Schools Reopening?

[Liveforever86]

When do you honestly think it will happen? And when do you want it to happen?!

Unions were also advising those with vulnerable people at home not to go to work, which was never part of the official advice.

If things are completely back to normal by July/August-I’m sure holiday clubs and child minders will all be very keen to open as usual to be earning money.

Jam packing children like sardines into boiling hot classrooms for August for free childcare isn’t a solution.

Whilst people often bang on about kids historically having the summer holidays off to help with harvest (in July?!) there isn’t actually much evidence to support this. It’s actually more likely that it was believed the children needed a proper break from learning and that being cooped up in hot germy classrooms over August wasn’t actually very good for them.

I think that doing this after a viral pandemic would be extremely unwise!

Probably September but I hope there will be at least a few weeks of the summer term to help the transition for children moving up from preschool to primary, and from primary to secondary.

especially exhausted keyworkers or parents who’ve been trying to work full time from home

You do know that teachers, TAs and other school staff are also key workers?
Many are also parents.
Many are also parents who are working from home.

Those teaching and school staff who are in school at the moment are risking their own health to look after other keyworker's children. Those who aren't at school are mostly at home as they are in self isolation (as they or a member of their household have symptoms) or because they are in at risk group. And they are still working at home, unless actual ill.

I am at home as I was self isolating as DD was ill a fortnight ago. I am now at home because I am in an at risk group, and we currently live with an older person aged 70+ in our household.

I am still putting in full days from home.

I do think some people forget that teachers and school staff are real human people too who are just as susceptible to this virus as anyone else.

Police officers, nurses and doctors can take their leave later in the year or even carry it over. If teachers teach through the summer when will the schools close so they get that time back?

In my head it will be September. They will just have to do reception and year 7 inductions then with a phased start and prolonged induction. It won't be the end of the world. There are always children who don't go the induction meetings and get along just fine. This time it will be all of them so they will all be in the same boat. There would also be a phased return for children with SEN who need it. I'm sure the primary schools/communities will go out of their way to provide some sort of closure for the year 6 children. Yes it's shite but it's out of anyone's control.

However reading between the lines from the press conferences I wouldn't be surprised if they do reopen at some point after the May half term. Schools will deal with it like they have with everything else and if they have to remain closed or partially closed due to staff illness/isolation then they will deal with that like they deal with everything that is thrown at them ever. IT WILL BE FINE!

But going by what they've been saying

As pp said, her in Scotland we break up for Summer in June, so I’ve already resigned myself to the fact we’re not going back until at least August. Let’s face it, we can’t book holidays here or abroad or even think about days out for the school holiday yet either, so we might be able to return to offices by then, but won’t be able to, due to children being off on school holidays...

We may not have a choice about having a summer peak. It may simply not happen in warmer weather. We have to wait and see.

cant I am finding it hard to believe that half the school are 'vulnerable' in what context are you describing vulnerable?

A school could easily open with 50% staff, as obviously lots of children will also be off ill/classed as vulnerable. School could offer a reduced timetable, larger class sizes in the short term, and packed lunches only for instance. Of course it could be done.

Teachers and children will benefit from the return to normality, families can go back to work and we can monitor the situation.

It may not suit you for schools to open, but without the scientific facts to support the decision to close them i.e. children at serious risk, then I would expect all schools to reopen after the peak (which will be around Easter)
The country and economy will need to be restated as soon as possible, or the consequences of this virus may be far reaching and more damaging than coronavirus itself.

If it turns out that children are in danger from cv, and they are at serious risk then of course the schools should remain closed, but this would have to be backed up with data and statistics, so far this has not been the case anywhere in the world, and I would not expect the UK to be any different.

Schools in our area had their leavers ceremonies - granted on a smaller scale - for kids moving on from Primary and High schools in the last week so they're not expected to return.

How did they manage to arrange that at 2 days’ notice?

My son is in p7 and the teacher managed to get memory books and some photos for them but not actual ceremonies, as no one was allowed in school but staff and pupils

Not all teachers are working now. In my child’s school there are about 2 teachers a day in to look after keyworkers children and no online learning so what are they doing?

In my experience that is quite unusual, for schools in both sectors and schools catering for all ages.

Certainly all the schools I know of locally and those my friends children attend are receiving home learning in at least one format, most in several ways.

It is our Easter holidays here officially so there are no 'academic' home learning lessons and activities happening on our learning platform, but activities etc are still going on line every day and still being responded to by teaching staff.

From a purely selfish point of view, would love to reopen at end of June if safe to, just so ds can feel he finished primary and not be so scared of comp. It all ended so suddenly for him, he was on an outward bounds course, they were brought back a day early to be told it was last day of school so he wasn’t at all prepared. I know in the grand scheme of things it’s nothing but to an 11 year old boy it would mean the absolute world

shiraz why is it selfish to hope your child can go back to school when the risk to him (assuming he is an average healthy child) is tiny to nil?

Extremely vulnerable people should continue to be shielded for as long as necessary, but healthy young people with very little risk should expect to be returning to normal life far sooner, and June is months away!

