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.

I have been saying all along that if it's to be a lockdown which reduces infection/transmission, then schools need to close. No-one believed me and most parents want schools open so they can send their kids/get to work/WFH/don't want to home school any more.

We either lockdown properly, or we don't bother and find different ways to reduce transmission, not the half-and-half thing which isn't working. If we'd done this sooner, we'd have been coming out of it in December....

The governments lack of care, imagination and willingness to provide resource for the wellbeing of future generations has been totally exposed by this.

Having just read the whole thread, there are a few comments about some schools/areas coming out of the other side now I.e lots of cases, burst bubbles etc over last couple of months but now improved.

This is great news and to be expected. Like pretty much every contagious disease (and contrary to much of the scare-mongering for C-19) most people will be immune for at least a few months post infection. So where there have been a lot of cases (with or without symptoms), such as in many secondary schools in hotspot areas, growing levels of immunity will reduce the spread of the virus in time.

Those of us in areas that have been fairly unaffected until now can expect disruption very soon as case numbers rise, but, in contrast, previously problem areas should improve.

That’s not to say it hasn’t been/is/will be ghastly for lots of kids, parents and school staff, but closing schools proactively leads to chaos and disruption too. The situation will improve as immunity levels increase- they won’t be massive by the end of this winter but will and are already helping in some areas.

This is what “living with the virus” means. Healthy adults are kids will not be vaccinated for a very long time so outbreaks will keep occurring where immunity levels are low. It will be disruptive but the more we try and carry on as normal and accept this extra bit of risk in our lives the better.

So if lockdown 1 school closures reduced lifespan by 3 months, how fucked are all the kids who spend years getting home education?

Organised school closures are not the same as unplanned ones in terms of the disruption caused to families. Organised blended learning is not a school closure.

BTW, the study linking school closures with loss of lifespan was absolute bollocks pseudoscience.

This^

And now we’ve got Christmas on the horizon. Numbers will be down slightly. And Christmas will push them higher again.

Shops/businesses will re open on 2nd Dec. But they’ll then have to shut the schools. So no one will be able to run the businesses.

Should have had a full 3 week lockdown over 1/2 term including closing schools. We’d be in a much better place now.

Hull looks horrific. And the government don’t give a shit.

Herd immunity by stealth.

‘ That’s not to say it hasn’t been/is/will be ghastly for lots of kids, parents and school staff, but closing schools proactively leads to chaos and disruption too. The situation will improve as immunity levels increase- they won’t be massive by the end of this winter but will and are already helping in some areas.

What scientific evidence do you have that immunity levels will increase?

Why should my child live with stop start education?Why can’t they have planned organised blended education?

@BelleSausage it won't make a difference if my job is still here in 6 months if I can't work because school is shut. I'll be jobless either way.

I’m a nurse
There’s increasing evidence that younger children don’t pass it as effectively as they rarely have the cough
Older children in secondary school are more likely to spread it
I don’t think primaries will close and I expect this evidence will become widely acknowledged in the next few months

There is nothing like the level of immunity needed in the population yet.

It’s causing me a huge amiunt of dostress to thi k the schools could eh closed. Single self-employed parent, in a flat with no garden who needs to go out to work to earn money 🤷‍♀️

The only thing I can think off is that there should be online provision for those in OP situation and no fines for children bot attending the school - although that brings its own set of problems, some children who have feckless parents might the fall in between the cracks and stop attending.

I'm in a borough where cases are extremely high 700+ per 100,000. The number does appear to be lowering.
Since returning in November, our primary has had 2 classes off. The other two primaries near our home have also had two classes off. Yesterday a friend from one of the activities the children do told me her DD class is off to.
A friend who lives around 5 miles away has half the school shut. She is extremely anxious because one of her children was quite poorly a couple of years ago so when they are ill now they tend to be quite ill. Her year is off and so is her brothers. She also cares for her elderly mother.
This morning myself and a couple of mums were talking as we walked out of school. Myself and another mum think they will maybe close a week or two earlier at Christmas and remain close until mid January. The other two mums think that they will remain open. The local hospital is starting to struggle now.
Schools here will reach breaking point soon especially the secondary schools who I seem to hear have a new case about nearly every day/couple of days.

And again :

It’s causing me a huge amount of distress to think that the schools could be closed.

@DrinkFeckArseGirls - i agree entirely
The thought of the school shutting is very distressing especially when you have a child with SEN who cant engage with home learning :( and who had a breakdown during the original lockdown

It makes sense to try and offer options to suit different circumstances...so people who's kids can work effectively at home could do so and those who have to be out at work send theirs in. Or is that too simplistic a view?

‘It’s causing me a huge amount of distress to think that the schools could be closed’

It causing me a huge amount of distress thinking they could remain open,

It's causing a huge amount of stress to staff, parents and students that schools are open now.

It's causing huge amount of stress to staff, parents and students that schools may close again.

It's causing huge stress that impromptu school and class closures are happening all over the place, just as predicted.

Something needs to happen.

QueenBlueberries just replying to your part of mixing out of school. That is happening where I am and wonder if that is what is pushing our cases up. I won't let mine play out and keep being told X is playing with Y or Y is in Z house.
I keep explaining if I let them out on our street if everyone was out there would be children out from at least 5 schools.
Others I know are letting their children mix with others from different schools so I'm currently a mean mum.

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince did you read the rest of my post?

Had a discussion with my teenagers about this. THey said everyone is talking about mental health issues is caused by closing schools, but they are both struggling with schools being open. They are good pupils, nice kids, no behaviour problems but now, they are constantly on the edge.

So many of their classmates are being sent home, they feel it's not fair, why do they have to do the maths test and those at home don't have to do it? They are not working their hardest as they can be called to go home at any time. THere is no fun at school, no clubs, no band practice, no football after school. Lunchtime has been cut to half an hour so they don't have time to chill with their mates. They are constantly stressed about the new rules, one way system, masks, etc. They are scared of getting Covid as so many other kids at school have it.

They both feel that their mental health is worst off at school than during the actual full lockdown.

I really hope not! All schools shouldn't suffer for those that have cases. My daughters school have had no cases, been brilliant in how they are managing the classes and the kids are loving it. It should stay as it is now, if there is case, the bubble closes. Though that's for primary, i can understand why secondary is much harder.

@Danglingmod I asked admin to take off my post as it might 'out' my school. But you are right, loads of families are not clear about the rules, and some choose to ignore them.

Yes, that is the overwhelming response of my students, too, QueenBlueberries.