - that is a massive issue for those poor children about to GCSEs and A levels

@xenia

But not more important that people's lives.

If exams are cancelled, I can't see many upper school students attempting much work while off.

its just exams!! can be done anytime!

its just exams!! can be done anytime!

Well sort of. But a bit tricky to do A Levels any time if you need the results to get into university.

I’m wondering if the company I work for will be considered key workers or not. We provide emergency call out & maintenance (specifically gas engineers) to hospitals, prisons and via a facilities management company to a group of pharmaceutical distributors

So essentially Year 11 and Year 13 students have a 5 month learning 'holiday' until the start of the new school year. No more work is needed to be done for either year group as they will get their GCSE and A level (and I hope BTECs) results without anymore work.

But a bit tricky to do A Levels any time if you need the results to get into university

At least this way all of the A Level students are in the same boat

It would be more unfair if the schools all stayed open and then at A Level time it hit Liverpool/Cardiff/Norwich particularly hard and only the kids there ended up with closed schools and issues with exams.

This way the government, schools and universities will come up with a plan for the entire year group

BBC said

For those pupils due to take exams, the PM said they won't impede the progress of those students, which suggests to me some kind of predicted grade system

Really? I guess a lot of kids wouldn't be happy with that would they?

My two both say they’d prefer delayed exams (which surprised me for ds)

Yes exams can be taken any time but it takes a lot of planning across the country to organise everything.
Also, there is a certain momentum which pushes children forward, it’s a different energy. Once you interrupt the path, it’s not that easy to recreate that determination and there’s nothing like a deadline to sharpen the mind. The danger is they can and will become complacent. Plus no outlets, no events, no parties, no part time jobs for 16 and 18 year olds.