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

No. Not a single case in our middle sized primary. 5 cases in our huge secondary. Caught and contained, parents being sensible. A blanket policy makes no sense at all. Also, I'm a medic in between jobs. Due to be starting the next one mid Jan. If my kids are not in school I'll push the start date back. And don't try and advise I take up the key worker places. Tried that last time. Littlest is still behind due to being left to get on with it by herself at a desk all day. There was no actual schooling in school. So if they're closed I'll keep them home and actually do stuff with them and the NHS will be another staff member short.

I actually agree that in this instance, leaving the decision to as late as possible will be for the best (it will give more time to analyse the data. As PP have said, today is 9/10 days since kids were last in school so we need to see how the rates are over the coming week to get the best idea how effective closing schools will be)

Its an utter pain in the arse to be told at the 11th hour but I can understand why this could be the case.

FWIW I'm tier 4, no cases in the school until the last week but then it exploded. I also WFH and have a toddler. I don't want to home schol but I will if need be and I'll accept it at the last minute as well.

I've ordered printer ink, some work books for my 6yo and 8yo and we have plenty of reading books.

Margot I'm well aware that closing schools will damage childrens' education .

There's no easy answer ,and the data can't be reduced to a simplistic numbers stay the same = keep schools open .

No one is asking children to "pay" ,it's a balancing act .The spread must be limited and children in schools the way they are at the moment will increase the spread to the vunerable ,

I'm keeping my 4.5 year old off even if they do go back

I wfh and it won't be easy but I am not prepared to risk his health, his father's or my own. There are too many unknowns about this virus including long term cardiac damage.

Honestly? For the duration of time to get the vaccine rolled out I sincerely hope so. I am so worried its minimised. I speak as a teacher and as a mother. I really am worried about going back to school and my kids going back. This new varient seems to be a game changer.
I think cases will sky rocket.
I am in Scotland and the unions have already been threatened with strike action. The children have until the 18th January at the least to be on. Both primary and secondary schools are doing online learning in that time. I really think this is the only way.
I reckon that i will be similar to March here for th e time being but who knows. Its last minute decisions for us too. We d o have the hubs for key workers and vunerable children.

they have until the 18th to be off.

Health trumps education.

What would sending children back mean?
Its not business as usual in schools.
If the varient spreads, childrens education will be sacrificed by default.
Along with that, they will spread it far and wide.
Hospital beds will fill up as cases soar.
I dont think there is an option.

The children have until the 18th January at the least to be on. Both primary and secondary schools are doing online learning in that time. I really think this is the only way

Scotland do seem to have the right idea here.

Yes, as a teacher we are all required to go back without the children but i do believe it will be to organise things better for online learning. It will also be to ensure the provision of hubs.

That does pose issues for teachers and childcare but they are classed as keyworkers so i will reckon teachers will be ensured a space for their children but who knows!
My dh works from home so it wont be an issue for me thankfully.

Not one case in our primary 400 children. A few in the secondary but Conwy cases consistent low anyway

That does pose issues for teachers and childcare but they are classed as keyworkers so i will reckon teachers will be ensured a space for their children but who knows!

As a two-teacher household with primary-aged DC, it would be impossible without key worker places. My personal worst option is part-time rotas - if DH and I have to go in full-time but our DC are only allowed in part-time. We could manage financially if one of us just gave up our job for a while or went part-time but that would leave our classes without teachers at short notice, even if contractually we were allowed to do it.

I work in a London ICU. It’s fucking grim and getting rapidly worse. It is going to be worse than March. Completely think schools need to close. I have 4 school age children, one with SEN. The first hard Lockdown was incredibly hard but seeing what my hospital is like and watching the numbers in London rising together with increasingly anxious emails / network meetings I just do not see that there’s any choice

@justasking111

Not one case in our primary 400 children. A few in the secondary but Conwy cases consistent low anyway

Was that not before the new varient? I dont think you can compare.

@lavenderlou

That does pose issues for teachers and childcare but they are classed as keyworkers so i will reckon teachers will be ensured a space for their children but who knows!

As a two-teacher household with primary-aged DC, it would be impossible without key worker places. My personal worst option is part-time rotas - if DH and I have to go in full-time but our DC are only allowed in part-time. We could manage financially if one of us just gave up our job for a while or went part-time but that would leave our classes without teachers at short notice, even if contractually we were allowed to do it.

In this case, here in Scotland you would get a place because you are both keyworkers and teachers.

@Xigris That sounds awful 😢 I just wish the government would actually be honest and upfront about things to allow parents to prepare.

To pull out the old key worker child list and start contacting them again/contacting all other parents to ask if they are now key workers and need a place and make staffing rotas.

We have already been asked about keyworker places at secondary and had to let them know by Monday gone.

I’m a secondary teacher and assuming schools will be open.

@Xigris

I work in a London ICU. It’s fucking grim and getting rapidly worse. It is going to be worse than March. Completely think schools need to close. I have 4 school age children, one with SEN. The first hard Lockdown was incredibly hard but seeing what my hospital is like and watching the numbers in London rising together with increasingly anxious emails / network meetings I just do not see that there’s any choice

@Xigris what patients are you typically seeing? It was reported last week on the news that admitted covid patients are getting younger, but don’t know how true that is in practice

Risk assessments occur for cake sales, money handling, ingredient lists... To keep students and staff safe.

I cannot fathom how they could send dc into schools in this current situation like this having done risk assessments.

It's not just the risk of dc catching covid it's the strain on the back up services of more people catching it.

Hospitals clogged up and use able when we need them most.
For the sake of a month or 6 weeks when we have the tech to keep them at home and out of circulation, I can't see how the government could justify anything else...

I really don't.

@Xigris I'm very sorry about what's happening in London. It sounds truly horrendous and I hope you are OK. But we are not in London. There is no justification for a blanket policy.

Fother, this is what I cannot get my head around, for a large majority of students we have the Internet, smart phones etc to keep education going... Smoothly at home without interruption...

@Mumofsend

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

@Mumofsend Your son may be able to attend even if the majority are not, children with an EHCP in progress can be considered under the Send arrangements. My two Send children have different needs, so one will stay at home if schools close but the other will go in under the Send category.

We're preparing to go back. I really, really don't want to move to online learning. It just means that so many of my pupils will not be accessing my content at all, or at best very sporadically. Teaching in a deprived area, many of our parents live chaotic lives, already disengaged from education, or don't speak English, or can't read and therefore can't accesd the emails with instructions for how to access Google Classrooms, or have just one device in a household of 7, or have no wifi; the list goes on.
I'll be gutted for their sake if we close to all but key worker, vulnerable and PP pupils.