Betting: when will schools be shut?

[notevenat20]

My guess is the govt will shut all schools soonish. This view is partly based on reading www.imperial.ac.uk/media/imperial-college/medicine/mrc-gida/2020-12-31-COVID19-Report-42-Preprint-VOC.pdf

So what to do in a crisis? That’s right, betting. Here are the questions.

In which month will secondary schools next be open?

In which month will primary schools next be shut?

My votes are: March and January.

They may open primaries on the 4th but I don’t think it will last. Secondaries won’t open at all in Jan/Feb.

I agree @Attictroll. Also London based, DS had 2 periods of self isolation over a 5 week period just before Christmas, after he allegedly had ‘close contact’. He was absolutely fine both times, other than missing 4 weeks of school. I didn’t take up my key worker places last time, but damn right I will this time. And so will the vast majority of other parents judging from the Whatsapp groups. U18’s outdoor sport is fine to carry on as normal, but they can’t attend school?!

Anyone who claims all they have heard from unions or teachers is that schools should close has not been listening to unions or teachers (or needs to remove the wax from their ears and stop imagining what their prejudices tell them to assume is being said).

Its mad keeping them open, I wish the government would just do these things ahead of time instead of keeping on going with things as they are until the last second. Its mad all the shops are open too but to keep the schools off a week or two now would be so much easier that waiting till its too late and then have to keep them shut far longer. Shut them all now and the shops for a 2 week post christmas break and give the hospitals a chance.

I just don't understand anybody who wants the schools shut!! Close all the non essential shops claiming there essential first!

@Flinstones

I just don't understand anybody who wants the schools shut!! Close all the non essential shops claiming there essential first!

They don’t. It’s now unavoidable because no-one and I include a lot of parents in that, listened. No-one listened to the issues with schools and the ideas to keep them open to all, safely. Now it’s too late.

Do you think the rest of tier 4 will follow? Surely it has to, what kind of bloody message does it send otherwise??

@Beebityboo

Do you think the rest of tier 4 will follow? Surely it has to, what kind of bloody message does it send otherwise??

Yes and T3 because some T3 has higher rates than T4 and climbing, plus many T3 schools have T4 catchments and vice versa.

No one seems to realise the challenging month londons kids have had and many mums are beginning to see educational and mental health cracks.

Honestly, your kids teachers will have seen it and absolutely care. Remember that teachers are far more likely than the average person to think school attendance is really important. The teachers I know spent most of the first lockdown worrying about “our” kids and were delighted to be allowed to do face to face teaching.

We can only hope that this bout of school closures is going to be much shorter than the previous one. And that when they reopen there will be an actual plan for keeping them open. For example, the rota system (planned by schools on the advice of the government in September) to be implemented in secondary schools when cases in the community hit a set rate.

Itisasecret in our school we did everything we were told & had not one case of COVID or a bubble sent home. I can not support or understand the closing of schools when I can go to Costa for a takeout, or go to one of the many many shops open ( not that I do ) you can not expect schools to close & the detrimental effect on our children when such non Essential shops are still open. Is a joke!

would love to see evidence where teaching leaders went to anyone with a plan for flexi schooling. All I seem to have heard from the unions and teachers is close schools not any half way house which enables some contact time - even outside. No negotiations

Yes, we tried, schools had started to use alternative arrangements including rota's.
My daily conversations with the DfE stopped any plans. Even schools where they had capacity to bring back additional year groups ( after KW/V/y6/yR) were prevented from doing this.
There are too many complications of insurance, risk assessment, etc etc.

It’s obvious that at some point in the next few weeks schools will have to close. The nhs can’t cope, struggling for beds and struggling for nhs staff. Too many nhs staff off isolating or ill with the “wild” strain, I can only imagine how many will be off when the new highly transmittable strain is in schools and then spread into the communities.

