So it looks like we're being prepared for children not to go back until after Easter

[choosingcrumble]

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/children-face-months-at-home-as-schools-stay-shut-until-easter-wp5ltpm82?fbclid=IwAR1l0gRSzuJLIv508reRmBEojbYfoGOsWwe3_pBFmKpA4EbI1IgC5dKC2uE

I suspected it wouldn't be until then, let's just hope that it doesn't stretch into the summer.

I have been saying rota system from back last summer

My Y11, then Y10 had a half day pw session for 6 weeks in small groups offered to him in the summer term last year (yes, that is what Y11s "being invited back into school" looked like here) but even that made such a monumental difference to his mental health and motivation.

A day per week in school for my 10 year old would be the difference between misery and happiness.

Young people need to be with their peers. It is essential to them becoming the kind of adults that we will need to rebuilt our society after this mess

Do al, the sanctimonious people saying ‘you can’t recover from death’ also advocate banning motorised vehicles?

We are all going to die one day. Now that Covid exists,some of us are going to die of Covid (but not very many once all those most vulnerable to it have been vaccinated). Some of us are going to die very much more unpleasantly than Covid (my very elderly MIL rather hoped to catch it and die, because she is in the early stages of vascular dementia and as a former HCP she knows what’s coming). In just the same way that some unlucky people die, or have lasting complications, from flu, or sepsis, or chicken pox. As a society, we’ve always previously accepted a degree of risk as the price of life; I’m not sure why that seems to have gone completely out of the window.

@ineedaholidaynow

DS’s school have introduced longer breaks between lessons so students can have screen breaks. A number of the students use these breaks to go on PS or X-box!

I love kids.

@ChevyCamaro

I had a total of 5 days off last summer. Work was just too busy ( covid related) I don't whinge about it, it is what it is.
I would still sack off a holiday in the summer to see my teen DC and their friends going off to school in the summer, socialising, playing sports, laughing, learning in class.
Some people will come out of this pandemic showing ingenuity, resilance and compassion
And some will have only showed petty mindedness and an inability to be an adult.
( I'm not taking about those really struggling with their mental health I'm talking about those that couldn't cope if they had to move a holiday). Grow. Up.

I’m not whinging, I’m an adult with compassion and actually a crazy amount of resilience.

But making suggestions which aren’t practical isn’t helpful:

My kids go to a term time only nursery- so who will look after them during the summer holiday? Do my children not deserve to spend some quality time with their parents?

My OH works away 3-4 nights every single week. The summer holiday is the only time we live together as a family unit for 5 weeks so we move and stay where his work is for that time. So yes maybe you think I’m selfish but I want to see my OH and so do our children.

^As a society, we’ve always previously accepted a degree of risk as the price of life; I’m not sure why that seems to have gone completely out of the window.6

Try watching the news?

@ChevyCamaro

Teachers need the summer hols to look forward to... I'm trying so hard, but.... I had a total of 5 days off last summer. Work was just too busy ( covid related) I don't whinge about it, it is what it is. I would still sack off a holiday in the summer to see my teen DC and their friends going off to school in the summer, socialising, playing sports, laughing, learning in class. Some people will come out of this pandemic showing ingenuity, resilance and compassion And some will have only showed petty mindedness and an inability to be an adult. ( I'm not taking about those really struggling with their mental health I'm talking about those that couldn't cope if they had to move a holiday). Grow. Up.

Totally agree

I'm an academic, we all worked straight through last summer (our only chance to take holidays), went straight into a busy and stressful year of teaching, and now looks like this summer may be a wash as well.

I don't know anyone planning a summer holiday. Just getting back to normal at home will feel like a holiday!

So can I assume my year 11 DS is grafting away in case of exams, when he’s likely to be given his predicted grades and won’t see anyone his age until hopefully September when he starts college ? 😩

@Thewiseoneincognito

The elephant in the room is unfortunately that once they start mixing, children become disease vectors. Them being at school completely undermines the wfh initiative, the household mixing rules and social distancing rules.

BoJo spelled it out clearly for us in his lockdown speech when he called them vectors.

How school closures impact DC is the lesser evil when compared to virus infection rates. As someone without children it doesn’t affect me but it means we could potentially get some normality back if closures remain in place for a longer period.

Parents have to remember that they are not the centre of the world even though their Dc are precious to them. To the greater good they’re just another cog. It’s a hard pill to swallow but try to have some objectivity when looking at the wider picture.

My issue with this is that anything to do with children and covid is given zero funding and zero fucks. They are not even cogs are they. The cogs are thought of. Given support, financial and otherwise. Schools weren’t even given a few extra quid for hand sanitiser. And the “carrot” of catch up funding - haha, like 99% of children will ever see any benefit from that. If it even happens in the first place.

@noblegiraffe

^As a society, we’ve always previously accepted a degree of risk as the price of life; I’m not sure why that seems to have gone completely out of the window.6

Try watching the news?

