Statement in parliament this afternoon on 'reopening of schools in England'

[DownRightAmazing]

By Gavin.

I'm aware there are a million threads on this generally but this is specifically regarding the statement - any leaks/clues/predictions?

To state my own position: I think schools need to close to all except keyworker and vulnerable children. I feel it's obvious this needs to happen. My own two children are thriving at school and I'm not concerned about them at all - if their (primary) school is open, I will send them - but I worry for their teachers, any vulnerable parents of their classmates and of course the NHS.

My prediction (based on nothing): secondary schools blended/part time. Primary fully open. We are tier 4 fwiw and I disagree with opening schools in January...

@the80sweregreat Cornwall got moved to T2 at the last review, they will now be going to T3.

I think primaries and secondaries, all education places including universities need to remain closed for now. I hope just this once they have listened to the science!

@DownRightAmazing

So as of midnight loads of places are now tier 4, nowhere is tier 2. Only Isle of Scilly is tier 1.

Surely they can't just leave primaries open given all that?

There's talk in media (which we know isn't particularly an accurate source!) that all schools will be delayed returning for a week in T4.

Which would make sense so many more places put in 4.

One week will do nothing. It needs to be at least 4 weeks.

Areas that will be covered by the Tier 3 rules from tomorrow are:

Rutland
Shropshire and Telford & Wrekin
Worcestershire
Herefordshire
Liverpool City Region
York and North Yorkshire
Bath and North East Somerset
Devon, Plymouth, Torbay
Cornwall
Dorset
Wiltshire

Areas that will be covered by the Tier 4 rules from tomorrow are:

Leicester City
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Derby and Derbyshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Birmingham and Black Country
Coventry
Solihull
Warwickshire
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Lancashire
Cheshire and Warrington
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Tees Valley
North East
Gloucestershire
Somerset council
Swindon
Bournemouth
Isle of Wight
New Forest

@Parker231

Areas that will be covered by the Tier 4 rules from tomorrow are:

Leicester City
Leicestershire
Lincolnshire
Northamptonshire
Derby and Derbyshire
Nottingham and Nottinghamshire
Birmingham and Black Country
Coventry
Solihull
Warwickshire
Staffordshire and Stoke-on-Trent
Lancashire
Cheshire and Warrington
Cumbria
Greater Manchester
Tees Valley
North East
Gloucestershire
Somerset council
Swindon
Bournemouth
Isle of Wight
New Forest

That's a lot of areas.

My friend is a hairdresser on the border of T4 but in T3. She has just messaged to say she's had loads of people trying to get an appointment for tomorrow. It should be T4 for all when so few are in T3

@Catsneezies

One week will do nothing. It needs to be at least 4 weeks.

Do you have any idea of the damage that can be done by children in abusive homes not going into school for 4 weeks after 2 weeks already over Christmas? Any idea at all of the attainment gap which will now occur more than ever between the have/have nots.

Can you not for once think outside of your bubble of "my kids are fine"?

What about EY hopefully they include it and don’t omit like last time.

Roll on Gavin.

I have students with BTEC exams on Wednesday 6th January. I really feel for them. Already had 2 message to say they will be in isolation and unable to sit so they have to wait until the summer sitting instead.

Is going to school the answer for kids in actual
abuse situations, surely it’s to be removed from them entirely.

Seriously, I don't think that's a fair accusation at all.

We can't put every single child and adult at risk because of a minority in awful situations.
Vulnerable children are checked and followed to a degree, I know some where during lock down.
It's the ones in border line homes I feel are the biggest risk because they may not have sw interventions.

Hopefully schools sweep some of those up, I know we do.. That leaves a smaller minority left.

It's not ideal, but leaving us without ambulances or oxygen or hospitals care is also not ideal.

"Do you have any idea of the damage that can be done by children in abusive homes not going into school for 4 weeks after 2 weeks already over Christmas? Any idea at all of the attainment gap which will now occur more than ever between the have/have nots.

Can you not for once think outside of your bubble of "my kids are fine"?"

What a nasty post. Yes I am aware as I work in children's services. Are you aware that in many places it is currently taking over 6 hours for ambulances to take heart attack and stroke victims into hospital and people are dying because they cannot access medical care. My local hospital is already 45% full of covid patients and now even paediatric wards are having children admitted with covid.

One week of schools closing will have a negligible effect on covid rates while causing harm to children for no positive gain. There is no point in short lockdowns.

@Catsneezies

"Do you have any idea of the damage that can be done by children in abusive homes not going into school for 4 weeks after 2 weeks already over Christmas? Any idea at all of the attainment gap which will now occur more than ever between the have/have nots.

Can you not for once think outside of your bubble of "my kids are fine"?"

What a nasty post. Yes I am aware as I work in children's services. Are you aware that in many places it is currently taking over 6 hours for ambulances to take heart attack and stroke victims into hospital and people are dying because they cannot access medical care. My local hospital is already 45% full of covid patients and now even paediatric wards are having children admitted with covid.

One week of schools closing will have a negligible effect on covid rates while causing harm to children for no positive gain. There is no point in short lockdowns.

@catsneezies - if you work in children's services then shame on you for not seeing the bigger picture for once. An entire generation is being thrown under the bus here and even more people are screaming for schools to be shut. I just don't get it.

@Seriouslymole

If you can’t see the glaring irony of your last sentence...

@Seriouslymole I think you may be the one not looking at the bigger picture here...

..and what's all this "for once"?! You don't know anything about me!

Do you have any idea of the damage that can be done by children in abusive homes not going into school for 4 weeks after 2 weeks already over Christmas? Any idea at all of the attainment gap which will now occur more than ever between the have/have nots. Can you not for once think outside of your bubble of "my kids are fine"?

Can you not for once recognise that there are thousands of children out there who are vulnerable themselves or who live with vulnerable or extremely clinical vulnerable people? That those children also deserve an education but are faced with serious illness or death of either themselves or their loved ones?

And what campaigning have you done to ensure that children living in abusive households have regular contact with support services during the 6 week holiday in the summer?

I work with disabled children who are unable to access their usual therapies. We now have children who could previously walk but now can't because the NHS will no longer fit them for splints. This could be the difference between this child being able to walk or spending their life in a wheelchair. That's just one example. The longer the rates are high and the pandemic goes on, more and more disabled children are facing things like this.

And that's without considering all of the vulnerable children I treat who may well die if this new strain affects children the same way as adults. But who must spend every day with 30 other people without social distancing or masks.

Let alone the fact that hospitals are overwhelmed and if e.g. you got appendicitis or your child choked om something your medical care might be catastrophically delayed.

We need a proper lockdown until more people can be vaccinated. One week will only cause harm to children without having any significant effect on the rates and no long-term gain.

981 deaths today 50 thousand new cases.

I agree. Schools do not fix these children. Hospitals, care services and therapists do.

I was a child who hated holidays before anyone tells me I can't understand.

Awful figures today, very sad.

Gav’s announcement is delayed as I expected, hopefully won’t be too long before parents all over the UK can be put out of their misery.

Why are we waiting! Get a move in Gav.

Primary back as normal apart from small number in areas of highest cases.

This is insane