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

[RaeburnPlace]

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

@OpheliasCrayon

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

It's to do with contact tracing. School staff (heads) need to be available to help establish contacts for up to 3 days before a student or staff member developed symptoms if there's a positive test.

By the time peope decide to arrange a test, get tested and receive the results this could result in heads working on Christmas Day. Some school terms don't end until part way through the following week, but even 18th is tight.

Maybe they realize that people will not send their child in for that last day anyway so suggested doing this?

Thinking about it really they should finish so that any contract tracing is done by 22nd
23rd people are allowed to mix and if someone has travelled 4/5 hrs to relatives and gets a message their child needs to isolate due to a school contact do they think people will come back
A few days of school end of term isn't going to matter considering how much they have missed

DC's school said a while ago that they were not going to do this. Unless the DfE makes them I don't think this will change.

And yet we will still be open on the 22nd in parts of Scotland. 🥴

Fascinating the idea that the head would do the contact tracing anyway. My DH is a deputy and would definitely be the one sorting this!

I will be sending my child in on the 18th Dec if school is open.

In Scotland, do the DoE expect schools to do the track and trace for them though?

And some Scottish parents are absolutely up in arms about having the cheek to even propose an early closure. Glad to see sense on this thread!

I'm not sure Piggy. Our HT seems to contact the city council though and they made the decision (I was sent home this afternoon to isolate, child tested positive).

I thought most schools were finishing on 18th anyway depending on INSET days - ds finishes on 17th although the last week is now online lessons.

Maybe it depends where you are in the country.

errr....what about working parents? if this is true what are we supposed to do for this unplanned day?

@Oddgirlout

Fascinating the idea that the head would do the contact tracing anyway. My DH is a deputy and would definitely be the one sorting this!

It should be the PHE surely when school staff are off, its a disgrace that its ever been a consideration! I assume it will still be the case in Scotland? It is absolutely disgraceful that school staff should be expected to do this on their holidays anyway, never mind on Christmas Day Surely there is no reason why school staff shouldn't be able to send PHE a seating plan for the affected class(es) and let them crack on! I really hope your DH is able to get a break!

No DiE up here @Piggywaspushed. However Public Health are indeed expecting our HT to be available for contact tracing on Xmas day. It’s completely incredible. My last day teaching will be the 22nd of December, at a stage where there is no social distancing whatsoever.

And I say that as someone who is definitely working Christmas Day, but I will be getting paid for it and its an expected part of my job. Christmas Day working is not an expected part of the job for any school staff

That sucks monday. Schools have been so taken advantage of.

My dd is still working on the 18th

My DCs school were breaking up on the 17th Dec anyway. Nothing early about it. The term dates were published last year.

It's irrelevant currently - they have so many staff ill and year groups isolating they have had to close anyway.

Oh no it’s my daughters class Xmas party in school tv that day & my last day of peace before they finish! Ah well. I’ll wait to find out.

Once again, a decision that has been made far too late and announced at the last minute! Well done DFE, well done.

Imagine being the Academy trust who said they would close early only for the DfE stepping in to say they couldn't.

And now the DfE are saying this.

I'd be pretty pissed off if I had kids at those 30 odd schools, who I'd rushed to get child care for only for it to be stopped if I was NOW hearing this.

Dickheads.

One breaks up on the 17th and one on the 18th

What is this concession?

They can use the last day as an inset. But they have to take it instead of another inset day from 2021.

It's nit as generous as it seems considering they've already asked teachers to work 6 days unpaid for T and T purposes.

It’s not generous, it’s the DfEs weasel response to headteachers saying they won’t work at Christmas. They’re saying ‘make the last day an INSET then and take the flak from parents yourself’.

I hope that heads continue to not play ball. Billions given to Serco for this, they should be doing it.

So my school isn't taking it as an inset but I've had an email to say my dc school is! Ridiculous! No childcare that day like lots of other parents so I think I'll be off that day too....