Email from Head - primary school will be open on Monday

[CloseSchoolsProtecttheNHS]

Just had an email from our head teacher 'reassuring' us that the (primary) school will be open as usual to all pupils on Monday morning. Personally, I find this far from reassuring in the middle of the worst part of a pandemic. We are in a county that borders London and rates are over 600 per 100,000.

I'm assuming the staff are either non NEU or have agreed to go in anyway? How can the Head be SO sure they'll open, as to actually write an email on a Saturday night saying so?

@Bewildered2021

And what happens when little ones cough and sneeze in their mask during the day and keep touching their masks throughout the day?

I suspect that if they are coughing and sneezing that much there is a good argument somewhere in the insanity of 2020/21 to say they probably shouldn't be in school in the first place and that this argument against masks is a little bit shit.

What another absolute embarrassment from this gov.

Sage have said it is not safe to close schools. Gov are happy to quote sage when it suits. I hope enough teachers follow union advice to force closures but shame on the government for putting teachers in this position.

RedToothBrush Thank you for your last pay, that is very concise and explains how all the elements fit together. Tomorrow (well today now really) will be interesting to say the least.

I am not sure there will be mass blaming of teachers though, everyone knows what a pile of shit the government are.

In Wales, the first week of the term is distance learning

Not all of Wales, mushmonster. It varies by LA. Some counties go back this week.
Gwynedd, Conwy, Cardiff and Powys are a few I believe.

• not safe to open schools

The Council have now got involved as they feel it is unsafe and have posted a statement today . Luckily we are closed Monday. No idea what will happen.

need to wait for the results of the union's court case Monday pm. I think the judegment will be that schools are not unsafe per se if they have the precautions in place and therefore teachers will have to go in. unless Gav takes swift decisive action tomorrow (unlikely).

So will all the parents who don't want the precious cherubs wearing masks keep them all at home if that becomes a requirement.
Quite honestly this would be brilliant news !
BTW if your child ever needs oxygen (possibly due to covid) will you say ...oh no he can't wear that its too uncomfortable because believe me children find oxygen masks extremely uncomfortable so the preferable solution is to avoid a situation where we have many sick children in need of oxygen masks !

Spare a thought for the poor heads at schools going back on Monday who now tomorrow have to draw up

Plan A: school open - which staff will be in and does this mean all children can be in. If not how do they handle key worker children?

Plan B: school going online - which staff are prepared to be in, and how do you plan this if you dont know how many kids have key worker parents this time around. Can you even provide care for key worker kids at such short notice or if you have too many staff staging a section 44 walkout?

Plan C: school open, but fully expecting it to close later in the week - how do you manage parents and the children who may be anxious from all this school hokey cokey? How do you deal with arsey parents who might not like the idea of masks if that becomes a thing? Do you set a policy that they are sent home or does the school provide masks as a safeguarding type measure to keep vulnerable kids in school in certain cases?

Heads are going to be sat watching the news and refreshing their emails all day.

Many will have to go into work tomorrow to sort the mess out.

A mess they have created and most definitely comes from poor management at the highest level.

Its really pissed me off that its schools and councils, heads and teacherd getting the shit here whilst Williamson just sneers and deliberately avoids the press as much as humanly possible.

The man would run over his own granny if she disagreed with him.

Ours are open and we are tier 4. I've already heard of one child in DD's year who has a family member who's just tested positive, they've all been seeing each other all holidays, and nobody is self isolating even though they've been in contact with the positive case - and they have every intention of sending the child to school on Monday.

@stovetopespresso

need to wait for the results of the union's court case Monday pm. I think the judegment will be that schools are not unsafe per se if they have the precautions in place and therefore teachers will have to go in. unless Gav takes swift decisive action tomorrow (unlikely).

How is that remotely helpful for schools going back on Monday not Tuesday?

Wtf are they supposed to do?

We had an email from our head OP stating the infection rate for the school area is currently 800 in 100,000. She was trying to be nice and reassuring but it didn’t leave me feeling reassured at all! In fact if anything it’s made me decided to keep mine at home!

Tbh, if you are in either union using the unsafe at work law, you should take the letter and send it to your headteacher. It isnt a strike. Its about an unsafe environment. If you think yours is safe i.e. with mitigation in place and low case numbers, then go in. If not then use the letter.
Really if you dont take action, you havent a leg to stand on later. We are at nearly 60 000 cases a day. It is unacceptable to have children in the school. For them, for you and their families.
The Govt are letting you make the decision and banking on teachers giving in.
Maybe thats the reason for the silence.
Case by case.

@Glitterblue

Ours are open and we are tier 4. I've already heard of one child in DD's year who has a family member who's just tested positive, they've all been seeing each other all holidays, and nobody is self isolating even though they've been in contact with the positive case - and they have every intention of sending the child to school on Monday.

