It's not going to work is it...

[LivingIsHard]

Whatever they bring in tomorrow, it's just not going to work. Batten down the hatches.....

@supersonicginandtonic

I actually find the doom and gloom people more depressing than the pandemic. Life goes on, you have to learn to live with what you have got. Try and look on the bright side or we are heading for a mental health pandemic. Your doom and gloom isn't only pulling you down it's pulling everybody around you down and that is quite selfish.

Selfish?!!! I do not understand?

I agree life needs to carry on but worrying about a global pandemic isn't selfish!

I actually find the doom and gloom people more depressing than the pandemic

Same

@borntohula exactly. Its ridiculous.

@catsarecute

They need to close the schools for a couple of weeks and put secondaries on blended learning after that. And introduce temperature checks, and remove the threat of fines for parents that want to keep their kids at home. I can't see how they can get anywhere close to controlling transmission in schools without that. It's no coincidence that cases have rocketed after schools have opened.

If they ever get operation moonshot up and running we night have a chance then. In the meantime we need a functioning test and trace system, urgently :-(

Why do people keep thinking it’s OK to shove secondary children under the bus? I am sick of reading this. Their education is more crucial than primary kids, when push comes to shove.

@OpheliasCrayon a vaccination will stop it. No shutting down anything will stop this.

However, this isn't as deadly as being made out ..

Also, blended learning for secondary school kids? That's their education fucked in many cases then.

No schools need to close

Exactly! It is easy to motivate and stimulate and primary age child, teaching a teen higher maths and chemistry is not.

It absolutely will rip through schools and FE colleges and universities.

Esp uni.

There is only so much staff at school can do to keep students wearing masks in corridors. Sneezing into elbows or tissues, not sharing drinks.

I'm telling you now, even the students who are good at hand washing think that and being in a bubble will protect them.

So they want windows closed because they are a teeny bit cold. They want to hug each other, mess around... Sneak around without masks etc etc etc.

As teachers DH and I saw this coming. So did all our friends and colleagues. Schools reopening was never going to work without testing and track and tracing working efficiently. But they “didn’t see it coming” unlike the millions of school staff and parents for whom it was very clear. Blended learning makes a lot of sense now, but they wasted the time they had available to sensibly and adequately fund and set it up. So yeah, now we are fucked.

@Autumnsthemostwonderfultime

That all secondary schools should go on blended learning, which is just a wanky phrase for part time school.

My dcs secondary is no more risky than a primary. Safer in fact.

The data shows that under 10s spread Covid much less than over 10s. Therefore primaries are safer.

@Autumnsthemostwonderfultime

That all secondary schools should go on blended learning, which is just a wanky phrase for part time school.

My dcs secondary is no more risky than a primary. Safer in fact.

Secondaries by their very nature aren't safer than primaries. More kids (hundreds more in most cases) and those kids tend to have more social contacts than those at primary level.

supersonicginandtonic

I actually find the doom and gloom people more depressing than the pandemic. Life goes on, you have to learn to live with what you have got. Try and look on the bright side or we are heading for a mental health pandemic. Your doom and gloom isn't only pulling you down it's pulling everybody around you down and that is quite selfish.
I agree.

Why is it that some people just spew out their negativity without any regard for others. It's as if some want to suck the life out of you and drag you down until you feel as bad as them.

From where I’m sitting, we are pissing in the wind I think at this stage. Too many cases, not enough compliance with measures, virus is clearly very virulent.

@LivingIsHard keyworker in the NHS working with people who have substance misuse issues, suffer domestic violence and mental health issues. Seeing daily the effects of lockdown and experiencing death on a weekly basis from accidental overdoses and suicides. Speaking to people daily who are suicidal. Not working from home.
DP, probabtion officer also working in the office half the week.
Caring for my nephew as my sister tried to commit suicide due to lockdown.
Have 3 children in secondary school. 2 with additional needs.
A toddler and I'm also pregnant. So off you trot with you morbid outlook on life. Trust me you have to look on the positive side or you are going to make yourself mentally ill.

@AllTheWhoresOfMalta

As teachers DH and I saw this coming. So did all our friends and colleagues. Schools reopening was never going to work without testing and track and tracing working efficiently. But they “didn’t see it coming” unlike the millions of school staff and parents for whom it was very clear. Blended learning makes a lot of sense now, but they wasted the time they had available to sensibly and adequately fund and set it up. So yeah, now we are fucked.

Snap. DH and I both secondary teachers for decades.. totally saw this coming.

There have been many more primaries affected than secondaries where I am. Obviously there are
many more primary schools but also it’s a lot more places to be disrupted than secondary.

Whatever, they all need to be in school. I am not sure why people seem to think that out of all school pupils the education of senior pupils who may have crucial exams looming is some sort of optional extra that can just be chucked away at will.

[quote Remmy123]@OpheliasCrayon a vaccination will stop it. No shutting down anything will stop this.

However, this isn't as deadly as being made out ..[/quote]
I've never thought it was as deadly as it first came out as. Statistical modelling friends have always come up with 0.6 CFR from the start and now that figure is being touted around like it's something new

Re blended learning, what is that? Is that on line teaching?

They will have to thin pupil numbers out, if they can, they should.
I'm struggling to see why some posters think this is doom and gloom?
It's just reality.

@MadameBlobby My plan would be for a rota of year 7,11 and 13 in school, years 8,9,10,12 at home with remote learning.

School staff have little to no mitigations. No PPE, no social distancing, poor ventilation and positive cases flying around schools. Why don't we deserve to have some level of safety?

@monkeytennis97 so who looks after the ones remote learning if parents work?

Where has the 'Protect the NHS' scheme gone? Isn't that what most of this is about?
The rate of infection is pretty much nonsense as long as it can be contained by people 'staying at home and isolating' without the need for medical care?
Let's be honest, how many of us can hand on heart say we have adhered to all the rules throughout the last 7 months, or stayed within 1-2 metres of EVERYONE all of the time?
Personally, the elderly and at risk groups should be told to shield again. I think that is the smarter move - that way protecting the NHS in the hope they don't get swarmed again.

They all wanted us to mingle again, far too quickly without much of the distancing being maintained! Now they're panicking with their tails between their legs because its backfired.

I don't know what they thought would happen.

I can't see the point in closing schools, especially for such an arbitrary two weeks!

Schools have literally only just opened. How will closing them again, for two weeks, have the slightest effect?

I am trying all the time to understand the different viewpoints on this.

Why do people feel school is working now? My younger children hate the measures: no clubs, no mixing, no moving, no singing etc etc.

And even while school is like this, transmission will be rapid and some children will lose parents, teachers, grandparents. Other parents will suffer ill health and maybe struggle to work.

I don't think we're doing the right thing.

@WishIWasSomewhereElse

I can't see the point in closing schools, especially for such an arbitrary two weeks!

Schools have literally only just opened. How will closing them again, for two weeks, have the slightest effect?

Because there are at least 4.5% of schools (1400 or so) already with cases/closing bubbles. There are whole schools out now too (primary in Somerset). In Israel, South Africa and France they have had huge numbers of cases within the school systems.