School re-opening under threat

[jomartin281271]

Headline in the London Evening Standard today that this new surge could threaten re-opening of schools. I'm not surprised. The government know that it's not safe to open schools under their current guidance. Cramming children, teachers and admin staff into those tiny spaces could cause a catastrophe. I feel sorry for teachers. Most of them are really committed to the job and their lives are being put at risk. Scary times.
www.standard.co.uk/news/health/coronavirus-second-wave-schools-september-a4511516.html

Lots of sense and reason on this thread thus far.

We’d have been far better off planning for prepared blended learning than banning it and pretending teenagers traveling on public transport and cramming into schools with no protection for them or school staff was anything other than a dystopian fantasy.

@Devlesko there aren't enough childminders in my area. Probably the same for a lot of people.

@starrynight19

I honestly don’t think schools will remain open for very long anyway with the complete lack of any Covid secure measures being put into place.

I agree.

there's no second wave anywhere

Israel?

Australia?

Japan?

Obviously it could be that they supressed what became a first wave everywhere else very well, so this is just their 'first proper wave'?

See 'countries with a second rise in cases' subheading

It's going to be worse, we're going in to autumn when there is always the most asthma admissions to hospital plus people who haven't been together for 5 months are going to be in the same building at the same time exchanging all the germs that they would normally have been exposed to as they were out and about and mixing with others during the summer. There will be a lot of people around who don't have antibodies to a lot of things they normally would have even without thinking about Covid-19.

It’s just common sense really. It’s bizarre how many refuse to see it.

I really hope this isn’t true, I have been off work since March due to having dc’s home, dd2 is severely autistic and have had no support or respite, I’m a single parent and am self employed so I’m totally stuck with no child care, chances are I will lose my clients and then have no work.

So far one of my dc’s will have their school day cut short by an hour, I’m waiting to see what will happen with my youngest . I have ordered school uniform so I hope they will be going back.

'It is known that children do not pass on covid, and most schools worldwide have reopened without a single problem.'

Sadly, that is a misreading of the data.

There is no country that has fully re-opened schools as normal without a problem. Indeed, the one country that tried it - Israel - has a very clear second wave with a very clear link to secondary schools.

I always say this on these threads. My eldest was in pre holidays, she absolutely loved it, the learning was small and concentrated and part time.
She got more done part time then full time in normal school.

Smaller part time lessons as described by another poster above, has to be the way forward. Its efficient, consistent and better. All children can get some kind of schooling whilst teachers and pupils are protected.

YES it doesn't help with childcare, but neither does last minute closures and repeated quarantining. At least consistent part time school would enable parents to make some sort of plan.

Secondary seems a whole different story to primary, but i still think part time is surely more workable for that as well.

'It is known that children do not pass on covid, and most schools worldwide have reopened without a single problem. There is no reason why our schools should be any different. Study after study have concluded the same thing.'

No it isn't known that they do not pass on Covid. I wish people would stop posting this lie. There is no evidence either way.

Please post links to these magical studies.

I am confident schools will reopen, ours certainly will be and have confirmed all of the covid measures that are now in place. I can't wait!! Children can't wait! :))

@madbirdlady22

It is known that children do not pass on covid, and most schools worldwide have reopened without a single problem. There is no reason why our schools should be any different. Study after study have concluded the same thing.

I think this is just headline grabbing, and I am not worried at all.

Schools will reopen in September don't worry!
For how long, well, that depends on what happens with the second wave...

Are you kidding? Have you not seen the news about the school outbreaks in Australia recently? And early on in the pandemic there was a study about a huge outbreak in a school in France? And what about our own ONS publications which show 40-50 odd outbreaks in schools in England every week last term when they were only partly open?!

I don’t feel worried outside, don’t feel worried in my village shops and have been in school looking after vulnerable teens in small groups and been able to feel relatively safe.

The idea of 1500 kids crammed in having come in on various buses from a 15 mile radius to fill the rooms and the corridors with no ppe or social distancing is just insane frankly.

I’m not hysterical or a panic merchant just rationally applying common sense and it is clearly a terrible idea.

