Should schools reopen next week

[2X4B523P]

There's many threads on the coronavirus board discussing schools reopening next week but I've not seen one here where the voting system could give an 'at a glance' indication of public opinion.

It would be interesting to see the figures as it seems at the moment the vast majority feel that it's not safe for children, staff and the wider community to reopen as planned next week.

YABU - schools should open next week as planned, with the staggered return of secondary.

YANBU - keep them closed to most with a similar setup to March until the figures fall and / or we fully know the affect of the new strains on transmission between children.

Most kids missed nearly half an academic year so they can't have much time out again. Home learning is not a match at all for being in school. I couldn't cope with it long term again. Perhaps first 2 weeks at home then back to school for primary (I have primary aged DC) as they're not moving around between lessons.
I agree teachers and all school staff should be made a priority for the vaccine; there are several groups who should be ahead of the general population in my view.
Reading some posts on mumsnet people are seeing family and friends which can't be helping reduce spread but kids potentially have to miss out on education.

@poppingpotatoes

The government should make vaccinating school staff a top priority and start a programme on 4th January and teach online until staff have had both doses.

The majority of NHS staff can't even get it yet, I don't think teachers will be getting it in the near future.

Yes but I think Local Authorities and individual schools should be making the calls, not a nation wide decision.

Schools and LAs know if they can cope or not and what pupils are at risk by not being in school.

Parents should also be given the option to keep children home if they can cope with home learning and won’t effect them going to work.

If parents let the schools know how many children can remain home the schools can gauge how they can manage they can also flag any concerns with at risk children not coming into school with the LA.

This will reduce the risk of spreading while still allowing schools to remain open for those in need of effectively child care.

My DCs school has a lot of key worker families that would be effected by school closures, Drs, nurses, lots of other NHS workers, care home staff, farmers, shop workers, first responders....

I agree with the current stance of primary schools opening next week and secondary schools being on line.

Younger children need adult supervision. Secondary school aged not so much. There is also more mass mixing via secondary schools on public transport for eg.

Parents still need to earn a living.

I think primary and secondary should close / go online with the exception of years 11 & 13 who need to be in school.

Your voting option appears to be turned off but my answer is YANBU. Schoolsnshoukd stay closed (or rather move to online) and I say that as a parent with two children with ASD who struggled with home learning for lockdown 1 but it is getting out of control again. It is going to end up where you can't get seen for your stroke, heart attack broken leg because the nhs is overwhelmed.

Really torn by this. I have 2 dd's in yr11 and one in yr 8. We live really rurally and our WiFi is ridiculously slow. They all struggled last time to do their work online and it's impacted them massively. The school sent out work but it was all work they had already completed. There was only 2 students tested positive for COVID since going back luckily and mine didn't have to have more time to off. They say all students will be tested before going back but unless they are tested all the fine I don't see how it's going to work.

Thanks for the replies, and to those who voted. (Whilst voting was possible!) Its a shame that voting is not possible on other boards, particularly covid board, when covid discussions can't be discussed elsewhere.

Interesting that at my last refresh the votes cast were 159 and 55% in favour of not opening as planned. I thought it would have been higher based on the general feeling on here, IRL and even the comments in the daily mail have changed from open schools at all costs back in the summer to close them now to save lives.

No, I believe they should only be open for key workers’ and vulnerable children and for online lessons. The virus will be completely out of control if they open fully. It is utterly dangerous and irresponsible if they open as planned, even with a staggered opening. Hospitals will not cope. Death rates will increase exponentially.

They should close. We can't get on top of the case numbers otherwise. Plus it's not safe for teachers /TAs.
Lives cannot be recovered once gone.

They should be shut in Kent essex and London. Can't speak for other areas. They will be shut in Kent Essex and London. Maybe exam years will stay open but the rest will be shut.

I think anyone who insists that schools should be shut should also declare their personal status.

Anyone who has two parents working full-time (from home or otherwise) and primary aged kids is already having sleepless nights over this. I can see that a break from school could see rates reduce in the community, particularly in secondary schools. We don’t want more people to die prematurely. However, I cannot support home learning, keep my children happy and engaged, fit and well, as well as keep my demanding, full time job. Let alone look after my own mental and physical health. So if I concern myself only with my family, I want schools open.

I'm in a Tier 4 area and they definitely should be here. Cases have risen from 70 per 100,000 to almost 400 per 100,000 in 3 weeks. I can't see how it will get under control with the secondary schools still open.

Option 3 - pressure the govt into investing in schools to improve hygiene, social distancing, provision of tech and broadband and quality online provision for upper primary/secondary, childcare options for working parents if schools are closed. Bring in routine testing, mandatory mask wearing for 6 years and above and improve protocols around testing and isolating 'close contacts.

