We were doing ok until we opened all the schools....

[Bbq1]

After lockdown was lifted pre September and pubs, restaurants etc were opened we seemed to have a handle on Covid with cases, hospital admissions and deaths all declining fairly steadily. Since we released millions of school aged children and thousands of teachers etc back into the classroom- boom, cases and consequently deaths, are now growing very rapidly again. It didn't take a rocket scientist to work out that this would happen. I work in a school and I have a 15 year old starting his gcse's so I 100% don't want the schools to close but surely there must be a more workable solution? Couldn't schools be one week, one week off for different bubbles or alternate days? Nobody wants schools to shut but surely in the long term if we don't get something safer in place and just continue sending kids and adults in day after day, then eventually they will close again?

They won’t though. They won’t dare mess it up after this year.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

Educational settings are now the top source of Covid. From ONS.

You’ll still have the usual posters saying, “waaaaah it’s not the schools, it’s too early, they MUST stay open, waaaaahh’.

Totally absurd, anyone with an ounce of common sense knew this was the case. People should have been calling for the government to be more pro active rather than pretending this wasn’t the case.

No !!!! This is wrong , we were alright until eat out to help out !!!

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

Educational settings are now the top source of Covid. From ONS.

No, there have been more identified clusters in educational settings. That is not the same as them being the "source" of Covid infections.

If you have higher levels of Covid in the community you will have higher levels of Covid in schools.

My LA has a 7 day average positive rate per 100,000 people of 6.5.

I don't know any school that has had a single case. No disruption at all. I don't know anyone who has had a positive test result full stop.

Yes, when community transmission and cases are low, it is safer to open schools.

Boris re-opened the schools to gain political points.

Right wing media already beginning to blame teachers for the spread in schools, despite the fact that throughout the summer, teachers were branded as lazy cowards for expressing their concerns.

When massive numbers of children and their family members are infected, and children are sent home to isolate so parents have to miss work, he will close the schools to gain political favour once more, probably blaming schools for the outbreaks when doing so.

Based on the science alone, schools should not have opened, and certainly should not remain so.

Luckily the person who tested positive in my DD's year (the whole year got sent home) is on the mend.
Going by the texts he's sent the kids it's been like a bad cold. (The type you'd probably miss a few days off school)
A local primary school has just had to send all of their Y6 home.

Nebular so if schools are not open how do kids get taught?

All online?

What about the millions who had no education between March and September - how do you support them when the schools are closed.

You really want to write off at least a year of a childs education? Some, their important last years.

OK, schools could have been opened better and the government are culpable with how they have handled this pandemic, but schools had to be opened.

They could have opened them safely though.

@Timeforanotherusername

Nebular so if schools are not open how do kids get taught?

All online?

What about the millions who had no education between March and September - how do you support them when the schools are closed.

You really want to write off at least a year of a childs education? Some, their important last years.

OK, schools could have been opened better and the government are culpable with how they have handled this pandemic, but schools had to be opened.

The government could have spent the six month break working with schools to open them safely, or developing good quality blended learning, just as an example.

Open as usual with no safety measures in place is just fucking stupid.

Anyway, the schools will close now despite what is best for the students, as they can't stay open without any staff.

and how does blended learning work for the youngest of children or those who need extra support?

Or those without broadband, or 1 device to split between multiple siblings?

Or even just the poor kids that have parents that simply can't be arsed?

How far behind will many of the kids be when they return to classroom in what 1 , 2 maybe more years time?

Some problems can probably be overcome. Not all though.

And every child deserves an education.

This, this and this. Anyone that works in education has spent months saying this. If we had the testing and the tracing, schools could have opened with something close to normal provision. People who work in education have been saying on here, it’s a matter or time before schools close. They are a source of outbreak because no one can get tested. No tests, no staff if they have a symptom. Boris lied, we do not have the system in place to open safely.

Last week education settings were behind care homes according to PHE, now they are top. Posters were busy ranting in here that schools MUST stay open, it’s not schools, it’s too early, blah, blah, blah.

The biggest told you so in the world. If only people had been so vocal about getting the government to sort out what they promised. Or had the foresight to listen to others because wishing something doesn’t make it true.

Schools will close by default now, it’s a matter of time. What an absolute shit show.

@Timeforanotherusername

and how does blended learning work for the youngest of children or those who need extra support?

Or those without broadband, or 1 device to split between multiple siblings?

Or even just the poor kids that have parents that simply can't be arsed?

How far behind will many of the kids be when they return to classroom in what 1 , 2 maybe more years time?

Some problems can probably be overcome. Not all though.

And every child deserves an education.

And whose fault is this?

Didn't Bojo & Co promise the poorest laptops which never materialised?

It's impossible to keep schools open without staff, sorry 🤷‍♀️

‘ And every child deserves an education.’

