Is a change beginning to happen regarding schools?

[Covidfears]

I’ve been noticing more articles lately in the mainstream press about the difficulties in schools (which will come as no surprise to most people). There’s also been some research which has basically confirmed that schools are driving infections. So, along with it looking like this lockdown has been a waste of time (due to schools being kept open to continue the spread) and people in power calling for Hull schools to be closed do we think that schools will be closing early for Christmas?

Is there any chance that blended learning or rotas will be coming in after the Christmas holidays?

We are a vulnerable family with children in primary school and the risk that sending them every day with no safety measures poses to our family is causing me huge amounts of stress.

Hope not. That will mean I can't work and will have no income since I'm the only earner in the house.

Can't you keep yours off if you're worried? I think a few people are doing that now.

I hope theres a change. I think compared to friends in Melbourne where their lockdown was stronger but they've got the cases down to 0, and even now kids are sent home for a sniffle or sore throat etc , our situation looks completely barmy.

I can't see how we can infections down while schools are fully open. I'd rather tackle it and find a working alternative than have a prolonged period with random repeated 2week isolations at the drop of a hat we're seeing now, and can only be ongoing indefinitely until the virus is reduced.

I think if blended learning does come in it will be more likely to be in secondary schools.

I hope not. School is vital for learning and socialising and a sense of normality in what has been an awful year. It’s also going to be one of the few places where they can experience Christmas activities with their friends. I appreciate school is a risk - and totally understand why people would keep their kids off of they don’t feel comfortable sending them back. But I hope they don’t close primary schools unless it is deemed absolutely necessary. My son’s primary has had one case of Covid since reopening in June, resulting in one class having to isolate for 14 days. They are doing brilliantly at helping to keep everyone safe. It’s of course a worry - but I don’t want them to close.

Speaking as a parent who's been struck down quite badly this week and who's H is also now feeling the effects of the virus pending a test.. most of our schools here are shutting. It's been horrific, week after week bubbles sent home. I'd hate to be a teacher right now.. if your able to keep you kids out and lower the chances of the shit show we have down in the the deep SE coast I urge you to do so. We won't be coming out of lockdown here on the 2nd that's for sure!

I am a single parent out of the house from 7 to almost 6 because I need to work overtime. I have a teen in secondary and I am struggling with my mental health. I'm dreading the school's closing again.

God I hope not. Going to school is the only thing keeping my kids going in this period since they cannot see friends. it’s vital for their mental health and education.

Plus I can’t work if schools close.

My relatives school is barely functioning ( high tier area with reducing cases but busy hospitals) . Several supply staff. Three year groups off. Children isolating and lots coming back positive: No ta replacements so those left in are all over the place. Teaching staff having to cover lunch too due to staffing. Eventually something has to give surely. I doubt bubbles are that secure with staff stretched.

Children won’t be getting the education they deserve in that chaos. The staff will be burnt out well before Christmas to the point they won’t be able to teach.

I should add this is a good well staffed school that barely had a case prior to half term.

Is it fair to close all schools again? My children’s school hasn’t had 1 case since returning on August? (Small/rural primary) and there has been no groups isolating in my daughters secondary so far either

I hope they come to senses and realise as long as schools are open . All the lockdowns aren’t going to make a difference . Plus how much longer can the little ones be expected to sit in classrooms for 6 hours a day with all their outside clothes on. So cold that they can’t even hold a pencil and we aren’t in the depth of winter yet.

I understand parents' desire for their child to be in school and for it to be normal, but this is not normal and the uncertainty for secondary school students in particular is beginning to have a very disruptive and detrimental impact on wellbeing, learning, and behaviour.

Last week alone we have sent a third of one year group out - whilst they were in the middle of their mocks - whilst almost all of another year group is out and we received notification last night of two more students in separate year groups which will have a further impact. This is on top of the 20 or so members of staff who are either ill with Covid or self isolating, resulting in students being given no cover if sixth form, doubled up classes, or cover by non specialists who then try to get the isolating students on Teams. The students are knackered after a six lesson day with staggered starts and breaks, staff are late to lessons due to teaching in year bubbles, technology frequently breaks down or you have to wait 10 minutes for the computer to load because someone has forgotten to log off, and then once logged on you forget about the one student at home isolating - which, invariably, you will get a complaint about from a parent or SLT.

Ironically getting Covid isn't even my main concern (I appreciate I am lucky to feel this); it's trying to keep a sense of structure and normality in this utter shitstorm.

A rigorous and meaningful programme of safety measures, extra funding and proper blended learning would have definitely mitigated this, but those in education could have predicted this a mile off.

It's a bit harsh to say you're sending your dc to school with 'no safety measures'. Is that really the case? Have your dc's school not followed any covid guidelines.
I work in an infant school on a campus with a junior school and a secondary school. We are all implementing stringent measures to keep children safe while also allowing them to have a sliver of normality.
We haven not had even one positive case, neither have the junior school and we've had one ta isolating due to track and trace.
The secondary school have had about 5/6 cases I believe but no whole year groups have been sent home.
This is in a tier two area where cases where very high a couple of weeks ago and we border a tier three hotspot.
If you believe your dc's school have no safety measures in place they are not following guidelines. Please raise these with the headteacher if you believe the school is unsafe. Schools have a duty of care to keep children safe. It would be a disaster for so many children of schools had to close again.

