Schools in England closing earlier to pupils (17th December)

[RaeburnPlace]

DfE announcement today...last minute. Thought families might appreciate knowing.

Was probably even too much (if that’s possible) for the DFE to expect headteachers to be doing track and trace at home on Christmas Day.

Oh they fully expected them to, starry and heads were planning to refuse.

@StoicWalrus

Our school is open to the 22nd so not sure how this helps.

I wondered this too

Ours finished on 18th anyway, probably half day haven’t looked yet

noble of course, think I had a moment there

Our school hasn't said anything yet!
Meant to break up that day anyway.

Another Helpful DfE announcement!

@christinarossetti19 I'm not a teacher and my kids are too old for school but I feel sorry for teachers. Must be a nightmare. I visited a care home today and I was looking at a poster while I was waiting to go in, it was giving details of all the things a good employer should be doing to keep staff safe. Not alot applied to schools.

@StoicWalrus

Our school is open to the 22nd so not sure how this helps.

They have also suggested schools who had planned to open that week bring forward the end of term to 18 Dec (with 18th being an Inset), but that would mean either going back earlier or taking the days off another holiday - very clear that it must not affect teaching time.

We had a text message from our school about this earlier today.
It said that the last teaching day before Christmas would be Thursday 17th, following new government advice.
I’d got the impression that it was a compulsory thing from the DoE rather than an optional inset day TBH.

@LostAcre

We had a text message from our school about this earlier today. It said that the last teaching day before Christmas would be Thursday 17th, following new government advice. I’d got the impression that it was a compulsory thing from the DoE rather than an optional inset day TBH.

That was fast! Will check emails.

But you’re right it was just an option not guidance.

My school have always planned to use the last day as an inset anyway

@LostAcre

We had a text message from our school about this earlier today. It said that the last teaching day before Christmas would be Thursday 17th, following new government advice. I’d got the impression that it was a compulsory thing from the DoE rather than an optional inset day TBH.

That might be how your school has chosen to communicate it but what it actually says is

"To ensure that staff get the time off they need and deserve, schools may wish to use an INSET day, making Friday 18 December a non-teaching day and using the day for staff training, which could be delivered online. Where term would normally finish in the week commencing 21 December, schools may wish to consider adjusting term dates to make Friday 18 December the last day of term (which could be an INSET day), and bringing forward the start of term in January by the same number of days.
In all circumstances, teaching time must be made up at another point in the academic year. You should not limit attendance at school before Friday 18 December. It remains vital for all children to be in school up to the last day of teaching."

So it's all at the schools' doors again.

"

Our school plan is to finish later than normal due to covid - we'd normally finish at lunchtime on 18th, but due to buses and staggered end of day we were told yesterday that we are in until normal home time on 18th.

We've got yr 11s sitting mocks that day

Hope our locals schools coordinate any decision on this as I'm not sure how I can do my secondary job if my primary aged kids are not in school

DS' primary was already finishing at 1.30pm on the 18th.

It is not an additional INSET day. It's a moved one from 2021. However, most schools plan their INSET in advance and for specific reasons. This is too short notice for schools and parents. The better thing to do would be for the expensive track and trace system to do the work they're paid for instead of making head teachers do it!

@RaeburnPlace

DfE announcement today...last minute. Thought families might appreciate knowing.

Announced what?

So glad you posted this as it was on one set of news but I missed it in the next. Was beginning to think I was going a bit ...

@BlackeyedSusan

So glad you posted this as it was on one set of news but I missed it in the next. Was beginning to think I was going a bit ...

That's because it isn't actually news until you hear what your school have decided to do about it

No DfE published guidance as yet, though the emailed daily update includes the detail. It is optional to break on the 17th. Schools may decide to return earlier in January ( though for this returning on the 3rd of January, not an option. Teaching day to be made at another point in time.
schoolsweek.co.uk/dfe-finally-reveals-christmas-contract-tracing-rules/

We have always been finishing on 18th at lunchtime

Our school was always scheduled to close 17th

Interesting about schools who were planning to open that week being suggested they bring the end of term forward. Ours can't bring the start of term forward any further, I don't know if there's a future holiday they could claim it back from though.

How is this any different? My daughter finished on the 16th and my schools the 18th? What's the relevance of a day?

Should of considered breaking up week before or allowing those that can do online to do and less would be in school so easier to SD
Going to be so many annoyed if they end up isolating over most of xmas as child has been sent home
All my ds other things finish on 16th so toying keeping him off 17th/ 18th anyway just to give us a few extra days so we don't get a text xmas eve telling him to isolate when we are already at my parents