No longer a national priority to keep schools open

[noelgiraffe]

The government has surreptitiously dropped its priority to keep schools open.

It has replaced it with a priority to “keep education open”.

Remote learning is now a viable alternative to keeping schools open (as opposed to last Monday when it was a matter for the high court).

In the DfE media blog, tweeted earlier today regarding the delayed start to term in January they say:

“ Is this an extension of the Christmas holiday?

No, this isn’t an extension of the holiday and we haven’t asked that the start of term is delayed.

All students will return to education from the first day of term. Secondary school and college students should learn remotely for one week except those in exam years, vulnerable young people and the children of critical workers. It remains our national priority to keep education open and we are not closing education for any period other than during the set holiday periods.”

Interesting development.

Hancock was very cagy on this precise matter on Marr this morning.

@noelgiraffe

Doesn’t look like they attached. I know they sometimes appear later.

It’s definitely a conscious shift of language. That, combined with blaming school leaders for not getting testing running quick enough, will be how they delay the start of term to some/most pupils without having to admit it’s due to their own errors. “But remote education is still keeping education open” You can see it coming on the DFE’s propaganda machine, sorry, Facebook site, with the promise of more laptops.

I’d take it over scrutinising a tweet.

What tweet? It’s a DfE document in the OP, backed up by the fact they have closed secondary schools to most years groups in the first week of Jan.

It’s in response to this?

In the DfE media blog, tweeted earlier today regarding the delayed start to term in January they say:

“ Is this an extension of the Christmas holiday?

When you read that tier 4 quote do you immediately dismiss it?

Yes, Marsha.

If you read my long post that you decided not to, I’ve already given my thoughts on why they will have to reconsider on 30th December.

@DonnaScozzese

If this new strain proves to be more infectious and just as serious (that bit still unknown) then the whole approach needs to change. Vulnerable and elderly need to shield. Kids and young people cannot take more of the hit.

Many school staff are vulnerable or live with someone who is. So are some students and many of their families.

It does not actually necessarily take that much staff absence to close a school and if you have, say 5 staff already shielding in a large secondary, then you could easily be tipped over the edge into closure for an outbreak.

It is really clear that schools are driving transmission. If schools were open differently, then more normal activities could also go on.

Keeping schools open at the exclusion of everything else - particularly when the new strain is thought to spread more in kids and teens is not a long term workable strategy..

Ok well up to you.

They actually pay people to come up with this shit eg. start saying education, not school. A bunch of overpaid arseholes will have sat around brainstorming with french pastries to come up with that one.

marsha they have changed nearly every infographic they ever produce without ever telling us, hoping no one will notice.

The schol tier system heralded in August: vanished. The famous much mocked Nando's chart : pooof!

We aren't in term time atm so they can easily write that . And then alter it. They change schools guidance constantly without highlighting the changes.

Noel's 1984 quotation was entirely apt.

I wasn’t asking if there was a statement specifically saying no longer prioritising schools, obviously the government wouldn’t do this ...
Has anything been released at all for England ? Never mind I’ll have a look later.

Hopefully @MarshaBradyo

It needs to be assessed individually.

What are you looking for, specifically, pom?

The schol tier system heralded in August: vanished. The famous much mocked Nando's chart : pooof!

Yep, and they hope Joe Public won't notice.

Piggy yes things change but this had been a very strong commitment and reading that very recent tier 4 statement I see no change.

There’s no point in waving around tweets or whatever to me anyway. Official policy stands as it was. As much as people are looking for change.

Anyway I’m not up for speculation so I’ll wait for school / official policy.

Official policy stands as it was.

Nothing is as it was. They have moved to online learning the first week of January nationally. That is a massive change in policy.

Again see bolded commitment ok I’ll put it again

Schools and colleges will remain open during term time in Tier 4 areas. The Government will continue to prioritise the wellbeing and long-term futures of our young people. It remains very important for children and young people to attend

What had changed?

A word in a tweet or blog or whatever

That’s it!

Crazy

What had changed?

Bloody hell Marsha you keep telling me that the phrasing from the DfE is meaningless while clinging to the as yet untested statement from the government, ignoring their actual action in closing schools,

You can no longer rely on the government to keep schools open.

I more convinced by what I quoted than what you are finding.

I will wait and see. Zero point in speculating.

It’s like your actively pursuing a change in policy.

That just isn’t there.

Could be come in. But not now.

People have been saying this since September

Every week people said you wait etc etc

So still the same on here. Not going to stress what’s the point?

Bit off topic but fancy telling a generation of kids that if they can't attend school their long term futures are ruined?

What a depressing notion. It's more like they are terrified of anyone thinking outside of the box and changing any of their values or approaches because the whole house of cards might come tumbling down or without schools hiding every social, health and economic problem within its fences people might see the utter state society and its institutions are in.

People are all heart broken that abused children are stuck at home instead of going fuck me we have kids who we know are being abused being left living with their abusers as the norm now? Or we have kids who might starve if they don't go to school because their parents don't or can't feed them? Or we have households so on the brink of poverty and workers with so few rights that a few days of one earner having to take time off to look after their children could break them?

I think it shows how much of a wound there is if the idea of taking the plaster of schools off exposes such devastation.

I’m in tears reading this. My children NEED an education that they simply don’t get from online learning. I nearly had a nervous breakdown juggling work, childcare and online learning in March. I won’t do it again so I’ll most likely lose my job (DH earns more than me). It’s easy to see how this would create a poverty spiral and an education gap between the children who either go to private schools or have one SAHP plus the appropriate level of internet access.
I can absolutely see that online learning will be back in January. I really don’t know how vast swathes of parents and children are going to cope with this.

@Pomegranatespompom

Is this all speculation? I can’t see an official statement.

All of this is 100% speculation. Some people here are more forceful with their arguments than others, but it's all still opinion.