There’s no point with primary schools open

[Agoodbriskwalk]

Whatever you think of them being open, the fact is that with thousands of group gatherings of non mask wearing, non socially distanced, non personal distanced, non handwashing people for hours and hours every day in poorly ventilated building, this thing will continue to spread

On top of that, sleepovers and parties and play dates will continue to happen because ‘they’re in school together anyway’. Do you know how often parents say ‘They're in the same bubble’ like it’s a magical force field?

Families with a mix of primary and secondary kids will allow the secondary kids to meet up even if they’re not in school because what’s the point stopping them when the younger kid is exposed to hundreds of families a day anyway? How can they justify its ‘not safe’ to their teens?

Parents will meet up at the school gates twice a day and stand and chat. Some will also meet in their houses, as their kids are friends and sitting together all day anyway so they know that any Covid family 1 has is most likely going to be spread to family 2 anyway.

Parents will do more things, go more places and take more risks because ‘If we’re going to get it from anywhere it will most likely be from school anyway’.

Ditto teachers. And who can blame them? Teachers should have full access to all of society even under lockdown IMO as they’re not being granted safety in any shape or form so should at least be allowed to have their lives.

Employers will expect employees in in a way that they wouldn’t be able to if primaries were off. But schools are open so there will be an expectation of presenteeism in many many workplaces.

Roads will continue to be busy with schools in so people will get a general feeling of ‘business as usual’ and they will carry on cramming themselves into unnecessary shops.

You might disagree with some of the above. I do. But that’s what is going to happen and there will be many deaths as a result.

There is literally no point in closing down everything yet letting primary schools open as normal. Specifically if you have primary age children.

My secondary child can’t leave the house, I’m teaching online, my husband is WHF, YET my youngest two are still mixing with 60 plus households. So even after the two weeks my secondary son is at home, when he returns to school he may have caught the virus of my youngest and then passed it on to his classmates and teacher - rinse and repeat.

The only way this could turn out favourably is if they test all children and teachers before returning to school - but I simply don’t see that happening. No man power and ineffective tests.

I’m losing all hope.

Flippingnightmare - I can assure you at no point was a single child ‘ignored’. They were helped, they had fun - they were given a pack of work suitable for their age. If they needed help they were given help. Just like some of the children at home. We were told not to give anything that couldn’t be replicated at home.

But they were interacted with, helped and yes, taught. I bonded really well with my little bubble (not my usual class) and we were a great team. I know they all had a lot of fun during the summer of 2020.

I think that if these children's parents are unable to sit with them and do their work, and they are going into school they should be given the best teaching available. It's sadistic to just ignore them because not all children are there, they are innocent children!

They weren’t in school they were in supervised childcare hubs.

@Agoodbriskwalk

I think that if these children's parents are unable to sit with them and do their work, and they are going into school they should be given the best teaching available. It's sadistic to just ignore them because not all children are there, they are innocent children!

They weren’t in school they were in supervised childcare hubs.

How dystopian

I think that if these children's parents are unable to sit with them and do their work, and they are going into school they should be given the best teaching available. It's sadistic to just ignore them because not all children are there, they are innocent children!

How is it possible to sit with your child and do work whilst you’re working from home yourself?

You sound jealous that you had to go into work whilst others were wfh but the reality is that it is practically impossible to work your job and help your child with their work so even though your DCs weren’t being ‘taught’ they were still at an advantage having an adult on hand to answer questions, read tricky words out etc as well as the social aspect that the majority of other children missed out on.

But no your children should be given special treatment because somehow you are special.

There is literally no point in closing down everything yet letting primary schools open as normal. Specifically if you have primary age children.

I agree.

@toocold54

I think that if these children's parents are unable to sit with them and do their work, and they are going into school they should be given the best teaching available. It's sadistic to just ignore them because not all children are there, they are innocent children!

How is it possible to sit with your child and do work whilst you’re working from home yourself?

You sound jealous that you had to go into work whilst others were wfh but the reality is that it is practically impossible to work your job and help your child with their work so even though your DCs weren’t being ‘taught’ they were still at an advantage having an adult on hand to answer questions, read tricky words out etc as well as the social aspect that the majority of other children missed out on.

But no your children should be given special treatment because somehow you are special.

You sound jealous that I have a good job that pays well and is important to society and thus highly valued, but the reality is not everyone can be a doctor.

All children should be in school being taught by teachers who are being paid to teach them face to face.

Doesn't it depend a bit on the schools and the area?

We've gone from tier 2 to tier 4. I had two outdoor play dates arranged for this week. One parent and one child to come over to play nerf guns in the wood. Planned so they're pretty distant.

We've just agreed to cancel as it's the right thing to do even though they're in the same class next week.

Hopefully there are enough people out there going the right thing.

You sound jealous that I have a good job that pays well and is important to society and thus highly valued, but the reality is not everyone can be a doctor.

All children should be in school being taught by teachers who are being paid to teach them face to face.

You sound like you’re about 12.

The schools were closed - teachers couldn’t teach.

Your children were in school alongside cleaners and shop workers - jobs that are often underpaid and undervalued.

The children in school were at more of an advantage than those who were at home but it would nor be fair for them to be given preferential treatment due the job their parents do or whether they have a social worker or not.

