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

m.youtube.com/watch?v=tQD4B_hmdvo

Listen to this then think again about what everyone’s priorities should be

Do you not have a choice to work Easter as seems unfair

Legally I don't suppose we can be forced to but I think it unlikely many of us will refuse. I did wonder about using the staff who would usually be running holiday clubs/camps who might take over instead, but I'm not sure how that is normally organised.

The school I work for have made plans for up until the end of May. I don't know if this is because of what they have been told, or it was how far they were able to plan at such short notice!

Given that GCSEs and A-levels have been completely cancelled, not just pushed back, I don't think the government is expecting school to reopen for a long period during the usual summer term, if at all.

Arlene Foster mentioned 16 weeks, not that long ago. 16 weeks would take us up to mid-July.

I do think it would be tricky and disruptive for students to go back to school over the entirety summer holidays, especially as teachers will be home working and going into school to look after the children of key workers during those 16 weeks.

However, it might be possible for them to go back for a bit in July, and then have a shorter break across August or something similar?

I don't think schools will be back properly until September at the earliest, but I hope I'm wrong!

Haven’t read the whole thread but I think it will be September. I’m hoping for June/ July though so my year 6 has some sort of transition to secondary school. I like what someone else said about term being postponed to October. If they don’t go back until sept I hope they go back to primary for a few weeks before going to secondary. That would be great and I wonder if there is talk of that as my kid said that their teacher said year 6 may be extended.

I really hope they can go in June and do 7-8 weeks then close again for the school holidays.

5 months plus is a huge amount of time for kids to be home.especially the ones living in difficult circumstances. Some won't get enough love, time or food.

They have sent work home but not all kids have teachers as parents. They will fall behind as parents vary massively in what they can offer. Also I have a toddler in the house and my DD concentrates best at school who is able to teach her alot better than me. I will do my best but she's only been in school 7 months. If she's going to be off for 5.5 months that's almost the whole time she's been at school so far. School will be a long distant memory for her by then and I'm not alone in worrying. Many parents at the school are worried for their kids too and juggling work etc around trying to teach them.

The consensus in our SLT (secondary) is that it could well be September. We are expecting nothing until at least u til June. We've cancelled the Easter holidays and are in on rotas; current Rota now runs until end of May, so cancelling that holiday too.

Do you think 5.5 is going to have a huge impact on the kids and their mental health? Do you think they will struggle and be behind @MaryBerrysBomberJacket

I bet you feel so stressed right now? X

Children are more resilient than we give them credit for.

There are children all around the world dealing with the same virus who are no where near as fortunate as the majority of children in the UK. At least ours have clean water to wash their hands with, access to food even if it might not be their favourite, flushing toilets, most have warm beds to sleep in and aren't worrying about their home being bombed.

It will hopefully teach our children resilience, empathy and a respect for the education they normally take for granted.

It will increase the gap between the haves and the have nots.

My kids have access to a PC each and a printer - I'm an ex teacher although hampered by the fact my first language isn't the language they're schooled in (but this is actually less of a problem than it might be with lots of ways to compensate). My kids get 3 meals per day, 1 cooked. We have loads of books, paper and pens... We are firm about structuring the day.

Most MN kids probably have many advantages and will be fine.

So many kids don't have the resources to do well learning at home - resources of all types.

i think september is an optimistic guess.
i think we will all have to re-align our priorities.
much of what we are most busy with usually is not really fundamental to life, we just assume that it is by habit and custom.
customs can and do, and sometimes have to, change.
the bare necessities of life are really very bare, when push comes to shove.

Some will struggle and get behind, but to be honest the good kids will work and the not so good ones won't. We will be expected to pick up the pieces and will be accountable. I'm more worried about the impact on the local communities; some of our kids cause huge problems in the community and will cause carnage. Their parents will not control them and these kids will start looting. We already have seen footage on facebook of them destroying property, bus stops and shop windows.

Stress? I'm worried for the kids in my care who recently had a parent overdose, have been the victim of a sexual assault, are a carer for a parent etc. At the moment education isn't my priority but supporting the patrol staff with daily checks is. That and my Year 13s who have No idea what is happening with their grades.

I also don't think I'm over the shock yet as I can't sleep. I've sorted all the work for next week but I'll be in providing care for 2 days a week as well.

Our HT has taken BJ at his word and is expecting to be back in 12 weeks time, in about May.

