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

In Scotland our schools are closed until 11th then online learning until, at least, 18th. But I can see it being longer.

I'm holding mine back for at least another week if they force them in.

They have not even expanded testing criteria!

One is due back on Thursday and the other is on line.
One has an important exam at the end of January and she needs to learn! It's such a ridiculous situation to be in and it's all based on smoke and mirrors and lies.. I wouldn't mind if any of us in settings recognised good measure that have been implemented. Most people can see in reality with an airborne disease they are not fit for purpose, its cold, people don't want windows open and now we are told its even more infectious and yet jenny harries says wear a mask in a crowd...

And... Breathe....

@TheGreatWave

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.

We too have been told to inform school if keyworker . Remote working until 11th jan , i can't see them going back then . Everything they have done , ie masks , 2nd lockdown etc has been leaked beforehand , i think they are doing the same with schools too . Must admit even though i'm not too worried about the virus , [actually i haven't a clue about what's real or not ,u turns etc ] i prefer for my child to be at home.

Adult,

Our vulnerable pupils with the same issues have been given multiple lessons in class on how to access Google classroom themselves? Why hasn't your school done that?

Some places did this way back in march in anticipation of lock down.
It's really not hard after a few tries, I work with students, some have quite severe sen, dyslexia, autism etc and after a few sessions they were fine.

We reached out to the school community for tech, plugged holes and students were called and then their parents if they did not appear on line and it was logged and repeats were treated like any other time etc. Every student attended most of the time.

The lateral flow tests are better nothing. As an NHS worker, we are using them twice weekly and no one is meaning about them. Detecting half the positive cases is better than none. So they would be valuable in schools.

*moaning not meaning

@DecentHour

The lateral flow tests are better nothing. As an NHS worker, we are using them twice weekly and no one is meaning about them. Detecting half the positive cases is better than none. So they would be valuable in schools.

Well, I will have to disagree here.

I think replacing self isolation for positive contacts with letting them come into school anyway and using the lateral flow testing is a huge mistake.

My NHS relatives who are using these twice weekly at hone, are not using them to replace self isolation.

Decent yes they would be useful for mass testing as you say, better find some than none.
But the plan for schools is to use them instead of isolating for close contacts of positive cases.

Oh look. Child rates have fallen while schools have been off. As have their parent age groups. Particularly in the South East.

I can't bear the schools to close again.

I'm a carer for oldest disabled DD and have always wanted to homeschool as schools are shit for SEN (IMO).

We loved the homeschooling aspect of lockdown. But - my god - I never realised how much my kids need their friends to stay sane. We tried to go for walks as much as possible. But lockdown was awful for their mental health even though I know that's become such a cliche.

Whenever we've had to self isolate since the kids have some sort of syndrome (there must be a name for it) where the trauma of lockdown comes flooding back and they go all weird again. I do too. We have it now sort of being in Tier 4 since before Christmas and not knowing when this is going to end.

I see the need for schools to shut - but the whole of me is screaming for them to stay open.

Dd is year 12. She obviously missed out on the opportunity to sit exams. She and lots of year 12s have exams in the first two weeks back. As a result I want her in but we are tier 4 so worried.

@Elephant4

I can't bear the schools to close again.

I'm a carer for oldest disabled DD and have always wanted to homeschool as schools are shit for SEN (IMO).

We loved the homeschooling aspect of lockdown. But - my god - I never realised how much my kids need their friends to stay sane. We tried to go for walks as much as possible. But lockdown was awful for their mental health even though I know that's become such a cliche.

Whenever we've had to self isolate since the kids have some sort of syndrome (there must be a name for it) where the trauma of lockdown comes flooding back and they go all weird again. I do too. We have it now sort of being in Tier 4 since before Christmas and not knowing when this is going to end.

I see the need for schools to shut - but the whole of me is screaming for them to stay open.

