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?

@FedUpWithCovid

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.

It doesn’t matter what you think. It won’t happen now, the genie is out of the bottle and school staff are behind everyone for tests. It’s beyond what people want now. It’s a mess

How will people feel if their children have missed maybe 12 weeks of school this year and then take the same exams as children who have missed no school, and are held to the same standards?

I can't see any way of making it fair. I don't see why schools in areas with low cases should shut, but I also don't see why kids from high case areas should be put at such a huge disadvantage. I can't see any way of making it fair without making it a race to the bottom.

I don't think there will end up being written exams this year for GCSE/ALevels. It will most likely end up being just coursework base which is a fairer way of assessing children during this time.

I can't get my head around people saying/wanting schools to shut?

I'm gobsmacked in fact - this could go on for years!

@Remmy123

I can't get my head around people saying/wanting schools to shut?

I'm gobsmacked in fact - this could go on for years!

No one wants them to shut. I will be devastated when they do. It’s a matter of time now, like everyone in education warned. This was preventable.

@Kungfupanda67

This surge isn’t because of schools. They’ve only been back 2 weeks in most of the country, that’s just not long enough to see this number of cases. It’ll be following the ‘everyone go back to the office, everyone go to the pub, everyone get back on the trains and buses‘ mantra of August

Not 2 weeks. Three weeks. Plenty to start showing in symptomatic infection.

@Keepdistance

They are denying it's schools. However there are over 1000 cases in sxhools and several have multiple teachers. Im quite angry i want my dc at school but there are no measures my 8yo already needed a covid test after a week from a virus from school.

Yes. Schools might not have started this but they are continuing it. They were the setting with most outbreaks last week.

2000 schools sent bubbles or more home.

About 339+ schools have actual confirmed outbreaks. (220 last week, 110 week before). There are more possible outbreaks awaiting confirmation/tests etc. These are outbreaks declared by PHE.

To add
I don’t want schools to shut I want them open safely.

Ok but if your bubble shuts for x2 weeks every now and then this is better then closing all together.

@Nellodee

How will people feel if their children have missed maybe 12 weeks of school this year and then take the same exams as children who have missed no school, and are held to the same standards?

I can't see any way of making it fair. I don't see why schools in areas with low cases should shut, but I also don't see why kids from high case areas should be put at such a huge disadvantage. I can't see any way of making it fair without making it a race to the bottom.

This is my concern. The insistence of getting schools open fully is causing thousands of children to have a substandard education. It’s not right.

The insistence of getting schools open fully is causing thousands of children to have a substandard education. It’s not right.

Correction. Thousands of children predominantly in the North of England which already has lower levels of opportunity and higher levels of deprivation.

I think there should be more data and transparency on WHERE school closures are occurring as it reveals the extent of this inequality.

And it is transferring within schools. Positive case in one staff member..became three, now eight. They didn't go on holiday together!
The school is now closed.

With so many outbreaks and no mitigation (as no tests) schools really should
Allow masks for all ages and teachers
Not have in the vulnerable let alone the ex shielded.
As we can see the risk of coming into contact with it is higher than most jobs. (Except maybe care homes but you would wear masks there)
Just seems stupid utterly and there will be parents that will die that might have kept themselves a lot safer than having kids exposed to hundreds of other families doing who knows what

Schools will close now. It's only a matter of time.

Masks etc., which I argued for before we returned - too little, too late.

Agree also that’s it’s just a matter of time now before schools shut. I hope that the government shut them for a short period this time before restarting with part timing.

Straight after Easter they should have slowly increased provision so that all children had the opportunity to have some time in school. I hope history doesn’t repeat itself.

@FatBottomedGurl

Surely the Eat Out to Help Out scheme must be a massive contributor here? I can't believe the governments hypocrisy on this one.

August: "Eat Out to Help Out. Enjoy yourselves, you deserve it! Get the family together for some cheap grub.

September:"Right, get back inside. No more socialising for you lot! We'll send the army out if you don't conform!"

I genuinely can't believe the nation isn't up in arms over it.

@fatbottomedgurl I 100% agree with you. EOTHO contributed massively and it was like August was a celebration. Schools reopening will inevitably make it all worse, but the ridiculous mixed messages and encouragement to take the family to restaurants (no discount if you are sensible and get a takeaway - you MUST eat in!) are absolutely dreadful!

@TracyBeakerSoYeah

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.

Oh absolutely!! I can't stand Theresa May or David Cameron but at least they have some element of competence... Boris was always going to be a pathetic excuse for a PM but this is the one time we really need a strong leader and I feel that him as PM during this time is dangerous.

I think bubbles popping here and there is more disruptive than schools being closed.

Some bubbles will shut loads of time and some hardly at all. So how does that equal out at exam time?

I’ve been a teacher for 25 years. Initially l was against the idea of repeating the year. Difficult to organise and would delay university entrances.

But now I’m beginning to think it’s the only way.

Close schools for how long?

