Reopening schools before September

[Keepgoing88]

Given the information about what other countries are planning to do does anyone else think schools may reopen before school summer holidays? I was all prepared to have the kids off until September but seeing what has gone on in the news recently I'm not so sure now and thinking it might be earlier, at least in some.capacity. anyone else?

@alloutoffucks read my post before you get aggressive. Nowhere did I say I think they're doing the right thing. I'm speculating on what I expect might happen, not whether I think it's the right thing or not. I've not once stated my personal opinion on it.

I’m really pissed off at the attitude staff don’t count. Those Teachers, receptionists, assistants, bus drivers, cleaners, caretakers, kitchen staff etc. Are you that desperate to force normal you would put others health at risk?
As much as we want normal, it’s not going to happen simply because we want it.

I have guessed after May half term from the beginning. It will depend on the death figures. Social distancing with older children is easier, so maybe they will stagger the classes/teaching time they all get.
I doubt the government will want to wait until September as it would mean huge numbers over the winter.

I'd support a staggered return before September but not everyone at once and not mandatory.

I dont think its wise for people like my boys step mum to be suddenly exposed to loads of adults on the playground. Social distancing is impossible at our school without a staggered plan.

Children might be low-risk.
But what about the 500,000 or so teachers, not to mention all the other school staff involved in running schools?
Fuck them, eh?

I really hope schools don't go back too early, you can't maintain social distancing with 30 children in a class.

Yes, children generally have mild cases but what about all of the adults in school? What about all of the adults the children are going home to?

@Geraniumblue Do you have teenagers? I assume not if you think social distancing is easier with them.
You still have 30 teenagers in a small classroom. You can't socially distance and fit them all in. You also have teenagers (most of them) who don't see social distancing as necessary anyway, and some of them who deliberately cough on others.
I really hope policy is not going to be made by someone who thinks maintaining social distance in schools is possible. Go into a classroom and see how close the kids are.

If MPs want kids to go back to school, they need to reopen Parliament and actually attend. Or is it a different rule for them?

My DH is a Year 6 teacher and he has expected May half term from the beginning. He also feels a six month break is too long and would cause huge problems in terms of transition, development and assessment.

My guess would be Primaries and perhaps Year 7-10 after half term. If we are supposed to be a couple weeks behind France, this would also be logical in terms of the 11 May date they just announced.

DH does also think though, that they will have many parents who will refuse to send their kids back. And also that he will have colleagues who are not comfortable to come in. There were 4 or 5 (teachers and TAs) from his school who maybe wouldn't be able to due to shielding, career for someone who is shielding, pregnancy.

I think it’s possible they will open in June or even July, to avoid messing with the summer holidays and give a bit of transition for children. But with all the rules about excluding with symptoms in your household (which I imagine will still be in place), numbers of both staff and children will be low. It won’t be like a normal half term and they can’t do any kind of ‘catch up’ with up to 1/3 of children off and the others very unsettled and needing reassurance.
The week before lockdown my child’s class had only 13/30 children. There is no particular reason to think it would be different in June.

I also think after May half term. They can't relax any other measures without schools returning first as no one can effectively return to work without kids being at school (younger ones anyway)

We are 7 weeks away from then and in all likelihood the peak will occur this week, so would expect that if lockdown continues in the main, we will be well under NHS capacity by then.

Once lockdown is released unless you keep yourself isolated we are all going to be potentially exposed? More parents came down with the virus in our school no teachers did. Nobody is safe really.

So if you’re vulnerable home school and keep isolating at home.

I do have a teenager and I am also a primary school teaching assistant. Socially distancing primary age children is not possible- it’s really hard, even in tiny groups. My own child is year 10. Maybe I just have a sensible one! I wasn’t suggesting sending them back in full class sizes of 30.
I’d go back in June if I could wear a mask.

@delatron The answer is lock down should not stop until the risk is low.
And we only have a partial lock down anyway. Loads of people who are working are not essential. Builders building luxury flats, people sending out non essential online goods, loads of people. Lets not pretend we have a proper lock down.

The risk won’t be low until a vaccine is found though and unfortunately we are going to have to learn how to live with this risk.

@Geraniumblue I know social distancing is not possible with primary kids. The suggestion is for all kids to go back. So teenagers would be 30 in a classroom. My son is not sensible, he thinks he is bloody immortal.

I really struggle with this because I don't believe it will be safe in June for staff or children and I'm not prepared to offer up my children or family as a potential sacrifice for this bastard incompetent government.

no one can effectively return to work without kids being at school

There are many more people in the workforce without young children than with them. Those people could, health permitting, return.
There seems to be a view on MN (probably connected to the nature of the site), that the world stops due to childcare issues.
In our (school) staff of around 50, fewer than 6 had an issue with their own young children.

I am frightened of schools going back and every time I see a thread like this it makes me close to panic attacks. I know some would say don't read them but as soon as I see the thread title I am so anxious that something has been announced that I don't know about I have to look to check. Seriously guys I'm in sheilded group and also have schizophrenia and bipolar I am petrified can we stop pushing for schools to go back please?

Or if you are going to push can you all push for voluntary admission so people like me who are shielding and are frightened don't have to put our lives at risk. Also being a single mum there is no one to look after my three dc with severe sn if I die so I am so frightened please by all means push for voluntary admission but please don't try to force me to have to chose between prison for not sending my dc or risking my own death.

Yes it’s an end to lock down but not likely an end to social distancing, they are two very different things.

They really aren’t. Thousands of families mixing every day all over the country. People with poor hygiene and boundaries (the kids!) in already overcrowded classrooms and corridors. Employers then expecting all parents back into offices. And then on top of that, the fact that parents and families will not socially distance if their kids are back in school. They just won’t. And who can blame them? Why tell your teens they can’t go to the party when they’ve been in school all day? Why leave Granny without visitors when you have to see hundreds of strangers and acquaintances every day? It just won’t happen.

The rate of death in children who catch Covid-19 is 0.2%.

That means that in just my school we would possibly lose 4 children.

That’s 4 families affected in the most devastating way possible.

In my city there are 7 big high schools with 1000 to 2000 children. I believe looking at their numbers that would equate to a loss of around 18 children. This isn’t factoring in any of the many primary schools or colleges.

In the near 20 years I’ve worked at my school, we’ve had 2 children pass away. One was not an illness. To even think that we could possibly lose 4 in a short space of time is terrifying.

I’m sorry, but that’s a lottery I don’t want to play. I hope the government do not rush schools open, to appease an impatient public.

The risk won’t be low until a vaccine is found though and unfortunately we are going to have to learn how to live with this risk.

This ^^

Do people really think we can stay on lockdown (even this half hearted version) for a year or more? It’s naive thinking. The fallout from the recession caused will kill many people on the poverty line than covid could.

@Delatron That is not true. You test, contact trace and isolate.

Lockdown is not going to stop until the risk is low. It's just not possible. There isn't a never ending money pot to pay people to stay at home until a vaccine is found. People will need to return to work.

Less people die in recessions than in booms. The death rate goes down.

The risk won’t be low until a vaccine is found though and unfortunately we are going to have to learn how to live with this risk.

Actually we don’t have to learn to live with it, we have to learn to accept the death that comes with it...and just hope it happens to another family and not us. Awful.