My kids’ mental health was actually far worse during repeated periods of self-isolation when they couldn’t leave the house at all in the autumn term, than the lockdown last summer when they could.

I don’t think they will but I’m getting anxious for DH and DD severely asthmatic.

@Fedup21 between my children there were two months of isolation in autumn term and it did cause them anxiety and loneliness as their friends were all at school learning as normal.

@Fedup21 - DD12 was lucky as she only had to be out of school for two days when there were not enough teachers.

DS 8 had it worse - self isolating twice. But it wasnt' so bad for them as they'd see their friends for weeks and then get sent home. So the SI was broken up.

It's the length of lockdown that is so painful. It's relentless. I really don't think we've got anything left to go through it all again like last time.

The sending out of details for the new learning platform on the last day of term did worry me somewhat

And for us the whole class is sent home - so they don't have friends in school when they're out.

I know 5 people that have caught Covid from a child at school. All primary. They were childcare support and didn't go anywhere else to get infected. Two of these died. One was only 61 and had no underlying conditions.

Opening schools would be madness.

Pavlova, we're a primary, so many of our pupils are too young to learn how to do it in school in order to replicate the process at home with a different device. Throughout Term 2, we have invited parents by email and hard copy letter to access Zoom meetings on how to do it, but I literally have had one parent attend.
We have not been able to plug the tech gap; in the spring, the LA provided some laptops and teachers who were able to surrendered their work laptops for circulation in the community and worked on personal computers, but it was nowhere near enough. I suspect we'll repeat this in the event of another move to online learning.

Tier 4 here. Cases at local secondary were going crazy 2 weeks before end of term. My dd tested positive after term ended and has given it to the whole family. Can't imagine our situation is unusual. Cannot see how secondaries can re-open here at the moment.

I don’t think children should be penalised. Have you seen the photos of people traipsing to the Trafford Centre today? Tonnes of idiots who absolutely had to buy stuff that absolutely couldn’t wait? It wasn’t children. Tier 4 nationally seems fairer.

@DecentHour it’s not really about penalising children just recognising that the new strains are causing more infection in children putting people’s lives at risk.

It’s awful for them and for parents with this new turn of events.

@Elephant4

I can't bear the schools to close again.

I'm a carer for oldest disabled DD and have always wanted to homeschool as schools are shit for SEN (IMO).

We loved the homeschooling aspect of lockdown. But - my god - I never realised how much my kids need their friends to stay sane. We tried to go for walks as much as possible. But lockdown was awful for their mental health even though I know that's become such a cliche.

Whenever we've had to self isolate since the kids have some sort of syndrome (there must be a name for it) where the trauma of lockdown comes flooding back and they go all weird again. I do too. We have it now sort of being in Tier 4 since before Christmas and not knowing when this is going to end.

I see the need for schools to shut - but the whole of me is screaming for them to stay open.

I can relate to every word of this.

Closing schools earlier this year as an emergency measure was the right thing to do but we can't keep periodically taking that step. If schools close again now then exams will have to be cancelled, pupils repeating years would surely have to be seriously considered.

Wide variations in homelearning won't cut it. They'd need to soon look at diversion of funding from schools to supporting parents in the home with something like the old tax credits system, hardware and software provision, some form of centralised lesson provision. Changes not easily reversed. Children missing out on the social aspect of school. How are they to cope in a workplace in the future?

I reckon with vaccination beginning and more and more being understood about the virus, the government are doing the right thing trying to keep the current school system going and our children engaged in full-time education in the classroom.

I’ve no idea but I bloody hope not. My kids secondary school has been ok. They can’t miss any more school. I’m really worried about it.

@DecentHour

The lateral flow tests are better nothing. As an NHS worker, we are using them twice weekly and no one is meaning about them. Detecting half the positive cases is better than none. So they would be valuable in schools.

As NHS workers we are wearing full PPE to reduce risk and following self-isolation guidance where needed.

This will not be happening in schools.