I just wish they would do something before rather than last minute. It’s not fair on the staff at schools, students or parents. I don’t want schools to shut, but it’s obvious they will do so just tell us now rather than the constant breaking news and u-turns

For those who would like primaries to close there is this petition:

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/561988/signatures/thank-you

all nurseries and places of education to stay closed until 15th January

@Flinstones

Itisasecret in our school we did everything we were told & had not one case of COVID or a bubble sent home. I can not support or understand the closing of schools when I can go to Costa for a takeout, or go to one of the many many shops open ( not that I do ) you can not expect schools to close & the detrimental effect on our children when such non Essential shops are still open. Is a joke!

If that’s true, then I would say that is luck. Schools are not safe so if COVID is in them then that’s on the Govt. I doubt it is though because typos aside (I make loads on a phone) someone in a school should know their homophones. Especially there/their/they’re.

I get you’re cross but exaggerating a point will not keep schools open.

Schools are the only thing left to close, they are causing the transmission.

@Bluebird2021

We’re those shops closed in the first lockdown? If so I agree . We might need to go for full lockdown again.

I have not been to a shop except for food since last March . I won’t take the risk .

@Itisasecret

But they are closed so how can they be causing the transmission.

[quote Unsure33]@Itisasecret

But they are closed so how can they be causing the transmission.[/quote]
Because the children who were all infected from school, passed it on. Just in time for Christmas mixing. Which is why now we are seeing the peaks and troughs we are in the data for the age ranges.

you can not expect schools to close & the detrimental effect on our children when such non Essential shops are still open.

Try looking at it from someone else’s point of view. For example:

1. a restaurant owner who can’t pay their mortgage and has staff who are desperately struggling to survive on furlough. Why should that business be shut when it barely effects transmission, whereas schools have a big impact?
2. a new mum with PND whose doctor and health visitors refuse to see her due to COVID risk. Why should her care be curtailed while schools are open and fuelling transmission?
3. a clothing shop worker who is now on 80% pay while the business is shut, can’t pay her rent and even when open the restrictions around trying on clothes means sales are down and her employer has started planning redundancies. Why should she be made homeless while schools are open and driving transmission?

It’s easy to say “schools should stay open”. I desperately want them too - because it is better for the kids and my workload is much more manageable. But, in reality, there are millions of people getting poorer and poorer partly because of the decision to keep schools open full time to all pupils. And poverty is pretty shit for a child’s life chances too.

@Eng123

Has anyone not noticed that schools have been closed for 2 weeks and yet the infection rate keeps climbing? I appreciate it takes some time to show in the figures but I don't believe it's being driven by schools. What i did notice was my packed high street when i drove past it, very busy roads, groups meeting in play parks and an amazing selection of "click and collect" options! Really nothing has been locked down. Let's lock things down properly before closing schools.

Doesn’t it take 14 days for people infected to start showing in the figures.

[quote SeldomFollowedIt]@Eng123

Ahh that’s why we are now in trouble. Pets at home. The penny has dropped .[/quote]
Because pets don’t need food when the humans lockdown

[quote Unsure33]@Bluebird2021

We’re those shops closed in the first lockdown? If so I agree . We might need to go for full lockdown again.

I have not been to a shop except for food since last March . I won’t take the risk .[/quote]
I think garden centres were closed?

Can't remember Costa, mc Donald's etc open even for take out?

B and m and range etc were open first time round I think? Didn't go to them so I have no idea.

But I agree they need to perhaps close everything with unnecessary contact as well because I can see if schools are closed people going en masse to macdonalds for take out lunch.

It's not easy having the kids home all day every day

yes b&m,the range and home bargains open first time, classed as essential because they sell food items/essentials

but they also sell seasonal items, homeware and decorative items....which is how people managed to redecorate and buy 'stuff'

this is where it gets ridiculous. the stores had long queues and were full all day while people bought paint and new mirrors to do up rooms. how essential was that? people said it was for 'mental health' reasons

first time round there was no macdonalds/kfc takeaways, all closed

Thanks
Tilly

I thought so but could t remember. I also didn't visit any of those shops because they weren't essential to me!

"Schools have been shut for two weeks and the infection rates are still going up so schools can't be to blame for transmission"

Erm you do realise that there can be more than one cause don't you 🤷‍♀️

It's like saying there's only one cause of pollution 😂

@CoffeeCreamandSugar the link to that petition only comes up as them having sent you an email. Can you send us the actual page?