primaries back on 4th, secondaries 18th so says TES

[Oilyvoir]

www.tes.com/news/exclusive-new-school-opening-delay-agreed-ministers

Tes understands the plan has yet to have final Downing Street approval but may be unveiled tomorrow.

Not a defo; just a possibility

We'll still be in same boat in 6 weeks, then.

But thus far teaching unions have yet to be consulted and were not made aware of the meeting.

You couldn't make it up!

A week extra is not going to have any significant effect on what will are facing now and what we are about to face.

@Char2015

I guess that will make it a good 2-3 weeks from the Christmas mixing so by then they may know if they’ve caught covid from anyone they mixed with over Christmas

Or a younger sibling in primary.

Or a parent teaching in a primary

Good point @Mumof3cherubs

So for the last week we've been told there is a hew strain, it affects children more and the NHS is on its knees, and parents will still be fined and threatened with legal action for keeping their children safe at home? Even disabled parents? This is sadistic cruelty. I cannot believe it.

If this is the plan then surely it makes sense to have a proper lockdown until the 18th, as in tier 4 across the whole country. I don't relish the prospect but it might help buy some time for the Oxford vaccine.

I'm finding it hard to find rationale for why primary is being treated so differently all the time? If I understand correctly (happy to be corrected, as I'm no expert here!):

• No testing will occur in primary;
• Primary due back next week;
• Primary covid rates were not far behind secondary prior to xmas break;

I do appreciate primary has its own circumstances which might lead people to be more inclined to accept risk - eg. primary kids struggle with online learning, primary kids are too young to be left to work/entertain themselves and therefore its hard for parents to wfh.

However, what I'm asking is whether the science suggests primaries are somehow less risky?

If ds1 isn't in school I won't be sending ds2 to primary.

I think it's childcare reasons more than anything to be honest Exeter not much to do with science. I know I can't work if school shuts as DS is too young to be left home alone and I can't work from home in my role, I'm sure even those who WFH find it hard to be productive as primary age kids need more supervision and input.

1 week I thought we were following the science.
One extra week to create a barrier.

I guess for me personally I was going to try and tread water and keep dd off that week... So now we can get her taught at secondary... And I'll tread water the following week instead... To buy us time. Primary dd I'm not sure....

I don't want them in during January beginning of February basically. I don't want them to catch anything at the moment... Schools are rife at this point in time... That leaves me exposed out of all of us...

I'm finding it hard to find rationale for why primary is being treated so differently all the time?

It has taken this long for the govt to admit that there's an issue in secondary schools, and that's mainly due to the new strain massively impacting there.

Primary schools were relatively unaffected compared to secondary, until the last week or so before Christmas when the infection rate skyrocketed, so they're probably hoping that's a blip and will just keep ploughing on until they can't any more (like they've done with secondary).

I'm in tears. I can't believe primary children and vulnerable parents of primary children are being thrown under the bus like this.

Infection rates in secondary schools dropped significantly over the half term break and that was only a week off, so hopefully with two weeks off for Christmas, plus an extra couple of week's delay, the infection rates in secondary kids will come down to more manageable levels and other measures will be implemented to bring them back.

This is so ridiculous. Rates will just go up and up. Our local hospitals are already full. Primary children will get it and spread it to their families, teachers, community contacts and we will end up with 1000+ deaths a day in a few weeks time.

@Waxonwaxoff0 it probably is childcare but if they let people choose whether to keep primary DC off then it reduces the risk for those going in.

We will only know for certain if primary schools are going back on the 4th on the 4th itself. The government has done too many uturns at the last minute for anyone to be certain of anything.

Primaries need to be off too!

I saw this on Twitter a couple of weeks ago and was just wondering if this would still stand during a pandemic seeing as people are being threatened with fines and prosecution when tbh I don't really want to send my dc into school at the minute as dh and I would be somewhere on the list for the vaccine so really quite worried about them mixing.

@PastMyBestBeforeDate I agree completely, those parents who want to keep their children home for whatever reason should be allowed to do so without being penalised.

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