School NOT going back after Easter

[Saladfingers95]

The headteacher has just phoned me to say my children's school will definitely not be back until after Easter. It will be after May half term at the earliest. I'm in the North East. Has anyone else been told the same?

We are in Scotland. When the decision was made to close schools, everyone started working on the assumption that we wouldn't be back until after the summer holidays as end of term is June.

I haven't heard of anyone even speculating that we might be back after easter.

Even schools in China opened after 8 weeks, I can't see why our schools would need to be closed for over six months, it doesn't make any sense.

Italy and others are planning to reopen early May. Our head has made it clear she hopes to for us to return for June. The peak will be at Easter, so we can reasonably expect that six to seven weeks later the plateau will be established, offering a window of opportunity for pupils to return before the next one.

I am confident that our head has been advised what the most likely scenario will be when discussing it with various agencies and PHE, and she is planning accordingly. No one has a confirmed date yet, we are working to this time frame.

It would be helpful if the government produced an exit strategy....

in a moment of frankness, on our last day in school, our Head said that they weren't necessarily expecting or planning to be back in September. It was a huge shock - really brought home the severity of the situation.

They’ve cancelled all gcse and a level exams- I think this was as good an indication as any that kids won’t be in school until at least September

So fed up of communicating through emails/messages and chasing them for work.

I bet, and they'll all be working on their preferred body clock rhythms - up at 11am!

Primary even harder! Most of my class don't have access to a device that they can use for even a chunk of the day, lots are recent arrivals to the country so only have parent's phones with 4G, lots are in multi-sibling families, so can't all work at the same time, even if they could work at all. Most are not English speakers at home, with no one to help out their understanding because parents don't speak English well enough. My class of 7/8/9 year olds are probably all having melt downs to be honest, trying to get them to learn fractions right now is a bit of a non-option.

I'm in school next week, and I can't wait! We're not doing any learning activities because it's the 'holidays', so it's childcare. I'm just now getting all my personal crafting stuff out, the sewing machine etc to try and find fun things to do with them.

life the exams are in May, I don't think any of us would imagine that we are returning in MAY apart from some particularly frazzled parents.

The SAGE modelling for non-pharmaceutical measures (incl school closures) modelled based on 8-13 weeks of measures and impact on infection rate, which is where the May/June chat comes from.

It is also worth reflecting on the scientific view on the impact of school closures on reducing cases and deaths (

jassy Thank you that is correct, we are working to the 12 week model.

I am confident that our head has been advised what the most likely scenario will be when discussing it with various agencies and PHE, and she is planning accordingly.

Don't be confident! We're not being told anything any sooner than the public in the pressers. That's how we found out that schools were closing - the same time as the whole country, with us all sat there in a classroom around a big screen at 5pm. Then we had 2 days to sort out an alternative.

Of course we'd already done it, because you know - professionals.

Even now, stuff (for example free school meal vouchers) is being announced to the country/parents, without any prior warning for schools. Half the time the emails on how to comply aren't even sent until 2 days after the initiative has been launched. It's almost as if the DfE are a bunch of people who have never worked in schools.

I work part-time in a school (non-teaching role) and we've been furloughed until June, they aren't expecting to go back before that. It's official, the Headmaster 'phoned us all and then it was backed up in a letter which we had to sign.

Since we also break up at the end of June I doubt we'll be back at all to be honest, it will hardly be worth going back before the summer holidays and if so, only for 4 weeks? Seems doubtful....

wandering four weeks will make all the difference to the children, and they are the ones suffering the most.

All depends on when the peak is, how much of an impact social distancing has had on that, whether if we open schools all businesses will go back too, which will reduce social distancing and result in another peak? Maybe? And then we have to have another period of lockdown so the NHS can cope? What if it mutates between now and September?

Blah blah. Any person making 'confident' assumptions about anything is talking out of the top of their head.

I maintain my opinion that for primary schools (which is what I know about), parents should focus on keeping their child safe and trying to keep their child happy. The academic stuff is 'our' problem, and we'll sort it out later.

There is a small chance that the gov may reopen schools mid May I suppose, a month after the peak, it is possible of course.

I don't think schools will be back until September, judging by the measures the government is putting in like mega hospitals, temporary morgues etc we have a long way to go yet. I don't know any schools who thought it would all be back to normal by Easter, all the ones I know are assuming September.

cornishdreams1 exams go on until mid June

It seems there is going to be lots of disappointed teachers when we are all back in early summer

Speak for yourself! I am trying to keep across a full timetable, homeschool my eldest and keep my toddler amused / alive. Meanwhile those teachers in my team who are either child-free or have grown-up children are sending lots of lovely updates about how much they are able to get done and each email is making me murderous.

Children are at the lowest possible risk and are paying a huge sacrifice, not just academically but physically and socially as well. You can't just 'make up' several months of lost education.

The lockdown will end in June or before, schools will be back after half term. Anything else will cause the most enormous back lash, you can't lock people up for six months in isolation when there is no need to!
Lord King mentioned today that he didn't even believe it was realistic to continue the lockdown for very much longer, and I agree. Lockdown is very draconian and will be removed as soon as the peak has passed.

4th May in France

four weeks will make all the difference to the children

Yep, I'd like my child to have 4 weeks back in school before a summer break. I want her to consolidate friendships, learn how to play with other kids again, remember how to behave in a group of her peers and so on. If we have 12 weeks of lockdown followed by 5 weeks of 'holiday', they're all going to be feral!!

Assuming of course we don't have the summer holidays cancelled too. Would make sense for some reasons, and not make sense for others.

Good to have learning time.
Good for transition between schools/classes.
Good for social stuff.

Bad for (mostly secondary) teachers who will be that point have been trying to work as normal via zoom or whatever since Feb half term without a break.
Bad for people who once lockdown is no longer a thing, will want to push off and stay with relatives etc.
No point in being in school if only half the kids are there.

Anyway, it's all postulating. We know nothing. And it's quite easy to have loud opinions about all of it when it hasn't touched most of us yet. When our communities and families start suffering, it'll be different.

I think it's optimistic to think they'll all open as normal in September. No way will this all be over by then. It's going to last months. "Normal" life may start to return over Summer, but high risk places like schools, airports, etc are very likely to be delayed the longest.

Also worth bearing in mind that the govt may lift the school closures earlier than September but near the end of summer term to enable nurseries and holiday camps to go ahead for smaller numbers of kids, but in a way that allows the economy to get moving more.

The temp morgues and hospitals will remain viq as we are expecting another wave in the winter.

They’ve cancelled all gcse and a level exams- I think this was as good an indication as any that kids won’t be in school until at least September

Surely the exams were cancelled because the all teaching necessary prior to the exams wouldn't be possible not because they thought the schools wouldn't be open again this academic year.

They cancelled the exams because of the likely good of the children missing a huge chunk of their education and the possibility of them being ill..not because they imagine the schools are going to be shut for 6 months.
Honestly the amount of apparent inside knowledge and scaremongering on here is staggering. Clearly the schools aren’t going back straight after Easter (I’m a TA and our school is delivering remote lessons). But I very much doubt the economy can cope with everything shut until September. As soon as shops etc open...schools will open.

The lockdown will end in June or before, schools will be back after half term.

No way will schools be back after half time. Yes, the lock down will end, but it will be a VERT gradual easing, bit by bit, starting with lower risk workplaces, non essential shops, etc., and then moving on as and when the monitoring suggests it's safe. Schools are high risk for disease transmission so will be way down the list of re-openings.