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.

@ChimaeraEgg, they also haven’t told us what their criteria are. No rational person could expect a definite date, but I want to know what conditions have to be met, in the government’s plans, for them to open schools again. It will be some combination of hospital admissions, positive tests, vaccinations and new variants, but we have no idea what- which means we can’t make a fuss when the goalposts move.

I truly sympathise with parents that are struggling and DC that are too. Being an only child must be very lonely at present too.

I do think some of the problem, in some cases, is the unrealistic pressure parents put on themselves. Parents of 6 years olds worrying they'll fall behind etc. Read, play some maths games etc, bake, draw. Before anyone jumps on me, I am not saying all, but in every thread there are parents doing exactly this.

School from September to December also impacted the mental health of kids. In one day, then out for 2 weeks. Teachers not wanting to move onto an important topic as half the class were out. Knowing that the dance classes and football matches were going ahead but you couldn't attend yet again as isolating. Not being able to mix with your friends due to bubbles. My children's schools were all brilliant yet it was still majorly disruptive. I have children in key years too, one may not get to attend school ever again. The ridiculous unknown of GCSE’s/A levels is causing a lot of worry. But, thankfully mine are doing ok. It has always been framed to them that it is important, they will catch up, they will get to experience fun mixed times again. We just have to keep positive.

I do agree the best place for most children is in school but only when it's safe and only when it won't be in out in out all the time.

Except we’re vaccinating the most vulnerable so the children aren’t passing it on to people who are likely to end up in hospital.

This isn't true. We're vaccinating the people most likely to die of Covid, not the most likely to end up in hospital. Only 25% of people in hospital fall into the groups being vaccinated before mid Feb.

To prepare we can also look at expanding covid hospital capacity, increase flu jab roll out and covid jabs for autumn, by then hopefully every adult will be jabbed and the head will get done again.

Air purifying systems for schools, windows open, heaters, relaxation on uniform, masks worn by pupils, strict no nonsense hygiene measures backed up with fines for repeat offending pupils..

Same for teachers... Swift moving to online teaching in areas that' require it, masks mandatory everywhere outside in proximity to other people, people make efforts to avoid each other when in spm

I really am struggling to cope with managing everything and I cannot believe that they will have missed 3 full terms, so a whole school year. They should not have been off for so long the last time for a start. There was no need for it.
This time it is needed but everyone is at rock bottom.
Our school this time are providing live lessons every day 9 til 12 on Microsoft teams.
I have a child in year 2 and a child in year 5. Luckily my year 5 child can do their learning mostly independently, because I have to support my year 2 child for the entire 3 hours of lessons every day.
Firstly she is too young to understand how to navigate Microsoft teams. She is also a quite shy so does not speak or contribute to the lessons.

The teacher is struggling a lot with the technology of it and she is obviously nervous as well as she gets jumbled up sometimes and repeats herself a lot. The children cannot keep focused for that length of time.
Then there are constant interruptions by the children and also their parents/grandparents asking questions. It is very stressful for all involved and there is no fun in it whatsoever. My daughter has always loved school and tries very hard, but each day I'm finding it harder to get her to engage and we are having a lot of tantrums. I am very close to stopping it altogether but then she will fall behind so I'm feeling forced into partaking in this hell. When will it ever end?

I am so confused as to why they can only go back after a holiday...why not mid term?

One issue today wasn’t that we weren’t given a date but a group that were not qualified to did and it was a prominent suggestion

It’s caused all this angst and we still haven’t heard from gov

Nellodee yes I agree. This is one of the very few areas where I feel they can't win. If they say OK we guarantee schools will be back after Easter (because people need certainty), and then it turns out that actually they can't because hospitalisations are too high, they get accused of broken promises and u turns. If they said look, we can't give you an exact date because it depends on the numbers, they get accused of being vague and holding back information.

IMO what they ought to be concentrating on is providing more support for parents home schooling, particularly those who are also having to work.

Sick of being told to bloody bake. Have you ever tried baking with a 7 year old, 5 year old and a 2 year old. It is not a fun experience!

I am so confused as to why they can only go back after a holiday...why not mid term?

It's just a messaging thing - it's psychological.

When will it ever end?

Yes, it will. Probably not in the next couple of months, but it will.

Jk

Our school doesn't allow the slightest interruption by dc let alone parents. You need to email the school and tell them your concerns. No wonder the teacher is nervous if parents are not only listening in but also interrupting!!

Assuming we're not in lockdown, cancelling the summer holidays would impact hospitality, an industry already hanging by a thread.

Shorten it to two weeks, with each region of the UK getting a different week, so that the rush to Cornwall etc. is spread out over the summer rather than everyone getting the same two weeks off...in the unlikely event that holidays even proceed as normal anyway. Most likely, nobody will be going on proper "trips" anyway, so it won't matter in any case.

I have huge sympathy for teachers and I have been shocked at the lack of PPE, ventilation and other attempts to keep schools safe, and I agree that sadly schools have to be closed for now.

But like several other posters, I am really, really fighting down the urge to say something really snarky, when I see people insisting that a six-week summer holiday is essential "because teachers need something to look forward to!!" I know that trying to teach via Zoom is bloody hard work and tiring, because I've done it too. But everyone is finding their jobs extra hard this year.

