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

[quote Rubyrubyrubyred]@itsgettingweird special schools have been told they will be absolutely last to close even beyond primary schools. I doubt they will[/quote]

If that's the case, all staff should be a priority for vaccination.

• higher staff to pupil ratio

• on average older staff (more than all other schools according to ons data, and definitely my experience)

• much closer physical working environment with both pupils and other staff. Eg physical handling or physio, medical stuff, changing etc.

• no masks, partly as some pupils need to see faces, lip reading, some get upset (though actually, very few. My kids would be fine if staff wore masks and many wear in taxis.)

• most pupils arrive on taxis. High risk for spread (we had transmission this way.)

• some pupils cannot work with supply staff they have such complex behavioural needs.

Neuro you've taken my thoughts from my head.

I actually do believe they have to stay open as most vulnerable families.

But it's that risk factor again.

They aren't lower risk. So how do we decide what school staff are put at risk. Which pupils are out at risk?

I'm glad I'm not a head teacher and never plan to be one (I'm not even a teacher )

@MargosKaftan

Before all declaring schools being open will kill us all, shall we wait to see if numbers drop this week now schools have been shut for over 10 days particularly in tier 4 where we cant mix outside of school/work.

If schools are as key to keeping numbers down as some on here are certain, from today there will be significantly fewer confirmed cases of covid 19 in tier 4 areas.

If the numbers don't drop, then its not schools that are the problem. (Although I do wonder if less people will bother testing if they are still off school/work for another week and stuck at home anyway.)

Schools across the whole country haven't all been closed for 10 days. Some local authorities in Scotland kept schools open (or Mr Swinney did) despite the health boards and unions begging them to close because of scarily rising numbers. These schools closed at 2.30 on Dec 23rd. Just in time to pass on the virus in the allowed mixing on Christmas Day.

Update (of sorts) from the Guardian here

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/dec/28/coronavirus-michael-gove-reopening-englands-schools-will-involve-trade-offs

To add:

•more pupils with health issues.

The guardian is useless on all this. Gove didn't say that, Farrah did.

Have we had an actual update that schools are going back as planned after the meeting yesterday ? I don’t think we have but the news I’m watching implies it’s all same as was planned.

Update I saw is they are deploring 1500 Army personnel to support schools and be on the phone to help if needed and provide on phone advice and training.

Issue solved then

I’ve just read the cabinet is split, those who want to follow the scientific advice to lock down and those who wish to ignore it.

Once again it’ll be dragged out while parents are in limbo about what to do for Jan.

BBC now confirming military to step in helping schools with mass testing.

Teachers confused and panicking at how this last minute idea will actually play out.

What a shit show.

So sick of this. Will someone just make a fucking decision. Either I am going into school to teach Year 11 and 13 for a week, and teach other years online from school (where all my books and many of my resources are) before being shoved back into the plague pit until I’m dead/off sick for months/ vaccinated, or I have to pull half a term’s online teaching for every year group out of my arse by Monday.

This ‘military help’ is a fucking shit show, for sure, and just so the government can claim they are ‘sending in the military’. 1,500 personnel for THOUSANDS of schools. What bollocks.

It's worth pointing out as well that all these decision makers are men who have never had to forward plan for the care or routine of their own children. Some of them don't even know how many children they have.

They weren't split about giving themselves an extra week off, though. No national debate about that.

@Barbie222

It's worth pointing out as well that all these decision makers are men who have never had to forward plan for the care or routine of their own children. Some of them don't even know how many children they have.

Totally!!

I thought the news had been decided and I'd missed it all.

It's stressful enough as a parent not knowing how to plan for the next few weeks.

It's a total nightmare for the teachers who will be spending their much needed break double planning for both online and class teaching.

Really hoping they keep primaries fully open from a selfish point of view

Technically the army aren't "going in" though. They're phoning up and giving webinars from a safe distance because....... wait- aren't schools safe orsomething?

I agree that most MPs have never had to concern themselves about school arrangements or childcare in general or ever set foot in a school in years , probably.
The stress the schools were under pre Christmas was bad enough , now all this uncertainty too.
Gavin Williamson doesn't seem the sort to stick up for teachers or the other staff either. They just want them open as it's a vote winner : all they are interested in.
Plus they will say the military will come in and have them filmed in a couple of schools and hope the public doesn't dig too deep into the actual story of no help at all and only u tube videos shown of how to 'swab and test a teenager safely ' etc.
they know there isn't enough army personnel to go to every single school.

I thought the military personnel would be supporting on line?

Imagine how children will feel to turn up for tests in army field camps on their school field!

Army also need to be tested on the ground before setting foot in school

The report says that children are to swab themselves!
What a fucking shit show.
Absolutely shocking for teachers.

They are saying not likely to be face to face. Just for online support!!!

Yes looks like the testing will be done by volunteers or ‘staff’ in school but saying not teachers.
The army will be on the phone to help.
Not sure who these ‘staff’ are who don’t actually already have a job to do in the school. Or where all these volunteers are going to come from to roll this out.
Shitshow indeed.

They should not be having schools back with numbers the way they are. They need to reduce the numbers first. NHS is going to be deluged.

School were spreading the virus
The new varient is way more contagious
The NHS are already on their knees
This is before flu season.

What the hell are the govt playing at?

@Fortherosesjoni70

School were spreading the virus The new varient is way more contagious The NHS are already on their knees This is before flu season.

What the hell are the govt playing at?

Indeed but nobody is listening it seems. I heard an argument on the radio today about schools and it was the same old ' teachers should get on with it attitude