School closures coming in thick and fast!....

[november90]

It's all over fb that our local primary schools are closing tomorrow. My son is in nursery so I'm assuming that will follow suit. He will be so upset as he's been so excited about going back :(
We're in Lancashire. This happening anywhere else?

Schools seem to have pre emoted that another announcement would be made.

Now MH is hinting at further measures being introduced rather quickly.

We just now need them to move away from "this new strain is extremely contagious. Schools are safe"

To "this new strain is highly contagious. Classrooms are full of mixed households and so we are ....... (whatever their decision is)

I'm getting a rage right now at parents on news saying "our school had no cases so they have done really well at keeping our pupils safe"

Where have they been? 10 months on and they cannot work out that when community transmission was low across a lot of the country in September then the virus wasn't necessarily coming in.

When it did....... BOOM. cases spread quickly and evidence shows under 17's became the biggest group for index cases in households.

My area had 20/100k per population in September.

130/100 at end of term in December.

It's now 400.

Doesn't take a scientist to work out what that means with regards cases in schools.

I'm getting a rage right now at parents on news saying "our school had no cases so they have done really well at keeping our pupils safe"

Also from my experience of my kids having covid, many don't tend to display symptoms so you cannot truly know if there are cases in your school without mass testing (asymptomatic is great but still means you are transmitting the virus throughout the community).

Suffolk and ours is open

No one doubts that transmission rates increase when children are at school.

But I still want children in school.

North Yorks and just received email to say school shut tomorrow (open for vulnerable and KW only).

I'm in Scotland and am utterly appalled by the UK government's dithering approach to closing/not-closing schools in England. The lack of action seems deliberate, and designed to set parents and teachers against each other. As for those saying their case levels are low, the new variant is much more transmissible, so whatever your current levels, they could rocket in the next few weeks.

Finally got email saying school will not open tomorrow - despite one yesterday saying it would! Seems the s44 letters came in thick and fast today! So relieved as was going to keep them home but really can't afford to be fined!!

Asymptomatic individuals very rarely pass on the virus (about 1/40th of the rate of symptomatic individuals).

North West here. Just received email that primary school will not reopen tomorrow.

North West too, our primary is open. Spoke to them as employer will issue key worker letters if I request it..school said they want to remain open but recommend getting the letter just in case. They will thankfully accept children with just one key worker parent.

It's like it covid gets into schools parents think it's because they haven't been kept safe - rather you know...... that's it's a virus.

@Sup1979

No one doubts that transmission rates increase when children are at school.

But I still want children in school.

Why?

Based on what we know with regards the index cases being mainly under 17's.

Boris just said "let me make it clear - schools are safe. It's not schools themselves that are the issue. It's the extent to how there are households mixing within them"

It's so contradictory. Schools are schools. They are mixes of households by definition.

Maybe he could define what he means by sage when he says what happens in them is how an epidemic spreads.

Does he mean the extent to which the hosieholds within them are mixing outside of them?

Looks like all schools in Scotland closed until at least the end of January - Nicola Sturgeon giving live statement right now.

@Mustfly
Can I ask why you, as a member of the police, can’t work with social workers to remove children from unsafe home environments? Why do you need schools to stop children being abused? Surely you are failing children on a professional level!

[quote BustopherPonsonbyJones]@Mustfly
Can I ask why you, as a member of the police, can’t work with social workers to remove children from unsafe home environments? Why do you need schools to stop children being abused? Surely you are failing children on a professional level![/quote]
Removal is a last resort

There is a huge grey area that is not sufficiently serious for intense social worker involvement

But is still very sad and unpleasant for the children concerned

Absolutely. But still the responsibility of the police and social services, be it intense or not, no? Seems odd that a member of the police force is passing the buck to schools when their own role should cover the care of the vulnerable too. I fear too much has been passed onto schools, hence the difficulties at the moment.

We live in tier 3 but DC schools are tier 4.
Eldest is year 11 so she isn't due back in until 11th.
Youngest junior school also tier 4 have just text to say school is open tomorrow.
Be on time and parents wear face coverings on drop off.

Schools are obviously really important but I really feel that they shouldn't open tomorrow.

Tier 4 here, ours supposed to open from Wednesday.

Stand by folks - PM giving a press conference at 8pm tonight.

@BustopherPonsonbyJones

Absolutely. But still the responsibility of the police and social services, be it intense or not, no? Seems odd that a member of the police force is passing the buck to schools when their own role should cover the care of the vulnerable too. I fear too much has been passed onto schools, hence the difficulties at the moment.

No unfortunately not

Low level but relentless abuse - very very difficult to detect.

Derogatory comments for example
They will make the child unhappy however social services wouldn’t be involved when faced with much more serious (and evident) abuse

Hello! I'm in Heysham here too! Our school have just told us they are only taking years 2-6 and only key worker/ vulnerable children for Rec & year 1. And if we don't want to send our children then it's an authorised absence!
But I guess we'll have to see what Boris tells us at 8pm now.

Our T4 extra measures...

• face masks encouraged for parents at drop off
• wearing PE kit on PE days
• don't go near the teachers.

I'm hoping the teachers are all happy with this. I'm happy my DDs get to go to school, bit would hate the teachers to be there under sufferance.