Schools and LAs breaking rank to contradict stupid pathetic pointless government attempts to keep schools open.

[Bluegreen70]

Greenwich told schools to close, now Islington too, telling schools to close and not to reopen after Christmas. It’s come to this. People on the ground who can see the real situation overruling the government, who know nothing, understand nothing, and are living in cloud cuckoo land. Many schools are effectively closed anyway. Those that remain open are absolutely on fire with Covid infections. Staff and children are ill. Adults are dying. Children are being left disabled, bereaved, traumatised.. it’s total carnage here, and yet the imbecile nick Gibbs is instructing schools to remain open, and threatening legal action if they close. Has there ever been a minister of education responsible for even a tenth as much death and destruction?

not to reopen after Christmas.

I’ve not read this bit, have you got a link?

It was on the BBC

Children are being left disabled??

Maybe they will recover. Maybe they won’t. Who knows?

He said "if the government isn't careful these children will pass on the virus to really vulnerable people because the rules are relaxed" over Christmas.
"My message to the government is if you can't keep the schools Covid safe in the last few days before Christmas, it's better to err on the side of caution and revert to online teaching for these few days."

Finally, admitting they can’t keep schools safe. Yet, still don’t give a shit about school staff they are worried the kids will pass it to the elderly during the holidays where ridiculously families are allowed to mix!

I want this removed Too identifying. Writing while angry and upset. Bad idea

Not all schools are 'on fire with covid' though. I do think there should have been clearer guidance around closures after a certain % of individuals infected though.

Remember the Hull mayor who was desperate. And they wouldn’t let him close?

I don’t think schools are doing it to be awkward. I think it is genuinely bad in schools, and the government need to step up and acknowledge it.

Our schools arent "on fire" with cases though

Surely it makes more sense to close those schools that are under staffed and keep everything else open and our children educated.

"Children being left disabled"? What?!

Our primary school is limping on till the bitter end.

OP I hear you.

I'm not a teacher, just a parent with children in 2 schools in a high incidence area.

My DS has had COVID (test positive), and his whole class had to isolate for 2 weeks due to the number of cases. Then other classes. Now they are deep cleaning the school. Even before this, at one point he had 4 different supply teachers in one week.

My DD I think caught it from her brother (had the fever and symptoms but test negative) so has missed whatever was replacing exams. Half her year group has been isolating at times. She's had so much time off due to isolating and she's stressed as she's falling behind. She's also had chemistry teachers teaching English, and lots of supply teachers.

Both my DC were Ill with COVID. Like flu type Ill and it dragged on for weeks. Now I'm worrying about the MIS-C thing they can develop in the weeks after it. That scares me.

I'm trying to remain positive and keep what normality I can for them, but it's incredibly worrying.

I can't see how online or blended learning could have been any worse than the shitshow education has been since they went back.

DC’s Greenwich borough private school is staying open for the Juniors, because they are not ‘on fire’ with Covid. The Senior closed on Friday. I fully support the head.

Trying to keep
Schools open is pointless and pathetic?

Children are becoming disabled?

OP come on!

It is an awful time for schools.
Greenwich I understand PHE are on-board with the closures.

There is no need to over embellish and exaggerate what the problems are, this can diminish the message.

I did include some details of children in my school who have been left disabled, but asked MN to remove the post, as it was too identifying

Children being left disabled??? WTF?

You're being a bit dramatic and over the top. I agree schools should close early but saying that schools are on fire with it and children are being disabled is not really a true picture and pretty scaremongering. I live in one of the areas that has now got high rates, and have many friends that are school teachers, some in tier 3 areas. Their schools have had cases but has been well managed, and they feel fine about them being open. None of them has had it.

At least 4 schools in Greenwich are staying open though so the advice to close is not being universally complied with.

Are you talking about London schools specifically? DS's school here in the midlands is not on fire with Covid, there have been no cases since October.

There can't be a universal blanket closing of schools, it's not fair on those that are open and running fine with minimal or no cases. There are plenty of those too, Covid is not rife in every single school. Targeted areas could work for those schools that are struggling.

The problem is you can't do right for wrong.

6 months ago mums net was in uproar because schools were closed and people were trying to childcare while working which doesn't work. They were rightly struggling.

Now mums net is in uproar because schools are open and people are getting ill, teachers not coping, and everyone is struggling.

Our school isn't on fire with Covid (and I had it, and caught it at school). We've had about 10 cases, with only 4 actually being caught/infectious in school (others caught while at home isolating from family members) , and about 5 further cases among staff. There needs to be some guidance about when to fully close, and power given to SLT and trusts to make the decision.
I would be furious if our kids' schools closed, namely because I would be still expected to work from home (school admin) with my kids there, and homeschool them. I worked through my coronavirus, huddled on the floor, my office phone delivered to my door, very unwell. I ran my school's November mock exams from my sick bed.

What would be better is if they allowed schools some authority to actually prevent the spread: exclude secondary school, non exempt children who refuse to wear masks; authorise us to insist on tests and see the results when kids present with symptoms; and proper PPE for teachers/ support staff.

The whole system is a joke. I agree that the decisions should be being made at a local level. And the next phase of this debacle will be how incredibly unfair the summer exams will be on those who have missed so much school.

Schools are not on fire, children are not being left disabled, stop being so melodramatic.