I'm not in the UK, and the schools here cut summer vacation drastically last year to get the kids caught up. As a family, our summer trip to the UK was canceled. We took a couple of short domestic trips, a few days each only, because of all the time spent that had to be spent catching up on schoolwork and paid work that had been lost during the school closure in the spring. It was crap, but there is a pandemic going on, and getting my child caught up with schoolwork was the most important thing. I don't think anyone should be thinking about taking a six-week vacation this year.

@Sweetnessandbite it’s not them being behind I’m worried about, it’s the effect of me working full time abs basically having to ignore/tell a 5 and 8 year old to leave me alone because I’m working for 8 hours a day which invariably means they spend the whole day on screens. I take breaks and we do some fraught phonics/watching the pre recorded lessons but then I snap because they faff and don’t want to ‘dooooo itttt’ my children are becoming addicted to screens and short of lose my job there’s very little I can do.

they also haven’t told us what their criteria are. No rational person could expect a definite date, but I want to know what conditions have to be met, in the government’s plans, for them to open schools again. It will be some combination of hospital admissions, positive tests, vaccinations and new variants, but we have no idea what

Yes I agree with this and it would be much better than giving arbitrary timescales.

olive, yes I have, but you don't have to bake if that's not your thing. It isn't meant literally, just as an example. If live lessons or following curriculum is too stressful for younger children and parents then don't do it.

@LucyLockdown

Except we’re vaccinating the most vulnerable so the children aren’t passing it on to people who are likely to end up in hospital.

This isn't true. We're vaccinating the people most likely to die of Covid, not the most likely to end up in hospital. Only 25% of people in hospital fall into the groups being vaccinated before mid Feb.

The over 80s and over 70s are by far the highest number of patients in our local hospitals.

I’m very lucky to only be working one day a week at the moment, and was a primary teacher before DS4 was born. Academically, DS is actually doing better than he was doing when he attended school September-December. However, we are in Wales and we aren’t allowed to mix with other households at all (apart from childcare.)

Our county had such low numbers that we had emails from our school saying that they would definitely reopen after Christmas. They didn’t, obviously, but we didn’t know they wouldn’t until the day before, when we got an email at 3.45pm.

I fully supported the section 44 movement, despite our school having had no burst bubbles... but we had stuck religiously to the rules over Christmas, and indeed throughout 2020, so DS didn’t see anyone but me and DP. He didn’t see a single child from 16th December until 17th January when we bumped into some of his school friends in the playground. Letting him play with them was against the rules in Wales, but I broke them with pleasure.

I love my son, I provide good learning opportunities for him, we have fun, his school is excellent at online provision - this week he had 11 x activities/tasks to do, 3 x half hour google classroom meetings for the whole class and 2 x small group google classroom meetings. It’s not enough though. He needs to play with other children and be apart from me. I’m seeing his mental health suffer and it’s pretty shit.

There are benefits - like I said, I’m lucky enough to only work one day through this lockdown, so I’m able to put my training as a primary teacher in to helping him learn and he’s showing great progress. For families like ours, who live rurally, our children may well come out fitter as we are lucky enough to live within walking distance of mountains, waterfalls, forests etc. We’ve just come back from a 3 mile walk today and we do that at least 4 x a week at the moment because we have the time... but if they’re going to prolong it, Wales need to allow children to mix.

The only thing that works is getting mine out. But the weather is breaking me.

If they don’t go back to May they may as well not open till August . Most schools here summer holidays are in June .

Holyhead, yes, I said 'some' parents as I see it written a lot. I completely agree that balancing working from home is a minefield. I find it hard too. But, if they have a bit more screen time don't beat yourself up about it. It won't mean they are glued to screens forever. It's just what we have to do to survive at the moment.

As a teacher I'm desperate to go back soon! I'm KS1 and as accessible and easy as I try to make the work they still need some parental help. It's been lovely to see how a few have really blossomed because they've had 1:1 with educated parents which I couldn't give them with 7 SEN and only 50% TA time. However, on the flip side I'm really concerned with about 8 of them that aren't really engaging and their parents have always been very lackadaisical in their approach to education eg not coming to Parent's evening, homework always late etc. I'm quite enjoying my intervention small groups to try and fill some gaps but it's not the same!

Olive, I agree, getting out helps a lot.

ChevyCamaro yes, schools were unsafe for teachers, but if you think that's why they shut, you don't understand how this government works. They are shut because they affect the national R of the virus and we do not have the infrastructure to cope with the amount of sick and dead people we would have if they were open.

Um. I am well aware why the govmnt shut schools. I am responding to the idea that schools will not open after mid May.
I am also aware that once the vulnerable and carers and teachers are vaccinated, the pressure on the health services will ease because most people who are getting the virus (and they will still get it you can't eradicate a virus without shutting everything completely which we are not going to do) will not be ill enough to need hospital

@Kokeshi123 I'm not fussed about the holiday dates. The only thing I want is to see my disabled DC in his care home. 11 weeks without him in lockdown 1,6 weeks in lockdown 2. We last saw him Boxing Day. We usually see him at least once a week. I'd happily give up my summer holidays to see him more regularly.