Schools could be closed until Feb half term!

[DfEisashambles]

Reported in the DM. I’m surprised at this and don’t think it’ll go ahead.

I really hope not. I felt so alone in my circle of friends and neighbours, whilst they either had 2 day per week jobs, or were furloughed and enjoyed a relaxed pace of life, I ended up in tears at the end of most days after a few weeks of doing my full time job and parenting equally badly. Barely slept last night at the thought of returning to this. I honestly feel like I could not cope with it again. I have worked so hard over the years to get to the position I'm in, being careful to keep my childcare and work responsibilities separate as much as possible. I work in a mainly male environment and felt so angry at how they continued with their important jobs (and even then their wives struggled mentally too), whilst I had a child to try to home school and work at the same time. It didn't work. I failed her. I failed my job.  This exactly. Me too. Single parent here too. You are not alone x x
Same here 🤦🏼‍♀️🤦🏼‍♀️

It was spreading fast through our primary school in the last week of term - kids as well as adults. We're tier 4 and cases now above 1,000. My Y4 had to do 10 days isolation towards the end of last term and I was really impressed by the remote learning in place, way better than anything in the first lockdown. I was working from home and did manage to get some work done. However I can see it would be much harder with younger kids, especially those who cannot read independently.

@KnowingMeKnowingYule

It just pisses me off because the teachers get the blame for SLT crapness.

I really feel for the teachers in schools that don’t have their act together. January is going to be hard enough without having to train to use TEAMs in real time 🤦🏼‍♀️

Can’t wait for the schools to be closed and seeing my street full of kids ! Not !
Not sure which is the point of closing then If the kids instead of staying at home are going to be going out and meeting with their friends like I keep seeing

I'm not surprised. If we want to get this new variant under control it has to happen.

Primary schools are only being kept open for childcare. They’ve said already that this new strain spreads quicker and through children too. My teacher friend In a primary in West London had 9 positive tested children in the week before they broke up for Xmas. Before that there had not been 1 since they returned to school.

I think they do need to shut schools until the vaccination programme is really underway. Otherwise hospitals are just going to be completely overwhelmed. People who don’t care about the rules now will when they try to ring for an ambulance and there aren’t any!

@BelleSausage agree!😊

@Bagelsandbrie

I think they do need to shut schools until the vaccination programme is really underway. Otherwise hospitals are just going to be completely overwhelmed. People who don’t care about the rules now will when they try to ring for an ambulance and there aren’t any!

Yup.

Just said in sky news schools back on 4th jan for years 11 and 13 and the rest the week after

They need to close whether people like it or not. I'd rather a couple of months of hardship than another full year because they want to keep the schools open.

@Sockbogies ditto here, it almost broke me and DH and we haven’t yet recovered, the thought of going back to how it was April/May/June time is unbearable, it would destroy us and so much of society seemed to have no clue that there’s a whole group of people that were in this position. I know everyone has had it hard in their own way and appreciate everyone’s struggles, it was so crushingly hard continuing to work in demanding full time roles with no schools and young children, employers were very flexible on when/how we worked but that meant working extreme hours and essentially 2 shifts in every 24 hours! We only managed to finally improve things 2 months ago and that was only due to paying for extra childcare for youngest that we can’t really afford and wouldn’t have been necessary if wasn’t for covid and lockdowns

I bloody hope not. I just got a new job and am so gutted at the risk of not being able to go to work because schools are closed.

Just said in sky news schools back on 4th jan for years 11 and 13 and the rest the week after

Yes, that's been the situation since before Christmas, but I think further change is widely expected. Some schools including year 10, if they sit any GCSEs a year early.

People who don’t care about the rules now will when they try to ring for an ambulance and there aren’t any!

The Independent was reporting yesterday and email from London' Ambulance Service stating that some response times could not currently be met - including transfer of labouring women from home/community birth centres to hospital.

That’s dreadful news.

It's the daily mail. Their source will be someone who made it up on reddit/mumsnet.
We all knew there was going to be a delay, so today's announcement was not a surprise, nor is it evidence that school will be closed for the next 6 weeks.

@Dodie66

Just said in sky news schools back on 4th jan for years 11 and 13 and the rest the week after

Yes this is the 'old news' that Gove is parroting for some reason before the meetings on this issue today...

We're in Tier 3. I'd hope they'd try blended learning here before moving to close secondaries. Primaries - no idea what the answer is.

@EasterIssland

Can’t wait for the schools to be closed and seeing my street full of kids ! Not ! Not sure which is the point of closing then If the kids instead of staying at home are going to be going out and meeting with their friends like I keep seeing

Parents who won’t follow the rules and who have continued to have play dates and sleepovers are all the more reason for schools to close for the sake of vulnerable teachers.

Personally I don’t want schools to close, but parents allowing their children out to play isn’t a valid reason for keeping them open.

No mention of nurseries in that article - has anyone read anything about whether they might be closed as well?
I understand if they are, I just hope we get a proper announcement soon, not just leaks and suggestions, so we have time to organise ourselves with work etc.

Schools open as usual and nurseries- sky news. Every person for themselves then!

@Dodie66

Just said in sky news schools back on 4th jan for years 11 and 13 and the rest the week after

This was announced the last week of term.

What may be new is that it may be longer than a week.

By the dfe.

@EasterIssland there has to be a balance between reducing virus numbers and protecting the mental and physical health of our young people.

I would argue that a lot of schooling is about socialisation as well as education. The education can mostly be provided at home by sacrificing the mental and physical health of working parents but the socialisation is just as important. At least if the DCs are outside, it's mitigating the impact of mixing. Or would you prefer we have a Spain style lockdown where DCs were not allowed out at all and developed rickets ?

Is it just tier 4 schools that might close ?