There should be some safety measures OP. Ours is operating very strict bubble systems (the lunch times and play times are spread and are a bit daft for some year groups but it keeps the bubbles separate). Only one bubble is allowed in each toilet (another fun one when you’re doing PE and one of them needs a wee - 10 mile hike back to the classroom). Staggered drop off and pick up. Our school is fine with teachers wearing masks / visors and a good chunk now are, and you have to wear one when entering a class that’s not your own or stepping into another bubble area (near enough impossible not to - the hall is in the year 3 and 4 area for example, the computer room is in the building with Year 6).

Obviously these don’t fully proof it but all schools will have things in place so I’m just a bit surprised by you saying there’s nothing in place - there has to be. We’ve had one bubble go out so far.

As a teacher I’ll handle it whichever way it goes - I’m not sure what to think now.
But if one more child comes in and says they’re going to Friends house for tea and is then dropped off and parent says “Oh Friends mum is picking them up” I could scream. The look on their face when I say I’m not allowed to let them take any other child home because WEARE IN LOCKDOWN AND HOUSEHOLDS SHOULDNT MIX.....cue puzzled expression on parents face....it’s so frustrating how many still don’t “get it”. Hang in there OP.

No, we need to keep schools and colleges open particularly for those taking A levels and GCSE’s. Their education has been the worst affected by far.
If you’re that concerned about yours, why don’t you keep them off ? Will school not support you in that ?

I think it is needed for secondary, which should remove most of the worry for parents about childcare, surely? Our year 11 are all isolating with multiple positives, as are our y12 and a large group of y10. We have multiple staff off (isolating or positives, with one now on their 2nd week in hospital) and we have a student in hospital.

At the moment, kids aren't getting a great education, especially exam years. We have supply in and other staff that literally have no PPA time as they are covering. Our year 11... This is now the 4th time they've been affected and that year group have had nearly 20 cases now.

I don't want this for my own daughters, as they have been at home several times now too. We have a great plan for a rota which still gives vulnerable students a full school timetable as we have space made available by only having half of the students in the school in. Plus we can also have a group of year 7 in for childcare.

I know people jump on keeping the students with difficult home lives in school. At the moment they aren't in. Their parents are keeping them home 'isolating'. It seems to be a mix of can't be arsed sending them in or so they can provide child care for younger ones. And we can't do anything about it without something serious happening.

@Covidfears I work in a primary school, to say that we are taking no safety measures is a bit insulting. We maintain bubbles, we don’t swap staff around, lunch now takes 2hrs so that the hall is cleaned thoroughly between settings, we have staggered drop off and pick up. We have cleaning scheduled which mean everywhere is cleaned at least twice a day during the day, and then again in the evening by the professional cleaning team. Staff wear masks in communal areas. we are allowing no parents into school... we are working so hard to keep everyone as safe as possible.

In our county only 32% of schools have had one or more confirmed cases. That’s a huge number of schools which have not had a single case. Closing all the schools would be unsettling and destabilising for most children, and absolutely disastrous for some.

Our primary school shut this week - down to 40% staff so couldn’t stay open. Too many off self isolating, a few actually tested positive. So that’s everyone home again for 2 weeks off eve back of various periods of 2 weeks home because of burst bubbles for my 3 DC over the past term. Fairly large primary in south east. It’s a shit show all round really isn’t it - horrendously disruptive to education. I don’t know what the answer is really but this bouncing in and out is no good and we still have hugely varying quality of work and teaching given across my 3 DC classes whilst they are at home.

Bananaskin - I must admit although I'm all for tighter covid measures and follow nobelgiraffes school posting....

I don't really get why a child who has been sat next to another child all day and played with them in the playground etc shouldnt then go home together after school. I am higher risk, and generally risk adverse but I can see why parents can't see the logic in this one!

In our area, small groups of children have been sent home, but schools are very much open.

Lockdown was horrendous for my teens' mental health. If they closed again for any significant length of time, it would be disastrous for my dcs.

I wonder if it's a matter of time here. I work in a primary, currently self isolating after a positive case, 6 classes in total now isolating.
DS's high school, around 700 pupils, 379 of those self isolating. I spoke to his head of year yesterday. She's despairing. Things are desperate.

Not all schools are like this though. The school my kids are in and the school close to it ( albeit junior) both still havnt had a bubble closed.

So no, I don’t want a blanket ban of schools closed.

I think the "Im all right jack - covid hasnt hit us yet" people aren't truly reading what its like for schools like the example abovw where students are boomeranging in and out and the constant fear of another phonecall saying your child has to isolate for 2 weeks again. Being at home not able to leave the house for 2 weeks is worse than planned blended learning would be.

Those schools that have high numbers should close and do home learning for 2 weeks here and there.

Other schools that have no cases or very few really don't need to.

Don't need to close the schools down for the whole country.

@Remmy123 exactly