Schools MUST stay open.

[motherrunner]

I hear this a lot on MN.

Schools maybe ‘open’ but they’re not really depending on where you live.

I’m in Tier 2, due to go into Tier 3 next week prior to the lockdown rules.

Since Sept Yr 10 have isolated twice (4 weeks out of a 8 week half term), Yr 12 and 13 three times (6 weeks of a 8 week half term). My own DS is isolating due to being in contact with a positive until next week and I am isolating until next week as one of my pupils tested positive (and before anyone asks why I wasn’t 2m away well let’s just say, that’s school life).

Before lockdown in March my school had to close just to the numbers of staff off, at one point admin staff were supervising classes.

This morning I read a comment from a poster on the ‘lockdown my thread that teachers just have to ‘hope’ they get a mild viral load. Have we become so disillusioned with this virus that because “schools must stay open” then we minimise they health of school staff?

I am happy to be back teaching my pupils, I’m not happy that I feel unsafe. I am not happy that other workplaces have ‘Covid secure’ measures but I have sanitiser and a ‘hope for the best’ attitude.

So, if you really want schools to stay open then please email your MP and voice concerns about safety and hopefully we can stay open in a meaningful way because there’s a difference between ‘schools open’ with us delivering a quality education and ‘schools open’ with a body providing childcare.

Tragic seeing that young teacher who died. Really really devastating for her family and shocking for the school community.

Oh and he has every advantage of being the child of well educated and organised parents with a stable home life. The impact on many many other children who don’t have those benefits must be even worse.

I think primary schools should maybe stay open. Bubbles are smaller and there seems to be evidence that young children do not spread the virus at the same rate as older children.

I think secondaries should move to blended learning or remote learning for all but the most vulnerable children. The vulnerable/disadvantaged kids do still need to be in school.

My dd is in year 11, and it has been a huge relief for her to be back at school, so I do not say this lightly. Remote learning wouldn't be ideal at all, but we're in the midst of a pandemic so I'm resigned to the fact that none of it is ideal! I just don't think we can keep secondary schools open without significant risks to teachers and other school staff, and without contributing heavily to the overall increase in infections across the country.

There will be pockets of the UK who will suffer more closures than others and I am concerned my pupils will be at a disadvantage sitting the same exams as those who are in schools throughout. I already teach in an area of high deprivation and poor social mobility.

I agree that that's not good.

But I'm not sure how closing all schools would help? Surely it's better to help support the pupils who missed school with extra lessons/support?

And yes, I'm all for any additional safety measure including rapid testing etc.

I hope the situation remains safe enough for schools stay open. Obviously PPE in schools needs sorting out. My kids really needed to go back and have massively benefitted. I would take part time 'proper' schooling if that helps. If schools are open just for childcare then we need the option to keep them home. I would not send them in if it's just for childcare when we can WFH and take a space someone who can't WFH needs.

Yes schools will stay open, they are in all of Europe and they will here.

It would be nice if all parents could do their bit in supporting the schools and helping to keep everyone safe. I read in horror on MN a thread yesterday about a sleepover planned for half term. But don't worry - no rules were being broken because one sibling was going to sleep elsewhere that night! Unbelievable - teachers and support staff are working like crazy to wipe down desks, working in cold classrooms with the windows open and yet those same children leave the classroom and go and have sleepovers.

When people say that they mean "my children's schools must stay open"- they don't give a fuck about other kids who may be disrupted under the current system.

If a full lockdown is needed, then schools will need to close to some degree, e.g. keep open for fsm, pp, echo chn etc.

At the very least, ridiculous tests such as phonics screening and sats should be cancelled. This really needs to be announced now. In addition, Ofsted should be officially cancelled for at least a year (including drop ins). Schools need to focus their attention on home learning options, they need fund from the government to support those in genuine need of a device/wifi etc.

@Ihaveyourback

Yes schools will stay open, they are in all of Europe and they will here.

No they’re not. Why do people make stuff up and post it as fact?

The data shows that the jump in cases in September was in university age kids, not school age

I just have to call, out this BS.

Secondary schools need to shut and they need to plan for exams. It is so unfair as it is currently - I am have my full year 11 class out and then groups of students out on two week isolations. I have have 3 in my Year 13 class and the rest out for two weeks. Student's in school are having lesson time used to catch up and clarify for the students returning and students at home are getting a poor experience as staff have no allocated time to support their learning other than posting what the work is and a video link or powerpoint.

My year 11s got a consistent experience when everyone was off for two weeks - I spent a lot of planning time adapting resources, making explanation videos and checking in with students - we had a subject teacher on rota to get back to any queries that day. A much better system than when we closed abruptly last year. However this is not possible when you are planning and delivering a face to face lesson and all that entails.

One of my big concerns is that students in Tier 3 areas are more likely to be coming into contact with positive cases and being sent home to isolate - as OP has said they will be at a massive disadvantage sitting the same exams as schools in areas with lower cases. Our local private school has hired new staff who teach those who are at home isolating - we do not have funding for this.

