So Gav says schools could stay shut beyond half term.....

[Coldwinterahead1]

I'm guessing after Easter. What does everyone else think?

@hamstersarse

Pathetic. Totally pathetic. People should not be putting up with this for their children.

The kids need to go back after half-term. No question, no conditions, just back to school.

I'd even concede with bollocksing masks like France if that is what it takes

Never mind children can be affected, their families and staff. Education is still ongoing but in a safer manner than mass gatherings.

In our household, 2 teens and a teacher, we're not expecting them to reopen before Easter. Half term does not seem feasible.

I hope they (the government) work towards getting exam years in first at least and maybe before Easter. But I won't hold my breath.

Without a crystal ball, no one can give a date that things will start to reopen. If dates were even hinted at, there would be so much criticism if things changed.

The answer to all of the "when?" Questions has to be "nobody knows". I think we might need to prepare for the long haul, anything sooner is a bonus.

It's struck me as pretty worrying that more and more people in their 30's and 40's, with no underlying health issues, are appearing in ITU's with covid. I'm not sure if it's this 'new strain' that's being discussed, but it really does concern me.

Is it too simplistic to say that vaccinating the vulnerable is going to release the pressure of the NHS? Recent data is shows that school staff are 330% more likely to catch C-19, so I don't think it's as simple as opening the schools after the first round of vaccinations.

I say this as parent and teacher. My own DC desperately need to return, but I don't think it's that simple.

@noblegiraffe

It's shit but teacher have been pretty insistent that they don't think schools are safe

Schools shut because they aren’t safe, not because teachers think they aren’t.

The huge infection rates in school kids seen before Christmas focused a few minds and scientists in SAGE and the cabinet persuaded Johnson that they needed to close to control the spread.

I think in your mind, there is no such thing as safe.

You just seem to hold a very infantilized view of the world and living and nothing would appease you in your quest for a Safe World

They shouldn't of closed given that plenty of school have over 50% of children in anyway. Seems alot of parents became keyworkers in the last few months.

This. Our local school has around 40% of children in now...if not more as the days pass. Mine are at home and we have a keyworker letter. Now, I'm beginning to think...what's the point...they might as well all go in - except I don't want my dc to potentially be exposed to covid (that's the bit I'm holding on to).

I think our best shot of earlier reopening is if they manage to accelerate the vaccine rollout and have reached more of the priority groups. Although top 4 priority groups impact the death rate, it won't impact the ICU rate very much.

@noblegiraffe

I agree re. unions they seem hell-bent on teachers not teaching

More anti-Union bollocks.

The unions are keen on schools being made safe enough to re-open. The government is the one that has been totally shit on that front.

Well exactly I think they seem more hell bent on none of their membership or their membership's colleagues needlessly dying during a pandemic DP read earlier that there is suggestions that 160 teachers or support staff died of the virus so far. 160 people who signed up to teacher children, not swerve a plague without adequate support or equipment

So he said he couldn't commit to a date , which is fair enough .
They will open them as soon as they can as they don't want them closed longer than necessary , but I also don't think its possible to give a date yet either and its wise for him to avoid doing so

Does anyone honestly believe schools are shut for the benefit of teachers, or because the unions flexed their muscles? The government couldn’t care less about teachers’ welfare, as evidenced by the way they ignored their pleas for mitigating measures and safety ideas.

Sage implored the government to close schools well before Christmas because hospitals were on the brink of collapse. Finally, after hospital trusts started declaring major incidents, they got their arse in gear.

Vaccinating teachers early should happen because of common sense. But that has nothing to do with how long schools will be shut. They’re shut because it’s the biggest emergency of all time for the NHS and we are all fucked if it collapses.

It’s a massive pain to do home learning and my kids are really better off at school. But there are no good options here. What else can we do but crack on?

I think they will be back for the summer term. Enough vaccinations done and the natural drop in infections as the weather gets warmer will make it possible.

Never mind children can be affected, their families and staff. Education is still ongoing but in a safer manner than mass gatherings

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

For the majority of people this is a mild illness. Particularly for children.

You know all this, you have read this multiple times, yet you choose to refer your brain to Worst Case Scenario and outlier events.

By February, most of the people who are at risk of death, not infection, will have been vaccinated and unless there is something drastic happens, such as the virus not working anymore to a new variant, then schools should go back.

Hospitals will be able to cope if the majority of people who get very sick from this are vaccinated. There will be absolutely no justification to keep schools closed.

