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

[Coldwinterahead1]

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

Also they may not stick to terms if march they think they can go back for one or two weeks before easter hols they will do that.
But anyone expecting them to confirm dates now is unreasonable and whoever asked him the question , knows at moment thats an impossible question to answer

They dont need to be correlated to term dates, do they? Can be 1st of March.
As pp said schools need to be first back, I would say primaries first and I dont see us being in lockdown until Summer.
I dont know who is going to be paying for all this when children and uni students are so screwed up.

[quote GlobeUs]@MarshaBradyo - I think the issue is that they are not sure how the vaccine will actually work amongst all the groups (ie. CEV people have been advised to shield until all groups are vaccinated (so everyone over 50 as it is)). It's shit but teacher have been pretty insistent that they don't think schools are safe and so I think they will refuse to go back until the groups are vaccinated.

I don't think the government is going to prioritise teachers for the vaccine, they simply cannot do this given the numbers in other sectors who have died (public transport workers for instance).[/quote]
Globe yes I have been thinking about this today. Other sectors may well have more compelling data - eg due to older / male skew. Also customs workers on radio this morning with same ask.

I don’t blame JCVI on saying we’re not saying yet as it’s a can of worms.

However a few things may happen after phase 1. Hospitalisation falls and public situation changes. We move from focus on cases and ‘Covid safe’ to economic stimulus. If restaurants opening without restriction the idea of safe may go.

Cases not reported, deaths fall, hospitalisation not overwhelmed. By then it’s very different to now where messaging / lock down / safety is heightened.

The fact is, the current, albeit, slow downturn in case numbers is not so much to do with the new Lockdown, that would need at least another week to take effect. I think it's more to do with schools having broken up on 17/18 December and not having gone back.
We know last time they locked down too late and it seems they did again, as there's suggestions we hit the new case peak last week.
Of course, Bojo won't admit that because it proves the "schools reopening all at once is a fucking stupid, semi suicidal idea and you really should use what little brain cells available to you to realise kids are germ magnets" people correct. You know, anyone who has had a child and not ditched it at the first opportunity or worked with children.

I'd like to think we'd be in a better place by feb half term but I just don't think we will. So I'm guessing Easter

Where is the source for this? I cant find it anywhere.

I can't see them going back before Easter, or later. The most optimistic predictions for vaccine rollout say vulnerable and over 50's will not all be vaccinated till into April. But even then, I can't see how we go back to normal and the virus can be allowed to freely circulate amongst the rest of the population - that's giving a perfect opportunity for it to mutate, to what? could be resistant to the vaccine, could be more deadly. And people younger than 50 can be badly affected too. The government need to level with us how we keep the lid on C19 till a lot of people are vaccinated - and there's no way that's by Feb half term

@Catplanter

Where is the source for this? I cant find it anywhere.

From a pp:

This was in the Commons earlier. He was repeatedly pressed for a re-opening date and wouldn't commit to it being after half term. He fudged the question, basically. So, he didn't say they won't open after half term, but he wouldn't say they would either.

Our school have told to prep school work up until 31st March.

They should vaccinate all teachers as priority so they can get back to teaching ASAP

Sorry, but do we actually have a reliable source from OP that this is actually what Gav said?

Parents could help schools go back earlier by lobbying the government to put teachers in a priority group for vaccination.

@Emmie12345

They should vaccinate all teachers as priority so they can get back to teaching ASAP

What do you think teachers are doing just now, Emmie?

They don't find out until the 15th Feb as to how if at all the new SA variant is to vaccines and now they are also keeping an eye on a Brazilian strain also. Furlough is in place until the end of April.

Today saw our highest death rate.

Boris said on one of his announcements something about March when they first closed.

I think nurseries are going to close before long and no unfortunately I think that schools wont be back until at least end of March as some schools are reporting that they are 85% of normal capacity in some areas, lots still going in. So whilst daily cases have dipped ever so slightly they will not dip enough to reduced death count to give hospital capacity.

@Emmie12345

They should vaccinate all teachers as priority so they can get back to teaching ASAP

They are teaching. They've never stopped. Well DD's haven't anyway.

The danger is not as great as people claim

Hilarious. a random member of an internet forum knows better than SAGE and other scientists. Yes, right.

Not very well named @hamstersarse, given you seem to not know the location of it.

Definitely should not be before Easter.

Vulnerable people will not all have had their first vaccine until mid April at the earliest never mind their second.

@Newgirls

A rota system would be a good start and solution

I’m not sure what the unions are asking for - vaccines? If not what else is there?

The problem is the number of people sending their children in because they say they need a KW place, makes rotas very difficult.

I had 21 of my 30 class members in today. If we did rotas from half term but all 21 say their child still has to be in every day-how could we get the other 9 in?

I think it will be after Easter too.

That depends on the teachers and their unions

It really doesn't, you know. Teachers have precisely the same amount of influence as parents over whether schools open or not - i.e. ZERO influence. And schools did not close because of the unions. They closed because the government could no longer deny that although few kids get the virus badly, schools were a vector for the virus spreading in the community.

How can they possibly know!.
It's an impossible question, who knows.
Parents need to dig deep and keep as many dc out of school as possible, where possible. It's short term for long-term gain.
Children will bounce back, we really need to pull all stops out.
Everyone needs to break chains as much as possible even if they are allowed.
Schools and heads need to teach and interact with dc as much as they can.

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

Probably not appropriate to the tone of this thread but this made me chuckle.

I need to put a block on me accessing mn when I am meant to be prepping for tomorrows meeting

Stop speculating ffs. Nobody knows when this shit will be over. What’s the point??

Depends on the government making schools safe for as many people as possible who need to use one, or are linked to one via community.

Ie, vaccinate teachers, starting with special school teachers, then EYFS, then on up. Do this quickly, straight after health care workers - but before someone who works in accounts at the NHS and has been home since last March.

Well so far the statistics are getting worse. Deaths and new cases rising exponentially. Today we're reporting almost double the deaths in the US. Things are really bad here and they haven't started improving. I won't be holding my breath for return to school.