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

@Racoonworld @BeneathTheMilkyTwilight There is no point stopping anything which (1) doesn’t cause an additional risk and (2) has the benefit of improving a child’s physical and mental health. MY CHILDREN DO THEIR EXTRA CURRICULAR SPORTS AT SCHOOL IN THEIR YEAR GROUP BUBBLES. I AM NOT COMPLAINING ABOUT THE SPORTS THEY DO OUTSIDE SCHOOL.

Anyway, the good news is that they are continuing everything extra curricular at school; gymnastics, tennis, golf, dance, music lessons etc.

Private schools near us are still doing clubs abs sports after school.

My sons 5 hours of cricket, 2 hours of swimming, 1 hour of karate have all been cancelled do we invested in a rowing machine as I can see lockdowns coming and going until the summer. DH and I will use it too.

DC's (private) school are still running all their sports clubs, so swim squad training continues as normal, rugby, hockey, netball, cross country etc. This includes Saturday morning sports, which is run in year group bubbles. All their non-school sports have closed, so gymnastics, Sunday morning rugby club and athletics.

I'm pleased they can continue with Saturday morning sports and indeed swimming, but I agree with a PP, it does seem a bit elitist and also that the guidance for schools seems up for interpretation with little consistency between schools which doesn't seem very fair.

"Bleating on" about unnecessary, harmful closures is jobs. It is swimming teachers, football coaches, kit suppliers etc.

This morning DS's physiotherapist has encouraged swimming... if you don't know whether to laugh or cry, laughing is best.
9 months, he's been on pause waiting to move up a level because the system has ground to a halt. He was able to do lengths and swim about 400m in half an hour, but he's stuck in a class doing widths and once since March has he had lengths week, and opportunities for recreational swimming are thin and exclude his younger sibling who can't do lengths yet.

And meanwhile the pool staff are off on furlough again, so yes, jobs are involved in this. Many self-employed providers will be left out of the support system.

I think private schools are beginning to cancel weekend sport and eca's sadly. Even though within year group bubbles.

The Association for PE are assessing all the government guidance and will be issuing teachers/schools with guidance re extra curricular later today or tomorrow. I’m guessing most schools will follow this advise. Grey areas are definitely lunch time clubs or elsewhere within the school day, and after school extra curricular that stays within bubbles. I guess the judgement is whether any activity (even within a bubble) is increasing contact and therefore risk whilst we are meant to be in lockdown. Unless a school is full boarding I can’t see how they can justify Saturday sport, and would suggest that if that is happening, it is due to schools feeling the need to provide the service the parents buy into.

@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.

Oh, FFS.

Do you realise that many of the parents who are sad or frustrated about their children losing out on the things that enrich their lives are also “people who are giving up a hell of a lot”, are people who can’t see their partners or parents or have lost jobs or been very unwell or bereaved or isolated?

People can have many simultaneous thoughts and feelings. People can be sad about ‘small’ stuff even whilst also contending with really big stuff.

I don’t think it’s OK to police what people are allowed to moan about.

My DC's school have cancelled absolutely everything except lessons. No lunchtime clubs, no need to be in for registration for older year groups even. Just lessons.

In school kids are in one single class/yeargroup bubble (plus bus etc). Out-of-school activities will involve bubbles from multiple schools/yeargroups so many bubbles mixing - that is why they are being stopped for lockdown.

I do understand why, but like many of you, my DC were only just getting back into their sport once it reopened in September. My main worry now that Sunak just announced furlough continuing until March. So lockdown may continue in some form until March. That will be a lot of kids who lose interest in grassroots sport (and I think that includes things like swimming, not just outdoor sport).

Well I have zero sympathy.
Its tough shit for me as a teacher. I can't work from home like others.
Suck it up.

Perfectly happy to have DC's activities cancelled myself. Just thought I'd explain why it is necessary for those who think that it is OK for their DC outdoor sport with 30 other kids from 15 different schools should go ahead just because it is outside etc.

Thank you to the teachers for still going in and teaching.

Yes disengagement in extra curricular sports/music is and will be a legacy of lock down.

Very sad and mirroring existing inequalities, but sadly necessary in the current circumstances.

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

There is no research I can find that supports this claim.
A taper is not stopping exercise.

What science does say, is
For adults, lockdown requires removal of 15-20% of calories to make up for lack of movement, it will be less for children (because children use a lower proportion of calories from moving and more for growing)
That fitness is impacted from even a 14 day lack of exercise.