Which years went back last June/July? I can’t remember.

From Guardian live stream:

Q: What is the impact of school closures on children’s mental health? And will schools reopen after half term?

Johnson says he wants schools open as soon as possible. But whether they can begin to do that from the middle of February depends on what happens with vaccination and the lockdown measures, he says.

You just seem to hold a very infantilized view of the world and living and nothing would appease you in your quest for a Safe World

Weird, and lies.

@hamstersarse why so personal?

I'm a fairly senior teacher in my school (large comprehensive) and while I have a bit of clout when it's concerning assessments, pupils etc, the decision to close schools do not lie at the foot of the teachers.

I see a large minority of MN'ers who seem to envisage a unique hive-mind of teachers who are bleating about refusing to attend - rather a tainted view I'm afraid.

You seem to resent that poster pointing out, quite fairly, that the danger is not our fragile perception,. It's fact.

I can't imagine any teacher enjoying this type of interaction with their pupils - online, sometimes live, something chatting on a screen whilst trying to explain a concept over a PowerPoint or video. It's a hideous, frantic way to do our jobs. Give me a classroom, any day of the week. But my wanting to return doesn't change the current climate, does it?

LacyEdge, the NHS is going to collapse as a result of the economic, social and health-related after-effects of repeated lockdowns.

It's odd, really, that Covid's biggest scalp will be the NHS - and the final nail in the NHS's coffin is, by one of those really weird twists of fate, the measures put in place to "save the NHS".

And, yes, children should be at school, not failing to learn at home.

Does anyone know/has the government even set out what the key indicators are they want to see in order to reopen the schools?

Just a general "drop in hospital numbers" isn't good enough - I want to know what they want to see, in actual definable data. Then we might be able to get a better idea as time goes on what would be a realistic date to work towards.

@GoldGreen

I think some will go back after half term (like last year). Reception, year 1 and year 6. No secondaries. Bubbles of 15 so children on rotas. Everyone back after Easter.

I don’t think they will only open by areas/tier after the chaos after Christmas. You end up with schools in say a tier 4 area but low rates being shut and a town with high numbers being open.

I don't need my year 6 back. The year 3 is the one that might not survive much longer. Have had to pay for parental software to block roblox every time I look away :P

Do people not realise the vaccines take a couple weeks to work so its going to be a couple weeks after all the vulnerable group are done and also them depend on schools and teachers , although off mumsnet teachers I know want to be back in as soon as.
Look at positives , so far numbers are down a little and not been that long in lovkdown, vaccinations are going well, if those things keep happening we will see kids back.
Re : nurseries all over my facebook all nursery teachers are loading petitions stating they only want to look after key worker and vulnerable, so not sure if this will change.
Second only to petetions or shouts of of who should get vaccination first , teachers , early year workers, poilce, firefighters, superMarket workers , and anyone else who thinks they are more at risk or more entitled than someone else

[quote NelAntarctic]@hamstersarse why so personal?

I'm a fairly senior teacher in my school (large comprehensive) and while I have a bit of clout when it's concerning assessments, pupils etc, the decision to close schools do not lie at the foot of the teachers.

I see a large minority of MN'ers who seem to envisage a unique hive-mind of teachers who are bleating about refusing to attend - rather a tainted view I'm afraid.

You seem to resent that poster pointing out, quite fairly, that the danger is not our fragile perception,. It's fact.

I can't imagine any teacher enjoying this type of interaction with their pupils - online, sometimes live, something chatting on a screen whilst trying to explain a concept over a PowerPoint or video. It's a hideous, frantic way to do our jobs. Give me a classroom, any day of the week. But my wanting to return doesn't change the current climate, does it?[/quote]
You see that as personal?

I think your claims of not being fragile are dismissed immediately with that statement.

The danger is not as great as people claim - it is Worst Case Scenario catastrophic thinking

It's probably easiest to link schools to the R number. Under 1 or at 1 = schools open. Over 1 = schools closed

snowballer yes and there also needs to be consultation with scientists and educationalists as to the safest ways of reopening schools.

The question is more 'what can be put in place to enable schools to return to sites as safely as possible?' rather than 'when are schools going back?'

I have always thought it would be Easter the infection rates are way too high, But don’t think it will be a full re opening.

@bathsh3ba

I think some year groups may go back beginning of March but most year groups not till after Easter.

I agree, i think they'll try and get reception and Y1 kids back in, maybe exam years too.......