Govt attempting to force schools to remain open with court order, against advice of PHE

[Bluegreen70]

Just that.

I've never hated any politicians so much

Time In the case of children from vulnerable households, it is THEIR call whether to continue going into school. The whole school should not close just to accommodate a few children. It is ridiculous.

The schools should by now have a coherent policy for at risk families (ours does) and the school runs every day whatever happens.

I am sure there will be an almighty uprising if NHS workers can no longer work because there is no childcare available, and people die because there is no one to care for them. So lets be smart about this, schools stay open. At risk families with children have the option to stay at home. It is not rocket science.

Hate the Government too, I fully support the schools doing this, let's see what happens today.

I didn’t mean to benefit shame - I meant that if this goes on much longer I will lose my job and my only fall back will be benefits - I don’t need to be on benefits - I’m not who they’re meant for at this point in my life! Benefits have a valid reason for existing but it shouldn’t because schools keep closing and it’s impossible to hold down a job whilst home schooling!

Don’t be so over sensitive!

If you are that worried about thousands dying we should be cancelling the five day multi generational mixing planned over christmas, not close the schools a few days early!!

Beeb reporting that this might be reviewed
Ministerial statements are currently along the lines of 'do much less than the maximum permitted'

Even down to the scare stories. No one will be fooled by this hearsay. Anyone anywhere can set up a twitter account and say their kid has long covid. Despite no scientific facts to back up the claim.

Stop scare mongering. It is futile, and weakens your case. You would be better off campaigning for more testing within school settings.

[quote Rosehip10]@middleager Brilliant, a twitter account that can't even spell "Patient" right in their description. Again, people simply saying "their kids have long covid" is not evidence for it.[/quote]
My child had Covid. He was really knocked about with it and is still struggling weeks later. Therefore, I like to hear what other parents' experiences are.

Belittle it all you want.

I think the Government have taken the line that children don't spread the virus and that schools are safe. Now they are unable to back track on that despite it being totally obvious this isn't the case.

It seems ludicrous to take this action for the sake of few days.

Although having taken a local authority to court over my own child's education needs the Government is going to be amazed at the level of procrastination and bumbling that can be achieved. If this was my LA it would be January before they fully understood what was going on much less complied with anything🤔.

Benefits have a valid reason for existing but it shouldn’t because schools keep closing and it’s impossible to hold down a job whilst home schooling!

That's why we need considerably safer schools

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/10/children-regressing-and-struggling-mentally-in-lockdown-says-ofsted

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/nov/14/it-was-damaging-him-the-spiralling-number-of-children-refusing-to-go-to-school

www.fenews.co.uk/press-releases/59612-ofsted-warns-of-risk-to-children-out-of-sight-during-pandemic

www.gov.uk/government/news/ofsted-children-hardest-hit-by-covid-19-pandemic-are-regressing-in-basic-skills-and-learning

Lets talk about the damage that HAS already been inflicted on the nation's children shall we? I have attached the links with the latest one below.

www.telegraph.co.uk/global-health/science-and-disease/coronavirus-news-covid-london-tier-3-essex-rules-vaccine-variant/

Our children are being damaged both in the short term and the long term by closures.

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Isn’t it Germany or Holland that have closed their schools for 5 weeks?

British exceptionalism again.

The Netherlands have just announced a 5 week lockdown over Christmas

Perhaps they have learned from the US post-Thanksgiving surge, which followed people travelling to family gatherings?

If we did not have the support of the government, schools would never have opened at all.

Definitely one to bear in mind when you read threads like this.

Some people on here wanted to keep the schools closed indefinitely (on full pay of course) back in magicland where children's education and well being come at the bottom of the list of priorities.

@houseinthesnow

If we did not have the support of the government, schools would never have opened at all.

Definitely one to bear in mind when you read threads like this.

Some people on here wanted to keep the schools closed indefinitely (on full pay of course) back in magicland where children's education and well being come at the bottom of the list of priorities.

