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Original poster

Will schools re-open?

111 replies

TVDFan · 05/01/2021 22:41

Do you think schools will re-open after the February half-term?

YABU - Yes I think they'll re-open after half term.

YANBU - They will remain closed for longer.

OP posts:
FuckOffBorisYouTwat · 05/01/2021 23:27

Johnson said he was hoping it would be before the summer according to the guardian.

Persianparadise · 05/01/2021 23:27

Nicola told us feb

Hollyhobbi · 05/01/2021 23:30

Schools in Ireland are closed until at least the 1st of February. They were due to open tomorrow. And they were fully closed from the 13th March until the last week of August. As in no children in any primary, secondary, or special school, at all. No school was open for key workers children or vulnerable children. And the creches were shut too until they were gradually reopened in July. God knows what will happen in FebruarySad.

yankeedoodledandee · 05/01/2021 23:36

@Persianparadise

Nicola told us feb

No she didn't. She was quite clear we don't have a return date. She said they will not go back before 1st Feb and we will get an update on the 18th January.

RoseMartha · 05/01/2021 23:55

I will be surprised if fully open before Easter.

They might try and stagger a return though before that.

Topsyandtimison37 · 05/01/2021 23:58

End of Feb as I think furlough ends in March

Letseatgrandma · 06/01/2021 00:10

It’s a hard one. Schools had to close because they were vectors for the disease, but now the government have changed the KW/vulnerable guidance so that many schools have got well over 50% of pupils in. It’s crazy.

I suspect either things will not improve with regards to cases/deaths and we will be in this lockdown for a long time with schools ‘partly open’ and still significantly facilitating covid spread. Or the government will need to go back to the minimal number of children in schools like in the first lockdown and it might actually have an impact on the virus spread.

Lockdownbear · 06/01/2021 00:16

Furlough is extended to April.
I'm thinking if half the kids are in then April all the kids will be in especially primary and nursery.
Secondary probably after Easter, no exams so the kids can work right up to summer and do assessments as necessary.

Excited101 · 06/01/2021 00:17

Easter, which I think they already know.

Lockdownbear · 06/01/2021 00:19

If this is as serious as they are making out I think they might close nonessential factories and construction, even a month or so. Which makes life slightly easier for parents too.

AnyFucker · 06/01/2021 00:26

They might as well though going off all the kids I saw mixing on the streets today Angry

QualityRoads · 06/01/2021 00:34

It all depends on how fast the numbers fall and a quick fall depends on low numbers of children being in class so that social distancing is possible. If people on here are right and class numbers are high it could easily be well after Easter before normal service is resumed.

Sweettea1 · 06/01/2021 00:42

With boris reluctant to close them in first place i certainly hope so.

Quaagars · 06/01/2021 00:49

I'm just taking it as it comes.
What's the point in speculating and scaremongering?
Nobody knows what will happen.

LaurieFairyCake · 06/01/2021 00:50

Schools are OPEN

Unfortunately too many children are being sent in due to the government loosening the 'key worker' categories/failing to provide financially for people - people are desperate Sad

There will be 1500 deaths a day in a month due to Covid

This is going very badly now in London and is going to get much worse.

ellenleaves · 06/01/2021 00:56

I think after Easter.

Monkeytennis97 · 06/01/2021 04:41

@Letseatgrandma

It’s a hard one. Schools had to close because they were vectors for the disease, but now the government have changed the KW/vulnerable guidance so that many schools have got well over 50% of pupils in. It’s crazy.

I suspect either things will not improve with regards to cases/deaths and we will be in this lockdown for a long time with schools ‘partly open’ and still significantly facilitating covid spread. Or the government will need to go back to the minimal number of children in schools like in the first lockdown and it might actually have an impact on the virus spread.

This.
SnowGnome · 06/01/2021 04:52

I suspect either things will not improve with regards to cases/deaths and we will be in this lockdown for a long time with schools ‘partly open’ and still significantly facilitating covid spread

I fear you are right. I don’t want them to stay closed but I think by Feb we won’t even be at the peak of the problem.

You can tell it’s really bad because all they want to talk about is the vaccine. All the way through they’ve tried to deflect from bad news with something “positive”. I don’t care how positive it is for a few million people who are lucky enough to get it. The next weeks and months will be dark ones for most of us.

WitchesBritchesPumpkinPants · 06/01/2021 05:09

'Key worker' is FAR too broad. FAR too many kids physically in the building but not learning.

Worst of all situations I feel.

Schools need to be closed, but the entitlement to a school place needs to be looked at.

happystone · 06/01/2021 05:53

They will be closed forever . And never ever open up. Parents will then no about mh

Ffsffsffsffsffs · 06/01/2021 06:08

@Excited101

Easter, which I think they already know.
They already know?

You do realise that schools are absolutely not getting any sort of 'heads-up' from anyone about anything, right? That on the last school day before Christmas we heard the breaking news via BBC and Sky rather than from a winged messenger from DfE? And the same again a (non-)working day before the January return, and again at 8pm on Monday?

Any SLT worth their salt will have made countless outline contingencies for myriad scenarios, hoping that one of them fits the next last-minute change of plan. I think most are relieved that they can potentially breath again until Feb half term, but they'll be planning for full/partial reopening scenarios after that.

Ffsffsffsffsffs · 06/01/2021 06:12

*breathe
I've had 4 hours sleep and heading to my school for another 14 hour day

spanieleyes · 06/01/2021 06:39

We have no idea what is going on , any more than you do! We received our guidance from the DFE at 10.50 on Monday evening, after the announcement. Of course we had guessed something was happening but had no advanced warning of what- especially as the Government had been adamant on Sunday that schools were safe and there was no reason why we shouldn't be fully open and teachers were just scaremongering! So we know as much as you do as to how long this will go on for.
As to closed, we have every class open, a third of the children in school and the rest having full zoom lessons from 9-3 every day. That's not the definition of closed to me.

Mumofsend · 06/01/2021 06:39

I reckon there will be a token week or two before Easter hols

itsgettingweird · 06/01/2021 06:53

I think there's 2 scenarios.

Will remain closed fully until Easter because numbers don't come down.

Will open up slowly from half term - starting with primary and secondary and colleges will have more blended learning type education.

I think if parents who don't really need spaces but use them will be partly responsible for them staying closed longer.

The data is clear. Under 17's are 2-7 more times likely to be the index case in a family (so I would assume risk is equal for their teachers!)

They are currently driving the transmission with this new strain. And as cases in community are high the 2 way traffic in and out of schools won't reduce unless we dramatically reduce numbers.