If I knew that to be true, I'd be tempted to tell the school. I'm not remotely a tattletale in any other situation, but seriously, sending a kid in that's supposed to be isolating is something that needs challenging.

What the hell is happening? Why aren’t Williamson or any of the other hapless DfE twerps saying anything?

Why aren’t Keir Starmer or the shadow ed sec saying anything?

How is it possible that scientists are pretty much unanimously yelling that closing schools is the absolute least we need to do, and nothing is happening?

Why are HTs sending any welcome back emails to parents today at all? Why aren’t they listening to their own union? Aren’t they concerned about their staff and pupils?

Even Jeremy bloody Hunt is saying schools will probably need to close until Feb half term. But not a dickybird from Gavin. Meanwhile, teachers and parents are on the edge of their seats trying to work out wtf they’re expected to do when term starts in about five minutes’ time, and the people in charge just ignore us.

Every time I think this government have reached rock bottom, they plunge a few more metres lower. Their handling of this is despicable. And it’d be nice if HTs wouldn’t collude with their science-denying bullshit.

Aren’t headteachers meant to safeguard kids? They should follow SAGE advice. How about a national school strike by parents? Why are our kids cannon fodder? Luckily schools are staying closed where I am because unfortunately it’s a hotspot.

And what will the headteachers say at the public inquiry? “Only obeying orders?”

Really interesting discussion. I didn't say straight away as I didn't want to sway the thread or be jumped on, but I won't be sending my children to school on Monday no matter what. I refuse to participate in this.

@LeJessi

I don’t think you should be encouraging parents to lie. Frankly the rest of us in other areas of education have gad to adapt to online and mixed mode teaching and just get in with its about time primary and secondary schools got on with it - all this crap about safeguarding and I don’t know how to - the rest of us have had to step up to the plate its time you did not listen to militant unions advising strikes just when we its the last thing we need - we need to come together not look for excuses to get out of doing tbe jov you are paid to do - teach children

The teaching has not stopped and for many primary and secondary teachers has been mixed mode. All teachers want to teach but didn't sign up to be childcaring martyrs for an incompetent government.

The only reason I am going to lie is because I am self employed with no financial assistance and I haven’t (right at this moment) got the funds to pay the fine. I will have but I’m waiting for invoices to be paid currently... otherwise I would tell the truth.

@LacyEdge

What the hell is happening? Why aren’t Williamson or any of the other hapless DfE twerps saying anything?

Why aren’t Keir Starmer or the shadow ed sec saying anything?

How is it possible that scientists are pretty much unanimously yelling that closing schools is the absolute least we need to do, and nothing is happening?

Why are HTs sending any welcome back emails to parents today at all? Why aren’t they listening to their own union? Aren’t they concerned about their staff and pupils?

Even Jeremy bloody Hunt is saying schools will probably need to close until Feb half term. But not a dickybird from Gavin. Meanwhile, teachers and parents are on the edge of their seats trying to work out wtf they’re expected to do when term starts in about five minutes’ time, and the people in charge just ignore us.

Every time I think this government have reached rock bottom, they plunge a few more metres lower. Their handling of this is despicable. And it’d be nice if HTs wouldn’t collude with their science-denying bullshit.

Shutting schools is unpopular. Johnson and Starmer do not want to be unpopular.

Tier 4 area but not on "the list". The head emailed parents yesterday confirming school will open as per govt policy and they are excited to see the children back.
I assume there is every chance of a govt u- turn in a week or two.
If govt got on with it and closed schools today I would have childcare (DM), as we have been nowhere and seen nobody for 2 weeks in order to spend this weekend with her. Once DS has gone back to the school germ soup she won't come near us nor would I want her to, and we'll be trying to juggle WFH and child without totally losing our shit more than 5 times a day. It will also be far more destabilising for DS to be in again than out again.
I will be livid if dear Gavin makes them go back for a few days, then does a chaotic about face. And I am just worrying about looking after my one child and about DH's health, not risk assessments and lesson planning for 30 like the poor bloody teachers. Why can't we be like Scotland - delayed return all foreseen, announced, explained and planned for?

*then out again

@LacyEdge great post. The governments silence says it all. They were asked to produce evidence as to why the London boroughs that we’re open were safe to do so and they have produced nothing. In fact they then said ‘actually you should close too’. They are being asked If those schools aren’t safe to open then why are others safe? Again nothing in response from the government. Nothing to motivate and/or reassurance the schools workforce or parents. There are clearly concerns and they have failed to step up and either close schools or offer some evidence to reassure highly worried people of the nation they were elected to serve, don’t we all deserve better treatment than that?

@Esse321

But it is safe and that's why the scientists and government advisors are saying schools back on Monday.

Yes, it definitely is safe