"if you have a holiday booked already for July/August"

I doubt if there will be holiday flights abroad then

Not just the Uk govt deciding here, but govts of countries that won't want a load of potential new infections

Schools might return in June and have just August for holidays - in the UK

@MigginsMrs, No idea how they did it but they did.

On the Friday our primary parents were asked to pick up 15 minutes early with the exception of P7's. Parents were outdoors in the playground as the kids followed a Piper out wearing their "class of 2020" hoodies and the Head Teacher gave a small speech.

Secondary leavers had a takeout meal in the school hall with a band and necessary teachers.

Ceremony was perhaps the wrong word but it was a definitive end to their school years with speeches and awards as normal.

I think it will be September, but I don't think the government have been strategic in their approach at all.

Looking at data from South Korea - widespread testing across all age groups shows that infection rates in the under 10 age group is incredibly low. Possibly primary schools should reopen sooner, but I don't think that will happen.

I think the response to the virus should be trying to limit severe illness and should be targeted to protect groups that are known to result in a higher incidence of serious illness. If everything goes from lockdown to normal at once, I think there will be another sweep of the virus and then even more closures.

Cornish,

Very few of the children are highly vulnerable.

Over half the staff are in vulnerable groups - not all '12 week lockdown' people, but older, awaiting or recovering from cancer treatment, pregnant, carers for the highly vulnerable, chronic diseases...

As a teacher I really hope we go back before September. I’m hoping by mid June so that we can manage transitions properly. E.g new reception intake, yr6 to yr7 and yr11 to college. I think it would do everyone good so long as it is safe.

why is it selfish to hope your child can go back to school when the risk to him (assuming he is an average healthy child) is tiny to nil?

The school cannot be run by children alone.

The risk to the adults in school - and the adults the school pupils and adults are in contact with - is MUCH higher. You HAVE to see that whole picture.

Schools cannot easily open with 50% of staff. We did that during the week we finally closed down and it was chaos. Never mind the safety aspect.
We break up at the end of June. I’d happily reopen even that week and then work a few weeks until mid July and have a shorter break. We reopen in mid August. It’ll make everything easier for everyone. As a teacher I have no idea how I’m going to physically pack up my classroom and move as we always do at the end of the year. Or even how I’m going to clear out this year’s children’s belongings if I stay put. I’d desperately like to finish with my class.

However, it is just not going to work saying that teachers need to suck it up. We had a week off in February. I’m still working, last week in school and this week from home. This pattern will continue until schools reopen. We are open over Easter. If we abandon the whole summer break then it’ll be October before I have time off. There’s no way time off will be given in lieu or any arrangements me that. We won’t have a teaching workforce healthy enough to teach through to Christmas with no break.

The antibody test will be available next week and rolled out after the NHS testing. Many people may already have immunity, combined with the extremely low, almost zero risk to children from coronavirus why would schools remain closed?

Schools could reopen after the half term that allows six weeks more or less of teaching in the summer months, when we know our hospitals will have maximum capacity opposed to allowing another wave in the autumn and winter months. It will be easy to identify if coronavirus is circulating again in the summer months, and by then one would hope the testing issues would be straightened out, and testing on a wider scale ought to be taking place anyway.

The best outcome for all would be a return to school in the summer months and to monitor the situation very carefully. Staggering the return to work and school slowly. The health and well being of children need to be considered. Locking children away until August/September would be extremely detrimental to them, and did not happen even in China!

My best guess is a return to school for healthy children in June or before based on the three month modelling being used, the lack of risk to children themselves and to avoid a second peak taking place later in the year.

I do worry, not for the children, but as pp said, for adults who are in contact with the children. If you are a vulnerable person at home, are you seriously wanting to have a child go into a school of between 200 - 1000 and risk Russian Roulette of them bringing the virus home every day? Madness. I will be asking to keep DS at home until Sept - or as long as we can make it work. This is a marathon not a sprint.

PS DS really happy to be out of school! Has SEN and finds it all a bit much.

@Leona123321

I don't want it to go on until next Spring. I'd love to see my DS finish Yr6 and primary school but I really don't think that's going to happen.

They are saying a vaccine is 12-18 months away. At the moment we have no idea how many people have had it, how long their now immunity will last for, I heard an "expert" say 4-6 months, meaning anyone who currently has it may well catch it again in September and spread it on. There's been lots of talk of a second spike in the Autumn and Winter, which the government will want to avoid.

Until we know more it's in the back of my mind that it could be next Spring (and being mentally prepared for that) but hoping for much sooner, as I know it's not going to be good for kids to be off school and cooped up like this.

cant You are forgetting that many teachers, vulnerable or not, will have immunity - and this can be tested and checked. Most teachers are not over seventy, or have cancer etc. Some may have health conditions, and may wish to stay at home, maybe they could cover the on line learning for children also at home? And those that are pregnant should also stay at home.

If the government decides that the schools reopen in June, then the heads will assemble their staff and make arrangements accordingly. They are probably already doing the planning, and checking what resources will be available. Maybe some parents can cover TA roles after various checks, and offer other forms of help to keep the school running. Solutions need to be sought, and we will all pull together to ensure that children do not suffer for any longer than necessary.

Staying closed when the peak is over, the risks are minimal, and continuing an unnecessary ill defined lockdown will quickly lose public support I think you will find.