Will there be a U turn over primary schools in the next few days?

[SoscaredforJan]

Just that really. If things carry on getting worse over the next few days are they really going to send primary schools back into the Covid hell?

At what point will we have to have a national lockdown to stop the hospitals from being overwhelmed?

@Subordinateclause

Children did not lose 6 months of education. End March to start Sept is 5 months for a start, and it included May half term and the summer hols so a minimum of 7 weeks holiday for most areas. 95% of children in my primary class are on track to be where they should be by the end of this year and most have already made up lost ground, a third of the way into the year. March - July was grim for primary children and I am happy to teach and happy for my school, where rates are lower than elsewhere, to stay open but I get so frustrated at the 6 month line being repeated over and over.

OK. Sorry.

Children did not lose 6 months of education.

To be fair, if the whole school year had been cancelled you would call that a year, even though they don't go to school on holidays or weekends. They missed pretty much everything from late march to the end of the summer term and then spent a lot of time catching up in the autumn term.

Yep.

It also included the summer holidays @Subordinateclause. I make it about 3.5 months of home learning where we are.

The Us4Them people just won’t let up. Yes, closing schools again isn’t ideal, but we’re not in an ideal world right now. We are on the edge of “catastrophe” according to mainstream epidemiological opinion. Something’s got to give.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

They will close due to staff absence - which means no KW cover, no V children cover and even more annoyed parents. There were better ways of doing this that offer certainty to parents, but no one asked.

I also think this is what will happen. It might take a few weeks, but with the new variant and Christmas mixing I think a rise in staff absences is almost certain to happen.

In the official statement they put out they said they'd review on the 18th

@hedgehogger1

In the official statement they put out they said they'd review on the 18th

Yes but as we've seen things generally go quickly when they go wrong. Parents will vote with their feet if the deaths continue at this level like they did in March.

@notevenat20

Children did not lose 6 months of education.

To be fair, if the whole school year had been cancelled you would call that a year, even though they don't go to school on holidays or weekends. They missed pretty much everything from late march to the end of the summer term and then spent a lot of time catching up in the autumn term.

I would point out that a great many children did not lose months of education because a great many of us were providing education for them during that time.

I get frustrated by these blanket statements that imply myself and my colleagues made no educational contribution whatsoever, when we were teaching, providing work and providing feedback throughout. For whatever reason not all schools did this, but a great many of us did. It might not have been the same as being in the classroom, but the kids did learn stuff.

I really hope that primary schools will open on time. My son has lost so much this year already. I think that the figures have much more to do with irresponsible socialising pre and during christmas than schools.

It wouldn’t surprise me.

I would have been keeping mine off if our schools hadn’t been on the closure list.

My sin was I his final year of infants and they just abandoned him. We managed to get a tutor but he has fallen back. He as just making progress in March when this blew up. I really want him in school.

@Eng123

I really hope that primary schools will open on time. My son has lost so much this year already. I think that the figures have much more to do with irresponsible socialising pre and during christmas than schools.

Christmas mixing will certainly affect the figures, but to think they'll make more of a difference than millions of children shoulder to shoulder in schools is a bit of a stretch.

In getting so bored of these repetitive threads. People have been going on about the same thing since September and yet schools haven't closed.

If you are worried or concerned then take your child out, say they are ill, but it's your choice ultimately - you do not have to do whst the government say if you do strongly disageee.

But let's stop with the same repetive posts!

I bloody hope not.

@Remmy123

In getting so bored of these repetitive threads. People have been going on about the same thing since September and yet schools haven't closed.

If you are worried or concerned then take your child out, say they are ill, but it's your choice ultimately - you do not have to do whst the government say if you do strongly disageee.

But let's stop with the same repetive posts!

Oh that’s odd, my children aren’t physically returning to school because they are ermm closed.

@Redwinestillfine

Boris has pinned his success on keeping schools open. He won't close them now. There may be a u turn but not until the virus has ripped through them. Really they need to make mass home testing available until vaccines are ready.

This is exactly what I'm scared of. It's inevitable that schools will close again, but the govt is digging it's heels. The cost of not closing them now will be lives, sickness and the failure of the nhs.

I sincerely hope not. It was sheer relief for me yesterday when it was announced that primary schools in our area would be open.

No they will probably wait for more staff and students and their family’s to get ill / sick / die and then schools will have to close without enough staff to open them safely. No provision for any keyworker / vulnerable them.

@Remmy123

In getting so bored of these repetitive threads. People have been going on about the same thing since September and yet schools haven't closed.

If you are worried or concerned then take your child out, say they are ill, but it's your choice ultimately - you do not have to do whst the government say if you do strongly disageee.

But let's stop with the same repetive posts!

Every single secondary school plus some primary schools are closed to the majority of pupils next week ??

I've spoken to ds2's headteacher and she's agreed for him to join remotely when term starts. The numbers are all over the place and we don't know what damage Christmas had done at this point.

Not a government u-turn but I think schools will start to close due to staff sickness if the new variant is as quick to spread as I have heard. Schools will just have to close and there will be no online learning either if staff are sick.

If this variant proves to be definitely more transmissible then, yes either children will stay at home or might be put on a two week rota to at least reduce bubble sizes and allow better distancing.

I want all school shut, for at least 2/4 weeks following all mixing everyone did over Christmas and most will do tonight. I am not happy our primary is open, I see no point having high school child off yet younger one in school. Schools are not safe they are mixing with 60 + kids a day yet we can’t see anyone at all at moment. ,it’s just being used a free childcare, government don’t give a rats arse about the kids all about the economy and trying to save face as they have stated schools open no matter what.

Agree with those saying not all children lost out on education. I managed to get my youngest well ahead of where he was with reading and writing. His teacher supported me through this. I do however appreciate this wasn't available for all.

A more varied approach was needed for the return for schools. Those who could teach their children from home shouldn't have just been allowed but encouraged!

I think they should, and I think they will.

In Scotland, plans were announced two weeks ago for closures at the start-mid of January. The UK Government has now closed secondary and some primary schools for the same time period. I think they'll soon follow with all primaries too.