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?

@UsernameSaved

The governors with the head teacher.

Not unless the governors have delegated powers within the MAT and even then this is likely not to be delegated to either a HT or an LGB.

Not all academy schools are part of a MAT.

All these people saying their schools haven't had cases (yet!) are SO missing the point. I despair.

@SinisterBumFacedCat I hear that. I moved up from Brighton for my partners work - it’s like being in a Tory twilight zone. Still haven’t gotten over the shock of how different it is! Can’t wait to win the lottery / find a money tree and move away. Can’t took about house prices, extensions and bollocks like that much longer. And why does no one have any views or opinions round here that aren’t from The Times?! Arghhhh. Anyway, just wanted to let you know that I feel your pain

Talk about *

@TinyTroubleMaker I don't think it's the individual schools deciding to rebel - It's more how many individual staff are sending in 'Section 44' letters ( their right to a safe workplace) which means that head teachers are only just now finding out how many staff they will have and whether they actually can open.

@Pastanred

lancaster rate now is 250

lancaster wc 10/10/20 - 358 so was actually higher then

Interesting that they are shutting in your area despite the rate being much higher than in October! I am hoping our primaries don't close. Our Secondary is staggering opening until testing set up. We received a really positive email from the Head Teacher saying they expect to be up and running for all shortly. They are great - email sent to all parents for the 2 pupils that tested positive since September and no spread from either of those pupils. They follow strict mask wearing in all communal areas and coming in and out of school for all otherwise a detention. We have been lucky with low rates of transmission throughout. No year groups have ever been sent home since September.
I cannot imagine what London must be like with some of the very high numbers that have been showed. Completely different then and part of the reason that some of us don't believe all schools should close all over the country - no need to here.

South coast Hampshire seen a lot are closing, my daughters preschool posted on fb saying they will be open but my sisters sons school and couple of friends kids schools are closing

missfliss fine. I know it won't happen, but if I was a Head and knew even one of those staff issuing the letter had been more than ok to push their way through a crowded Tesco with everyone breathing all over them 2 weeks ago I'd want them fired. Don't care if that's an unpopular view on here.

I was going to say the same schools are not 'taking it upon themselves' to close they just may not be able to get adequate staffing due to staff being ill with Covid, staff having to self isolate as contacts and S44 letters.

Our school was planning to reopen but with the amount of staff absence we are having it may not be possible to fully reopen.

@TinyTroubleMaker

I'm furious just reading this thread at the number of schools that seem to have taken it upon themselves to arbitrarily make up their own rules. Including giving some children (keyworkers) education and others not. How dare they.

I bet many of the same adults refusing to go to work this week will have been shoulder to shoulder with everyone else en masse at the supermarkets less than 2 weeks ago in the lead up to Xmas. Not bothered about covid then - so many people were packed in and sprawling over each other. Those were adults doing exactly what they wanted. But when it comes to children, their education and mental wellbeing - no, can't possibly put anyone at risk.

I think @TinyTroubleMaker you are in a minority on here. A vast amount of MN's want every school to close and a national lock down again and will not be happy until that happens.
It obviously depends where you live but it seems wrong to close a school that has managed well with very few cases in an area with a very low infection rate. Totally understand closing schools that are in high infection rate areas though. Small rural schools or schools in Cornwall really ought to be allowed to get on with teaching.

teaching face to face....*

Sussex. Closed from tomorrow email this afternoon !

Heads shouldn't keep part of the school open if the absences are for section 44 reasons. Covid case reasons, yes. Not fair that parents know which teachers have sent in letters, it's none of their business.

@Incrediblytired

I’m in sussex - just had an email from nursery to say that they’ve been told primary schools are closing Tuesday and that they are trying to work out the staffing for keyworker children

I'm in sussex too, nothing so far, must be a different part as ours still open, inset tomorrow where I think the head will see the lie of the land re staffing etc. 2 closed in our local town though.

@CovoidOfAllHumanity

I was going to say the same schools are not 'taking it upon themselves' to close they just may not be able to get adequate staffing due to staff being ill with Covid, staff having to self isolate as contacts and S44 letters.

Our school was planning to reopen but with the amount of staff absence we are having it may not be possible to fully reopen.

Since they have been off over 2 weeks already then one would assume those teaching staff caught the virus somewhere other than at school....so if they have staff shortages now then they caught it over Christmas....

West Mids, had email a few hours ago to say open as usual

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Heads shouldn't keep part of the school open if the absences are for section 44 reasons. Covid case reasons, yes. Not fair that parents know which teachers have sent in letters, it's none of their business.

yes but it might be the reality though

Small rural schools or schools in Cornwall really ought to be allowed to get on with teaching.

Yep. I agree it should be based on clear community transmission numbers, combined with hospital admissions. Thing is, that still leaves school staff and communities at risk. Should be a 2 week shut down for everyone to deal with the post Christmas stuff, then more individualised.

My dd primary reassured us they would be open (I wasn't sending dd)) but 4 other local schools have closed...

The relief I feel and they are not going to fine!.

Anyone heard of any private nurseries closing?

Our LA took legal advice and S44 applies where an employee has

'A reasonable belief that attending work will put them in imminent serious danger'

The advice was that it is 'easily conceive able' that going to work in a high COVID area could reasonably give rise to such a belief especially if the employee was vulnerable or the risk mitigation was not considered adequate.

If S44 applies then the employee cannot 'suffer detriment' ie have pay docked or disciplinary action. So what can a head, GB or LA really do? They won't be able to force staff to come in if there is a threat of legal action supported by unions.

I personally think we should concentrate our effort on being ready to go with our best remote learning effort that we can muster.

yes but it might be the reality though

Reality of what? It's bad leadership. Imagine parent conversations. Better to open up to a wider group of children across year groups if you are able to staff more kids safely.

@RuleWithAWoodenFoot agree ... I was saying this at the beginning of the hols! gov and gav would have looked a lot more decisive then and those poor schools would have had more time to prepare

HappyNewYear2021 viral transmission isn't a one time event.

A child will have brought it home from school, infected their parent, who infects a colleague, who infects their child multiple times.

When schools closed on 20th March, it took another three weeks before the 'peak' of the virus.

maybe they will keep schools open to certain years as per the staggered return at the end of locldown 1?