We are already potentially being made to work through our Easter hols, so it could then be possible to start the summer hols 2 weeks early and go back for the new academic year mid August perhaps.

The waves of alternating lighter and stricter controls seem to make a lot of sense. But (more) people need to start modifying their behaviour.

Our HT has taken BJ at his word and is expecting to be back in 12 weeks time, in about May.

We closed yesterday. 12 weeks takes us to mid June at least?

Where did your head get May from?

Wishful thinking I believe.

I think September

I’d really like to think that we’ll be back after May half term.

We can hold leavers assemblies and throw a few class parties.

We could focus on numeracy and literacy for the final 7 weeks of the year and prepare children for their next year in school.

We could just get back to routine and a bit of normality.

I live abroad during the summer holiday, so would hope the opportunity to go back home if still possible. My flights are booked for the Saturday we break up and I return a few days before the end of August.

Then I’d like to think that September we can start afresh. I know I might have to work harder to get some children caught up, but that’s ok, we’ll do it.

I’m not sure if I’m living in a fantasy world, but this is what I’m praying for.

I'm guessing September....

September. At the earliest. Life is on hold for now, bigger fish to fry

I can't see them being closed until July at all.

I think they will reopen in early May, certainly before the May half term.

They should use this opportunity to change the structure of the school year. Declare mid-May the start of the summer holidays - this is when we usually get the best weather in the UK. Give kids and teachers six weeks off, and parents six weeks off from home-schooling them. Then start the new school year in July when hopefully the worst of this crisis will be over, and move exams and other half terms etc accordingly. Keep it this way. But as children already start primary school too young in this country, change it so that any child born after January 2016 doesn't start school until July 2021 and so forth. Then all kids will be a minimum of 4.5 years old before they go to school, and a bit more able to cope with formal education.
I have a feeling there may be some flaws in my wonderful plan though...

Nononoandno

Thanks for posting that broadcast. It was unbearably moving. What brought me to tears was the the ways of saying thank you Dr. Jack proposed at the end, a staff lounge, a kettle, coffee. It highlighted the many ways in which this public service is cut to the bone in non-medical ways, ways that show precisely how the government dismisses it.

My UK working life has been in education and what always pissed me off was that on every ( mandatory) parents evening, the only food that was provided for staff who stayed on at the end of the school day was funded by the NUT. Anything provided by the school was deemed a taxable benefit as they didn't provide it, and I don't blame them.

My point is not to post medics against teachers, only to show how public servants are treated so shabbily by the government, pared so thin.

I think we're going to get a double dip lockdown, so schools will reopen in late May as we pass the peak and numbers start to fall, then they'll close and we'll experience a second (hopefully short) lockdown again in early July as number start to rise again. Everybody has been clear that school closure and lockdown (when it comes) are there to keep the flow of illness to a manageable level, not to stop it all together so they'll get us in as an when they can so keep the flow of new cases to a steady flow.

Hopefully they will give us a window of when they hope to return soon. I know he can't say exactly when but so many people think September. Others think June. I think bojo is also very aware of how difficult this has made working parents lives. Therefore he will want to keep it to a minimal. Without a doubt the odd idiot won't listen. But if they can be strict on keeping all the luxuries shut and allowing kids to return to school but that's all. Straight home....we could do this. Eventually children will be safer in schools. Just my opinion. They are all in one place with good hygiene practices in place now. There's so many positives to them being in school when closure has helped slow the virus. I still think they need to rejig some stuff if they leave it until September. I think the teachers will also recover better from all this if they can see their pupils again and get to support them as they settle back in. I think they are incredible people and probably feeling this in many ways. You can tell the EYFS adore the kids in my daughter's school. They are a wonderful caring bunch. You could see it in their eyes Friday. They were drained and looking close to tears.

"Then start the new school year in July when hopefully the worst of this crisis will be over, and move exams and other half terms etc accordingly."

How the heck is that going to work for families & school staff who booked holidays in late July/August. It's the most non-starter idea I've heard yet. As if we weren't all economically shafted enough.

because even if we do get a sense of normality holidays particularly abroad are going to be very lucky if they are going ahead in July. We may open up a little but I suspect unless it burns out very quickly borders will be shut a little longer

Also some will still be self isolating and fines would I suspect be removed as would class sizes so not that silly

I dont think they will start the school year though I think they will finish at little off. Things are going to go back to a normal term system for awhile flexibility will be key