They need to open. I'm sick of 11-18 year olds being fucked over. No one seems to give a shit about these children who actually do need the support of teachers especially as they move up the school.
I'm also sick of hearing about how dangerous school is for teachers whereas all other front line staff are expected to put up and shut up.
They will shut because no one gives a shit about secondary school children. Be interesting in a few years time when there's no teachers, doctors, lawyers etc because no one has had a proper education.

I was notified a few days into the Christmas break, that three children in one of the primary school classes I work in as a TA, had tested positive and that I therefore needed to self isolate. It didn't affect my Christmas plans (tier 4) but did ensure that I spent everyday of my isolation period terrified of every little cough, concerned whether my feeling hot was down to a temperature or just because I was working in a hot kitchen. I am in.my late fifties, am classed as CV, and if I do catch COVID, am likely to struggle to overcome it. Our HT is extremely hot on us taking as many precautions as we can - we are sitting in freezing rooms because the windows are all open, my hands are raw from the hand sanitiser she insists we all use at least five times a day (children, more for adults) staggered start and finish times etc. As a school, we have been fortunate that we have 'only' had around 50% of our bubbles having to isolate. BUT, only one bubble has had to isolate due to an adult testing positive, every other bubble has had to isolate because children have tested positive. And then other children within the bubble have also tested positive, so although comparitively few bubbles have burst, those that have have seen several affected children.
I do understand that parents need and want schools open, but is it worse to have a planned closure than to receive a call in the middle of the day telling you to drop everything and come now? I hope that education staff are considered a priority to have the vaccine so we can open and stay open.

@Positivevibesonlyplease

No, I believe they should only be open for key workers’ and vulnerable children and for online lessons. The virus will be completely out of control if they open fully. It is utterly dangerous and irresponsible if they open as planned, even with a staggered opening. Hospitals will not cope. Death rates will increase exponentially.

You need to change your user name. Hysterical vibes would be more apt.

Indeed, a moment of reflection for people who have to hear how poor working conditions are for teachers.

Maybe if schools weren’t so dangerous there wouldn’t be calls to shut them.

Maybe people could have listened to teachers and called for safer schools.

I think they need to shut for the first two weeks for all (incl primary)- after this, reassess the case rate and make a further decision. I think it's far too risky to open schools currently with tier 4 cases rising so rapidly and unsure how much affect the inevitable Xmas mixing (and breaches of rules around that too) will have contributed to rates. A 2 week break will give some time to break the chains before returning.

Someone up the thread said anyone asking for school closures should disclaim their status. So; for the record, Ihave a primary school child (reception so totally unable to work unsupervised) and work FT from home in a v demanding job (accountant) and Dh works FT as a teacher.

No
YANBU

...and I'm a single parent, work full time, Yr 5 child. It will be temporarily difficult, but not as difficult as me being in ill/in hospital, or many others dying.

Keep them open

@Rosebel

They need to open. I'm sick of 11-18 year olds being fucked over. No one seems to give a shit about these children who actually do need the support of teachers especially as they move up the school. I'm also sick of hearing about how dangerous school is for teachers whereas all other front line staff are expected to put up and shut up. They will shut because no one gives a shit about secondary school children. Be interesting in a few years time when there's no teachers, doctors, lawyers etc because no one has had a proper education.

This is absolutely not true! No front line staff should be expected to “put up and shut up”!

Find a comparable role to a teacher- front facing 32 teenagers in an enclosed indoor space with no PPE for one hour, repeated 5-6 times a day. Then lunch duty in a small hall with 220 students to supervise, no PPE. Canteen duty with 220 teenagers all pushing and queueing close to each other for food.

I am a teacher, and I want schools open. But I want them to do so in the most safe way as possible.

One week in one out rotas to instantly halve class sizes.
Mask wearing in classrooms for over 11s
Less movement around site
Pupils made to bring packed lunches and eat at their desks so no queues of closely packed in student in canteens.

These are simple steps that don’t cause too much impact on learning. But no-one cares enough about the safety of teenagers to implement it.

To those who say teenagers aren’t at risk health wise, it’s not all about them. It’s about their parents that they bring it home to. The public they infect on the bus on the way home, or in the supermarket. It’s about everyone.

@Rosebel

They need to open. I'm sick of 11-18 year olds being fucked over. No one seems to give a shit about these children who actually do need the support of teachers especially as they move up the school. I'm also sick of hearing about how dangerous school is for teachers whereas all other front line staff are expected to put up and shut up. They will shut because no one gives a shit about secondary school children. Be interesting in a few years time when there's no teachers, doctors, lawyers etc because no one has had a proper education.

Name me another front line job where people are in room with same people for hours on end with no PPE and not even a mask.

I don't mean contacts in passing.

I mean actually in a room for hours on end with absolutely no protection.

Then I'll believe 11-18 yo are being paced lower in the pecking order.

And I have a 16yo.

Cross posts santa