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.

How about just not framing your OP title as a definitive factual statement

* No longer a national priority to keep schools open*

There's an awful lot of denial on this thread that the government closing secondary schools for the first week of Jan (with some exceptions) represents a massive change in policy and opens the door to further closures.

@Hellotheresweet

How about just not framing your OP title as a definitive factual statement

* No longer a national priority to keep schools open*

Did you not read the DfE document?

They have changed the wording. It no longer says that it's a national priority to keep schools open. It says it is a national priority to keep education open.

That is a definitive and factual change in wording from an official government source.

@TheHoneyBadger I do work with vulnerable children. Maybe I'm just a bit more naive or less war-weary than you understandably sound but it sounds like we both want to prioritise vulnerable children, whatever our emotional reaction or approach is.

@noelgiraffe

There's an awful lot of denial on this thread that the government closing secondary schools for the first week of Jan (with some exceptions) represents a massive change in policy and opens the door to further closures.

Not at all

There is an awful lot of speculation and as you can see it’s not useful

So you say.

As I say, you can’t demonstrate evidence of this change. It’s all based on your recollection of the document.

* There is an awful lot of speculation and as you can see it’s not useful*

She can’t. I genuinely think she can’t grasp that fact.

you can’t demonstrate evidence of this change

The DfE went from taking court action against schools moving online to moving schools online themselves within a week and you don't think that's a change?

Wow.

@noelgiraffe

you can’t demonstrate evidence of this change

The DfE went from taking court action against schools moving online to moving schools online themselves within a week and you don't think that's a change?

Wow.

Source??

I’m all for debate and discussion

But I tend to like the premise to have a compelling source

Ooh it’s almost like there has been a call to arms. It’s pretty easy to spot the posters who didn’t read the thread at all and have an U4T agenda.

So much denial and projection.

The legal action was because schools acted outside the remit of the law.

Now everyone is on holidays so no point!

The legal action was to stop early school closures

Again - the inaccurate spouting of “facts”

If you are referring to me, I did read the thread. I am not affiliated with U4T but I wholeheartedly support them.

I read the thread and commented not on the original point but on the many, many posts in the thread saying that schools should be closed and shifted to online learning. Some on this thread said that should be for ANOTHER YEAR. Just No!

@dividedwefall

If you are referring to me, I did read the thread. I am not affiliated with U4T but I wholeheartedly support them.

I read the thread and commented not on the original point but on the many, many posts in the thread saying that schools should be closed and shifted to online learning. Some on this thread said that should be for ANOTHER YEAR. Just No!

Oh, I’m shocked!

@dividedwefall

Shocked that people on this thread want schools closed for a year. Those of us who are single working parents, have children with disabilities and don't have family help really struggled through the six months last year but we did it for the greater good. Now some of you want schools closed and remote learning to save a few more 80 year olds, while more businesses close and more people lose their jobs?

I live in an area that has been in some form of lock down or other permanently since March and has very low and decreasing rates yet is still in tier 3 and suffering from crippled businesses. Hardly any cases in schools, and no cases that have had symptoms more than the common cold.

I feel horrified that a handful of paranoid, anxiety ridden probably left wing financially comfortable parents are agitating for more school closures. Don't you even care about the impact on your own children, Never mind those children from less fortunate families or who find these unnecessary significantly more difficult than you?

Anyway, it is a moot point as it was discovered that schools were never 'legally' shut down and just advised to close. That means in areas where cases are very low government can't blanket close schools again with making it law, and that will be subject to legal challenge.

1. I don't particularly want schools to close.

1. BUT we are clinically vulnerable and I want my kids to have parent/s

1. Schools were never actually shut, honey they were open to keyworkers etc

4 Go campaign for schools to be safer if you want them open, it's a better directed use of your efforts

5 and if you meet anyone from UsFuckingThem tell them to do one please

Great news, schools should absolutely be included in future lockdowns, what’s happened so far hasn’t worked!

to save a few more 80 year olds

wow

@Piggyinblankets

to save a few more 80 year olds

wow

True U4T colours in this thread.

Oh please - now we need to screen shot guidance because the government won't highlight the changes they've snuck in and people won't believe it without evidence it's changed.

Jeez. Who knew we had to have back up evidence of what politicians have said to prove they've changed what they said rather than them treating us like adults and honestly acknowledging that they've changed their approach.

I hope every U4T twat enjoys trying to get 5 hours of independent work a day out of children who are not developmentally capable of it. They can give themselves a big pat on the back and say, at least we stopped them having rotas.

@dividedwefall

If you are referring to me, I did read the thread. I am not affiliated with U4T but I wholeheartedly support them.

I read the thread and commented not on the original point but on the many, many posts in the thread saying that schools should be closed and shifted to online learning. Some on this thread said that should be for ANOTHER YEAR. Just No!

Right, I just did a search and find. ONE person has suggested this. They are of course entitled to their opinion.

However, MOST people have been suggesting again and again that schools need to be made safer. As they have no funding for infection control and no room to socially distance.

It is a bit late, but it is certainly still possible to make a start on this.

We need to look at how state schools can occupy more space and move to smaller classes. It is still worthwhile doing this, even though it would have been better to have started it earlier.

We might need to go on line for a bit, given the current situation. And CEV families need to be allowed to have their children at home and to have some support with this.

I think we all need to pull together, we need more money for schools, we need volunteers, we need appropriate testing and we need funding for that.

We don't especially need Us FuckingThemOver, harping on like a scratched record, thanks.

@Hellotheresweet

* There is an awful lot of speculation and as you can see it’s not useful*

She can’t. I genuinely think she can’t grasp that fact.

Come again?

I am not part of Us For Them, as I have already said.

I totally agree that children who are CEV or in families that are CEV should have been allowed to stay home without fine or penalty. Very shocked this was not the case.

Maybe my view is coloured by the fact that we know people who tested positive just because they were tested as part of a national programme. We don't know anyone who has HAD COVID, we don't know anyone who has tested positive with more than a sniffle and we certainly don't know anyone who has died from it.

And because the stats are massively skewed in favour of COVID (deaths within 28 days of a +VE test, a test over which there are significant concerns about false positives) the true scale of actual illness and death, especially in younger people, is impossible to know.

For that reason, the very harsh restrictions we have been living under in some parts of the country are totally disproportionate to the reality around us. And that's why I cannot stand seeing these posts wanting schools closed to children again. It is all downside, no upside when you live where we do.

It is disgusting that on other threads you refer to covid as a 'cold' and that here you refer to saving a few more 80 tear olds.

I know someone who had their tongue removed and both legs and one hand , if that helps? Not 80.

I also know someone who died.

I fear it is you who needs some perspective.Or to go over to the various covid denier boards. Although these do tend to get deleted.

@Hellotheresweet

The legal action was because schools acted outside the remit of the law.

Now everyone is on holidays so no point!

The legal action was because schools were moving online for safety reasons and this was unacceptable to the DfE because safety reasons didn't trump DfE directive that keeping schools open was a priority.

Now the DfE have decided that safety trumps keeping schools open and are closing schools for safety reasons themselves. Within a week.

If you are happy with the DfE throwing their weight around just because they technically could when the schools involved are now in Tier 4 so might have just had a point about safety, then there's no point in discussing further with you.