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...

@AvoidingRealHumans

We've just had a message from our primary school - tier 4, that they are definitely opening on Monday as planned. Makes me think the schools have already been told they are to open as usual (primary that is).

They are likely sending out the message to try to stop parents worrying. They won't have any insider information though.

As with everything relating to schools throughout all of this, they will find out exactly the same time as the parents do.

Whilst it's better than nothing it sure as hell isn't better than something (ie SD, PPE)

I'll take a vaccine that prevents 62% of all illness and 100% (so far) of severe illness over a face mask and some latex gloves any day. And if you wouldn't then I think you're vastly overestimating how effective the PPE actually is.

I was on the shielded list and WFH since March. DS 17/year 12 (first year of A levels) at GS (so well organised school) well motivated, contentious, extremely academically able could definitely cope easily with a months remote learning.

However, DD 15/year 11 GCSE year, dyslexic, at a Comprehensive would really struggle to keep up with her school work in the erratic way it is issued i.e. lazy teachers putting half a dozen pieces of work on at 3pm (kids have to check several emails, classcharts and office 365) for every subject. Also her mental health would really suffer again.

So my view would be to support a two week closure of schools to help mitigate for all the idiots who have got together at Christmas and been ignoring lockdown guidance for months. Then get year 11 and 13 back ASAP.

Primary Schools I don’t know some probably the same ones who can’t possibly cope with schools being off are still organising play dates, meet ups and sleepovers as its ok as little X is lost without little Y and its ok as she sees them at school etc.

@Beebityboo

I just want the choice. I'm disabled and terrified i'll catch this from my primary DC's before I get a vaccine .

Same, I'm not in the vulnerable group so I'm not worried catching it will be deadly.

But I've worked so hard with managing my disability to get to a point where I can have a vaguely "normal" life, I'm not sure how I'd cope if I had to deal with some of the health problems covid is causing for people, I'd be back to square one - I don't want to have to give up work again. I'm terrified my kids will bring it home.

My friends daughter returns Monday 4th as she is a key worker. Rest of school goes back the 6th, this is a Sedona derby school. They have had a letter that has confirmed they will be tested on arrival with results available 30 mins later. The child will swab themselves under supervision. We are East of England tier 4

• Sedona derby!!!!! Wtf . No it’s a secondary!

Totally agree with you OP.

Primary schools should close (with exemptions) but they won't. And so the virus will continue to spread..........

Am I being stupid - I can't see the corona updates scheduled on the news at all?

But anjo that sedona derby schol is literally guessing based on info on 20 December.

@Anjo2011 all secondaries in the East go back later than that afaik. I'm in the East. Primaries are currently returning on the 4th but we are not being tested. Is it a private school?

Primary schools are opening in all areas on Monday though, aren’t they?

Thanks for answers! Why not cancel exams then? We've put the whole country on hold for a year, it seems harsh anyway to make kids go through it in these conditions.

Because Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson do not care about your children.

FFS there is no good solution to what to do about yrs 11 and 13 because they’ve also missed too much to make teachers assessment fair this year.
It’s fine to grade the top and bottom - they’re pretty obvious but what to do about the vast middle tranche who missed a term in yr 10 and have had sporadic teaching in yr 11.

Absolutely no academy or state school has a clue because heads haven't been told a thing. My head just said that in an email to us. Just like last time and the time before that...

There's a week to go before return, numbers are changing every day, whatever they say today things may look very different five days from now. This government has a history of saying "We'll all definitely, absolutely do this..... oh shit, reverse ferret!"

Today I'll bet we'll be told primaries and nurseries etc all crack on as normal.

What we'll be told by Sunday based on the situation on that day may be something else entirely.

@phlebasconsidered , no it’s state. I wonder if they will test key worker and vulnerable children and see what kind of results they get.

It seems that most of the day will be taken up with testing the children if they decide to open them up.
How it will work I'm not sure , but it might. It'll just be disruptive I would imagine.
I don't envy teachers at all but with a lot of help it might work? Who knows , but let's hope it's efficient if this is the way they want them to reopen.
I am guessing this will go down better than shutting them completely for non key worker children , as in March ( which is what they should do really , but won't!)
It's such a difficult situation all round.

I think they are desperate for year 11 and 13 to go back because if they don't they will then need to make a U turn on exams, so that's 2 U turns on top of all the others.

I think it will be year 11 and 13 with testing thrown in, everything else will stay the same i.e primaries back and then the rest of secondary slightly later. Children need to be in school. More thought needs to go into grouping teachers into vulnerable etc and getting them vaccinated asap. At DSs school they wore masks at all times whilst indoors in the run up to Christmas. Don't see why all schools can't give this option.

Totally agree DC’s secondaries GS and Comp were both due to go back next week with tests on the proviso the government didn’t change their minds again before then. So whatever they say today they could so easily back track again before Monday.

Hopefully they will make the right choice, especially as hospitals are at breaking point. On a side note, for example, avoid any unnecessary DIY. Would there be an ambulance available if someone were to be seriously injured or will they all be queued up outside hospitals? I’ve heard wait times of six hours in places.

If they do go ahead then many more will die before they shut them again anyway.

I'm in tier 4 and local numbers seem to be going down so I'd be about annoyed if schools had to close here but were open in tier 3 areas with rising numbers.

I thought it was maybe just because of Christmas but the county next to us still has rising numbers.

All the stuff in the press is old plans, stuff that has been openly decided before Christmas. I think the press have said it so many times because they want it to be true.

Unusually there is radio silence on schools. Peston seems to think all schools will be closing. We shall see.

A shit sandwich is what I am going for. Brexit deal, vaccine, you’re all grounded, schools are closed but we will be out of this by Easter and we will have all these people vaccinated.

oh shit, reverse ferret!

Is that an autocorrect? Regardless, I absolutely love it and intend to adopt it. 'Aarghh, it's all going wrong - reverse ferret, reverse ferret!'

I really don't want schools to close. Really, really, really don't. I suspect it might be the right thing to do on balance though. But they would really need to be proactive on putting things in place for vulnerable children of all ages. And they wouldn't be.

Just had a peek at Peston's twitter, he is very excited!

But he does seem to think that schools will be closed next week, and he is usually right, shiiiiiiit!

No last time DD was in year 10 it was June before any online learning took place, one lesson a day at 2pm, poorly attended with teachers making embarrassing small talk asking if they had all been in to Primark and been meeting up with their friends. So the next sessions were even less well attended. Dreadful.

I suspect it will be no change from the current plan.
What I would like is for there to be some choice for vulnerable families. And by that I mean vulnerable teachers and children or teachers and children who have vulnerable households.

The fact that it’s Gav and not Boris to me sends the message that it’s not serious and they will be sending kids back . Maybe delaying the secondary kids until the 18th. However , knowing this government and the fact that despite being 50k cases - we still aren’t seeing the full impact from Christmas mixing , I expect a last minute u turn come Sunday .