How long do you reckon the schools will be shut for?

[Forfoxsake29]

and if they are shut for a long time, how will they
Cope with things like children starting school September, gcses, alevels, uni etc

I'm hoping may. Kids also need to be considered in this and the damage to their mental health being isolated from everyone. It's a huge deal

Well you know what I mean Hoffa. Earlier than scheduled!

I reckon mid-end of June, but it's all speculation at this point.

Sorry olivehater I wasn’t trying to be a dick, just meant that different term dates should be pretty easy to implement as a lot of English schools do it already.

Our head teacher hinted the terms could be shifted with the kids going on July and August with the autumn term starting in October.

our speculation is after Easter, possibly May.

I think A Level exams will be in July and GCSEs in September - this means grades will still be there for unis and there will be a rush to mark with generous grade boundaries. GCSEs will be later and still doable.

Teachers are contracted by number of days rather than set dates, so they could end summer holidays earlier so that kids go back and learn more... who knows!

September at the very earliest. And I’m just hoping to be alive and well with my family then. I am so afraid of this illness that I can’t care about schools or jobs right now. I acknowledge it’s desperately sad and the economy is fragile but truly I can only think of trying to get through this and not losing my loved ones.

I think it will be September. Surely they can't backtrack on exams since the announcement yesterday that they weren't going to take place?

Both DC have been asked to empty their lockers/study so i'm assuming it won't be just a few weeks.

September

May/june is my guess but wouldn't be surprised if it ends up being September

IF people were taking it seriously, IF we were going into a proper lockdown, it wouldn't last that long.

Unfortunately schools are still opened, gyms, parks, shops are still opened, the only way to buy food today is a crowded supermarket.
The least we take it seriously today, the longer it will go on. It's a shame people can't comprehend that.

It would be better to go into isolation now and try to keep it as short as possible. Selfish and irresponsible people are the ones ruining the economy.

I wish the government could tough it up, and try to minimise damage instead of trusting morons to be responsible. Clearly, not happening.

Exactly.
Having been through this situation in China, sometimes I just want to a scream at people here!

I hope after Easter. 🤞🏻

Local head teacher here is predicting back after Easter and then another extended holiday over spring bank for 2nd wave. Back again mid June.

I wonder if this will mean a shift in educational thinking in this country and a revision of school dates? As a teacher, I'd welcome shorter summer holidays and I'd DEFINITELY welcome Reception children not being expected to be taught to read and write and 'do' Maths.

Ive just asked my DD teachers and they said they know nothing. The government announced it on Tele and the heads new nothing when it was announced. We've just had a chat and the learning support lady said how can they keep all these children off school, away from their friends, education and teachers. I think everyone is just feeling sad, worried and unsure how this going to affect the children.

Going back in may hopefully will be enough then close in July for summer and have another six weeks of minimal contact.

Whilst we want to slow this disease we must be mindful of what's best for the children too. Whilst we all agree a few weeks is a good idea. I think most agree a few months is a bad idea.

I've seen two year six pupils crying today. They are not going to see their friends now or have their leavers party. It's not fair on our poor children to be distressed over all this. The kids supposedly won't do much to help anyway as they are not catching it. So if they are just at home and school in a months time hopefully they are germ free from the break. They can still keep other places like softplay and cinemas closed. That way kids will just be going to school. At least it will give them some sort of safety and normality. It's frightening for these young kids.

Can we give a bit more credit to kids and not project our lack of resilience onto them? It's normal and healthy to be a bit upset, but if parents manage it properly, they will be absolutely fine.

It's a shame parents are too damn lazy to be willing to put up with their own kids for more than a day, have been moaning for years that the school holidays were too long (even when they were only a week long...)

Absolutely pointless to send them back to school too soon. Parents should be the ones to give their children a sense of safety and normality.
Schools are there for education, not babysitting or to replace a home.

September 2020 is earliest they open if this thing dies down according to the best scenario projection September 2021 is a very realistic projection.

I’ll just be glad if all the kids and staff are alive and well for whenever they go back

@peanutbutterkid where is your source for that

Whereas there are very real projections that this could last until September 2021 (time it takes for a vaccine) I didnt think any actually thought schools would be shut for that long all the time. Indeed they will access firstly what affect they actually have (if any)

I think they will reopen for a bit then shut for summer then open then close etc on and off until then - all depending on treatment and numbers

2021 is utter bollocks

No one would have any jobs left

but by then we might have found an alternative source of loo roll

By 2021 won’t be be starving to death? Nobody will have jobs or money. That scenario is like something from a disaster film.

I think not before September.

I suspect it's September, they took off their uniforms tonight and I found myself thinking about storing them to give to others! Came home with PE kits to wash.. god knows when they will use them again. It all such an unknown..