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.

Children are going to be fatter, poorer and in much worse mental health when this is finished.

The present curriculum should be scrapped and a "wellbeing" curriculum put in place that focuses on children being active, doing project work in things that interest them and staying connected by socialising online with their classmates in small groups. Then we can have a discussion about how best to catch children up when they go back to school.

As it is, we're setting them up for years of ill health.

If they can’t open before Easter they should be ensuring all children come into school for outdoor exercise provision at least once a week. An opportunity to keep contact and give out additional support to those that need it, and a chance for all others to get fresh air, exercise and some form of socialisation. Even if they wear masks and have to be distanced, there needs to be some form of face to face contact.

@formerbabe

No one is asking you to spend your whole life like this. Hopefully about 6 to 9 more months

It's already been nearly a year. A year or eighteen months is actually quite a large percentage of childhood. Childhood is short...they are missing out on so much. It's a travesty.

Indeed. 2 years for sixth formers or university students could well be the majority of their time studying for A levels or a degree. That may well have life-long implications in terms of careers etc.

There are worse things to fear than death by covid.

A life half lived. A sacrifice of a generation.

Why the fuck aren’t kids in part time?

@Bettydot

It’s such a shame that the government failed to put the resources, money and planning into making schools far safer and therefore more sustainable. The plan of continuing as normal with ‘bubbles’ and hand sanitiser was always going to result in schools being unsafe, huge community spread and ultimately schools having to be closed for a prolonged period. Schools in the format they returned in always put students, staff, families and the wider community at risk but the government covered this up until it became impossible to ignore. I fail to understand why the government have such an all or nothing approach when so many other countries have done far more to make schools safer resulting in better control of the pandemic and more consistent learning for children. The government were warned last June that they needed to do far more to protect schools but this was ignored. Now we have a massive death rate, huge damage to the economy and our children are loosing their education. Instead they ploughed money and resources into schemes like eat out to help out and further spreading the virus. The government have ignored the experts at every step of the way and now we have decimated the economy and our children are suffering too. If they’d put health first naturally the economy would have followed. It finally seems like they are starting to realise they need to get this properly under control. I only hope they are planning better processes for when schools return!

Absolutely this 👏👏

Ok so let’s push teachers right to the top of the priority list for vaccination. Above anyone else. At current vaccination rates that could be done in a week. Open schools three weeks from now.
Who is up for that?

Then for my key worker / vulnerable classes, I have half the classes in atm. Why nit do that for all?

Genuine question and not being goady, but does your school have capacity to have the other half in part time as well? Or are you suggesting all children (including keyworker and vulnerable) are in part time?

@Emmylou292

So much for all the hopes for 2021. It's like 2020 Part 2. The story continues.

I really hope it doesn't drag out as long as last year.

2021 will make 2020 seem like 2019

Ok so let’s push teachers right to the top of the priority list for vaccination. Above anyone else. At current vaccination rates that could be done in a week. Open schools three weeks from now.
Who is up for that?

Teachers should definitely be on the priority list HOWEVER it will not make schools safer or more able to open. Children, particularly secondary, will still spread it amongst themselves and then to their families.

@Sparkles715

I’m a teacher and a parent and want schools open sooner. WHY won’t the government just take steps to make schools safer? I would love to see all children in at least one day a week in small groups. It could probably be more. Some school is better than no school. WHY do the government seem to insist on full time or nothing?

So true. One day a week in would have such a huge positive impact. Alongside a huge public health campaign to remind everyone to still social distance for the other six days a week. If we wait till it’s safe to re-open with 100% attendance it’ll be months and months .

But teachers won’t be fully vaccinated in 3 weeks. And what about the pupils who are also vectors

poor kids

my nephew is going into himself he hasnt been in school since november when they didnt have enough staff

@BungleandGeorge

Apart from teaching unions was anyone begging for schools to close? I think most of the primary kids went back as normal!

Well judging by the threads on here, most people were desperate for the schools to be closed. Don’t think some of them were quite anticipating them to be closed for at least 4 months.... again!

@MessAllOver

Children are going to be fatter, poorer and in much worse mental health when this is finished.

The present curriculum should be scrapped and a "wellbeing" curriculum put in place that focuses on children being active, doing project work in things that interest them and staying connected by socialising online with their classmates in small groups. Then we can have a discussion about how best to catch children up when they go back to school.

As it is, we're setting them up for years of ill health.

