When will schools reopen?

[notevenat20]

If we take Johnson’s promise seriously the first four categories from the JCVI priority list will be vaccinated by some time in February. This includes essentially no teachers. Vulnerable teachers are in category 6 with the majority being in 10 or below. We then have to add on 21 days to whatever date most teachers will be vaccinated by.

Realistically, are schools reopening before July?

I don’t think schools are priority

It’s more about stopping the spread rather than rushing to get schools back above all else

That’s how I feel It is anyway

That's what I mean, innovative thinking. They've done it in other countries. It's better for all young people to be in some of the time face to face and be left to self study the rest of the time than it is for the majority to be at home for endless months

I agree.

It impossible to do that though with such a high percentage saying they now have to have a KW place.

September going by Chris Whitty’s admission in the press conference yesterday

Easter earliest. This is a disaster for our children.

Our governments have failed.

Why aren’t children being sent in alternate weeks for example?

@Redlocks28

That's what I mean, innovative thinking. They've done it in other countries. It's better for all young people to be in some of the time face to face and be left to self study the rest of the time than it is for the majority to be at home for endless months

I agree.

It impossible to do that though with such a high percentage saying they now have to have a KW place.

But this is back to front. There are many parents who wouldn't take up their KW spot if they were offered every other week instead. People are using them now because the alternative for lots is completely inadequate remote provision (speaking for DD's primary, I know there are many who are doing much better) and no teaching at all, for what is going to end up being months.

If they did a rota of some kind, I would imagine KW places would only really be 'needed' by those with 2x KW parents working out of the home, which is a much much smaller number (in DD's school of 90, I don't know of any who would qualify under those criteria).

If too many people are using KW places, we should ask why. It's not always because parents want to take the piss, it's because they're terrified of being utterly abandoned for months on end.

Nobody seems to want to talk about this though. There are just a lot of aghast and indignant faces at how many people are using KW spots and no looking at why that is happening.

Children and school staff should be one of the first groups imo. Up there with NHS, carers and shielding groups with health issues.

If it is going to be Easter at the earliest, then DofE need to start planning the 2022 public exams asap, and get the info out to schools. Because current years 10 and 12s (and equivalents) are not likely to get through full syllabus, and if it's going to be slimmed down then schools need to know now so the prioritise the right parts.

One week on, one week off could be a good idea, but it's not straightforward in secondaries (esp subjects when you need labs and other practical work).

At the rate we're going, only when we've found a cure for mortality.

@Zenithbear

Children and school staff should be one of the first groups imo. Up there with NHS, carers and shielding groups with health issues.

Only if you want to lengthen the time schools are closed and business in general are shut.

Because there isn't a chance we can move off Alert 5 without vaccinating NHS and the most vulnerable. And setting that back lengthens the misery.

Only over 16s can be vaccinated by the way. But you'd still be setting back the wider vaccination programme by about 4 million people (3m pupils and 1m staff£

Alternate weeks or some other kind of rota system/blended learning has to be the best idea to get children back in the orbit of school.

But the high numbers at schools now is a worry. The other thread is eye-opening. Two accountants using an essential finance worker place? People saying “I can’t do all that again, I have to WORK”... yes, we all do. I’m currently doing my work 8pm-2am which isn’t sustainable but hopefully will settle down into more manageable slots as we get used to it all again. We’re all struggling but there was no option but to cut transmission, shit though it is. So who knows.

Blended learning should be the first step back, whenever that may be. It just makes sense. So will probably never happen.

I agree with vaccinating teachers.

BUT, this doesn’t stop community transmission. Schools are closed to stop kids spreading it, not to protect teachers. So if teachers were vaccinated, it wouldn’t stop the children picking it up from a friend and taking it home to Grandma who lives with them. This is why schools are closed. The government do not care about protecting or vaccinating teachers.

If they do, then they have admitted schools are unsafe and teachers were right to invoke section 44. And they were.

I’m a teacher.

After Easter holidays I reckon.

@AppleKatie

Vaccination isn’t a condition of reopening though. It’s a false equivalency.

We opened before with no vaccine and I’m sure will be made to do so again. The question will when will rates of infection in the general population be low enough for it to be socially acceptable to reopen schools.

Not so much socially but hospitalisation rates low enough but agree otherwise

Given that half of mumsnet think all restrictions will be lifted by Easter and they won't comply with anything after Easter I will be mightily annoyed if schools remain shut until September. I do think they need to close now but they must go back before anything else reopens. In hindsight they should have sent all children back to school in June after half term to make the most of the summer months. They should do the same this year in case there is another spike next winter if the virus mutates to evade the current vaccines.

@XmasSkies2020

September going by Chris Whitty’s admission in the press conference yesterday

Which admission?

Can someone link to where Whitty said schools wouldn't fully reopen until September?

Considering exams are cancelled I’m thinking they weren’t rush in opening them until the r rate is well below 1

@Zenithbear How? No vaccines are licensed for use in under 16s.

My bet is after the Easter holidays and not all years.

There's a good chance of feb half term of virus rates drop off fast. It will be 1-2 weeks before it will show a clear indication nationally but London is already falling from tier 4 measures. If rates are below a certain threshold in most areas they will start to plan reopening, after half term in feb would make sense but it will be clear the direction of travel sooner

@MarshaBradyo @cadburyegg in the press conference yesterday they said that restrictions may have to be introduced next winter and they couldn’t promise pupils would be back in school by the summer holidays.

Make of that what you will, but based on their track record I’m expecting for the children to be off until September.

Make of that what you will, but based on their track record I’m expecting for the children to be off until September

In which case we definitely need Dof E to be sorting out public exams for 2022, as well as 2021.

But once grandma is vaccinated? Therefore kids can’t bring it home to her?

Plus we have seasonality. So from April onwards viruses in circulation will naturally drop as will pressure on the NHS.

I’m hopeful for after Feb half term. Unless there’s a massive problem with the vaccine I can’t see why they won’t be back in March/April.

Once all the vulnerable have been vaccinated we have to open up society.

@JS87
I said the same (but at the time).
Kids should have been back in school from May last year when cases were low and the weather was good. They could have been outside so much. Then we’d have had a natural break for August.

Then there would have been more appetite/less
Impact of them being off now.