Staggered reopening of schools by area?

[LacyEdge]

Jenny Harries has said today that schools might be reopened gradually by region, depending on the local infection rate.

What do you think about this? And which areas do you reckon would be first/last?

I think that this makes a lot of sense tbf (though I bloomin hope that my area is one of the first 😂). I think it should depend on cases and hospital admissions, hard to say at this time where that should be though.

Back to tiers then.

Sounds really sensible to me. What’s the alternative? That all schools stay shut even in areas where infections are very low, or that schools are forced to reopen in areas with much higher levels?

No idea which areas will be first, but I like JH. She speaks sense not hysteria or hyperbole.

I think it makes sense as long as infection rate is low and the vaccination program in the area is going well.
DS’s school closed for a couple of weeks before Christmas due to staffing shortages (our infection rate was really high) so I’m keen to get him back in ASAP.

I anticipate us returning to tiers at some point dictated by the situation in the area we live

It makes sense that schools are also looked at regionally

but I like JH. She speaks sense

Hmm. She said that covid wouldn’t transmit in classrooms because all the kids would be facing forward. And also that kids never ate stuff from each other’s lunchboxes.

She has been catastrophically wrong on the issue of schools so far.

noblegiraffe I bet might also say teachers and children can't spread it to eachother as there's 2m distancing in every class

She clearly hasn't been in a school recently!

*Hmm. She said that covid wouldn’t transmit in classrooms because all the kids would be facing forward. And also that kids never ate stuff from each other’s lunchboxes.
*
Exactly. This woman speaks very little sense. Case numbers need to be extremely low before schools schools reopen again and there should be safety measures in place to protect all staff and children.

Nothing is being done/arranged to make schools any safer than before....Happy to chuck billions at mates but not fund smaller classes/more staff, temporary buildings so more space... proper digital schooling capability....
Still gonna have 30 odd kids in a class.....primary staff dropping like flies here before lockdown..public health said staff not social distancing...obviously not been in a classroom...
No point opening schools again as they were...until community rate very low + vaccinations mitigate pressure ...otherwise same will happen

I read in the telegraph that the government hadn't ruled out the speed of the vaccine roll out as a measure to make this decision. For whatever that is worth.

Makes sense to re open area by area taking into account: death rates / infection rates / vaccination rates.

We currently have the highest death rate in the world :( so, not yet...

What 52andblue says. Maybe those rural areas (Cornwall, Herefordshire etc?) with low death/infection rates and high vaccination rates first?

Not happy about this at all. I live in bumfuck nowhere, and the majority of parents commute a very long way to the city for work. Previously we were much lower tier than the city, until the government finally budged and recognised that our numbers were virtually the same.

There was no real logic to the tier system, no magic number that defined the difference between tiers. It's terrifying to think the government could reopen schools based on this stupid random classification system again. Lots of places that should have been in tier 4 before Christmas were kept in tier 3 for the sake of the economy.

Until they separate the tier grading from economics concerns and make it an entirely independent assessment I don't trust it one fucking bit.

If they do this (and I'm not saying they shouldn't) they really need to think properly about whether exams can be run in 2022.

It may seem a long way off but years 10s started their GCSE syllabus in September and if some are in school and others aren't, I can't see how it can be even close to a level playing field for the poor students.

Makes perfect sense. Hope it happens!

I can see why she recommends this. In practical terms if the government do this schools won’t open at all. You will have schools saying rates in their area are far higher then schools which are locked down (like what happened after Christmas) and so they shouldn’t open.

Sounds sensible to me as well. Some places already have little reason to be under lockdown as it is (eg Isles of Scilly, some Scottish isles etc) so should be able to reopen quickly.

I don't think we should be paying much attention to what jenny harries says she has spouted quite a lot of rubbish
But whilst it does make sense it will cause a lot of division. Politically easier to wait until everyone's ready IMO and I think the main driver will be not cases or deaths but the situations in hospitals .Whereas they may peak in the next week or so it will take SEVERAL weeks to get down to manageable levels of cases in hospitals, as best.
Personally I don't think it will be after half term, or after Easter (as that is a very long time away and that would suggest everything closed until then as schools are supposed to open first), but hopefully some time in March.

Cue lots of discontented parents in the areas that take longer to reopen.

@Butterymuffin

Cue lots of discontented parents in the areas that take longer to reopen.

Agreed but that's understandable don't you think? Thought does need to go into trying to make sure children get as equivalent an education as possible, especially as they all have to compete in the same exam system.

@BentBastard

If they do this (and I'm not saying they shouldn't) they really need to think properly about whether exams can be run in 2022.

It may seem a long way off but years 10s started their GCSE syllabus in September and if some are in school and others aren't, I can't see how it can be even close to a level playing field for the poor students.

I agree completely and have been saying this across a number of threads.

OK - Dof E needs to put a lot of effort into sorting out awards for 2021.

But it needs a planning team now for 2022. Let is not fail our exam age DC for three years in a row - especially as those doing 18+ qualifications in 2022 had non-examined awards on 2020.

It probably needs to be along the lines of the adaptations they were planning for 2021 before this term's closures kyboshed that.

And schools need to know this ASAP, to maximise the chances of every school getting through the priority topics and enough of the rest for candidates to answer enough questions.

I'm surprised she is stillness allowed to comment after her earlier huge gaffs?

She also spouted more rubbish about definitely being infection drivers and insisted it is not happening in school, she doesn't have the data yet?

Ie let's do what the UK plan has been since the start, instead of using common sense and erring in the side of caution... Let's throw everyone under the bus until we can prove that's what kills them... And by gad it does..

Highest death toll in the world!!

Children being infection drivers...

I think it's a terrible idea and completely unfair. All kids should be back at the same time to ensure equal opportunity across the whole country. Can guess what will happen with this as well most of London will be back whilst us poor northern peasants will be waiting until may/June.

It's an awful idea and no consideration for exams etc. The schools need to be top of the priority and the absolute first thing open once lockdown ends