Michael Gove has said schools will stay open in Jan, as planned.

[Imsosorryalan75]

www.google.com/amp/s/www.bbc.com/news/amp/education-55466147

I can't believe he's so confident. Are the government hell bent on keeping schools open, even with hospitals in the state they're currently in!

@Pastanred

I’m not saying it’s right either way but you absolutely cannot have heads making their own rules up

As it hapens, once you have rung the helpline once, you are specifically asked not to bother ringing them again and just do what you were told to do last time.

The school's previous 2 cases were in September, then a long gap, so they did just do as they did last time - and as the local public health team, well aware of issues around the large number of students on public buses and trains, advised them to....

[I don't know the above for a fact, but I do know that the helpline doesn't want to know after your first case. You have had all the help they can give you, you have the documents - you just crack on doing as you were told to do last time....]

Also, of course, if you know that closing the whole year group is the sensible and obvious thing to do (and you know that your parents are on your side), you can just pretend that your tracking isn't all that good so you can't identify close contacts.....

It takes a brave head, with supportive parents, but it can be done.

Our head isn't not health anxious but does care about the health of his staff, children and community. I don't see this to be a negative thing.

He's also advised by PHE and certainly not lazy. He also knows that keeping everyone 2m apart is unrealistic.

@Pastanred

Guidance says 2m only

Nowhere does it give heads the choice to decide they know science more than the rules

Is that how it is now - schools making up their own rules and widening the gap between kids?

Sorry but what if your head is full of crap or has health anxiety?

Guidance originally said the whole bubble. In secondary, especially in higher year groups, that’s the whole year. It got quietly changed in September to hide the prevalence of cases in schools. The whole year group have contact, never mind airborne spread. The whole year group needs to isolate. They do in Wales.

I can't believe he is saying this!! I am someone who has always wanted my children to be in school. However, given how easily the new variant is spreading and how high the figures are now I don't want my children in school.

Michael Gove said it was their "intention" for schools to close.

My bet is that they change their arrangements last minute as always and then say they really really wanted to keep schools open, and schools are kind of open (though blended or on a rota etc) but that circumstances have forced their hand, despite their keen desire otherwise.

If they are going to make an unpopular decision then they are going to dither and hesitate and prevaricate till the last possible moment, while looking for someone else to blame (parents/ teachers/children/unions/ possibly God)