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.

@borageforager

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.

Me myself and I

I'm keeping my reception aged child off regardless tbh. It's a shame because he does enjoy school but we are in T4, cases are at 900 per 100k at the moment, there were tonnes of cases in his bubble before Christmas (I withdrew him early) and frankly there is too much we still don't know about this virus WRT stuff like long term cardiac damage.

I wfh and we live in a small flat. It will be hell but the alternative is not acceptable to me.

I think the government should allow schools to make their own minds up within certain parameters.

Some schools had virtually no cases before Christmas, others had tens, or even hundreds.

A friend of ds told me last week that she was going back on 4th Jan but only her year group (Y11).

I know of a 6th form college doing the rapid testing next week and then having Y13 in the following week, while Y12 have remote lessons.

"Some schools had virtually no cases before Christmas, others had tens, or even hundreds."

Surely, those schools with low numbers in their communities would want that to remain the case? Open up and they will end up where Kent is. Is that really what you're advocating?

@chloworm

With respect, no child should be suffering abuse during the holidays, at weekends or after 3pm daily. If that is happening, why are those children allowed by social services to stay in those households?
School shouldn’t be respite from abuse, those children need removing from the abuse.
Social services were hardly visible during lockdown 1 and they can SD much better than school staff. About time the right agencies began taking responsibility.

Correct decision.

Isn't it interesting that now, FINALLY, we have posters conceding that it might be a good idea if teachers were provided with (or allowed to wear) PPE. And also, shock horror, suggesting they might be vaccinated?
Only a week or two ago, they were accused of elbowing the elderly and vulnerable out of the way in their selfish, undeserved desire to be first in the queue.

@TammyHullfigure

Correct decision.

I don't think there's been a decision yet

[quote DBML]@chloworm

With respect, no child should be suffering abuse during the holidays, at weekends or after 3pm daily. If that is happening, why are those children allowed by social services to stay in those households?
School shouldn’t be respite from abuse, those children need removing from the abuse.
Social services were hardly visible during lockdown 1 and they can SD much better than school staff. About time the right agencies began taking responsibility.[/quote]
Agree.

For fucks sake, working parents do what to pay the bills?

If they don't shut schools including primary, which I doubt they will, I really think they should do part time school/ home learning. If helps children who need school for their mental health but reduces numbers in class. Also give parents the option to keep their children off school if they wish.

I don't see how a 'lockdown' works if schools are still open and 30/60/90 plus children and therefore families are mixing on a daily basis, with just a window open for ventilation.

I also think city school pupils are at a disadvantage to rural pupils as many classes I know are on there 2 or 3 self isolation period. So if all England pupils had an extra 2/4 weeks off, it might help stop this.

People have been losing their jobs for months now, in order to keep schools open. Hospitality workers, those in entertainment, non essential retail staff.

Quite a few MN parents have been quick to say that everything should close before schools, quite happy to sacrifice other people’s jobs...some of whom don’t have kids...some of whom are still practically kids starting out.

Unfortunately, we’ve kept schools open at quite high costs to the wider public, so those asking for sympathy need to also remind themselves of that. This has been shit for everyone and some people have been going through that shit longer than others.

I think pp was referring to @Lairyfightzzzz decision. bit scared to disagree with you given your name Lairy but unless I had pressing reasons to keep a dc at home (health reasons or vulnerable support bubble etc) I personally wouldn't keep a child at home.

If schools cannot be ventilated or have rooms large enough for social distancing then they should be closed. We will never get on top of this virus while it's being spread around by children and young people.

We allow unsafe conditions in schools but close pubs and theatres. It just doesn't make sense.

@CallmeAngelGabriel

Isn't it interesting that now, FINALLY, we have posters conceding that it might be a good idea if teachers were provided with (or allowed to wear) PPE. And also, shock horror, suggesting they might be vaccinated? Only a week or two ago, they were accused of elbowing the elderly and vulnerable out of the way in their selfish, undeserved desire to be first in the queue.

Yup.

We have been asking for masks in classrooms since August. For better ventilation. For improved mitigations across the board in schools. Months and months of threads ignored by the MSM led by the wonderful Noblegiraffe where we have been shot down in flames.

Thank you to those who knew we were standing up for everyone in education-staff, students and families. No one wants what is happening right now.

For 6 long weeks I was teaching hundreds of kids a week despite not being able to see my DC in their care home in November and early December. We have all had to suffer with this. Something needs to happen with schools. They can't go on as they were.

Good. My daughter is a teacher and I fear for her.

[quote DBML]@chloworm

With respect, no child should be suffering abuse during the holidays, at weekends or after 3pm daily. If that is happening, why are those children allowed by social services to stay in those households?
School shouldn’t be respite from abuse, those children need removing from the abuse.
Social services were hardly visible during lockdown 1 and they can SD much better than school staff. About time the right agencies began taking responsibility.[/quote]
With respect, and whilst you are correct it shouldn't be happening, you do know that most abuse goes unseen and unreported? Of course children should be removed from households where abuse is happening but Social Services can only act on what they know. There are thousands of children suffering in silence, unseen and unheard because there are no physical signs. Those are the children I worry about because school IS a respite from abuse for those children. The right agencies can only take responsibility for those children they know about.

I have a friend who is a deputy head in secondary. Saw him briefly on Tuesday. He asked what the DC’s schools were saying about January and he warned me that secondaries may be closed until after half term

Our headteacher is very forward thinking and all of year 6 went home with a chrome book when they broke up for Christmas, ‘just in case’.
I think even if schools open as planned, they’ll be forced to close within weeks, maybe even days, due to staff absences and bubbles isolating.

Not sure what the ‘training’ required for teams/meets/hangouts is? We use it at work and have never been trained. It’s reasonably intuitive, no?

@FuzzyPuffling

Good. My daughter is a teacher and I fear for her.

My in-laws are petrified for me and their teacher DS too.

Schools can't be left open to spread the virus when the NHS is about to crack under pressure. No one can be treated for anything if covid breaks the NHS.

It's shit but probably necessary and totally expected.

unless I had pressing reasons to keep a dc at home

I do; my pressing reason is the exploding case rate in our area and the fact I want to, as far as possible, avoid my DC, my husband or myself contracting an illness which may have long term effects on the heart. Seems pressing enough, no?

It’s all very well telling adults to work from home, but it’s not a very effective strategy if their children are going to be bringing the virus home from school.

I predict that if primaries open, they'll be closed before the end of the month.

In order to keep schools open you need much more aggressive techniques in the rest of society and they don't exist.