Extended School holidays leaked document (Scotland )

[Peppafrig]

What’s everyone’s feelings on the leaked document suggesting school holidays could be extended till the 11th January ? I think it makes sense to keep them shut for the week. Allowing everyone to not mix again for two weeks after the Christmas bubbles end . Seems like it could save a further even longer lockdown later on in January.

I don't think one week extra over Christmas during what has been the most stressful year in living memory is going to harm children's life chances.

It's not really about life chances though. It's about their education and wellbeing now. Have you any idea the amount of children for who schoo is their safe space from home? These kids don't need another week at home.

Some of you are going a bit OTT.

Not OTT to disagree.

The way it has/will be done is what's irritated me, probably more than the actual fact. 'Sweeten' the population up with this Christmas mixing thing before mentioning a word about what they are taking in order to give it.

Education is shown not to mater a jot,

I think most people in hospitality would disagree. They are paying the price to keep schools open and children being educated.
Having an extra week to stop the spread of the virus after Xmas mixing might mean children get more consistent education.

Many will be using family & friends for childcare as there’ll be no provision otherwise, so the ‘mixing’ will just continue for longer.

I think the upshot is the authorities can’t stop people meeting up in private houses, more and more people are utterly fed up and especially as we move in to darker colder days and do it the little frequent infringements that are keeping the cases ‘stubbornly high’. I don’t think any measures are going to combat this.

@papaelf Oh I agree that the Christmas relaxation is a terrible idea.

But given that it is happening (I think largely because Boris wants to be seen to save Xmas) then 14 days gap before schools go back is the most sensible thing from that point.

If it was me running things, I’d have gone for a New Zealand approach. Closed borders, hard lockdown until situation is very much under control. Schools wouldn’t have reopened until zero community transmission.

But that’s not where we are as a country, more’s the pity.

@RaspberryCoulis

The Scottish government will have leaked it. It's their modus operandi. Oh look! the tiers have been leaked! The blended learning proposals have been leaked! Changes to the holidays have been leaked!

Yet another example of them thinking the voters' heads zip up the back and can't see what they're up to.

A few days doesn't make a lot of difference but stop it with the fucking "leaks" and have the balls to make the statement first.

Couldn't agree more @RaspberryCoulis

bloody Johnson has shocking form for this too.
why not treat us like adults ?
(tho I think NS has gained political capital from her public addresses re the virus and BJ has hemorrhaged any he had )

I don't understand how parents aren't up in arms about more missed education, and actively wanting it to happen.

I am very concerned about how this is going to impact on the future of all age groups. Ability to perform well in exams being affected due to missing out on essential teaching. This in turn affecting entries into higher education and eventually, employment.

And primary children need to be in school to learn the building blocks for all this.

This generation is going to have a terrible time when they become adults. I am incredibly concerned, especially at parents caring more about family gatherings than the future for their child.

Have you any idea the amount of children for who schoo is their safe space from home? These kids don't need another week at home.

So what about those children when they keep getting bounced in and out of school for two weeks at a time ?

No doubt about it the green light has been given for families to mix and this will play out in schools at about the worst possible time for the nhs to cope.

starrynight19 I would absolutely agree re hospitality, I don’t realise I should have mentioned hospitality in a post about schools 🤷🏻‍♀️

I read some peer reviewed research last week (sorry I didn't save it) that demonstrated that since children are highly likely to mix with other families/children when not in school, that they actually transmit less when in school. Given that, it makes no sense at all to extend the holiday.

I bet England will copy this, like they will with exam cancellations.
Only right at the last minute, when BJ has heard the Cavalry got lost...

Our school has now sent a survey out gauging parent views on Highers/Advanced highers going ahead. Can see them getting cancelled too

I'm ECV and I'm considering not sending mine back for the first week of term. It would be nice to be given a choice. We're not mixing at Christmas.

If they are relaxing restrictions over Christmas, then yes, I agree the school holiday should be extended. The transmission in schools because of this relaxation is going to be horrendous. I do not agree with the relaxation of restrictions for Xmas. I remember them saying that they would do all they can to keep schools open. Relaxation of rules at Christmas is going against that. The Government do not have a clue what they are doing. We are going to be walking into a third wave that is going to be much worse than the 1st and 2nd.

@starrynight19

So what about those children when they keep getting bounced in and out of school for two weeks at a time ?

What about them? Things are really shit for them. But an extra week off will never be beneficial to all.

@covetingthepreciousthings

Is it only Scotland?

Not heard anything about January but my son's 6th form college is closing a week early (though will be doing remote lessons).

I don't understand how parents aren't up in arms about more missed education, and actively wanting it to happen

I think it depends on the age of your children and whether or not you have a job outside the home (especially if you cannot work from home).

In March everyone thought a lockdown would be a nice extended Easter holiday and had a rude awakening, and now their desire to be able to show off on social media about how #blessed they are to celebrate with the #famalam is outweighing common sense.

What about the children who aren’t going to have a big, happy family Christmas? Those who will just have another day of not enough food, heating, love and attention and certainly not presents, Christmas dinner and fun. What about those who’ll have to listen to or be involved in arguments and abuse. Those who are sharing one room of a B&B and eating pot noodles for dinner. Another week of that won’t do them any harm will it... oh wait...

My kids ( in England) aren't back until the 7th anyway so it would only be 2 days of missed school for them. I'm all for it

I don't want schools to close early.
Although, I will point out to those concerned about children's education being disrupted, they are likely to receive a better quality of activity if it's provided remotely than if they were actually on the school premises. One can hardly set "Watch Elf" as a remote task.

CallMeAngelina That’s wonderful if one parent will be at home to do that. H and I will be working to god knows who will be doing the remote learning with my youngest.

Rumours have been circulating in NI all week about the same thing. Nothing concrete yet, but word is teachers are being told to prepare for a week of blended learning from the 11th. This is facilitate the reopening of hospitality, (we started a two week circuit breaker today). Schools are due to finish on 18th and go back on the 4th Jan.

Very frustrating for me as my kids love school and find being stuck in the house while my and DH work from home the height of boredom. At least Netflix has plenty of new Christmas content.

Surely they should take the week off at the beginning, so children can effectively isolate for 10 days before they meet up with their grandparents round the Xmas table. Afterwards seems pointless.

@LadyCatStark

Undeniably those are serious problems, but hardly within the remit of containing a pandemic.

Longwhiskers14 And give parents two weeks notice?!

She would argue she'd still be giving those kids an education remotely

How naive.

I provide a safe and comfortable home life for my children. Did we finish the homeschool work that was set between March and June? No.

Why not? Because I had a 2yr old at home full time who didn’t stop. Because I was doing it alone. God knows how people did it and worked.

My DC’s class are still catching up from the work that got missed in the last academic year. They’ve had 4 weeks out of the classroom since September because of positive cases. The worst possible outcome for them right now is more home school.