Looking likely schools will close. When should they be allowed to open?

[Billie18]

For those that believe they should close what would have to change for you to be happy with them opening? Is it a level of vaccinations if so what level? A lower daily hospital admission or death rate? Extra PPE? More Social distancing measures? Or is there a time limit on how long you think children should not be in school? Do you see any of these things changing in the near future?

Will just say that in my opinion they should stay open and I'm very concerned that they are closing.

I’m not sure it should be a blanket ban on closing all schools if I’m honest. Some areas don’t really justify that yet. What I think would be more helpful is if we all knew that if cases go above a certain amount in an area then it goes to tier 2,3,4 and a level everyone can agree on where schools should switch to remote learning until it decreases

Sadly though I fear levels will just keep rising

Not forgetting the NHS. Safe to open schools when there aren’t enough beds in hospitals?

But the question is how could they be open SAFER , not just open ?

@AbitSceptical

I don't think schools should close. (Although my kids' schools are closed).

Children and young people have suffered enough already - and for what?

Schools were closed for 6 months - and the virus is soaring again. This horrible medicine doesn't work.

Agree 100%. I am so angry on behalf of young people.

Safer @Billie18?
What do you think?

Covid loves a crowd so the only things I e got are... Mask wearing. Maybe those see through masks and worm with a visor too?
More space for social distancing. Field classrooms set up in school grounds (may have been easier if this had been thought of in the summer) so students could actually socially distance, maybe 1m plus.
All CV staff work from home
The 2 weeks in, 2 weeks remote learning that was in the original planning in Spetember?

@Billie18 I agree with you 100 💯 I work in a school and think they need to be open!!!

They should be allowed to open when everything else is allowed to open. I mean everything. As much as I think it’s hugely important to have children in school, I don’t think it trumps entire industries being decimated and I don’t think it’s worth the human price that is paid as a result. Children are not the only people that matter, and vulnerable children have a much better chance of being catered for with schools partially open than many vulnerable adults (especially young ones) have with the systems we’ve got.

[quote HeyBaby2020]@Billie18 I agree with you 100 💯 I work in a school and think they need to be open!!![/quote]
I feel sure your doing great work

I don't agree with them closing at all. I would like them to remain open so children can have their education.

I’m sure she is

How are you doing it safely ?

@StatisticalSense

Schools should be closed until mid Feb with no keyworker provision and no remote learning, with the summer holidays cancelled and full attendance expected (and exams pushed back until July and August).

Of course. Those lazy intensive care doctors and nurses can supervise their 7 year olds' remote learning from their phone in between ventilating covid patients. Nurses are all really well paid, of course they'll all have stay at home partners or maybe a live in nanny. Alternatively I bet there are tons of other families or maybe some ageing grandparents who will enthusiastically form a childcare bubble to help them out.

@Billie18 thanks! I will be working in the key worker hub from tomorrow but I think it’s so unfair on other children being stuck at home not seeing friends etc the risk of actually dying from the virus is tiny and life is being ruined for a lot of people for a virus which most people survive it’s a joke 😢

@TasslesandFringes

Wish the govt would just vaccinate teachers. Why the heck aren’t they doing this?!!

@TasslesandFringes all teachers? Or cev ones? How would vaccinating all teachers being the numbers down? If the current vaccines don’t prevent transmission or catching the virus. I’d support vaccinating soon those vulnerable teachers but not those that are healthy and with 99% chances of having a mild or asymptotic COVID.

Lots of teachers and school staff haven’t survived.

@RickOShay

Lots of teachers and school staff haven’t survived.

Most do

@HeyBaby2020 what would you suggest differently whilst keeping the school population safe ?

[quote starrynight19]@HeyBaby2020 what would you suggest differently whilst keeping the school population safe ?[/quote]
At least a rota system, half the class each class every day (one week half have 3 days the next they have 2 whilst the other has 3 etc) anything to keep schools open

I’m also thinking of children’s mental well-being seeing their friends etc

[quote HeyBaby2020]@Billie18 thanks! I will be working in the key worker hub from tomorrow but I think it’s so unfair on other children being stuck at home not seeing friends etc the risk of actually dying from the virus is tiny and life is being ruined for a lot of people for a virus which most people survive it’s a joke 😢[/quote]
Children of key workers and vulnerable children who are allowed to attend are so fortunate. It must be hard when you know the children who are missing out. But all we can do is keep speaking out.

February half term in all higher Tier 4 areas not all tier 4s are created equal.
Schools are not the childhood mental health panacea. We had a massive problem with child mental health pre Covid.
School staff are not social workers children who need that support need to be getting it from the right agencies
Schools are sociable places to allow children to learn and discover.
Unfortunately the best thing whilst we are too understaffed to open much needed Nightingale Hospitals and ambulances are queuing and Drs are warning this is worse than the first wave is protect children and their families and their communities by cutting down the physically sociable aspects of school and introducing creative learning experiences on line and through paper learning
Teachers can play a role but Amazon has been offering home learning content, there is the oak academy structure in place BBC bite size shows during the day all of these could and should be built on quickly.
If children aren’t at school it is safer to let grandparents care for them if needed
If children aren’t at school you take out a huge area of transmission not the only area no but right now everything helps.

Quite a few people are dying though
474 today. How did those people catch covid in the first place?

And it needs to be a certain fixed period do it can be planned for and around and everyone know when they return to school it’s going to be a safe and positive thing