Flippingnightmare - that’s it - we are paid to TEACH them. Not be a healthcare worker. Not administer covid tests. I already do a myriad of jobs rolled up into ‘teaching’ - parent, social worker, playmate, friend, childminder, hairdresser, dentist, doctor, mental health counsellor, health visitor, shoe fitter, mediator etc - I wanted to teach but the role seems to be ever expanding.

If all teachers did was what they’re paid to do, the school system would fall down very bloody quickly. Maybe we should just teach. Let’s see what happens.

If all teachers did was what they’re paid to do, the school system would fall down very bloody quickly. Maybe we should just teach. Let’s see what happens.

Absolutely this

Flippingnightmare

How apt is your user name.

Actually lots of people can be Dr's can earn lots of money and big themselves up. It however takes someone special to treat all people with respect, to not look down on others or believe yourself to be somehow superior, you're not!!

Your children were treated the same as other key worker children, shop workers, nurses low paid care workers. Their care was often provided by staff working for free, out of generosity or kindness.

No, your children do not deserve extra special treatment, you want that then go private. Your children deserve exactly the same education as the children with families living on benefits or struggling with drugs or coming from 2 parent working background.

Out of interest how do you think other families supported their children's learning whilst working especially when they were not entitled to key worker places?

And for disclosure I am a teacher, I don't believe all staff or schools are the best they can be but I believe most try their best and it is up to slt and those in power to weed out those struggling and failing.

It is not the children of doctors, lawyers etc that are at a disadvantage as these professions can afford private tutoring or to go part time and still afford the rent.

It is the children of parents with low paid jobs who often have to work extra hours or get a second job to pay the rent so cannot afford a private tutor nor have the time to help their children with their studies.

These are the children who are going to suffer ultimately because that gap is just getting wider and wider but considering there is a pandemic going on there’s not a lot anyone can do.
But moaning that those in school or those at home have an unfair advantage isn’t helping at all.

Work in a huge high school.
Our feeder schools, and there are many, are all back next week.
However, we have our full cohort back on the 18th.
Between now and then, many of our students will have siblings in the feeder schools...
So, how exactly, is this going to pan out?

Take your own kids out of school if you are thst concerned

Not an option for me as i work in a primary school 🙄

Shitting myself too. Could resign but cant do that to my colleagues.

It’s good that the government have taken a step in the right direction, but as usual won’t be enough.

At the end of the national lockdown my town was on 122 and placed into tier 3 (dragged down by other parts of the county). By the time tier 4 came it had gone to over 900 but is now down to 776 (week 20th to 26th). We are in the new ‘hotspot’ area so primaries closed and suspect the numbers will to continue to fall.

All areas of Kent have seen cases falling to the week ending 26th but some are hotspot areas and some are not, I would be willing to bet my house that the hotspot areas will continue to fall and the other areas in Kent with primaries still opening next week will soon see cases back on the rise. It will be crystal clear what’s causing the increase / decrease when the only difference between the areas would be schools.

We struggled with lockdown 1 (2 kids with SN) and getting them back in September was a relief all round but fuxking hell this is ridiculous. By sending them back now is just compounding an already spiraling disaster. I was just saying to DH I gove it two weeks and they will close all tier 4 schools when it is too late again. This two weeks will see numbers climb even higher thanks to Christmas - the next two weeks could break or at least drastically reduce Christmas caused spread but only if ALL schools (including primary) are shut.

We are going to keep our kids off. After everyone mixing at Christmas, I'd like to wait at least a week or two to see what happens. We've just been moved from 2 to 3.

Also, is nobody else absolutely terrified of getting long covid? Some of the accounts I have been reading (Guardian/ BBC etc) sound awful, some 8 months after they were considered to have had mild covid. Extreme exhaustion, lung problems, psychiatric problems, there are a myriad of symptoms that the medical professions can't quantify or explain why they are occurring fully. And it's happening to ALL ages. Maybe it's because I already have a chronic condition (but non shielding) that I am so scared.

Surely the curriculum was suspended in March.
I assume the keyworker bubbles had different ages in so much if what they dud was fun stuff like baking. The kind if things dds Teacher actually advised us parents to do. As a result I think the keyworker kids and the ages allowed back were advantaged. None of my kids were in school at and the older two didn't return till mid September.

Surely the curriculum was suspended in March.

What age are your DCs?

Mine and my DCs secondary schools carried on with the curriculum/went over things they had already learnt - the new topics are going to be recapped at the end of the year for those who didn’t do it/understand it.
We weren’t allowed to do many fun things which I was frustrated about after realising not many bothered to do the actual work set.

I agree that in school they had an advantage as although they weren’t actually taught anything they still had lots of fun and they had an adult there to help them if they needed it. But when I was at home I didn’t have time to help them as I was doing my own work.

That’s just unproven rubbish. Most kids are absolutely fine being at home for a bit

Source??

@Agoodbriskwalk completely agree.

@OppsUpsSide

Anyone else wondering if Flippingnightmare is on glue?

Crackers and very entitled. And while we're on the subject, why is it still so hard to see a GP and yet so easy to teach?

@Letsleepingdogslie8

As both a parent and Primary Teacher, I totally agree OP. I’ve overheard so many conversations between children talking about their sleepovers.

If it's any reassurance my kid and friends endlessly talk about the sleepovers they're going to have or they have had and it's all complete fantasy, none of them have had sleepovers! I think there's some cbeebies show and they picked it up from that