Dept of Education told academies they cannot close a week early for Xmas

[Gobacktothe90s]

Anyone seen this,

twitter.com/focustrust1/status/1330975676640464897?s=21

A group of academies announced they were closing a week before they were due to at Xmas on the 11th Dec to avoid any children/staff getting a positive result or self isolation over Xmas.

They have now been told this is against the law under the Coronavirus Act that they cannot change term dates.
I thought academies could change term dates and it will be interesting to see if private schools are threatened like these academies have.
It is obvious they don't want other schools following suit and shutting a week early so put the pressure on

Bit different though frazzled as that applied to all schools! And most workplaces were closed or WFH anyway.

I’m not being awkward already but why would a couple of staff needing to self isolate render the entire school being closed?

I’ve had a parent consultation to change the term dates in 2 years time. We get a letter with our term dates saying that they’re being released with over a years notice so that you can plan and thus it’s not acceptable to take time off in term time. Giving a months notice for a non emergency change is not really in the spirit of this!

I have always wondered what the minimum number of days is that a school can legally offer. Some private schools have much longer holidays than state schools do.

Private schools tend to have a longer school day, though.

Our private school has moved holiday closure from 15th Dec to 11th Dec. Seems very early. However yes they have longer days.

@notevenat20

I have always wondered what the minimum number of days is that a school can legally offer. Some private schools have much longer holidays than state schools do.

They usually have longer days and private schools like the one near us, have lessons on Saturday mornings and sport all weekend.

I'm glad out LA has decided all schools will close on the 18th instead of the 22nd but I appreciate this will be difficult for a lot of parents. As someone shielded with a vulnerable elderly parent then I wish they'd finish on the 11th like the academy trust in the news so that we can relax o er Christmas. My 3dc only manage a week each before one of them is told to isolate so they are in and out all the time which is very disruptive. I'm fortunate to be a SAHM though so I can home school them for that time if need be.

notevenat20
Usually for state schools it's 190 days teaching and staff do 5 inset.
Academies and free schools can change their terms. Many do the 190 though.

It's why inevitable threads complaining about PD/inset days being extra days off school are misguided

Usually for state schools it's 190 days teaching and staff do 5 inset. Academies and free schools can change their terms. Many do the 190 though.

There must be a legal minimum though even for private schools otherwise parents would get arrested for allowing truancy.

Private schools tend to have a longer school day, though.

Legally are they counting the total number of hours or number of days?

I'm the same LA as @Frazzled2207. DH is a teacher and they've been told no live lessons, but presumably pre-recorded and available on demand - it hasn't been clarified. Secondary families seem to have been told yesterday, DTs are at a primary and nothing has gone out to parents yet.

Hi again
@andadietcoke
My kids are primary and we were told yesterday that we will be closing on the 18th. Our head would never voluntarily close early for Christmas but is going along with it.

Unfortunately, even closing a few days early on the 18th, isn't going to be enough time to be relatively risk free over Xmas and see elderly or vulnerable relatives. We seem to have a high number of young people catching it in our area at the moment and I know many staff at my school won't be seeing others or even elderly parent because of this.

I think it must be hours as teachers certainly have directed hours but I don’t know how many they are! I should know!

@OpheliasCrayon

Good. Schools shouldn't shut School and education is more important than Christmas

Except schools are going to end up shutting, and more importantly many many older people getting very ill or dying because many families are going to go to school until less than a week before Christmas.

I'm a full time working single mum and am extremely supportive of schools remaining open, but it's already a long term, teachers are exhausted and the rates are going to sky rocket if we don't find some way to manage it, then we'll be missing more school than the quiet last week of term.

Maybe remote learning for the last week is at least a half way house.

It’s not a halfway house at all. It would fuck some peoples christmases as surely as not being able to see grandma would for teachers.

Regardless of what the schools/govt. Decide I am pulling my child out of school on the 11th. I'll pay the fine (if they bother to actually fine people)

If they made the last week optional (as in, no fines) - that means that those who want to quarantine offspring before Christmas can, those who want the last week of school for childcare or other reasons can too - but there'd be fewer students there, making it safer for those who do go.
Let everyone know now, make a decision and stick to it, then schools can plan around how many students are likely to turn up.

