Out of school activities/classes/lessons/groups cannot happen.

[beckypv]

Guidance has just been released that says clearly that any form of activity, unless solely for the purpose of childcare to enable parents to work, cannot happen in England during this lockdown. I’ve seen so many discussions about various groups/ classes / sports / activities trying to work around / find loopholes to the message ‘stay at home’. At least this is pretty clear.

www.gov.uk/guidance/education-and-childcare-settings-new-national-restrictions-from-5-november-2020#ooss

Oh dear, and my DDs' school announced to them just today that a few clubs would be restarting next week. Nothing has been running afterschool other than a weekly homework club for each year until now.

The third party provider that comes onsite and provides after school football clubs has confirmed they are still going ahead here

Our school hasn’t changed anything. All clubs are run in year group bubbles (have been since September) and all are continuing. Guess they do not regard these as “out of school” activities - they are on school premises and mostly run by school staff...?

All the Dc’s non school based activities are shutting down though I know ballet organisations are still arguing that they are educational (for classes where exams are taken).

Has anyone had confirmation yet from their school that their clubs are being cancelled

I've literally just come out of a staff meeting at my school confirming that clubs and activities before and after school are not cancelled.

I think the head's rationale is that the exemption applies to activities where it is 'reasonably necessary' for them to continue to allow parents to work. We have wrap around care and activities to 7:30pm where I work. Some of the children will certainly be staying for activities because they want to do a particular activity. But there's bound to be some attending because their parent/s are working. So I think we're using that as justification to stay open.

I don't really think it adds any risk, tbh. They're together all day anyway.

Out of school activities with children from multiple schools are different.

And if you do get last minute emails tonight or tomorrow to cancel things, it isn't the staff's fault. This new guidance was released to headteachers at about 3pm this afternoon!

@RoseAndRose I think that is exactly how it is meant to be interpreted. Some extracurricular sports clubs can conveniently be used to overlap with work, but they are not a reliable form of childcare as they can be cancelled for weather, parents evenings, last week of term etc. I’m pretty sure they are not meant to be included in the ‘allowed guidance‘..... but like much of this, it’s open to interpretation!

Good, we are all sacrificing a lot to keep kids at school, including people’s businesses and support. It would be crazy to allow out of schools activities that have kids from different schools/years mixing to keep open. I’m not sure people would be very happy being told they’re not allowed to work when that’s allowed to happen.

Not talking about different schools mixing though, talking about onsite clubs being run after school for children at that school from the same year group bubble.

@Racoonworld please read the thread and understand the confusion that has been caused by this guidance. In my DC’s case their school hours are 8 to 5, with various extra curricular activities between 8-8.45 and 4 to 5. The question is what (if any) of these activities have to be cancelled. My DCs will be at school during these hours whatever happens. However, I would rather they be outside doing sport than sat in a classroom on an iPad etc. There is no extra risk as far as Covid is concerned as they will be within their year group bubble whatever they do.

The other thing about this guidance that causes me concern (and I’m slightly going off on a tangent here) is that my oldest DC has his 11 plus next week. He will be sat in a room with children from all over the county and beyond. If the DofE are taking this stance with extra curricular activities, I can’t see how they can allow the 11 plus to go ahead in its current format.

If the DofE are taking this stance with extra curricular activities, I can’t see how they can allow the 11 plus to go ahead in its current format

You will have to see what they say. They make take the view that the children are young enough to make the risk low.

wraparound care and clubs at my DDs school are continuing for those who confirm they are working and need it for childcare. All in class bubbles so no extra risk, right call in my opinion.

In Ireland, organised activities (sports, developmental groups such as Scouts/Guides etc) are allowed to continue for children of schoolgoing age even though we are in tier 5 - they are in the same categorisation as schools. We need to maintain social distancing, non-contact activities, pods no larger than 15 outdoors or 6 indoors, preferably all activity outdoors, maintain a register of attendance, sanitise hands and equipment, sanitisation gap between groups so 1 group leaves before the others start to arrive and no cross-over...…..it's a long list of requirements on the organisers of such activity, but it does mean that DCs of schoolgoing age have something to do outside of school (keep going to their normal activities - not that you can suddenly join in) in lots of cases - but some are not possible like swimming. I don't know about things like dance, speech and drama, music, etc if outside the school setting.

In our Cub pack, we are running each activity twice, with 2 out of our 4 patrols in each session (6 Cubs in each patrol). While some Cubs are in the same schools, there are a number of different schools within the pack, some have 3/4 schoolmates while some are on their own. So trying to do a school-based bubble would not work. But we are being strict on the Patrols as the Cubs bubble.

But while it is very strict, and a LOT more work for the 3 volunteer Leaders, we have between 85%-100% turnout on a weekly basis since we started back in September, including once we had been subject to lockdown.

I know gaelic football, hockey, soccer and solo-sailing have all managed to keep going this way too locally.

And in-school clubs are mostly running - not lego club as that was too difficult, but various sports, eco club, debating, Model UN, social ethics club, music, etc all continuing.