And indeed they do. I think we all know that.But they won’t get one when there’s not enough staff it headteachers it at breaking point.

And repeating it or insisting on it won’t make it happen. Schools will absolutely close.

8 cases in DCs schools within 1st week of opening (2 teachers 6 students) resulting in lots isolating. Two weeks later and there are no incidents of cases among those isolating so no spread within the school. These cases mostly related back to people who had returned from holiday before going back to school.

The Education Unions had been calling for a Plan B for education from the very start. Whether this be finding more locations to open small schools, utilising more supply staff, etc. Unions now expect a full closure of some sort now. It is the Government that don't want to plan for any sort of blended learning or to look at ways to have smaller classes whilst ensuring full face-to-face provision with trained teachers. Therefore, when schools close, it will be the Government's fault for not looking at a plan B. Plan B could ensure children to still have a normal and full education. Government only have plan A, and when that fails, unfortunately it means children suffer. I'm confident though that should schools fully close, schools and teachers will be better prepared and online/remote learning should be better.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince

‘ And every child deserves an education.’

And indeed they do. I think we all know that.But they won’t get one when there’s not enough staff it headteachers it at breaking point.

And repeating it or insisting on it won’t make it happen. Schools will absolutely close.

Very true. There was so much short sight in the full reopening without measures.

There's no confirmed cases in our schools yet - note I said confirmed though. Lots of people have struggled to get tests recently here.

There has been some in quite a few schools in our area though.

When people are talking about schools closing, do you think it will be a national closure or more of a 'local' issue which ends up 90% of the country?

@NotAKaren

8 cases in DCs schools within 1st week of opening (2 teachers 6 students) resulting in lots isolating. Two weeks later and there are no incidents of cases among those isolating so no spread within the school. These cases mostly related back to people who had returned from holiday before going back to school.

That's one thing when it's only a handful of bubbles affected, but it's sharp going to be a vast swathe of children repeatedly isolating again and again because the numbers are now so high. It's chaos if you work and disruptive to the children. We should have started part time and kept the consistency. At least we'd all know when we'd need unpaid leave then!

When people are talking about schools closing, do you think it will be a national closure or more of a 'local' issue which ends up 90% of the country?

The second option - because then it won't be Boris' fault. Schools will still be open, even if it's just one on an island somewhere!

Imo they should shut in the hardest hit areas.
Give some incentive for adhering to the rules. Instead the parents are likely at the pubs/soft play/ taking kids to activites and swimming lessons.
That is my opinion on why my la numbers are increasing. Seeing friends in pubs with mates and their houses. Videos at soft play etc etc. Then saying they had a cold. My kid goes in and straight away catches it. Now obviously most of this is within the rules but if people want their kids in school maybe they cant all run to the pubs and soft play. Dont go to these places (maskless places) with a cold even as that is spreads and everyone ends up fighting for tests. The same people demanding schools stsy open are those off round the zoo etc etc every weekend or trampoline places.
Just because somewhere is open with some measures doesnt make it safe.

There were outbreaks in jun and jul but nowhere near this many.
Even something like week on off with families all kids on same week. Or as ive said seversl times we should have grouped primary by siblings significantly reducing contacts.
That would make more sense than 250 schools in manchester alone closing bubbles so 250x30 kids at home.
If it's a high area chances are some of those bubbles will pop again soon after they go back. They are already down 2/35 weeks so 5.7% of the year.
Likewise any kids who cant get the test within 5 days of symptoms will be off for 10d. (Or 14d for siblings). Thst could happen several times. 10% of the kids arent at school. And i think the worst aspect is the disorganisation for the pupils as some will receive no work but anyway each kid will have missed something different. Much harder to catch up on than a missed topic for everyone.
And oak doesnt really fit with the topics school chose this year.

Thus far it’s northern England schools that have been impacted the worst, (for my point Scotland had much lower community figures to start with) what’s the weather been like for all those up north recently? I’m in the south-east and have been enjoying nice weather but this week has started to deteriorate. There would be other factors involved but we know this virus will spread much more over the colder weather.

Lockdown (in whatever form) doesn't get rid of covid, it just delays it somewhat. The first lockdown bought time to expand medical capacity and put in measures to spread out the cases more. Until we have an effective vaccine with high coverage (yes that means most people accepting it) it won't 'go away', the NHS can't resume all normal functions etc. The other option is to go back to normal and accept higher death rates, which I can't imagine people would accept either. Rock and hard place.
I think schools should remain open wherever possible. Exams should happen as normal etc etc.

Maybe it's about time there was a vote of no confidence in the PM.
I'd have Teresa May back in a heartbeat or even David Cameron (and I'm a Labour voter).
I'm sure they'd handle things differently & better than Boris.