You just keep providing evidence for the true reasoning for your arguments- feeling sad for you now

Our children are being damaged both in the short term and the long term by closures

Exactly why we need considerably safer schools.

And brief closures (3-4 days) are immensely easier for families to deal with than 10 days in isolation. With cases doubling every 4 days in Greenwich, that would have definitely meant new cases arising during that last week of term, those DC and their households and closest contacts being in isolation for much of their Xmas holiday (and most/all of the mixing period), and possibly the school closing anyhow if it became unsafe to operate at all (insufficient staff, supply unavailable)

And when schools close, only those DC notified to SI have to stay in. Other parents can use childcare.

This is a no-brainier set of circumstances!

A friend of mine teaches in an Islington primary, but her school aren't closed as they're part of a MAT.

She's not in anyway, as both of her children in two different schools in a neighbouring borough are SI due to 'close contact' so she's having to do what she can from home as single parent with no other childcare.

Some people on here wanted to keep the schools closed indefinitely (on full pay of course) back in magicland where children's education and well being come at the bottom of the list of priorities

I really don't remember seeing that (other than in posts where it was being set up as a straw man argument) and I spend way too much time on MN

I have seen hundreds of posts about how to keep schools open more safely

I despise this government but I think this legal action is right, you can't just have some schools packing it in for weeks on end while others stay open. Let them close until mid Jan and they'll find another excuse to extend it a few weeks...then "just" until Easter...then "just" until summer.

I'm still amazed at how many people seem oblivious to the fact that viruses can have long-lasting effects. It's still relatively early in this virus' life and way too early to be proclaiming that children are being left "permanently disabled". I'll wait for the medical reviews on that thanks, not a random Twitter account.

How’s this for a real life anecdote......

My friend’s family have just all caught Covid from the secondary school. They live in Essex and have 3 children across 3 different schools. For the last 3 weeks they have had constant emails about positive cases and groups being sent home. On Saturday one child started feeling ill with a temperature and a cough, got them tested and result came back positive last night.

I spoke to them on the phone last night and the whole family is in pieces. The mom and dad both work from home, the dad is vulnerable and they haven’t really left the house since March apart from to go for walks in the countryside. They were told that schools were safe. The child who brought the infection home is in bits even though they have assured them it is not their fault. Imagine the guilt of that! I’ve just spoken to them again and they have had a sleepless night. Despite isolating the infected child as best as they can they have all started with a cough this morning and the vulnerable dad is feeling very rough. They are off to test shortly.

I am so so angry at what this government has done. If this family loses their Dad they will never recover. He is the main breadwinner and the child will have to live with the knowledge that they passed the virus onto him. This is the reality of the government choosing not to make schools safer.

How convenient that you should miss the months and months of raging threads between parents and teachers on the reopening of schools.

This is just more of the same.

Everyone can see it!

I expect it will rumble on until the summer.

The teaching unions need to be seen to be creating value for teachers after all.

Sod the children and their education, mental and physical health, well being and their future can go to hell as far as the unions are concerned, they are in this for one reason, and one reason only and it definitely is not for our children's benefit!

I think long lasting damage has been done tbh in terms of trust

I don't think I missed the threads. I read lots, but of course may have missed some.

I do think that - in the main - they are often misrepresented as calling for schools to close, despite posters saying repeatedly that was not what they were saying and continuing to explore how to make schools safer (and looking back, we can all see that was the case)

@houseinthesnow

The teaching unions need to be seen to be creating value for teachers after all.

Sod the children and their education, mental and physical health, well being and their future can go to hell as far as the unions are concerned, they are in this for one reason, and one reason only and it definitely is not for our children's benefit!

I think long lasting damage has been done tbh in terms of trust

Can you actually show any union taking this stance?

I know it's all too easy to demonise the unions, but if you look at what they are actually saying (not what the Mail would have you believe) they are calling for safer schools so that pupils get their education and school life with as few disruptions as possible