What do you think? Are schools going to be closed?

[mamamia2020]

We've just returned to the UK to live, my youngest is due to start his new school on 5th January. Big change, new country, brand new town. We're in a Tier 3 area. I know that it's all speculation but what do you think? I've been gearing my son up for his new school now thinking about adding the caveat that it might be delayed. I do hope whatever the decision it isn't left until the last minute...

www.gazettelive.co.uk/news/teesside-news/crunch-meeting-held-whether-reopen-19525748?ref=BNTMedia&utm_medium=facebook&fbclid=IwAR0nIDo3bQOuMbpRfY9MiPun9272DuWDmthepLXabmNC8tnAgPsNPiuH7N4

I'm thinking primaries which have thus far pretty much carried on as normal and haven't been included in any late returns after Christmas.

I’m really not sure! I think they are very keen to keep primaries open as usual but it’s definitely possible that they’ll be closed - my guess would probably be on a limited closure eg 1 month of online learning. That’s what I’m preparing myself for at this stage... but could be better (or worse)!

My guess is they will be closed but I have no idea really.

It wouldn’t surprise me in the slightest, but I doubt we will be told until the last possible minute.

I suspect they will.

Wales are tweeting to advertise for medical students with proning experience. I appreciate all of the areas are not equal but we cannot continue with this cognitive dissonance. We simply can't.

I hope they’ll be shut for several weeks here (Wales)

I can’t see them being open before halfterm

It will depend on new strain and how this is going to go after Xmas

But it’s mainly because I don’t trust the government

I think primaries will try and go back.. but it’s going to be carnage.. covid ravaged ours just before Xmas. The kids will be self isolating like yo-yos. I do partly think a 2 weeks lockdown for all schools might be a better way forward. Either way it will be a nightmare taking time off work.

I think they might close secondaries but try to keep primaries open for now. If numbers don't decrease then they may close primaries.

I think they need to close and we should have a proper lockdown for at least a few weeks, especially in light of the new strain. Ds’s primary was lucky to be Covid free until the very last week of term when it shot through one year group like wildfire. The one TA who is presumed to have been the person who brought it into school has led to at least 16 of the children that I know of testing positive. It’s infected our family of 6 too, and presumably a lot of the other children have also infected their families. Those numbers are just crazy, in our area cases have trebled in a week.

The Scottish Government have confirmed holidays are extended until 11th Jan and then at least a week of home schooling. So I presume the rest of the UK might follow suit.

@RigaBalsam

Wales are tweeting to advertise for medical students with proning experience. I appreciate all of the areas are not equal but we cannot continue with this cognitive dissonance. We simply can't.

That's not a good sign, tbh. Proning isn't done lightly.

I am so so worried about this. My children are in primary. I don't know the answer or what the best thing to do would be, but we live in a Tier 4 area with massive rates. Before the holidays, classes were dropping like flies.
I know my DH won't want to keep them off if the schools are open. We both WFH so it wouldn't be easy, but I just don't want to bring the virus home, which feels like it would be highly likely if they went back.
I wish the government would communicate any changes sooner rather than later. The uncertainty is horrible.

I just wish we could have more certainty the very last minute decisions make everything much harder

What do people think will happen to nurseries?

No idea and have mixed feelings. My two dc at primary school have been fortunate that they have had little disruption in their school. Small rural village school but tier 3, seems mad to close. However recent weeks I know more and more people close to us that have tested positive, two are primary teachers and one has been quite unwell. Since March I have known no one who has tested positive yet now it seems to be here.

I suspect they will go back, but for how long I don’t know. I tried to order school dinners online for one of them for the term as I usually do but it won’t go past week one which I thought might be a sign

No idea. My hunch is that they will be closed, but as per usual we won’t find out until a couple of days beforehand.

I have mixed feelings. Lockdown doesn’t seem to have done much apart from delay everyone getting it, but with the vaccine close it may be worth it. It’s a huge, huge price for children to pay though so I hope it’s not for long.

Well the invisible Gavin is, according to the Telegraph, fighting very hard to keep schools open. On that basis they’ll definitely shut. But it won’t be announced until after the Oxford vaccine (got to have something to distract from bad news, Boris can’t give unpopular messages without pie in the sky promises like Moonshit attached) - my money is late on Sunday 3rd.

I’m fairly gung ho about sending my kids to school but even I think the rates are now getting too high. No so much because I’m bothered about catching it, but there’s school staff living with ECV children, ECV themselves or just vulnerable and I don’t think it’s fair to expect them in in tier 4.

@MrsCorden

I am so so worried about this. My children are in primary. I don't know the answer or what the best thing to do would be, but we live in a Tier 4 area with massive rates. Before the holidays, classes were dropping like flies. I know my DH won't want to keep them off if the schools are open. We both WFH so it wouldn't be easy, but I just don't want to bring the virus home, which feels like it would be highly likely if they went back. I wish the government would communicate any changes sooner rather than later. The uncertainty is horrible.

I feel the same really. It isn't just the worry about them bringing home the virus, but one of our dcs has been sent for a test, sort of unnecessarily as school were so jumpy, (understandably), and has had two periods of isolation more or less back to back due to cases in class. At least if the schools close, we can take them out for exercise. It has been shit, for a usually fit and active child to be stuck in the house all this time. DC is only 6. I honestly think missing lessons is better than not getting any physical activity at all.

Our school has been quite good at providing lessons, but the pay off is that they push for kids to attend every one and for every assignment to be handed in. If parents are both working and have a few dcs at home, that's quite tricky to organise. Oh yes, they also asked for all dcs doing online classes to be downstairs beside an adult at all times, which again makes things difficult with younger siblings hanging around, bored.

It's difficult, whatever happens to be honest.

Genuinely have no idea but the uncertainty is awful. I'm desperately hoping preschools stay open, even more so than primaries.

My 4 year old was out March-Sept. Has an EHCP assessment in progress. He is already starting school substantially behind. Before lockdown the gap was noticeable but not as far. The gap has predominantly widened in his social skills (which were already behind). It would be devastating if he is off again

They must be. It wet through my Dd's London school like wildfire in last 2 weeks of term.

Sadly I think the primaries will be back, possibly a week late.
I think this is all wrong, they should be shut until we can get on top of this new strain virus and get more people vaccinated.
But no, they'll try to stagger on, not realising how small children are virus spreaders even if they don't show the same symptoms....

Yes, we are London area as well. It is fucking rife here. I don't see how they can reopen. Seems utterly insane.

I think they will be closed, which is madness for the North West. We had to send our children where there were 700 cases per 100,000.

Because the government can't see beyond London our schools will close when it's under 200 per 100,000. Some consistency would be nice!

I'm happy to homeschool again if needed, but people have been hit hard up here, it feels like we have been in lockdown or T3 for 95% of the time since March. People are really struggling.