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.

And if kids are off until the 11th, does anyone think they’re going to be sat at home in isolation for that week?
Teenagers will continue to socialise. Many parents will have to use family and friends for childcare. It will still be spreading in that week.

I'm not sure what you are driving at here? Yes this will happen. It won't be prevented by xtra time off.

papaelf Absolutely. And a planned closure only adds to the absence.

Maybe I’ve been lucky but both my kids have been back since August and not off once

@papaelf

*And if kids are off until the 11th, does anyone think they’re going to be sat at home in isolation for that week? Teenagers will continue to socialise. Many parents will have to use family and friends for childcare. It will still be spreading in that week.*

I'm not sure what you are driving at here? Yes this will happen. It won't be prevented by xtra time off.

yes, that’s exactly what I was saying. I was agreeing with you.

Fine shut the schools for a week in jan.

Just keep them in a week longer in July.

And provide some form of safe childcare so I can continue to produce food/nhs staff can work/supermarket staff can work.

Why on earth are we not being more flexible with when the kids are in. It's ridiculous.

Yes, teenagers will continue to socialise, but the majority are surely likely to be socialising in a small group of the same friends. That's different to being in a randomly allocated class grouping.

flowerycurtain I’ve replied to a few posters who are in favour of this as to what people who work are expected to do. I’ve not had a single reply.

@DollyMixtureLulus

Yes, teenagers will continue to socialise, but the majority are surely likely to be socialising in a small group of the same friends. That's different to being in a randomly allocated class grouping.

Yes, so they’ll pass it amongst the group of friends. That friends will then go in to school and spread it around the classroom.

*that group of friends

Yes, so they’ll pass it amongst the group of friends. That friends will then go in to school and spread it around the classroom.

Not if schools are shut... or if schools are at least shut long enough for one of the group to develop symptoms.

Yeah, it sounds like a great idea to let everyone mix at Christmas, risk the vulnerable we've spent all year trying to protect, and then make things really difficult with childcare by shutting the schools for longer.

Do they not even stop to think about how parents cope when the kids aren't in school?

@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.

I am not in Scotland but this 100%.

I don't know any other business where there wouldn't beca major investigation into leaks at this level

@Peppafrig

I understand people saying what will they do they have no childcare etc but isn’t it better than getting two weeks isolation sprung on you when it rips through schools. Possibly multiple times. My nephew has now had to isolate twice for two weeks. With no notice for childcare. My own kids had missed two weeks so far.

Do you honestly believe that one extra week off will have any meaningful impact on future isolations? I am sorry, but that is very naive.

Far more mitigations in schools would be required to have any actual impact on the rest of the school year.

Trouble is, everyone's view on this is coloured by their own situation, usually to do with childcare, but also the challenge of getting children of whatever age to focus and engage with Home Learning.

Just for argument's sake, set all that aside and think about what the bottom line best way of reducing societal spread is, over the next 8 weeks or so. If we knew ( as we do, actually ) that there was an institution where spread was rising exponentially, with little to no safety precautions possible (or being adhered to, in practice), what would the obvious response be? To shut down those sources of infection, of course. However inconvenient that might be.
This idea (re: school holiday dates) is NOT about giving teachers an extra rest, ffs!

CallMeAngelina Yet there is a poster who is saying that there are teachers she knows who are thinking of pulling sickies so they can enjoy their Christmas?

No wonder I’m getting fucked off when I read that AND now don’t know what to do if an extra few days are added to the holidays. (And from what I have read it is a holiday)

@CallmeAngelina

Trouble is, everyone's view on this is coloured by their own situation, usually to do with childcare, but also the challenge of getting children of whatever age to focus and engage with Home Learning.