Agree with fatter and poorer in large part

And more activity

But I do not want curriculum changed to this. On top yes great

@Updatemate

*Ok so let’s push teachers right to the top of the priority list for vaccination. Above anyone else. At current vaccination rates that could be done in a week. Open schools three weeks from now. Who is up for that?*

Teachers should definitely be on the priority list HOWEVER it will not make schools safer or more able to open. Children, particularly secondary, will still spread it amongst themselves and then to their families.

But children aren’t going to be vaccinated? Unless CEV. And when the arguments from teachers are that teachers themselves are at huge risk of infection/morbidity and death, then surely vaccination of teachers is an acceptable solution?

If pupils come in on a rota basis they would need to be very careful with social distancing and possible use of masks from maybe KS2 upwards.

Also parents need to get out of the mindset that many of them had in the summer of ‘well they are mixing at school so they may as well have play dates and sleepovers’

Both our school are at capacity. Online learning has been in place since November and all children have a device although a very small percentage refuse to engage. We provide a breakfast club to those in school to aid early drop off but no after school provision. Staff have taken on additional tasks and many have their own childcare issues when other school bubbles close.
We have done the best we can and can not accept any more children. Even if just providing childcare we can not accept any more children.

Schools are dealing with more DV and safeguarding issues in top. We are doing the best we can. Some gave up their holiday time which they are not paid for and many are working on a low fuel tank.

@YardleyX

Are there any other countries which have sacrificed education to quite the extent that we have here in the U.K.?

In Australia (Melbourne) they were closed for 2-3 months in March - June, kids went back briefly, then closed for another 3 months at the beginning of Aug. It’s crap but does help slow transmission. At a high cost though

@Daisysflowers Devastating for all children. no the devastated children are those that have lost love ones.

@sundowners

catgirl1976 yes teachers vaccinated don’t necessarily stop kids bringing it home to parents. So it should be a choice- those of us who want and need to send kids back - should and could. I’ve been to supermarkets weekly throughout this. On the tube/ train. Been coughed at, had my personal space invaded by adults every day, I think I must have had it by now. It’s a risk I’m willing to take: for my kids education and mental health. For DH and my mental health and ability to do our jobs.

If you (are able to) make a ‘choice’ to allow your child to mix socially and they bring home the virus to you, you may well be fine.

But in the days before your family realise they have the virus albeit mildly, they and you will be sharing it at the supermarket; in other classes or wherever you go and those people you meet may not be so lucky...or may pass it on to someone not so lucky.

So whilst you might be happy with that risk, I’m glad our government appears not to be so keen.

It makes no sense to say socialising is banned, but then allow the only portion of society who don’t understand how to social distance, to all get together. That would be madness.

It’s crap. I’m not denying that. But if it wasn’t necessary we wouldn’t be doing this.

Car crashes/road deaths are always a bad comparison to covid - unless I’ve missed a study showing that car crashes are infectious.

But to follow your analogy, people do generally understand the risks involved in driving, and as a pp has pointed out, drivers (generally) wear seat belts, respect the speed limit and pay attention to other road users. Cars also have airbags, abs and in new cars, crash detection systems.

People saying schools should open with no mitigation against coronavirus (no masks, no smaller class sizes, no rotas) are presumably happy to drive at 60mph in a 20 zone, in a car with a fogged up windscreen and dodgy brakes?

If not, why not?

Special round of applause here for Us4Them who campaigned so hard for schools to open with no masks and no mitigation that they’ve landed us in the situation where schools are closed for months. The vast majority of teachers on this forum saw that coming and still got bashed.

I understand some general distrust and fear these are uncertain times, but how have they ignored the experts? Primary school children are limited spreaders of the virus. Secondary schools are on a par with general adult transmission, but there’s no evidence to say whether it’s because of the school setting or just reflecting the rates in the community.

Keeping secondaries closed is a reasonable thing to do at the moment. Throwing money at schools to make them ‘safer’ would be a bit pointless when there’s no evidence to suggest they are unsafe.

Weren't case numbers in primary schools only a bit behind secondary at Christmas? What make you think primary children are limited spreaders?

It’s also interesting that so many MN schools are described as being at capacity/near capacity when the official government attendance figures published this week present a very different picture.

My child hasn’t been to school since February 2020, he’s CEV, I can’t see him going back for another year, it’s fucking nightmare.
I feel like I’m living in a prison despite having a lovely home and secure income. I’m aware I’m lucky to have this, I’m unlucky in other ways.
My son doesn’t miss school and is unsociable (autism) so I’m not concerned about his mental health. It’s mine that’s taking a bashing.
Here’s hoping all healthy kids get back to school ASAP and a vaccine will be licensed for the CEV under 16’s. They have been forgotten during all this.