Shut secondary's for a month - in primary their bubble is much more secure. Use this month wisely to set up an effective and monitored test and trace to launch when cases are lower at the end of the lockdown.

@Qasd

Oh and schools needing to shut for covid cases cannot concern me from an educational perspective because the alternative is sooo poor. So yes my son has had seven full weeks of education but even if he had to miss two or even four it would still be more than the NONE he got March to July! Shutting schools ends education for I believe and estimated 70 percent if schools in the state sector who offer no live teaching when this happens and even very frequent school closures is better than this. But as I said I don’t think people appreciate how low the bar was in the first lockdown. I am always comparing disrupted education to no education so you really have to think that kids don’t need any education at all to think what we had before was better for the large number of people like me.

I think a lot has changed you are right since the first lockdown.

In the first out just about average large secondary just put work on line.

Now we have Teams and we have assessed who has access and who needed a dongle for internet. Our plan would be to run the timetable as normal with a register taken every lesson with a mix of live and setting them on a task. Now yes there are issues with screen time and I am not saying this is the gold standard but it is better than the first lockdown.

@ohthegoats

The data shows that the jump in cases in September was in university age kids, not school age

I just have to call, out this BS.

Speaking about calling out BS why have you omitted the data from secondary age students ... year 6 do not jump to university.

If I read one more time that covid does not really make children ill then I will lose the plot. So bloody selfish. Sod the staff in the schools that might get it, or their families, or the family of that child....

I really don't think some people understand that a virus does not just stop at that child - they go on to infect others.

The schools open at any cost brigade are really wearing me down now.

Absolutely ohthegoats the reality is it is school aged children. I am outraged that the government have managed to manipulate this situation so that they have made no investment in making schools safe but are rallying public support to keep schools open at all costs. FFS people wake up! Schools will NOT stay open if staff or children are seriously ill or staff are forced to resign. I say forced as a previously shielding teacher who is currently being forced to work in an unsafe environment who adores her job. My heart is breaking at the reality that I may need to resign. Teachers recognise the value of education FFS that’s why we do the jobs we do! Parents should be supporting us to ensure the government makes education as safe as it can be for your children and us!

why have you omitted the data from secondary age students ... year 6 do not jump to university

I haven't. That's primary and secondary.

@Susanwouldntlikeit

Meant to add -in my school (London secondary, in a borough where supposedly the ‘R’ rate was ‘dangerously edging up’ we have had no positive cases in children or staff. We have had a few isolating and quarantining but no bubbles sent home, And we are not draconian-sensible measures but hot lunch still for all in canteen, masks allowed but not mandatory etc.

Why are masks not mandatory in communal areas? London is in tier 2 (area tier) and therefore like all London schools in tier 1 (schools tiers) which is masks in communal areas.

The balance here is between the education of millions which is paramount not only their personal future but the country's future as a hole vs 100s/1000s deaths or long term illness in the wider community. Its a tough call we can't abandon education but we can't offer up people like sacrificial lambs to the slaughter either.

Shutting down the economy + not shutting schools = no change to the infection rate and everyone loses.

If I read one more time that covid does not really make children ill then I will lose the plot. So bloody selfish. Sod the staff in the schools that might get it, or their families, or the family of that child....

But for the majority of people (adults & children) it's a relatively mild illness. Your risk increases with age or poor health, the majority of the working population faces a moderate risk. It's not the killer that the media portraits.

Lockdown is about slowing down the spread, not eliminating the virus. I bet most of us will catch it at some point, if we haven't already had it.
Our children will be feeling the effects of an interrupted education for years to come.

It may even impact on their future prospects...

I wish teachers would strike and refuse to go in. I would be fully behind them. It’s criminal the way that they are being treated and I sincerely hope one of them sues the government.

We can't because, as often as the 'unions are blocking school opening' line is trotted out, we actually have no practical support from the unions at all. I get an occasional email referring me back to the guidance, but it's not guidance that actually keeps schools safe so 🤷 I'm certainly only paying my subs for the usual reasons, not for help during a pandemic.

Interesting that someone thought the data for secondary schools was the data for universities.

@Ijustcantcope

I wish teachers would strike and refuse to go in. I would be fully behind them. It’s criminal the way that they are being treated and I sincerely hope one of them sues the government.

It’s absolutely ridiculous not to have had the lockdown over half term and schools closed for 2 weeks. That would not have caused much difficulty for anyone and would have brought cases down quicker. Just when you thought the government couldn’t get any shittier........

Ecosse will be along shortly to tell you that schools should be open no matter what and that they should also stop testing children/teachers so that people don’t know the extent of the problem

I hope parents would keep their children off if they are able to.

How long do you propose we shut schools/do blended learning for? Until the virus is eliminated (ie. home learning forever) or some other timescale?