Just for argument's sake, set all that aside and think about what the bottom line best way of reducing societal spread is, over the next 8 weeks or so. If we knew ( as we do, actually ) that there was an institution where spread was rising exponentially, with little to no safety precautions possible (or being adhered to, in practice), what would the obvious response be? To shut down those sources of infection, of course. However inconvenient that might be.
This idea (re: school holiday dates) is NOT about giving teachers an extra rest, ffs!

The benefits of closing down any ‘source of infection’ would always be balanced against the risks of closing down that same source of infection. In this case the government have decided that the benefits don’t outweigh the risks.

I think the "extra week" thing is a bit misleading - it would add up to a week but this year many regions are in for the Monday and Tuesday then off (Christmas Day being on the Friday) and then returning on the Wed after new year. I would not be crying about my dc missing any of those days, in terms of educational disadvantage.

Arrangements for childcare for young children: I can see the problem there, and I think the government should facilitate some form of paid leave if required (assuming no care for key workers' dc, which there might be).
If we are in school, it's so close to Christmas that remember you could get the call on Christmas Eve saying your child had to isolate, and any Christmas plans you might have made would be cancelled.

@Nicknacky

CallMeAngelina Yet there is a poster who is saying that there are teachers she knows who are thinking of pulling sickies so they can enjoy their Christmas?

No wonder I’m getting fucked off when I read that AND now don’t know what to do if an extra few days are added to the holidays. (And from what I have read it is a holiday)

To be fair, that may well be nonsense. I heard a thing on the radio the other day and teachers sick days are actually low compared to other public sector occupations, particularly in England. So I suspect very few teachers do actually 'pull sickies' in that manner.

Average sick days for teachers - NI 10 days, Scotland 6 days, England 4 days (Wales wasn't mentioned). I found it interesting.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-55049904

@LindaEllen

Yeah, it sounds like a great idea to let everyone mix at Christmas, risk the vulnerable we've spent all year trying to protect, and then make things really difficult with childcare by shutting the schools for longer.

Do they not even stop to think about how parents cope when the kids aren't in school?

Children are the parents responsibility, down to the parents to cope

Mistressiggi It would be four days for me in total so one day short of a week.

And the issue isn’t if leave is paid or not, my work couldn’t cope with having parents off all at once.

Oh and school had announced they are closing early anyway.

I don't think any teacher needs to pull a "sickie" to be off work; just have a telephone appointment with your GP and describe your current levels of stress and you'd be signed off.

Trouble is, everyone's view on this is coloured by their own situation, usually to do with childcare, but also the challenge of getting children of whatever age to focus and engage with Home Learning.

Not at all. I don't need childcare. Home learning? We do what we can. My view on this is not marred. If anything I enjoy having mine at home. I'm counting down the days until the long weekend next week because I love those relaxed mornings and not having to do the school run of a cold afternoon. When they were off for months I really loved the break in the stress. My situation is easier than many and certainly isn't the basis of my opinion here. The Government have handed out permission to mix over Christmas and are planning to make our children miss out on their proper education, which is a lot more than simply learning academically, in order to minimise the consequences. Bollocks to that.

PrivateD00r Hopefully is is bravado talking and no teacher would do that.

IceCream I cope just fine with my children but how do you expect me to be in two places at once?

Mistressiggi And that perfectly understandable if that’s the case however that’s not what the poster said.

Just for argument's sake, set all that aside and think about what the bottom line best way of reducing societal spread is, over the next 8 weeks or so. If we knew ( as we do, actually ) that there was an institution where spread was rising exponentially, with little to no safety precautions possible (or being adhered to, in practice), what would the obvious response be? To shut down those sources of infection, of course. However inconvenient that might be.

The obvious response should have been not to tell everyone to go mix at Christmas. However inconvenient that may be.

I live on my own and I've not seen my parents since last January. They're having elderly relatives (none of whom go anywhere any more) for Christmas so I'll spending Christmas on my own if we finish when we're scheduled to, on the 22nd.

I was sorely tempted to be ill that last week. I won't, because I have a huge guilty conscience, but I'm not surprised that others would.