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 should start by saying I’m a massive proponent of keeping schools open.

There seems to be a big thing in the media about end of Feb and most people being vaccinated. Gavin Williamson talking about how difficult to open up. It feels like we are being softened up. I imagine there will be an announcement on 30th. My prediction:

I think years 11 and 13 will be back in.

Also nurseries and Key Stage 1 (on basis these children are far more risk if left alone (parents working) as shouldn’t be unsupervised).

Keyworkers and vulnerable children

All other children online. We will be told till review after 3 weeks, but it will ultimately be 6.

Kids back in after half term when a huge proportion of vulnerable people vaccinated.

The latest I saw in the Times today was that teachers are going to be prioritised for the vaccine along with healthcare staff as a way of keeping them open i suppose. But who knows what will happen prior to that. Of course doesn't help parents in some ways though if they are vulnerable - unless they will get it soon also.

[quote Mumofsend]@FoxinaScarf in all sincerity unless an individual can confirm they literally only go between school and home and back again there is zero way of suggesting they caught it at school versus anywhere else they have been. Teachers aren't magically only able to pick up the virus in school. Stop it.[/quote]
I certainly caught covid at school. I left school on Friday and went home , our first positive result on Saturday morning. So the whole class in isolation. Over the following week 6 of us tested positive. It took 7 days for my symptoms to appear.

Whatever is decided, it will be announced via the media, at the last minute on a Saturday or Sunday evening.
It is fucking appalling.

I'm in one of the areas with the highest infection rate and I don't know what the answer is. If we open as usual, it will doubtless be no time before either my class have to isolate or my DC's class have to isolate and I have to take time off so I can't teach my class. There isn't anyone to cover me. Either way, it's highly unlikely this term will be education as normal .

I don’t know but I hope we find out before the 5th!!

I think they need to bring back frequent briefings.

We've been told for so long that teachers magically can't catch covid in schools. It makes me feel better to see more public support now that people have realised teachers ARE catching it at school and are getting very very ill, due to the lack of protection or distancing. Makes us feel less alone.

What happened to their mass testing plan, has that been scrapped?

Im in a tier 2 area, my kids school have had no cases and they've been so happy at school, it will be devastating if it needs to close. The local secondary has however had a fair amount of cases.
I hate the thought of education being disrupted again. My DS struggled going back to school after lockdown, he gets anxiety leaving me after a long time.

I think atthe moment mass testing is still the plan

@Orangeblossom77777

What happened to their mass testing plan, has that been scrapped?

Seems there still working out the finer details before they share it with schools

@Orangeblossom77777

What happened to their mass testing plan, has that been scrapped?

Still being talked about. Well this morning anyway, but it was a random MP

@StealthPolarBear

I think they need to bring back frequent briefings.

They really should

Although I think Johnson has lost interest, and is bored of being the deliverer of bad news.

That's my local paper!
I'm coming round to the idea primary might be working online in January.
I'm pretty certain the secondary return will be delayed further than the 11th Jan already announced.
I dont think the mass testing announced at the end of term can be implemented in the numbers /method announced.

I'd prepare your son that he might not be walking into his new school on the 4th.

@ottertail

We've been told for so long that teachers magically can't catch covid in schools. It makes me feel better to see more public support now that people have realised teachers ARE catching it at school and are getting very very ill, due to the lack of protection or distancing. Makes us feel less alone.

This. I know so many teachers who are literally just going to school and home, not even food shopping, and they have most definitely caught it at school.

The bloody months we have had to put up with 'they probably caught it at the shops' when it was obvious to anyone brave enough to be in a school at the moment exactly where they caught it from. The government knew it too. That is why they updated guidance on how to cope with staff deaths due to Covid in the educational sector before our return in September.

How do we choose between educating our kids and doing our jobs?
Both DH and I have insanely busy jobs (my is connected to healthcare and medicine distribution) but neither have key worker status.

Last time DC1 did almost no work and we spent the whole time stopping DC2 going mental from the isolation. DC1 is in the middle of a critical year with exams due in January. FFS.

@ottertail

We've been told for so long that teachers magically can't catch covid in schools. It makes me feel better to see more public support now that people have realised teachers ARE catching it at school and are getting very very ill, due to the lack of protection or distancing. Makes us feel less alone.

Yes this , and children in my class passed it on to their siblings / parents and grandparents to.

Considering our local hospital has sent out begging messages for medical staff, I'm really hoping schools are not open until things are back on a less dangerous footing.

@StealthPolarBear

I think atthe moment mass testing is still the plan

Using tests with an efficacy rate of less than 50%. That's going to go well eh? Oh and getting rid of isolating contacts just use the unreliable tests instead. That's before all the logistics of trying to get 4,500 secondary schools to implement it.

DS is due to go to nursery in January. Me and DH are key workers but we don't actually need nursery for childcare, just for the social aspect due to him being around no other children his age for the best part of the year, it'll be so shit if he can't go, cases here are like 200 in every 100,000 ☹️

@StealthPolarBear

I think they need to bring back frequent briefings.

Yes, 100% they should do. It seems like everything is very haphazard at the moment and that Boris has been totally distracted by Brexit.

I don’t think schools will be going back. I hope teachers who have caught codv can sue the government. The government have gaslighted everyone. Codv can get in schools, schools aren’t a magic place where codv can’t enter

I think they need to bring back frequent briefings.

Yes and actually have a schedule of them so the public know when to expect them rather than all the press leaks about a potential announcement etc..

Mass testing for school children will never go ahead impossible to implement. Another crazy brainstorm by Gavin and borris.