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.

Not read the whole thread and assume this has been mentioned but if not the guidance for yesterday’s announcement is that other than the staggered secondary return schools will be opening as normal, even in tier 4.

It's worthless, on Wednesday, Bozo definitely wasn't going to cancel Christmas, it only took three days for that to turn out to be BS.

You can’t have family spending Christmas Day together but you can have 30 odd people from 30 odd different households spending 6 hours a day, 5 days a week together in a small room.

Surely it's obvious the reason education continues is because it's a need and the calculated risk is it's worth it. Sitting next to someone while you both eat turkey is a want.

That people haven't that figured out yet is why we're in such a mess.

Like all other grand schemes I can’t see the mass testing to work particularly well.

If there’s a u turn then it’ll be Sunday evening on the 3rd!

Online learning in secondaries for the first week of Jan for most students.
Same as Greenwich wanted to do.

But Greenwich wanted to move all of its schools to online teaching, including primary schools (and including Year 11/Year 13);

This didn't help, BBC -
"Ark Greenwich Free School, which has the same autonomy as an academy, said the secondary would be remaining open."

"The head teacher Rhys Spiers took to social media to tell parents they had not had a confirmed case of coronavirus at the school since October and "our teachers are in school ready to warmly welcome your children to lessons".

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-55298095

And yet they allowed it in Tory-run Basildon.

Basildon infection rates were the third worst in the country at the time;

"the borough has seen an alarming infection rate spike over the weekend - rising from 508.5 in the seven days up to December 7, to 613.8 in the seven days up to December 9."

www.echo-news.co.uk/news/18941856.basildon-covid-infection-rate-rises-600-cases-per-100-000-people/

All the unions have said that they will support schools in not working on this over the holidays and only look at it once term starts. On 4th Jan.

I think the government guidance says that schools can use an extra INSET day on the 4th January to help prepare.

Basildon infection rates were the third worst in the country at the time

Greenwich also had alarming increases and are in Tier 4 a week later.

It appears that Gav made a disastrously wrong call there doesn’t it?

We don't have an INSET day on 4th Jan, clav.

Those schools that already do, it won't be extra.

Perhaps you can help me to understand what this means.

Schools are safe they have a magic ring of fairy dust around them that stops Covid getting in.😀

We haven’t got any inset left now. We used it up to close early last week as we didn’t have enough teaching staff to open safely.

If the government couldn’t sourt out testing over 6 months how do they expect schools to do it in 24 hours. I find if disgusting the way the government bbc ect have treated our teachers and school staff.

We have asked parents if they wouldn’t mind taking their children to our city’s rapid testing facility though but although my school hasn’t been open fully to all years since the 3rd week in Sept I don’t hold out much hope.

I’m bloody amazed I’ve stayed Covid free!

They need 3.3 million tests for first week of going to test all students. Are people aware that care homes are still waiting for their tests ? Promised months ago but never arrived.

I’d like to know what happens when you can’t educate at home
I’m in a key worker industry but not an actual key worker. Although I might be able to push for it that would seem wrong (eg think office not surgery)
My husband is similar with his (transport but not deliveries)
So we are stuck WFH with high needs kids fir different reasons (1 had additional needs but no statement and 1 is super bright and the work takes them 2 seconds - they will pay attention to teachers not us)
We are rural and our wifi can’t manage all us on line (we had a week where iso kids were over lapping)
We don’t have enough devices and also can’t supervise them
It totally and utterly broke me over summer but it was just what we all had to do
Last iso phase killed us all
I cannot do it again but can’t work out what the solution is
We can’t have leave from work due to the industries we are in being at peak due to both pandemic and Brexit
If we quit a job either guys we would be financially perilous
What are people doing in this situation?
No family or support
Already at 60 hours a week work
Thanks

I’m not affected because I’m in Scotland but would support industrial action

Schools in Scotland haven't broken up for Christmas yet? Has Nicola Sturgeon budged on that?

