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

@Thefeep

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.

But if they open again there's a good chance they will miss more school. Opening schools like before doesn't prevent the need to self-isolate, and the introduction of testing to replace close contact self isolation could mean many more missing school.

I suspect they will be closed. Maybe not all areas or all schools Ie maybe just secondary, but I think it depends on the announcement on the thirtieth.

If the whole of England goes into tier four, then they will be closed. Particularly as it seems secondary age kids are spreading it the most and their parents the second most impacted group.

Read this morning that a meeting is happening today.

So we may have a decision later on?

Bluntness why do you think they'll be closed if everywhere goes into T4? Were schools closed in those areas before Christmas? Or did the tiers come in after schools finished, I can't remember?

@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.

Are NHS staff using these tests to replace self-isolation for close contacts? If a colleague you work closely to has a positive test are you still expected to go into work?

If a pupil has a positive test, they don't want to close bubbles anymore, or send home close contacts. They want all those staff and pupils to come into school everyday (on public transport if that's how they get in) and have a test that is only 50% reliable at best. Only if they test positive on that will they be sent home.

So school staff aren't "moaning". They are rightly concerned about this aspect of the testing procedure laid out by the government.

@StealthPolarBear

Bluntness why do you think they'll be closed if everywhere goes into T4? Were schools closed in those areas before Christmas? Or did the tiers come in after schools finished, I can't remember?

Tier 4 came in on 19th December. The day after schools closed for the holidays.

Secondary, bar exam years and key w children, will be closed for at least a week.

According to Michael Gove and sky news.

@Thewiseoneincognito that was announced before Christmas

There seems to be a new announcement today - tweets from a few mins ago on Sky news have Gove confirming (I mean this seems to be the announcement!)

@NeurotreeWenceslas

Secondary, bar exam years and key w children, will be closed for at least a week.

According to Michael Gove and sky news.

This is what we had?

Just listened to Gove on radio - Plan hasn’t changed yet. But a bit of room to consider new variant. But sticking to what it was atm

"at least" is new...

@NeurotreeWenceslas

"at least" is new...

Yes. It seems as though they're setting the groundwork to potentially extend it.

If secondary years get extended bar exam years I wouldn’t be surprised.

@TheGreatWave - that's because secondaries are supposed to be closed for all but years 11 and 13 from 4th for a week, but will have to take in key worker children. They were told about that before Christmas break.

Primary schools are supposed to be open as normal from 4th, but I can see them doing a reverse on that, annoyingly leaving it to the last minute to sort that out (and people who are key workers are more likely to take up their place in a Primary than secondary school).

It's important we talk to teachers and headteachers...

Michael Gove just now on BBC news.

Have the ever done this.

they

One issue in areas with rising cases/ tier 4 is that Primary's do need to stay open for Kw children. Nhs kw especially.

I know too many nhs single mums (and mums who work part time with full time consultant husbands) who can't risk bubble closures childcare wise.

This is in a context of an emergency.

I imagine the LFTs in NHS settings are administered/self administered by adults who know what they are doing. This massively affects reliability. At Birmingham Uni they missed a huge number of positives : 3% of positives were found, according to their research.

The reliability figures the government is encouraging Headteachers to parrot is based on lab tests where adults had tests administered to them by trained clinicians.

Interesting that I showed you a graph of age group stuff, showing that cases drop when kids aren't in school, yet no one has mentioned it, and you're still speaking only based on emotional response.

Can I ask, when parents say their DCs are behind, behind what?

[quote MargosKaftan]@peridito - closing schools damages childrens education, and children are the least likely to be damaged by the virus. So making them "pay" to stop the spread needs to be clearly worth it.

If the numbers stay the same, regardless of schools being open or closed, then they should be open. If closing schools proves to make a big difference, then there's an argument for closure.

Tomorrow will be a key day. We should see a drift downwards in confirmed cases in tier 4 areas, if schools are a big problem. [/quote]
I don't think we will see much of a downward drift because of all the mad Christmas shopping combined with the new variant.
Even now we are in tier 4, too much movement if people happens.
Too many people going out and seeing others.
It won't fall but schools going back WILL make it worse.

Thanks bluntness

I think secondaries and colleges in Tier 4 only are likely to be closed.

They have to close.

Our bubbles burst all over the place before Christmas and a couple of children were very poorly indeed. People have died in my small town. Its madness to keep them open.

www.google.co.uk/amp/s/www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-9092177/amp/Only-primary-school-children-students-Year-11-13-return-classrooms-week.html

Sorry for the DM link, had a news notification on my phone but could only find this link.