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.

Did the mail also get it right when before Xmas they said he gave the most pointless presser?

Reception kids are going back in January. All good for me.

The DM headline is only reporting what we were told before the Christmas holidays, not sure why it's come as a surprise to some. I think it may change though.

Gove’s wife works for the Mail so I think they use the DM to test the water on many things.

I'm a teacher, dh is also a teacher and we are parents to secondary school dc. I'd much rather we all be in school for several reasons, many of which have already been mentioned here. However, it might help matters if the government put in a plan to vaccinate school staff and the 16+ pupils. I can't find the link but I'm pretty sure that it was recommended that the vaccine be given to vulnerable 16-18 year olds.

@meditrina

That article refers to only state-funded schools.
That'll be why.
So not all schools then.

@ShivD

Gove’s wife works for the Mail so I think they use the DM to test the water on many things.

This is what's going on. What are the comments like under the article? Don't subscribe myself

They need to either shit or get off the pot.

I'm sick of the fumbling, fannying around, last minute U turns.

Give us some fucking notice so we can plan.

I'm a single parent with 3DC, I'm a Microbiology student, and I work part time from home.

No. One. Should be worrying about home schooling unless dc too little to work on line!
If school followed their time table we can all get on with our jobs.

It's been pulled in two or three because one lot isn't teaching where the stress starts and my dc secondary still hasn't done that tech audit.

I get the anger to to the government but I think some heads heads need to roll after this.
I'm in a position where I am trying to get dd through the 13+ but obviously it's curriculum based, so she needs teaching as much as possible. I want to get her into a school that was proactive during lock down and took action and didn't wait for someone to tell them what to do.

I want her education in those hands, I'm stuck because I'm also deeply worried about the new strain.

@42isthemeaning yes that is right. We are also teacher parents here. Our DS in that age bracket is severely disabled (SLD/autism), I'm hoping he will get the vaccination in priority 6 phase 1 I think it is.

One of the comments mentions that the excel nightingale has been dismantled - is that true?
Why get rid of an overflow hospital if a pandemic isn’t even over yet?

www.bbc.com/news/uk-wales-55352968

No-one seems to be talking about this. Imagine telling an abused child that is looking forward to school in January (a break from abuse over the Christmas holidays and a return to hot meals) that they can't go? And no, not all vulnerable children are 'visible' and won't get a priority place. If schools are closed, a robust plan has to be in place to protect children. But of course our Government is appallingly inept. I actually feel sick when I think of abused children stuck at home. Before anyone pounces on me, I don't want school staff and old people to get sick, but we just need to be more aware of the impact of school closures on children that don't have a voice.

@Thewithesarehere

This is bloody infuriating! We are losing a war against a virus and affecting millions of working parents, especially mothers who will look after the children while trying to WFH. It will be a bloody disaster!

It's because the virus is spreading so fast that this has to be seriously considered, yes it's not great but neither is just giving up and saying the schools must stay open regardless and let the number of deaths spiral massively out of control.

Why is the life of people who will be WFH worth more consideration than the life of all the school staff who will be putting their lives at risk daily with no PPE in the classrooms ?

[quote GonnaBeYoniThisChristmas]**@SellFridges* I’m already having sleepless nights about how to cope with home schooling, ten hour working days, and my own dive-bombing mental health*.

You just described me. Stay strong. [/quote]
And me, single mother here too with a full time demanding job. I ended up logging back on at 10pm most nights and weekends just to try to catch up, losing patience with my daughter if she needed help with maths when I had all of 4 minutes to spare between calls and in tears most days too. Can't cope with the thought of that again. This is such a nightmare

Anyone who is surprised by this has not been paying attention.

Why don't they just vaccinate children? It won't take long to do. The forms can be mailed out now, emailed, downloaded or picked up from the school. They have bought the doses and have the stock so should just crack on with it, it wont stop them vaccinating elderly people at the same time.

Nurses can come in and spend a week vaccinating the whole school, like we had for BCG and optional Flu.

Some parents can opt out and send their kids back in when the R rate drops.

I know some of you will doubt the safety of the vaccine, personally I don't have doubts and neither do my family, we have done a lot of reading and are happy to have it. You make your own choices but we want the vaccine ASAP to get with life.

Imagine telling an abused child that is looking forward to school in January (a break from abuse over the Christmas holidays and a return to hot meals) that they can't go?

I think about this every time this is talked about. It’d have broken me as a child, no question about it. I counted down to school being back by the hour.

@chloworm Couldn’t agree more, for many children school is a safe place for nurture and nourishment. They should be offering the vaccine to the schools staff to try and keep them open. If they aren’t going to open we need to know now to prepare.

@HopeAndDriftWood - hope you’re in a happier place now. Sorry that was your childhood.

@Dodie66

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

The Tier's are being reviewed on the 30th. My prediction is they will announce school closure then.

@whatdoesthismeaneh

You’re seriously deluded if you think it won’t take long for school nurses to do. In my area alone it takes three months to carry out the flu vaccination programme and that’s visiting different schools every single day. Where do you propose these new school nurses are going to come from? They don’t exist. They are massively short already and a lot of nurses are busy vaccinating the older, more vulnerable groups.

I kind of expected this, not sure how my kids are going to catch up with school. It's as hard as it is catching up all the basic school work/housework/shopping in the evening and weekends when school opens. I worry for their future as well as ours.

Why isn’t PPE to school staff being considered before they even think about closing the schools? Given teachers (on MN atleast) put a huge emphasis on them not having PPE so they are ‘risking their lives’?
Why not challenge that? A mask is easier than a school closure.

Gove has said this morning that the plan is still for primaries to return on 4th and a phased return of secondary pupils, although they are keeping things “under review

That's old news released by the DfE in the last week of term.

How many times must it be said. Schools are not social work environments. If it is that bad, then social services need to intervene. If all children are back in school in January there will be long periods of SI for lots anyway, irrespective of how much relief they get there, so it is not an either/or situation, it is a question of when and how may must get ill before the decision is taken.