I keep hearing talk about school closures....

[november90]

Which is just talk at the moment, no facts behind it (or at least I don't think so!).
Does anyone know if this will likely be secondary school or all schools and nursery's? DS1 is currently in preschool which he absolutely loves! If it closed for the rest/majority of the school year I would be devastated for him!

Tier 4 here. Depends where you are.

Schools are the final thing here. Transmission has doubled in a week.
What else is there to close to reduce transmission?

@november90 I’m in Scotland and schools are now closed until the 18th, no cases in my DC school since they went back on august and my area has just moved to level 1 but being plunged straight to level 4, I’d like to see the rationale

[quote AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii]@november90 I’m in Scotland and schools are now closed until the 18th, no cases in my DC school since they went back on august and my area has just moved to level 1 but being plunged straight to level 4, I’d like to see the rationale[/quote]
The rationale is its a new mutation. Its spreads faster so has implications for schools and transmission.

We're in London and with a heavy heart we are assuming the schools, primary and secondary, will be online at least for the first few weeks of term (due back on 4th). No official news yet though. Will be a work/childcare nightmare, all over again.

No point of worrying about it since nothing is certain. At least I think we are lucky our dc isn't in exam years.

The transmission rates are quite scary. I can’t see that they will have much choice if things continue as they are.
When schools originally went back there were tiers put in place (not the same as the national tiers) and the current situation more than justifies moving up at least one tier towards part time or full time remote learning.

I'm in Scotland. I can't see them going back to the classrooms on the 18 January. It's like businesses moving to WFH. Why invest in online learning if you're not going to use it? I'd say February half term at the earliest - more likely to be Easter. I'm a key worker (not WFH) but both parents have to be (or single parent) to get a keyworker place, so home learning falls to DH and we're waiting to see how "understanding" his employer is this time round. DD was sent home today with a reminder of her online log-in details. Dropping this on the Head Teachers two days before the end of term is shit.

It's really unclear at the moment. If tier 4 doesn't work then I am pretty sure they will close the schools.

I have an exam year (GCSEs) DS - it's so worrying and unsettling for him and his peers. I'm trying to keep all this in perspective but it's not easy. Online learning is ok but nowhere near as good as he'd be getting in normal times, plus motivation wanes after hours behind the screen. It's a crappy situation.

@JamMakingWannaBe I don’t think they can leave schools closed for so long without alternatives for parents to work. Not as many will be able to work from home this time around e.g. construction etc or furloughed as they were In March. It’s stressing me out as I am NHS but DH is agricultural engineer who wasn’t classed as a key worker to begin with in March but the criteria changed as time went on and his job then was classed as a key worker. Thankfully he was furloughed for 6 weeks to begin with but will not be furloughed this time and we can’t afford for him to take unpaid leave indefinitely. We are rural so childminders are thin on the ground especially for 2 DC and my current childminder has an SN child who she will need to homeschool

Yes my son will look forward to sitting his GCSE’s in 6 months time, having not managed to cover all the syllabus.

I think it is pretty pointless to worry about this as I doubt that even the government know yet. It will depend on local numbers after Christmas. FWIW I think based on track record it will be a last minute decision. I have actually decided to wait before preparing lessons as I suspect there will be changes and I don't want to plan for face to face only to find I then need to change to online. It would be helpful to know in advance but that isn't the way this government operate. They simply can't cope with any more bad news stories so I think that head in the sand will prevail until the last minute.

Exam years have to take priority. Frankly, as long as every year from Y10-Y13 (obviously equivalent names in other parts of the UK) is back, I'm not that bothered about the other years from an educational perspective, although it's a still a worry from social and emotional perspectives.

How would you feel if you had a DS/DD doing A-levels, like I have, or GCSEs next year, if you're this anxious about a pre-schooler?

We are in south east (tier 2) and just got the email from the school and the school will only open for 11& 13 and for the children of the key workers 4th -8th and the remaining years group will be going back from 11th January. Still waiting to hear from my son’s primary school.

@AlaskaThunderfuckHiiiiiiiii surely agricultural engineer is a key worker?

Farmer here. When our tractor or packing equipment break down the engineers we ring are pretty essential. Cos you know, this country has such stable food supplies and all that!

We are London tier 4 secondary remote learning until 11th Jan and nothing from primary as yet.

@CremeEggThief Year 10 are in a woeful position right now. From an educational perspective they're all missing out!

Surely if they close again they'll have to pull the exams.

Agree exams must take priority they will affect rest of the person's life.

Much easier to space out those years without the others in.

I really think however with this mutation that may affect children more they also need to consider the actual health safety of our children too.. They have a duty of care to keep then safe on the school site...

@flowerycurtain he does something with farm buildings, has a fancy machine that marks out levels and carries out repairs etc and that is his job title. I asked for a place at the hub back in March and was refused as it wasn’t on the list, the company actually closed for 6 weeks and furloughed staff, more to do with the fact they couldn’t get supplied of concrete etc as they had all closed as well. Most weeks DH ended up being called out to repairs and had to go once I got home from work (work in community 8.30-2) and had to go and finish a sheep shed as the farmer was desperate. Having looked at the rough lists for this time it doesn’t appear to be on again 🤷‍♀️ But he will not be off this time

11th January is nothing... 2 or 3 extra days off to fire break a pandemic level surging virus mutation.

@JamMakingWannaBe

I'm in Scotland. I can't see them going back to the classrooms on the 18 January. It's like businesses moving to WFH. Why invest in online learning if you're not going to use it? I'd say February half term at the earliest - more likely to be Easter. I'm a key worker (not WFH) but both parents have to be (or single parent) to get a keyworker place, so home learning falls to DH and we're waiting to see how "understanding" his employer is this time round. DD was sent home today with a reminder of her online log-in details. Dropping this on the Head Teachers two days before the end of term is shit.

Easter will never happen. I agree perhaps to February half term, depending on what your LA gives but to Easter, no way.

@PandemicPavolova it’s 2 extra weeks here, meant to be back on the 6th jan now not back until the 18th

I think they probably will if they have more extended time off, @IHeartThistle, especially as the remote provision offered and levels of attendance will vary hugely.

I work in a secondary school. They won’t close in my opinion. They will close everything else to try to keep schools open. Even with the staggered return, the majority are still coming in one the 4th (approx 900) because the government are trying to keep as many in as possible therefore their list of who should return as normal is quite long. No need to worry I don’t think.

I guess you're in England? Because it isn't just talk in Scotland. It is a fact. Our schools (nursery/primary/high) are closed in Jan for an extra week and then its online learning for the following week. I assume that will end up being extended if this new strain is an infectious as they assume and if it infects DCs as much as adults, which Reuters are reporting.