Can we unlock the schools at start of Feb?

[MeandT]

I'm totally supportive of the lockdown BUT by the end of next week, case numbers nationally will be the same as they were at end of November. Hospital admissions are falling again.

Rather than going back into tiers with the shops and food pubs open (where all the spreading happened in December), can we not issue all the teachers with N95 masks (and vaccines for the clinically vulnerable), make all the kids wear triple layer face masks all the time, and just get on with the important job of educating this country's kids in person? Starting again 1st of Feb.

AIBU to ask if we can send the kids back as soon as we hit the case rate we unlocked at on 2nd December?

IABU= no way, the cases will shoot up too quickly again, even if they all wear masks all day.

IANBU = yes, get them back before half term, the only reason it went nuts in December was because everyone was out Christmas shopping and seeing family.

BJ said schools will be the first to open up but I don’t think it will be for a while yet.

In the meantime I do think they should open gyms (by appointment or limit who can go in) because before Christmas I saw so many of our years 8 - 13 in the gym! And they were as good as gold.
I suppose it was the e only place to go, so they would work out and clean down the apparatus afterwards. Do exactly what they should so as not to lose that privilege.

It was probably good for both their physical and mental health. Transmission in gyms was low and I do wish they would open them now and at least let people work on their health. But I understand why they won’t (largely because it would look bad).

I hope a part of the government’s plan for reopening schools fully is that all teachers and TA’s are vaccinated first. If this doesn’t happen nothing will have been gained from the latest lockdown

A lot has been achieved imo. This lockdown has reduced the daily infections by half, it has brought the R below 1 and it has bought us time to vaccinate all the over 70s and extremely vulnerable members of society.

You really think cases are going to drop this much op? What an optimist you must be.
Still trawling through thread but those saying reopen schools and the vulnerable can protect themselves.
Please tell me how my DH can do this If cases are still very high when he has to attend hospital appointments. I woh and 3 children attend school. I am high risk as have several pre existing conditions but not I’ll enough to be cv even so won’t be getting a vaccine anytime soon.
Also how will that protect the NHS and get services back up if cases rise again.

The figures from the Department of Health show the number of new cases has dropped by a quarter in the last seven days alone (22/01) and the R number has dropped below 1, meaning the disease is shrinking. If that rate continues, we have reasons to be optimistic imo.

They need to go back their education has suffered enough. However there’s no way my 7 year old is being forced to wear a mask all day or sit in a cold room with windows open.
So you want your your kid back in school but won’t agree to any mitigation to protect school staff. Nice. @ImBoredAgain

Even if the rate continues to drop its going to be another month or so before that filters through to less hospitals cases and demand for ICU beds.

I hope you are right but only time will tell.

Anyone stating mid Feb as an acceptable date to get schools fully reopened is deluded. The NHS is about to endure the toughest months ahead and the last thing we need is 11 million kids mixing indoors. I cannot understand how anyone would think this is the right thing to do. The vaccine roll out is progressing but the benefits will just not impact on this current wave.

Exactly this. It's not going to happen anytime soon just because people crossly insist that it must happen. We MUST not have a pandemic either yet we do. If we had an earthquake or fire sweeping across the country would you still crossly be insisting that children should be in school? (Probably!) If you really care that much about schools being open then lobby your MP to increase safety measures in schools. Bet you won't though.

Even if the rate continues to drop its going to be another month or so before that filters through to less hospitals cases and demand for ICU beds.

I doubt it will continue to drop as there is still a lot of mixing going on. Workplaces, schools, socialising etc. It's going to plateau at some stage and then we'll need to wait for the vaccines to kick in, assuming they do.

.Topttumps what exactly has schools going back got to do with your DH attending hospital appointments?
No one is forcing you do send your kids back. The option should be there for primary age kids with working parents who aren’t vulnerable and want and need to send their children back to school for both their sakes.

LucyLockdown you’re getting very desperate if you are trying to compare Covid with a fire sweeping across the country! Covid, from which a minute handful of young children have died, compared to a fire that’d kill the majority. Sorry, you really need to do better. 👎

And presenting any parent who wants schools to reopen as reckless and selfish is really low. You’re not a better parent by campaigning for schools to stay shut, you do realise this?!

I don't understand the problem with kids wearing masks at school. Are English kids more sensitive than French kids? In France every single teacher and student (age 8 and above, I think) wears a mask all the time, all day. Mask removed at lunchtime and a new one put on for the afternoon. Hand washing and gel regularly.
School is operating as normal.
Why is it different for UK kids?

sundowners
Would you agree that teachers should be vaccinated before we have to work in unsafe conditions? I am not prepared to take the risk for your family even if you feel safe.

As I’ve said countless times on many threads and I’m sure this one BustopherPonsonbyJones yes 100% teachers be a massive priority in getting vaccinated ASAP.

Why is it different for UK kids?

Because they don’t start school at the age of 6 or 7, they’re 4 years old. We also don’t have many special schools, many children with significant needs are in mainstream or in complex needs resource bases within a mainstream school - there are a lot of 4 year olds who obviously won’t manage well with this, never mind 4 year olds with additional needs.

pinkblueberry
I'm not querying why 4-year-olds don't wear masks - they don't in France either. For younger kids there is social distancing and hand-cleaning, as much as possible.
I'm talking about 8+ years old.
And, for accuracy, French kids don't stay home and then 'start school' aged 6 - they start 'maternelle' aged 3, three years of maternelle then the first year of primary.

@Pinkblueberry

Why is it different for UK kids?

Because they don’t start school at the age of 6 or 7, they’re 4 years old. We also don’t have many special schools, many children with significant needs are in mainstream or in complex needs resource bases within a mainstream school - there are a lot of 4 year olds who obviously won’t manage well with this, never mind 4 year olds with additional needs.

In Italy they start at 3. Nursery School from 3-6 but generally state run and attached to the primaries that the children will then go to. They've been open since September. Masks are worn. No mask, no school.

Sorry meant to say, having been a high school teacher in Italy since 94, I've not yet met any student who didn't do the 3years of nursery. It's not obligatory, but they all do it. It's where they learn to read and write and corresponds programme wise to foundation/EY in the UK. Children when they start primary (in the year they turn 5, so some may be nearer 6) can already read and write unless there are very exceptional reasons why not.

Recently retired teacher ....in my experience most children will take ‘rules’in their stride and it quickly becomes routine. I think some parents are more anxious about this than their children would be.

People wanging on about how 4 year olds can’t wear masks are missing the point that this is never suggested and that there were bloody 18 year olds in classrooms not wearing masks who would be perfectly capable of doing so and yet parental campaign groups objected to that too.

Some people are just anti-mask and try to make out that masks would be forced on toddlers and kids with special needs who really couldn’t cope to justify that position.

Geoff Barton of the ASCL: 6 steps to the safe and full re-opening of schools.

www.tes.com/news/six-steps-safe-and-full-reopening-schools

What’s shocking is that these 6 steps are mind-bogglingly obvious and yet none of them have ever been implemented.

No chance I'm afraid

@noblegiraffe

People wanging on about how 4 year olds can’t wear masks are missing the point that this is never suggested and that there were bloody 18 year olds in classrooms not wearing masks who would be perfectly capable of doing so and yet parental campaign groups objected to that too.

Some people are just anti-mask and try to make out that masks would be forced on toddlers and kids with special needs who really couldn’t cope to justify that position.

THIS

usforthem.co.uk/evidence/face-masks-studies/

This group have got a lot to answer for as well