See. e.g.
www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/17461391.2020.1761076

You should be doing all you can to increase your exercise to make up for the extra sedentarism from being locked down.

Im really worried about my kids lack of exercise wihout their sports. My 8 year old put on weight last time that I didnt properly see until we were with others. She was used to 7 hours of gym/tramp week and it stopped. I guess she ate the same.

Im v worried I've become sedentary. I ache if I go far now. So its hard to get the kids moving. Were plannning play areas for youngest and my husband will take eldest out on bike rides. But its not the same as the sport they were doing and I am worried theyll lose enthusiasm and just the sense that its normal.

Have to admit jealousy to the private axhools continuig. The divide betwen fit healthy educated kids and the poor will be even bigger.

Dd1's before and after school sports club run by PE teacher continuing. Already in year group bubbles anyway since reinstatement.
Dd2's after school club sports run in the school but by a 3rd party cancelled despite also being a single year group.
Also gymnastics, tennis, football out of school. Particularly gutting for dd1 who after 2 weeks of being back fractured her ankle so was just ready to start back again this week.

Annoying but hopefully only for 4 weeks. Rates in London already falling according to data from last week (not lockdown related)

I wonder why rates in London are dropping already?

Mind you I've checked another couple of areas where friends and family live and they are dropping too.

I wonder why?

All the after school and weekend sport at my dcs school (private) has been cancelled even though it was all only ever in year bubbles. School have said that the new regulations don’t allow it because it isn’t childcare.

I worry for this generation’s health and fitness, but mostly I’m just very pleased that they can go to school at all.

Just to point out my kids education is not only of benefit to me! Even if your childless if you use a doctor, builder, lawyer, plumber then you benefit from someone else’s education.

To check all these childless people who are selflessly giving up something will not be getting a vaccine right..Sarah Gilbert extensive education was after all only for her so you will not want to benefit from it? She only went to school because her parents didn’t want her at home right?...mumsnet mantra since March!!

I do understand the need to give up a lot of extra curricular activities and we do need to keep education open but not just for the benefit of parents and children. However for anyone who wants future doctors, scientists needs to pull their head in when they claim they are “selfishly given stuff up” just so we can do something so unimportant as educate our nation!

Children learn better in school when they are fit, burn energy off and are socialised.

Good luck teachers if there's a spate of wet breaks/ lunches with a hoard of understimulated children who are legally prohibited from social contact beyond their household.
Windy/wet behaviour is hard enough in normal circumstances.

The school I work for (secondary) has taken the decision to suspend all clubs and after school revision. It is felt that it's a grey area but the feeling was we should err on the side of caution.

I do think it's a bit illogical that kids can play football fine in PE and at lunchtime before 3pm, but after 3pm, they can't play football with others in their year group in a school club.

However, it's also true that some clubs/extracurriculars do increase the risk.

I also think it's perhaps about minimising the close contacts a child has in a day, so less students have to be sent home if a child tests positive OR some schools not keeping track of who was present at a club, which makes contact tracing very difficult.

My dc are home ed and in our area nothing has been running since March, while HE groups are allowed to run under these new guidelines, the places they are held are not open, museums, libraries are closed and we can’t meet friends at a park ti play because we can’t meet to socialise. They had started back at (non home ed) sports but of course that has now stopped again.

I think those with dc in school all day are lucky, so much is being sacrificed to ensure they stay open.

That must be tough Thesearmsofmine.

I've got some friends in London who Home Ed and they've done quite a lot of group meet ups and activities since the summer especially outside. They've had to get permission for various activities, although as they're classed as 'educational' it's been pretty straightforward.

Back on Zoom now though.

I run a kids activity business. This whole year has been a disaster for us. Frankly, whichever way you look at it there will be enormously less opportunities for our kids next year.
For the next few weeks at least clubs at schools can run and most (not all) schools I work with are fine for us to continue as long as we stick to the school bubbles. Of course many schools have not had us in at all since March and have no plans to let us anytime soon. My business is looking very precarious indeed but I’m sadder about the impact on my own children.

Our school is saying they provide sports clubs for childcare for working parents so they can continue

They are amazing school

On a more positive note regardless of what happens with lockdown I think there will be enormous pressure to restart sporting activities as early as possible. Many MPs and other influential people are furious that they have been stopped. I do understand the broad rationale to limit as much social contact as possible for a defined period. But it won’t be sustainable IMO unless the covid situation gets substantially worse.