I think it was reasonably obvious from my post that I was talk about the situation where the most vulnerable have been vaccinated. Are you always this snarky?

@noblegiraffe it was NEU and Unison which is why I said "unions". But agree when people say "unions" they broadly just mean NEU in this context.

@DrRamsesEmerson absolutely agree.

I think the government are underestimating how angry working parents will be if there are minimal cases in their area and schools don’t reopen. In large areas of north Devon cases have been in the single figure for a week or so now. I would be hopping mad if that trend was to continue and improve more widely and schools didn’t reopen. We need a geographic approach where people are banned from travelling more than 20 miles and mixing socially but schools reopen.

That's good, itisasecret. At least it's something. The problem is that MNHQ (who have also contacted me in the past when I've posted similar thoughts about lockdown) has no power to change anything. They can give people the Samaritans' phone number - but what we need isn't the Samaritans: it's for this shit-show to end (and for our children to go back to school and university).

Vaccinate school staff as a priority then so at least they and their families are protected as much as possible if you want them to bring back children while it's still generally unsafe.

[quote catgirl1976]@LickEmbysmiling the were looking at proposing a blanket S44 across an entire sector which doesn't work . You can't just say "schools are not safe" you'd need to show why you had a reasonable belief that you were in serious, imminent danger and just a blanket "becuase schools are not safe" would have been open to challenge.

The working environment for a teacher in a inner city school with 80% of children in under key worker provision and high COVID case rates would be very different to those of a teacher in a tiny rural school with 2 children in and hardly and COVID cases in that area. The proposed blanket application was too broad and would have left people exposed if the employer could show it was not reasonable for them to believe there was a serious and imminent danger.[/quote]
I think that was why NASUWT weren't supporting it, because they couldn't be sure it would hold up in a dispute. Even in your inner city school scenario, I also wonder whether it would apply to all staff or only those in higher risk categories - would covid be considered a 'serious and imminent' danger for a 20-something with no known health conditions, legally speaking? And if so, what precedent would that set for other infectious diseases?

I just want to clarify that I totally support the school closures and agree that schools are not safe and wholeheartedly supported any teachers refusing to go into work on that basis. I'm not banging the drum for the DfE by any means - they have been atrocious throughout. I was just trying to make the point that the NEU have very little power.

I didn't send DS back on the 4 January as I didn't think it was safe and in the unlikely event that schools go back in February I would continue to keep him off.

Are you always this snarky?

Yeah, pretty much when I read posts about how we're all going to die one day and should accept a degree of risk on thread about schools. It's usually from people who want them re-opened in a batshit way.

If this is the case, I’m using my key worker spot from after half term. At the moment, I’m working full time and shouting go away at my children all day and trying to do the right thing. They are doing none of the work as I can’t do it with them (they are 7 and 8). I don’t see why those in school should get an education and socialisation and mine shouldn’t. Those in school as least have an adult to go through the work set with them.

I should think lots of others will do the same so schools will be 80% open anyway.

The government are a disgrace and need to open all schools immediately. (I am school staff).

Schools will cap numbers to fulfil their risk assessment if too many parents request their child has a place in school

I think that was why NASUWT weren't supporting it, because they couldn't be sure it would hold up in a dispute.

I don't think that's why. Clearly it would hold up in a dispute as the evidence on schools is undeniable.

They were more worried about it being seen as unofficial industrial action and inducing members to break their employment contracts, not that the safety concern wasn't genuine.

@catgirl1976, is your DC vulnerable or do you live with anyone who is?

For anyone interested, there is a petition to re-open schools (I Googled 'petition re-open UK schools' - I can't link to it here as MNHQ will delete my post, but I've signed it).

Perhaps people like Catgirl can choose to home educate, if that's what they wish to do, and the rest of us can have our children back where they belong (i.e. at school).

BTW, I don't have young children (older ones - sixth form/university), and I can't begin to imagine the complete hell of trying to WFH with primary aged children at home.

This is why I am querying the assumption that union (s) had to with draw the section 44 push?

When our top scientists have said the absolute complete opposite re risk in crowds, must wear masks.. Etc etc?

@thebabewiththepower I honestly think if loads of people start using key worker provision that they don't strictly need the schools will simply refuse places.

Why should they put their staff at increased risk simply because people have had enough of remote learning? It sucks massively but we are in a global pandemic and people are dying.

If this is the case I can see it making things very hard for CAG assessments.

I would hope that they get exam years back in sooner.
It is a real worry. My year 12 had her exams cancelled last year. Her year 12 vocational courses seems to be in complete limbo. I also worry about her A levels being screwed up too. Her school is trying their best and she has some on-line lessons but with science you need lab time.

These school posts keep appearing several times a day - it’s exhausting! Can you not even take a fucking break from it on the weekend and do something fun / relax a bit 😩