Schools "Contingency Planning" tiers and the 3-tier

[MumtherofCats]

The guidance for schools references contingency planning for tiers of local restrictions that sound much like the tiers that are meant to be introduced tomorrow. Has anyone seen any discussion in media etc around the school contingencies and how these might fit into the tier system that is meant to be introduced..? It seems so bizarre that both plans reference tiers 1, 2, and 3 of local restrictions, but I haven't seen school contingencies even discussed within the context of these new restrictions. How are these meant to fit together?

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions

I believe the school ones have been swept under the table, and the government are currently in "Let's pretend that schools can just keep going forever, despite all evidence to the contrary" mode.

I agree that keeping schools open is paramount whatever the ' tiers' might say.

Everything else is closing so that schools/education can stay open. We know education is one of the biggest increases in numbers and transmission currently particularly unis. I do think its unfair on businesses to have to sacrifice their livelihoods for education, but I also understand education is so important. The problem is, if numbers don't decrease as much as they would like when everything other than education is closed, will that then mean they have to implement something for education such as blended learning for schools, closing unis completely and just having online learning.

Tier 3 doesn’t trigger school closure so I assume they are separate

once all the kids have got their education where do they propose to work.....businesses are closing daily

where will the school leavers work?

The problem is, if numbers don't decrease as much as they would like when everything other than education is closed, will that then mean they have to implement something for education such as blended learning for schools, closing unis completely and just having online learning

Yep, this is exactly what I reckon will happen!

Our school sent out a tiered approach in September. It went something like, tier one all pupils in school, tier two secondary school moves to half school in alternating fortnightly, tier 3 can’t remember, tier 4 only key workers children in school. I think others are right though and other th8ngs will close first and schools will only move down the tiers I listed if other measures fail.

Surely if they were meant to be two different plans, they should have called the levels something else or organised them differently somehow.

The way it's been written looks as if they were meant to coincide (eg tier 2 of the schools plan would be linked to the rest of the tier 2 plan) and now the schools bit is just mysteriously left off as if they've changed their mind or something. Complete chaos and lack of coherence.

They dont want to shut schools, that is clear.
What isnt clear is what the long term effects of covid are on children.
So children get it mildly for now. What research has been done to on for example the possiblity that covid could lay dormant for years? They already know that it can lie dormant in children for up to 4 weeks and then result in a kawasaki type infection. They have no idea.
Like wise there may be no effect later on but what a bloody awful risk.
We know so very little about this virus for now.

Presumably by the time you’re in tier 3, even if schools are “open” there will be many year groups self isolating and some schools closing because they haven’t got even staff able to come in.

Better to close schools than businesses, education can be delivered remotely so no reason to keep them open. Far better to save jobs and the economy for their future.

Education cannot be deliver remotely..it wasn’t from March to July for many and nothing to suggest it would now. With primary school children showing the lowest levels of infection per 100,000 of any age group in the country, with the lowest positivity rate and ons survey also showing some of the lowest levels of infection it’s rather difficult to understand why the policy should ever been that my 70 year old father can go to the pub and meet his friends, go to the bowling pub but my nine year old cannot go to school.

I know that ending state education and “pretending” that it will be delivered online through a few worksheets and links to bbc bite size is popular on mumsnet but I really think that literally shielding the least vulnerable (who by the way are not to be vaccinated) while allowing fewer restrictions on those most at risk is difficult to justify and I fail to see what evidence there is it’s such an effective virus control measure (since Mexico, India and Brazil all had there schools shut over the summer and yet still ended up with high infection rates).

As much as I don't think I will cope mentally or possibly financially (I work in a private school that I don't think would survive another closure), I agree with Icecream that, as important as education is, the economy needs to be the ultimate priority if we have to pick one.

Disagree with Qasd that online education can't be done. It can and it WILL be done by the majority of schools this time. Very few of our children who were able to access online learning properly have any significant gaps in their learning. Online teaching was miserable for all concerned but it isn't ineffective. Except, tragically, for those already more vulnerable. Our children with AN or from chaotic homes have fallen behind and of course many of them were already behind the others. I do think nearly all schools will offer better provision this time and the majority of children will do fine at home. But we must ensure there is a plan in place for disadvantaged children and those who will not be ok.

Annoyingly, I think the needed priority order in the exact reverse of what will keep us happy and mentally healthy:

1. Work
2. Education
3. Public socialising
4. Normal family and friend life in homes

I didn't mean that WILL to be in capitals?!

It sounds like I can impose my God-like will on the DfE and my will be done!

But I do know that almost schools I know teachers in, in a variety of state, private, primary and secondary, are setting up onli e learning platforms and training both staff and children in case we need them.

Tier 1 schools open
Tier 2 schools open
Tier 3 schools open (with extra posters about hand washing)
Tier 4 schools open (soap in the toilets)
....
Apocalypse
....
Schools open (masks in classrooms)