Home learning at the end of term or face isolating over Christmas

[urbanmist]

Schools are clearly driving the pandemic. Unless schools switch to home learning for the last week of term, many families will have all hope of ‘saving Christmas’ ruined. Children sent home to isolate in the last week will have to isolate on Christmas Day. Being in school is clearly the best for them, but at the expense of a ‘normal’ Christmas (if the rumours of a few day let up are true)?

I can’t believe kids are to be sacrificed again - they’ve already lost 6 months this year. And for what? We can’t see grandparents anyway as they are too vulnerable for us to risk it.

@NullcovoidNovember I agree with you tbh. This could be the last Xmas some of these children get to spend with relatives

I would not back schools closing for one more day.

I would not back schools closing for one more day.

I would not either. I would certainly sacrifice mixing at Christmas to keep schools open.

@NullcovoidNovember oh get a grip, it doesn't need to be Christmas to see family, if they value their grandparents so highly they will wait until it's safer to do so, not in the middle of this mess and on top of disrupting education AGAIN. My husband isn't going to be here for Christmas (or the following 3 months) I know all about being apart from loved ones, Christmas Day is not worth getting this het up over, I love Christmas but it's not worth shutting down the country, putting jobs at risk and the potentially hurting the well-being of children. We have the light at the end of the tunnel now, get some perspective and write this Christmas off as a low key one.

If they can be at school then they should be. My youngest had from March until September off and now is in her second lot of two weeks isolation due to positive cases at school. I don’t want her finishing early just for Xmas. She’s missed enough!

No, schools should not shut early. 'Saving Christmas' is over dramatic and frankly, silly. We need to stick to guidelines however ridiculous in order to stop it spreading. Vaccinations will be avaliable soon. Our DCs education has suffered enough.

Parents can take their DC out if they choose to, they will have to decide if the fines are worth it I guess or deregister and homeschool as is their right. Those few parents baying for national early closure are probably those with a cushy WFH job or a SAHP. I am neither. I cannot work with schools close and no work = no pay and I know I'm not the only one. 'School isn't childcare' doesn't wash either, ask Universal Credit.

I am sorry for those with poorly/vunerable relatives but we have to see the bigger picture.

Am I willing to sacrifice 2 weeks of my son’s education for the sake of one day that we’re spending as a family of 3 anyway? Hmmm... nope.

If people choose to take their children out of school for the last 2 weeks, they should expect the curriculum to have moved on by the time they return and definitely not expect teachers to provide extra work for them. They’ll be bored stupid by the time christmas comes around anyway!

But they didn’t introduce ofsted to inspect homes learning right?

So schools can and will do what they want and teachers in the U.K. seem very reluctant to embrace live interactive learning in the state sector. In reality I think most school can under the new legislation get away with a few worksheets that are curriculum linked and maybe a link to an oak academy video or two no one will check and on mumsnet it will def be the fault if parents if provision is inadequate because we have complained to the school!..honestly some of us lived through March to July we know how this rolls!

As I said what will be will be but no to call what we get as “home learning” it’s really unfair in the many teachers worldwide who are delivering genuine provision!

if they value their grandparents so highly they will wait until it's safer to do so,
Some won't have that choice.

There will be a Christmas next year.

Not for some grandparents.

I'm a teacher and really hope for an 11th December shut so I can isolate and see my family safely over Christmas. CEV family I haven't seen most of the year.

The' I'm alright jack' tone of these posts isn't nice.

Well, the private schools round here are closing on the 11th so they can isolate for plenty of time so they can safely see granny at Christmas. I’m sure all the MPs kids/grandchildren at private/public school will be, too.

So schools can and will do what they want and teachers in the U.K. seem very reluctant to embrace live interactive learning in the state sector.

Not going down this route again but fully interactive requires trained staff (that are f2f teaching full time), students with devices and students with a reliable internet connection.

@Qasd

I am a teacher in a state school. I am currently live teaching to all my y11 students who are isolating. For every lesson. As I was doing in April and May and July.

Wind your neck in. Don't generalise. And if it's that easy come join us - it's great fun out there at the moment!

@Hercwasonaroll so youre going to put those grandparents at risk by insisting on seeing them while we are in the middle of a peak despite there being a vaccine around the corner? On top of that you think all your students should have to not be educated for that week so you can do that? And you accuse others of an "all right jack" attitude? Ok.

Snap @SpringSunshineandTulips. Exactly the same for my eldest. I'd rather she was in school. If we have to give up seeing people at Christmas in exchange then so be it.

I won't see them. Because I can't isolate if schools are open. So I have to face probably never seeing them alive again.

Students will be educated online. Plenty of students isolating at the moment are being. (far more than the government cares to admit).
So actually no I'm not alright jack.

Mum of primary child so secondary parents might be different but I value my DC face to face education over Christmas and the mental health benefits of seeing peers. Friends have just missed out on Diwai and coped we will too.
The govt does need to look at how it's helping schools though for smaller classes and teacher support

The last week of Autumn term has always been full of concerts/shows/film days etc with sod all learning. So I could live with schools shutting for that last week.

No but you think you have a right for schools to shut to see them despite that not being in their best interests, I don't understand how spending Christmas with someone suddenly makes death less tragic. It's not safe to see people at the moment, even if I could self isolate I wouldn't see grandparents at the moment (mine are long dead, but hypothetically) we are so close to a vaccine it's not worth it, not even for Christmas. I don't get the Christmas drama, their health and children's education and WELL BEING is more important than Christmas, whether it is someone's last or not, but it's much less likely to be their last if people stop trying to "save" Christmas and thus insist on households mingling.

so youre going to put those grandparents at risk by insisting on seeing them while we are in the middle of a peak despite there being a vaccine around the corner?

Herc hadn’t said that at all?!

@Redlocks30 she wants schools to shut on the 11th so she can isolate and see her grandparents at Christmas, did I misunderstand that? Even with self isolation would you really trust that to be completely safe if they're that vulnerable and the peak is that bad?

we are so close to a vaccine it's not worth it

Yet at least a year or 2 from enough people having it.....

Spending any time with them would be nice. Not just Christmas. But Christmas would be a special memory.

their health and children's education and WELL BEING is more important than Christmas

None of this makes sense.

@Evvyjb

My understanding is that a third if states schools are offering live teaching so I apologise to you if you are in the third that are I am very grateful for teachers such as you who are teaching despite school closures it is important and very much valued!

Obviously two Thirds are not including my own child’s primary school and my post was aimed at them.

null - Indeed! It would be the perfect solution wouldn;t it - everyone would be safer an classes actually thinned out

Hallelujah - that's what education staff have been saying since September - part time attendance to make schools safer.....

@qasd have you asked why not?