Greenwich also had alarming increases

248 (at the time) compared to Basildon's 600.

@WingingWonder

I’d like to know what happens when you can’t educate at home I’m in a key worker industry but not an actual key worker. Although I might be able to push for it that would seem wrong (eg think office not surgery) My husband is similar with his (transport but not deliveries) So we are stuck WFH with high needs kids fir different reasons (1 had additional needs but no statement and 1 is super bright and the work takes them 2 seconds - they will pay attention to teachers not us) We are rural and our wifi can’t manage all us on line (we had a week where iso kids were over lapping) We don’t have enough devices and also can’t supervise them It totally and utterly broke me over summer but it was just what we all had to do Last iso phase killed us all I cannot do it again but can’t work out what the solution is We can’t have leave from work due to the industries we are in being at peak due to both pandemic and Brexit If we quit a job either guys we would be financially perilous What are people doing in this situation? No family or support Already at 60 hours a week work Thanks

DH and I are teachers. We can’t accept a school place as we need wraparound which our children’s primary doesn’t supply (we teaching to timetable). We don’t have an family. We stuck the kids on tablets all da and try so their school work at 6am and 7pm.

Sorry for all the typos. Contacts out!

Clav so you don’t think Greenwich should be in Tier 4?

Or were Greenwich better at reading the trend than Gav?

@DonnaScozzese: "Surely it's obvious the reason education continues is because it's a need and the calculated risk is it's worth it. Sitting next to someone while you both eat turkey is a want."

So far as the virus is concerned, that doesn't actually matter. It will spread in either environment, regardless of whether people "need" to be there or just "want" to be.

@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.

The government? You mean the UK government?

@DonnaScozzese
Surely it's obvious the reason education continues is because it's a need and the calculated risk is it's worth it.

If the risk was even remotely calculated there would be more measures in place to stop the spread of the virus.

There seem to be a lot of people (my MIL included) who think that they are vaccinating kids in January. They're just testing them (with tests the care home manager I know, said weren't fit for purpose when they trailed them)

@FrippEnos I'll say it again. Not every school is the same. The school I am in has worked really hard to mitigate the risk and a combination of that and luck has paid off.

DonnaScozzese

My school has also worked hard.
The two other schools in the area also worked hard.
They weren't as lucky as where I work.

Luck isn't a calculated risk.

If the government gave a shit we would have a track and trace system that worked leading to SI for any close contacts that didn't rely on seating plans to work.
and schools/teachers would be higher on the vaccination list.

noelgiraffe
Clav so you don’t think Greenwich should be in Tier 4?

Equally I could ask why you posted;

"And yet they allowed it in Tory-run Basildon."

4 hours ago;
Basildon in Essex has the second highest rate [in England] up from 566.2 to 924.7

I didn't say luck was a calculated risk. I said keeping schools open is worth the calculated risk however well calculated you deem the risk to be. Same goes for hospitals and supermarkets. These things are necessities of life. Education is a necessity for our children.

I have a DD in Year 7 who hasn’t had to self isolate yet. She is in a private schools with loads of Covid secure measures in place.

She was tested for Covid in September at our cost in school, they tested the whole school (all teachers and pupils and support staff). One case all term right at the end of term in Year 11. Surrounding area is a Covid hot spot.

I don’t think my DD’s school should be mandated to do online learning. Our headmaster will tell everyone when he thinks that would be necessary and I trust him more to know the school than the government. Just as we have trusted him to tell us which classes our DD should have to wear a mask in due to either a vulnerable teacher or other child etc. Just as we all paid up for the test in September- a few people grumbled about it, but then did it.

I do not understand the fuss so many people are making to introduce Covid secure measures or tests. The teachers in our school all helped out with the tests. The school community came together. Parents, teachers and heads need to work together on this one and trust each other. In our school, if the vaccine were privately available, I bet the community would come together to ensure the teachers got it by paying for it.