First thing govt needs to do is to give everyone 7 days to get back from Spain etc. then close the borders immediately: sooner the better.

We live on an island. Children’s education is more important than holidays and complicated international living arrangements for the time being. At least then life would be less restrictive in U.K. itself (think New Zealand). Too many people have spent long hard hours trying to get the infection/death numbers down.

Nice one government saying ‘there’s a second wave emerging across Europe’ - now do something about it.

Schools will reopen in September don't worry! For how long, well, that depends on what happens with the second wave...

I anticipate that it will be like the partial re-opening in June:

• Some schools will not re-open, as Public Health will judge cases in their areas to be too high
• Some schools will re-open, then shut as part of local lockdowns.
• Some schools will open, then close partially due to individual outbreaks

Over time (my guess is by half term in October, unless we have a particularly fine September allowing more children to be outside more of the time) the community transmission will become so high that we will move through local lockdowns in a few places to local lockdowns almost everywhere. I anticipate that a small number of rural areas will not have a second lockdown, and will remain in the 'children in and out randomly based on individual outbreaks', which will enable BJ and pals to claim there is not a national lockdown.

'It is known that children do not pass on covid'

Can you explain how a 6 foot + 15-17 year teenage boy is less likely to pass on Covid than a 5 foot 0 woman? Show us the studies that prove that he isn't going to pass it on?

@madbirdlady22

I am confident schools will reopen, ours certainly will be and have confirmed all of the covid measures that are now in place. I can't wait!! Children can't wait! :))

I am a teacher. My school has also sent home a very positive letter about our reopening and how ‘safe’ we will be. What else can we say? Do you really want a letter that says your teacher will also be teaching 200+ children and won’t be socially distancing because of small classrooms? We will encourage hand washing but we haven’t magicked up extra sinks or soap?

@madbirdlady22

I am confident schools will reopen, ours certainly will be and have confirmed all of the covid measures that are now in place. I can't wait!! Children can't wait! :))

Do you work in a school? Have you seen the measures? They're like sticking a plaster over a severed limb.

Though England's Plan A of open schools with year 'bubbles' of up to 250 and no social distancing was always flawed, even without the wholly expected threat of a rise in infections (many Mn seem horrified with the concept of a second wave) to make it look even less sensible.

'It is known that children do not pass on covid, and most schools worldwide have reopened without a single problem. There is no reason why our schools should be any different. Study after study have concluded the same thing.'

Just because you post this doesn’t make it true. More studies show that children do pass this on.
And ‘most’ schools haven’t opened either

@Devlesko

I don't see why school can't just be online and those that want childcare can pay childminders. It's not rocket science. The childminders could assist with schoolwork.

Seriously!?!

Childminders aren't teachers.
How can childminders possibly look after preschool children and babies while educating older children?

They aren't jacks of all trades,

Allow households, where possible to bubble for childcare, have a longer school day but split in half/half pupils, pay teachers overtime for this, and ensure employers allow flexible hours whilst all this is going on.

Good idea, plus masks in school and more money for heating (ventilation) and cleaning. Plus using other community spaces to allow more social distancing when learning. Recruiting more teachers if needed.

I agree with others - I am so frustrated this government is not planning better given all the information they have. Other countries have opened up and are spiking already, schools in Israel relaxed mask wearing in a heat wave and ended up with outbreaks. Virtually every other country with open schools has greater social distance between pupils than proposed here and more measures (e.g. mask wearing).

None of the measures which would allow schools to open for longer are rocket science. They just require good planning and probably extra funding from government.

But no, the priority is restaurants and subsidising people eating out. Surely schools should be the priority?

I think there is meant to be an announcement on Scottish schools tomorrow?

As they are due to return 11th Aug. So maybe that will give some idea.

I'd rather the secondary was part time and smaller classes, that not as all. DCs already been doing part time before the summer.

@Devlesko

No, I don’t want my child in childcare. They are of school age. I want them learning.

Also I’m trying to imagine the non excitant childminder in our area manage the 420 children at school.