If so many people wanted schools closed then why are some schools seeing up to 75% of children in?

[Waxonwaxoff0]

I have never wanted schools closed although I do recognise why they need to and that they need to be made safer.

Yet it seemed like I was in the minority, all over the internet people wanted schools closed and their children safely at home.

So why are so many trying to send their children in? Is it a case of "schools should be closed except for my child?"

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@decembersun what meaaures do you want put in[/quote]
@Noblegiraffe has listed them often enough.

Here's one of her threads

www.mumsnet.com/Talk/coronavirus/4095400-noblegiraffe-wants-SAFER-schools-not-closed-schools-Do-you?msgid=102303056

My thoughts -

Classes need to be small enough to enable social distancing. If this means only half the class in at a time then so be it.

If classrooms have windows that don't open then they should not be used until the windows are fixed. Ventilation is key to prevent the spread of the virus.

Staff should have screens around their tables to ensure social distancing.

All children and adults should wear masks.

Until schools are safer they should remain closed.

If this means only half the class in at a time then so be it.

Like now then.

Except since half the class are all KW when do you get the rest in?

Because, like many on here have said. Most people didn't want schools to close, or those that did only wanted them to close for a few weeks.

It's only on here really that I ever see it or from the unions, or a minority of older people without jobs.

As I said @Spiratedaway people who are key workers and working away from home or where the impact to mental health for her child or parent should be catered for . But there are many not in this boat, everyone finds it hard, no one is super human but with so many at school we will end up in lockdown for longer

Exactly @muddyellowdog . Everyone is trying to juggle working and schooling at home !

I don't know anyone outside of Mumsnet who wanted schools shut. Not one person / parent.

[quote donewithitalltodayandxmas]@itsgettingweird who was going to staff these libaries and office blocks that i assume would also be easily accessible for the children and all safeguarding measures in place.
Blended learning throws up the same childcare issues just every other week ,
[/quote]
It was suggested they look at this. One suggestion was having support staff, retired teachers etc and lessons being lived streamed into each place.

Or moving whole year groups with their teachers into bigger buildings so they could social distance.

I never said I had all the solutions myself to hand. But as they wouldn't even discuss alternatives and if they could or would have been workable that is my issue.

They didn't want to know or try. Instead they decided to keep saying unions and labour wanted schools shut. Which was a lie. And that maybe one of the reasons that they are now - indeed - shut.

@CeibaTree

I don’t know anyone in real life who wanted schools closed, just a vocal minority on mumsnet!

Me neither!

@MarshaBradyo

Except since half the class are all KW when do you get the rest in?

Exactly. I've not seen a solution to this problem with having rotas.

These measures might not work in prinmary. But if rotas/having hald the class in at a time could slow the spread in secondary schools & colleges (where covid has been rampant) then the knock on effect in the community would be less cases in primary too.

Lots of people who want schools closed, are childless or have no school age children.

Their places of work/ businesses are in a terrible state of stagnation or worse, due to schools being open and Covid therefore continuing to spread.

Stop the spread, get things under control and their businesses might just stand a chance of reopening sooner.

We have the opposite here. Work declines in full lock downs.

Cornish exactly have thought it since Sept only now people can see the reality of situation with numbers.

DBML schools have not been responsible for the spread where I live.

Still managed to go crazy in last week or so with schools shut.

But surprisingly kids not anymore affected. I know that would have changed if schools had reopenedbut its open businesses who are having to close here at the moment because this new variant spreads so easy and they have an outbreak.

It gets a bit tiring the rhetoric m that closing schools will get us out of this mess.

It will spread in any environment where you have lots of people in close proximity.

Schools have lots of people in very close proximity for extended periods of time.

@Wakeupin2022

It’s not closing the schools that will help. It’s closing EVERYTHING.

I’m In Wales and we’ve been in a semi perpetual state of lockdown for ages. Everything had to close except schools. Numbers shot up.

Schools close and numbers come down...because now EVERYTHING is closed.

But, when Covid numbers have reduced significantly (like they did last summer), businesses are hoping they can start to reopen.

But they could even hope for that whilst schools remained open.

Different regions and different rates of infection perhaps affect take up? A 75% school MIGHT be in an area like ours where hospital capacity is higher than it was in October / November, and number of cases per 100k is lower than then too?

*couldn’t even hope for that whilst schools were open.

Just picked mine up and the head was outside giving every parent the evils... stony faced and generally unwelcoming, there weren't many kids in, but I get the impression there's a real sentiment in the profession whereby they don't give one anymore

The only people I know who were vocal about it were ones it wouldn’t effect. Nobody I know with primary school age children wanted them to close

My infant school have a large proportion of"key workers and a number of vulnerable children.

Despite this we still 'only' have between 40-50% of pupils attending. Ours are allowed to take up a place but come in part time, so some days are less busy than others.

We were busy last time but have slightly more attending this time as we are fitting more in the class rooms- 15 instead of 10.

All the people saying they know no one in real life who wanted schools to close, can I ask if it is either; a) they didn't want schools to close but understand it is necessary due to NHS crisis or b) they didn't want schools to close and don't believe it is necessary.

The people I know in real life all accept that schools needed to close to limit contacts. These are parents of primary and secondary. Many work for the NHS in front facing roles so perhaps they are more aware.

My worry is that even shutting schools won't be enough to bring cases down, and then people are going to say "It's not working, let's open schools anyway" which would then make a horrible situation even worse.

I really think people struggle with understanding exponential growth and imagining the effect this will have on our health system. However bad it is now, if we increased the rate of growth, it would be worse. You may not think it could get worse, but that's just a limitation of imagination. It can get a lot worse.

@mrshoho

All the people saying they know no one in real life who wanted schools to close, can I ask if it is either; a) they didn't want schools to close but understand it is necessary due to NHS crisis or b) they didn't want schools to close and don't believe it is necessary.

The people I know in real life all accept that schools needed to close to limit contacts. These are parents of primary and secondary. Many work for the NHS in front facing roles so perhaps they are more aware.

But are those NHS people sending their children to school for KW provision? Brings it back to people wanting schools closed to other people's children but not to theirs.