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Original poster

Primary schools in January

147 replies

IncidentsandAccidents · 22/12/2020 10:19

It seems pretty inevitable that secondary schools will close for a while in January, but what about primaries? The government's messaging is focused on mobilising mass testing but this was only planned for secondaries. Does this mean primaries will open? Or will they keep them closed and plan to test in primaries too? I know no-one has the answer but I'd be interested to hear predictions, especially from those working in primaries.

OP posts:
piglet81 · 22/12/2020 10:20

I think they’ll be closed (or move to online learning) but it’ll only be announced at the eleventh hour and will be a complete disaster.

Itisasecret · 22/12/2020 10:20

I think primaries will close too. The front page of the Telegraph suggests all schools until January. There aren’t even any masks in primary school! If it spreads amongst children, which anyone in a school can tell you it does. It would be negligent to open any school as they are set up now.

Itisasecret · 22/12/2020 10:21

@Itisasecret

I think primaries will close too. The front page of the Telegraph suggests all schools until January. There aren’t even any masks in primary school! If it spreads amongst children, which anyone in a school can tell you it does. It would be negligent to open any school as they are set up now.
End of January that should say.
Christmascheese · 22/12/2020 10:22

I think primary school will open back up as normal except for possibly in tier 4 areas.

TheDrsDocMartens · 22/12/2020 10:23

I’m preparing for schools closed except for key workers & exam years. I’m not taking any more face to face work until I know what’s happening.

Beebityboo · 22/12/2020 10:23

Regardless of what happens fines should be abandoned. You cannot tell parents the virus has mutated to infect children at higher rates and then fine them for not wanting to send them out to get infected. That is madness.

Autumnnightsaredrawingin · 22/12/2020 10:26

I work in a primary school in London and have one child in primary and one in secondary. We honestly have no clue about what’s going to happen.

Calledyoulastnightfromglasgow · 22/12/2020 10:27

Do we know it’s spreading amongst children? I am not sure we do.

Primary schools should stay open in my view or we risk losing some children altogether

Tangerines2021 · 22/12/2020 10:28

@Beebityboo

Regardless of what happens fines should be abandoned. You cannot tell parents the virus has mutated to infect children at higher rates and then fine them for not wanting to send them out to get infected. That is madness.
Agree with this.

Still feel we will probably send ours back though - no school is awful for their mental health and our work Sad

Everyone should have the choice.

BogRollBOGOF · 22/12/2020 10:32

My children need to be in school.
I will use the vulnerable card if I have to; one has multiple SENs, the other shows depressive behaviour when he can't interact with NT peers. After 5.5 months, he's been struggling with friendships and it will further harm him to keep him isolated from society.

ritzbiscuits · 22/12/2020 10:39

I wonder if more primary children will be in under key worker status this time?

We are both key workers, but last time managed our DS (age 7) working at home with split shifts, carers leave and annual leave.

None of that left now and the NHS expects my DH to be back on calls with mental health clients throughout the day. Our DS will have to go in whether we like it or not, otherwise we can't work.

catnoir1 · 22/12/2020 10:48

In Scotland our schools and nurseries are closed until the 18th of January with online learning taking place from the 11th.

EvilEdna1 · 22/12/2020 10:54

In the Primary School I work at in tier 4 we have had 4 classes of children told to isolate over Christmas due to positive tests. I really hope schools don't open in the same way as before.

ifonly4 · 22/12/2020 10:57

Just been having this conversation with DH. He's just said if there's anything is this variant being spread more easily/affecting children more, I can't possibly be expected to work in a higher level of exposure (200 children in lunchtime hall - we have to be within cms of them if they need us, as it's very noisy and you can't hear, also due to shortage of time we have to put away around them while they're eating). I need to go back for my own sanity, ie getting out/having company/seeing the children, but the stress levels are already very high amongst my colleagues.

RuleWithAWoodenFoot · 22/12/2020 11:00

When school closures were announced in March, we found out in the same way everyone else did. We were still all at school, sat in one classroom (!! I mean.. what we know now), staring at the TV same as the rest of the country. We don't get given a heads up, which is why we're all so bloody furious about it.

At least this time we know how to run things online.

BaileyBoos · 22/12/2020 11:04

I’m a TA. Fingers crossed they’re closed. I have three children also in primary, and I know they’re better off at school. The vaccine isn’t too far away but for now health trumps everything else I’m afraid, and the health of the teaching staff matters. I would quite like to be around for my kids....

Barbie222 · 22/12/2020 11:06

We'll hear on the 2nd or 3rd I reckon - get your ducks in a row now.

Glitterynails · 22/12/2020 11:07

Teacher and parent. Vulnerable category. I hope primary schools re-open but we really need to consider part-time attendance to allow for distancing. Some school will be better than no school for children, working parents and their employers!

Barbie222 · 22/12/2020 11:10

Short closure for all and then part time for all I reckon, until the majority of ecv have had vaccine. Hopefully only a month or two.

It's a nightmare but I do think it's partly one of our own making - at least all the people who felt schools should go ahead as normal and made their children available for the virus to spread around in.

3littlewords · 22/12/2020 11:21

@Barbie222 did you keep your children at home then and pay the fines for doing so?

ZeldaPrincessOfHyrule · 22/12/2020 11:22

DH and I are both primary teachers and in tier 4 - we have zero clue what's coming in January.
I'm sure we'll find out on Jan 3rd... Confused

noelgiraffe · 22/12/2020 11:24

They need to be looking carefully at this graph and figuring out why the yellow line has shot up before they make any decisions on primary.

Primary schools in January
Barbie222 · 22/12/2020 11:30

[quote 3littlewords]@Barbie222 did you keep your children at home then and pay the fines for doing so?[/quote]
I've been teaching in school throughout, feeling less and less listened to. What's your opinion of full attendance, no social distancing and no masks in school @3littlewords ? Is it still a good idea?

YellowPostItPad · 22/12/2020 11:32

They will close to reduce transmission.
The new variant affects kids a lot more than the previous COVID. They get it and spread it much more, increasing rates in the community and of course that results in higher hospital admissions further increasing NHS pressure.

Jenasaurus · 22/12/2020 11:32

Are nurseries also closing?