When will the vaccine and enough of the vaccine be available to stop school staff from catching Coronavirus?

Will they even manage to have a successful virus in the next few years?

So we shut the schools. Many teachers have pointed out that working parents don't really contribute a lot to the economy.

OK then, so let's just make all the mothers redundant. That will mean they can stay home and look after the kids.

Thats really going to help the children.

Or the mothers that can work from home. I guess they are lucky. They may get to keep their job. But the kids are plonked in front of the TV or playing Fortnite for minimum six months, possibly a year or 2.

Those children that are stuck inside all day, many in extreme poverty.

Their mental health, their physical health all suffering. They become completely and utterly disengaged from learning and have so much sadness about their lives that when they do finally get the chance to return to school it's too late to make an difference.

But yes you want schools to close.

@Timeforanotherusername

Close schools for how long?

When will the vaccine and enough of the vaccine be available to stop school staff from catching Coronavirus?

Will they even manage to have a successful virus in the next few years?

So we shut the schools. Many teachers have pointed out that working parents don't really contribute a lot to the economy.

OK then, so let's just make all the mothers redundant. That will mean they can stay home and look after the kids.

Thats really going to help the children.

Or the mothers that can work from home. I guess they are lucky. They may get to keep their job. But the kids are plonked in front of the TV or playing Fortnite for minimum six months, possibly a year or 2.

Those children that are stuck inside all day, many in extreme poverty.

Their mental health, their physical health all suffering. They become completely and utterly disengaged from learning and have so much sadness about their lives that when they do finally get the chance to return to school it's too late to make an difference.

But yes you want schools to close.

You don’t get it do you? No one wants schools to close, especially not teachers.

Yes it’s inevitable now with these figures and I get that’s upsetting to you. You have been one of the most persistent posters denying schools have an issue.

Like everyone in education has been saying, this was avoidable. If Boris had told the truth and our testing system could cope. Schools would have been fine. We are now in a position that staff can’t gets tests, their family can’t get tests so schools are short staffed.

Covid is passing through schools and we have had popped bubbles and cases here, in a low prevalence area. PHE have now confirmed that education settings are the top contributor to outbreaks.

The time for denial is over. Schools will close without staff and the continuing outbreaks. The time is now to lobby the government to actually provide the testing they said they could in a timely fashion. Without it we are stuck. The time is now to make sure that all schools and students can access blended learning when bubbles pop. It’s not like people haven’t been shouting this from the roof tops for 6 months. People chose to ignore it and like Boris, thought willing something was enough.

It is ridiculous, there are age constraints but there is simply no reason why secondary dc shouldn't have gone on rotas. Thin out the school population, free up space!
It's been done by so many places!
Dc continue to get educated and everyone is safer.
For primary I don't know what to do because they need child care.

@deflationexasperation

It is ridiculous, there are age constraints but there is simply no reason why secondary dc shouldn't have gone on rotas. Thin out the school population, free up space! It's been done by so many places! Dc continue to get educated and everyone is safer. For primary I don't know what to do because they need child care.

Can’t have ‘child care’ with no staff.

For those saying schools shouldn't close, remember, like the uni bubbles who have huge cases, a % of these cases will feed into needing hospital care..

If large number go at schools, that's all more phone calls to doctors, feeding into a and e and hospitals.
This time of year is a nightmare anyway for illness, and usually struggles to cope..
About 5 years ago dd was on a ward and every child there had the same breathing issue. They had run out of minitors and were desperately calling around for equipment, that's without covid..

You don't want anyone caught up in that when it happens. You really don't.

It will lead to deaths where they could have been saved.
We also need hospitals to concentrate on the back log from the corona.
I think all students in secondary should wear masks and visors. Ideally I would give each one a fresh surgical mask before each lesson after alcohol gel applied, then binned after lesson, gel hand.

Regarding the childcare issue, how are working parents managing in the USA where many schools remain closed, I wonder?

Is childcare such an issue in secondary?

And, I would imagine if schools do close, as before, they will remain open for some children.

Also, the government could have used the six month break to put measures in place, e.g., childcare hubs for those who don't have other options.

Finally, as said previously, if staff are sick/isolating, there will be no-one to provide childcare, like it or not.

@deflationexasperation

For those saying schools shouldn't close, remember, like the uni bubbles who have huge cases, a % of these cases will feed into needing hospital care..

If large number go at schools, that's all more phone calls to doctors, feeding into a and e and hospitals.
This time of year is a nightmare anyway for illness, and usually struggles to cope..
About 5 years ago dd was on a ward and every child there had the same breathing issue. They had run out of minitors and were desperately calling around for equipment, that's without covid..

You don't want anyone caught up in that when it happens. You really don't.

It will lead to deaths where they could have been saved.
We also need hospitals to concentrate on the back log from the corona.
I think all students in secondary should wear masks and visors. Ideally I would give each one a fresh surgical mask before each lesson after alcohol gel applied, then binned after lesson, gel hand.

Totally agree.