@Welcometonowhere

It’s not a halfway house at all. It would fuck some peoples christmases as surely as not being able to see grandma would for teachers.

There's no option that doesn't screw up a whole lot of people's Christmases. But much as I'm aching to see my CEV mum, and dreading trying to sort childcare or time off with my young children, the Christmas celebration is not the point, it's the risk that we end up with a huge spike right after with more people.dying and massive numbers of children off school anyway, self isolating.

In other countries people have had to miss out on the major events of their calendars, from Chinese New year (which, where celebrated, was also a massive superspreader event that kick-started the spread to the rest of the world) to the Hajj. It seems crazy that right before vaccines start rolling out we will take extra risk because we want everything to continue as near to normal as possible.

Whereas i don’t think there should be any fines atm for pulling your child out of school, actively encouraging it is only going to make it extra difficult for teachers who are struggling enough atm to progress students while having to deal with constant self-isolations etc.

It’s not really about things continuing as near normal as possible in an educational sense, though rubicon

I know I’m stating the obvious here, but if you have primary aged children and working parents and the school closes, especially last minute, then you can’t work. The knock on effect is as I said above a logistical nightmare. If this was going to be done, it needed to be communicated and organised before now, and the schools should really remain open as an emergency arrangement for families who really have no other option. To do otherwise is breathtakingly unfair and without wanting to trot out an overused cliche it really does disproportionately impact on those families who are most vulnerable as it is.

@Welcometonowhere

It’s not really about things continuing as near normal as possible in an educational sense, though rubicon

I know I’m stating the obvious here, but if you have primary aged children and working parents and the school closes, especially last minute, then you can’t work. The knock on effect is as I said above a logistical nightmare. If this was going to be done, it needed to be communicated and organised before now, and the schools should really remain open as an emergency arrangement for families who really have no other option. To do otherwise is breathtakingly unfair and without wanting to trot out an overused cliche it really does disproportionately impact on those families who are most vulnerable as it is.

I have young primary and am a single full time working parent, I'm fully aware of this. But warning now of a closure with home learning in 4 weeks is still better than masses of unscheduled 2 week isolation stints in the new year. While I also usually don't like the 'but you'll kill granny' type messages about keeping schools open, because school is so important - when so many people are still planning big multigenerational events, this truly is going to be a lethal Christmas for many, and a disaster for our health service, right before a vaccine. It's so foolish.

Even if it means that the school stays open for key worker children or those without options, that would still reduce the spread (and also the load on teachers and schools).

If people are planning that, I’m not convinced five days will make a huge difference. I think in fact people would end up using their parents as childcare, compounding the risk! It is difficult, isn’t it? But I do think generally primaries do seem to have this assumption at least one parent is at home or can take time off at the drop of a hat.

As someone who will be working as usual all over Christmas (so not socialising), obviously I would prefer schools are open as much as possible. But I will go along with whatever our school thinks is best and muddle through as usual I guess. Funny, last year I would have been raging if the school did that! But I think now I have reached an acceptance that we are constantly living with the stress of not knowing how we are covering childcare day to day. How strange that it is just normal now!

You have to consider the wider picture though. With no alternative childcare kids will have to go to grandparents and other family or friends for care, possibly multiple places. This is the busiest time of the year for many sectors, rotas and leave were organised months ago. Many of those with parents at home will be taken Christmas shopping, soft play, play dates. Would people be happy if other places like supermarkets did the same? Unfortunately sometimes people get ill at Christmas and have to change plans. If schools are shutting because they have an outbreak that’s an emergency, however shutting purely so that staff and children (although parents do have a choice anyway)can ensure they can have a nice time and don’t have to isolate isn’t really the same. If you take your child out of school to see relatives, even if they’re visiting from abroad, it’s unauthorised and a potential fine. I don’t see why this is much different