My ds was given an after school detention for this coming Fri for handing in his work late, I’m wondering if it will be cancelled 😀

All of my children’s activities have been cancelled. I don’t know of any that are still taking place. Dd dance lessons are on zoom from Saturday, but everything else is completely cancelled.

@BiddyPop

In Ireland, organised activities (sports, developmental groups such as Scouts/Guides etc) are allowed to continue for children of schoolgoing age even though we are in tier 5 - they are in the same categorisation as schools. We need to maintain social distancing, non-contact activities, pods no larger than 15 outdoors or 6 indoors, preferably all activity outdoors, maintain a register of attendance, sanitise hands and equipment, sanitisation gap between groups so 1 group leaves before the others start to arrive and no cross-over...…..it's a long list of requirements on the organisers of such activity, but it does mean that DCs of schoolgoing age have something to do outside of school (keep going to their normal activities - not that you can suddenly join in) in lots of cases - but some are not possible like swimming. I don't know about things like dance, speech and drama, music, etc if outside the school setting.

In our Cub pack, we are running each activity twice, with 2 out of our 4 patrols in each session (6 Cubs in each patrol). While some Cubs are in the same schools, there are a number of different schools within the pack, some have 3/4 schoolmates while some are on their own. So trying to do a school-based bubble would not work. But we are being strict on the Patrols as the Cubs bubble.

But while it is very strict, and a LOT more work for the 3 volunteer Leaders, we have between 85%-100% turnout on a weekly basis since we started back in September, including once we had been subject to lockdown.

I know gaelic football, hockey, soccer and solo-sailing have all managed to keep going this way too locally.

We've been running our Brownies in a similar way. Cancelled. Fucking Zoom only.

Banning anything extra curricular and as the law stands, it is illegal for a schoolchild who needs parental supervision to maintain a face to face relationship beyond their household.

DH can meet a mate to play football down the park.
DS (7) can't. Because he has to have an adult with him and his legal quota of 1is filled by a supervising adult. He can not meet his classmate, next-door-neighbour for a kick about unless we were prepared to leave them unsupervised in a public place

I am relieved that education is resuming after a long period of neglect, but once again, children's needs are being ignored.
My kids were so done with long walks to try and tire them out back in the summer. 7 or 8 weeks of their Karate and swimming resuming have done them a world of good. Coaxing a junior age child to do walk after walk after walk (especially now it's just got harder to incentivise them with a cafe partway round) through the mud and November weather is hard going for all.

We miss junior parkrun so much (I never expected to keep the kit box this long!) We miss face to face scouting. DS2 misses his football. These are major gaps in their lives for 7+ months and counting.

It's incredibly elitist.
So little Johnny at the private school can play hockey rugby football etc as part of their school day but little Sam at the state school where PE and games have been cut to nil may not play.

Given how important beating obesity is to stop this disease i can't believe there is a blanket ban on outdoor sports activities for kids under the age of 13 (in which age range transmission rates are generally low)

Not to mention the fact that there are plenty of parents with kids who have additional needs who need sports, drama and Cubs etc for both the child's and the parents mental health.

Children and families needs are being ignored.

I can't believe there is a blanket ban on outdoor sports activities for kids under the age of 13 (in which age range transmission rates are generally low)

You don't have to, because there isn't. PE on school, and the rest with parents/caregivers. And it's over the next 4 weeks - which isn't a) long enough to have significant impact on fitness - it's similar to the length of taper before major event and does not affect estimated VO2 max, and b) weight is more connected to the amount people eat and what they eat, and that can carry on

Children and families needs are being ignored

Schools are open. That's the most important need.

Some baby classes are running here, as they are classed as "support groups" for the parents, they wording on fb was "we have been told that..." so I guess they must have asked the council for clarification.
So that's good.

No bubbles should mix whether they are on school or not

No point having careful bubbles in classes then mixing the school through football club.

It's only 4 weeks. Let's try and do it as well as we can without closing school which is mixing hundreds every day, staff, cleaners, admin, as well as teachers, support, and students..

It's good that baby groups are running, toddler groups should too.
Let's face it, trying to deal with toddlers in lock down!!

People are giving up a hell of a lot to keep schools open. This does mean that virtually every other inessential contact has to stop for now. Bleating on about it not being fair is quite insulting to people who can't work at the moment, can't see their parents or adult children, can't even see their partners if they live apart in many cases. Just appreciate the fact that schools are open... for now... And stop moaning about other inconveniences which are really quite minor compared to people who've lost their livelihoods and are isolated from their families and loved ones.

@BeneathTheMilkyTwilight

People are giving up a hell of a lot to keep schools open. This does mean that virtually every other inessential contact has to stop for now. Bleating on about it not being fair is quite insulting to people who can't work at the moment, can't see their parents or adult children, can't even see their partners if they live apart in many cases. Just appreciate the fact that schools are open... for now... And stop moaning about other inconveniences which are really quite minor compared to people who've lost their livelihoods and are isolated from their families and loved ones.

Yes this! It’s so annoying reading posts on here of people thinking it’s so unfair their kids activities have to stop. Be thankful schools are open. So many of us have given up so much for schools to stay open.