Neil Ferguson saying schools may close

[Orangeblossom7777]

On the BBC - older ones he says. Will they listen to him though now he got kicked off Sage? I thought the plan for for part time in secondary not closing if cases rose very high? Hoping this doesn't happen DC mid GCSEs and already missed loads.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-54673558

Covid aside, yr9 upwards are the children who should be in school more than anyone, they don't have the time to "catch up" like the younger ones do. It would be a travesty to their education and future prospects if this were to happen

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

Then SS can step in if people aren’t feeding children and ensure parents step up or they take action. All staff and children deserve to have their health protected, issues like food can be resolved by other means.

This would be lovely but it’s totally unrealistic. You may as well say let’s go back in time and stop the virus migrating to humans. We need to focus on things which can actually be achieved.

@MaxNormal

Why is he still getting airtime?

This!

Why is this guy being given any airtime. He has zero credibility IMO.

This:

“Why is any media outlet giving air time to this complete and utter bellend? Being consistently wrong with his projections - often by huge margins - is one thing. Breaking lockdown rules and completely undermining the government's message is something else entirely. If he had an ounce of humility he would be keeping his head below the parapet but his rampant ego wont allow him to. Twat.“

This numpty has zero credibility.
I have no idea why anyone is giving him airtime unless it is to laugh at him.
He doesn’t even follow his own bizarre rules that’s how much he thinks of them.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss who do you think refers to Children's Services?

It's schools. Teachers are a safety net for these children. Without schools they are invisible.

He is a twat. End of!

Mystic Meg makes more accurate predictions.

This guy should be getting zero airtime. He's a sham and a hypocrite.

A reasonable worst case scenario is more of a planning tool than a prediction, and I think that has been widely misunderstood.

I think what he did was less damaging than Cummings (but would agree that both were harmful)

But what he's saying here isn't controversial - some of it is government policy, other elements are being widely discussed. Schools have to have their remote learning plans in place by now. If cases continue to rise, despite tiered approach, then more measure will be imposed. At some point this will mean schools.

In the rush to shoot the messenger, don't miss the message.

I agree @meditrina .

He's only saying what other scientists are saying, and what other countries are doing.

Schools will, I'm afraid, end up at least partially closing and parents need to get their heads round it.

Well, not closing, but switching to home learning, at the very least on a rota basis- which was outlined in the education tiers system which was published in early September. (This is separate from the national tiers system!)

What annoys me are the people whining that cases are going up but also saying schools must be open no matter what. It’s becoming pretty obvious that schools are one of the aim drivers so we can’t have it both ways. Personally I’d prefer to let the virus run and we all live normally but that isn’t the governments current strategy so if we want cases to drop we need to close, or partially close, schools for that to happen.

His March predictions were dreadful, but his worst crime was that he modelled "schools and universities" as if they were the same thing. If he'd have taken ten minutes to model them as separate interventions, he'd have noticed that closing schools really doesn't do anything.

He is therefore my sworn enemy, and I shall curse his name until he apologises.

What annoys me are the people whining that cases are going up but also saying schools must be open

I think the vast majority prefer schools and Universities to stay open, even with cases rising. 90% of positive cases in that age group are asymptomatic.

Couldn't not agree more @HalfpastThree.

There is not one thing to justify closing primary schools.

Could not even!

I am not sure Boris has the strength of character to die on any hill, and the minute it suits him politically to order blended learning he will do it, and he will find a way to blame parents and teachers.

Once the data about cases and hospitalisation by profession is released - and it will be released at a time which suits Boris - it will suddenly be much cheaper and more politically palatable to inconvenience some of the public temporarily than it is to commit the money to teach all children in person until the end of the pandemic.

It’s certainly a possibility....mainly if teachers get it to such an extent that schools can’t be staffed safely. Though so far that doesn’t seem to be happening.

I think the vast majority prefer schools and Universities to stay open, even with cases rising. 90% of positive cases in that age group are asymptomatic.

Yes but it's not just the children affected - they are causing rates to rise in the whole community.

www.independent.co.uk/news/science/coronavirus-r-rate-school-closures-lockdown-lancet-study-b1251617.html

There is not one thing to justify closing primary schools.

Apart from it would reduce infections across the whole community.

If he'd have taken ten minutes to model them as separate interventions, he'd have noticed that closing schools really doesn't do anything

I don’t think that’s true.

@VillageGreenTree

There is not one thing to justify closing primary schools.

Apart from it would reduce infections across the whole community.

If all those infections resulted in death you may have a point but seen as they arent you don't. Children on mass could/have missed out on valuable education for an illness that for the most is mild wheres the logic. Staying at home for months on end doesn't get them automatic good grades just because they were a "covid kid", future job prospects aren't going to think "oh well their education was disrupted due to covid so the results they have should really be higher we'll give them a job anyway despite on paper not being qualified " unfortunately the big wide world doesn't work like that, for most children this is their only chance at education and its being taken away. Why does no one care about our children's future prospects being ruined for something that for them personally is neither here nor there. Its all well and good giving the its for greater good and to protect society speech but that doesn't get them a decent job in the future.

Schools will close. Don't be mad just because someone said something you don't like.

It didn't have to be this way. If people hadn't fucked about holidaying and eating in restaurants (government backed) all summer we'd have been in a much better position for schools to go back and it wouldn't have got so bad so quickly. If the government had invested any (ANY) money into making schools safer, it wouldn't have got so bad so quickly.

But they didn't. And schools will close.

Schools will close. It is inevitable because we opened them with nothing but some hygiene theatrics & piss poor TTI in middle of a pandemic.
It may not be what you want to hear but it is going to happen. Boris will not die on this hill in the same way he didn’t die in a ditch or lie in front of bulldozers on any number of dramatic promises he has made.
And after this week’s vote on school meal provision, do you really think vulnerable children are top of this government’s priorities? Schools will close.

If all those infections resulted in death you may have a point but seen as they arent you don't. Children on mass could/have missed out on valuable education for an illness that for the most is mild wheres the logic.

But deaths are rising, 174 yesterday I believe? That figure is going to increase. When the number is 100s a day dying the govt are going to have to do something to cut transmission.

I don’t know why this clown is given airtime any more.