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.

Vaccinating teachers won’t stop kids spreading the virus in the community.

I feel utter despair that this could go on beyond Easter. I've prepared myself for that almost but I'm starting to feel increasingly livid about it. I can't effectively homeschool a 6 year old with 2 younger siblings around, one of which is 18 months old. School do minimal online live interaction and I'm spending every spare minute either doing childcare, home learning or household chores, I can do it for a while miserably but not months and months again. I literally feel like screaming! My child will be worse off than those in school but what about the children who get nothing at home? What about the vulnerable children who aren't at school? I'm not even working and have no idea how both working parents cope, especially those who have little ones too.

Once the most vulnerable are vaccinated who are we protecting at what cost? Surely we can't accept children as the collateral damage.

No to repeat from me

I am after socialisation with pets for dc over redo

What do you mean an enthusiastic parent?

I'm a working parent who tries to get an 8 year old with sen to work with me when I have breaks.
I had not one iota of support from her school in the first lock down not even a work sheet, they won't even tell me what they had covered in the curriculum.

I had to start from scratch and do it all myself, I got the sats books to try and work out what they should know, I got Carol voderman books and slogged away through them, I joined reading chest to keep dd reading up with her peers because she's already near the bottom of her class..
. So yeah, maybe '' enthusiastic '' to keep dd head above water when quite frankly she was left to down??

Now we have oak academy and I'm plodding through the cores only with her.

@justanotherneighinparadise

It’s a two tier system currently.

In my children’s school the KW and vulnerable children are being taught by their class teacher the curriculum using the facilities in school and enjoying socialising with their friends. TAs are also in making the ratios amazing!

The children who are home are following the same curriculum except they’re not. Out of my friendship group we’ve got one family not accessing live lessons at all. They are going their own thing completely. We have parents who are both WFH doing important, professional jobs. Their children are dipping in and out of the work but mostly watching TV and keeping out the parents way. Then we have another family who have had to involve the shielding grandmother who has no idea about computers at all. So they are doing baking etc. Three other families are completely involved as both have at least one parent who is a teacher and understands the curriculum and can explain work to the children.

So it’s not a case of children out of school learning the same as children in school. It’s very much dependant on the parents and their ability to make it happen alongside the children and their ability to understand and concentrate.

This. All of this. I don’t know why we have to continue pretending that online school for primary kids is just as good as onsite.

But most of the vulnerable will have been vaccinated and for most it will a minor illness! Continuing to wreck the lives of our children and people's livelihoods isn't the answer.

Not much help, but I feel so sorry for children of school age right now (I mean right up to university age...) Such a horrible time for them, and their education will be affected hugely. Even the ones who are academically advanced. The ones who struggle are in for a rough ride.

I'm glad I have three children because at least they've got eachother. If I can find a friend who is happy to mix I'll do it. Fuck this shit.

@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?

Like you I'm a teacher and a parent and want schools open. However, given that 6 teachers in my previous school got Covid between October and November - I am also fed up with the phrase Covid Secure schools or that schools are safe. All 6 teachers in the small school ended up in hospital on ventilators. One day a week in small groups will not work. Think school buses, think transport, think childcare issues.

I want a review of children moving up to the next year group. My SEN is being failed daily. I think as hard as it is, as unwanted as it is -the government needs to consider an extra year at school. End of year assessment -those that are ready move up. Makes me feel sick to say it or think it -I think we need to consider it.

If this is true as I suspect it will be, I will be contacting my DDs school and requesting detailed information on what we need to focus on to ensure she is ready for when she starts in her next school year in September. I used to teach but not at her age range and am feeling really unguided as to what she should be doing. The impact on all of our mental health is massive. I am self employed and can’t get any work done as my husband has to work from home and I need to homeschool. I haven’t been able to do any paid work since the first lockdown and I am not entitled to any government support. My resilience is fading fast, before anybody flames me I am aware there are other people worse off than me.

People saying that kids can’t repeat a year because “there’s no space”!!!!

Hilarious!

This time last year, who would have thought we could build all the nightingale hospitals in a matter of weeks? Who would have thought we’d develop a brand new vaccine for a brand new virus, and get it out to market in a few months? Who would ever have thought that finding all this furlough money could ever be a possibility?

If there’s no space, bloody make space!!!!

@littlepattilou

Not much help, but I feel so sorry for children of school age right now (I mean right up to university age...) Such a horrible time for them, and their education will be affected hugely. Even the ones who are academically advanced. The ones who struggle are in for a rough ride.

I feel lucky for my children that their schools/colleges have been fantastic at sorting online learning. I worry massively for their mental health's though. DS1 is nearly 18 and has barely left the house for months. He attends a college out of our local area so meeting friends for a walk breaks the "leaving local area" rule. TBH I think if this drags on much longer, and they don't change the distance you can travel then we may allow him to travel to meet someone

@wizzbangfizz

But most of the vulnerable will have been vaccinated and for most it will a minor illness! Continuing to wreck the lives of our children and people's livelihoods isn't the answer.

I wonder if the game has changed somewhat though. The scientists are worried that the uncontrolled mixing of large groups of children in schools, then passing the virus back to parents, is going to result in variants. And if we get a new variant that doesn’t respond to the vaccines we are even more fucked.

Well so many kicked off and wanted schools closed so here you have it. It was never only going to be for a couple of weeks.

Yet again kids paying the price, their mental health suffering, isolated for months at the most important time of their lives.

I understand why the schools are closed now, and much as I hate the effect on my DC, I think it's probably right

BUT the fucking pubs had better not open before the schools this time around. It makes me furious just thinking about the ridiculous priorities that particular piece of incompetent batshittery revealed.

@YardleyX

People saying that kids can’t repeat a year because “there’s no space”!!!!

Hilarious!

This time last year, who would have thought we could build all the nightingale hospitals in a matter of weeks? Who would have thought we’d develop a brand new vaccine for a brand new virus, and get it out to market in a few months? Who would ever have thought that finding all this furlough money could ever be a possibility?

If there’s no space, bloody make space!!!!

But wouldn't there forever more be double the amount of Yr R children if that happens? It's not a short term thing, we'd have to build extra space on every school

I think after half term is far too soon and it is a fairly short 5.5 week term so in many ways trying to get them in before Easter is probably not worth it. Although I do think they could get some provision in for years 11 and 13 in Secondary and Year 6 in Primary

But I agree with Nellodee given that outside and children;s ages are both very low risk we need to see some loosening of rules for outside socialising in March - otherwise we are hitting them this time we a far far worse lockdown than before. Have a rule of 6 or two family rule so they can mix going for walks etc. Allow them to be children. The real positive of June-August last year was the going out to parks and climbing trees with friends and going back to a simpler time. We need to allow them that the next half term.

@TableFlowerss

Well so many kicked off and wanted schools closed so here you have it. It was never only going to be for a couple of weeks.

Yet again kids paying the price, their mental health suffering, isolated for months at the most important time of their lives.

Yep as soon as they shut they close long time

Poor dc

I want DS back in school for his wellbeing but there is just no way they can ease lockdown now. I think Easter is a sensible aim but think even that could be overly optimistic.

There is no point locking down, easing up, having to go back into lockdown over and over again and I think the government have finally realised this in conjucntion with the new variant and the risk of more new variants that could turn out to be immune to the vaccine.

This is a disaster. My DD is already crumbling.

As I said yesterday, the irony is there is so much focus on MH in every which way except for covid related and in particular regarding children. It’s sickening

@DarlingCoffee

I’m so angry, this is unacceptable for our children. It’s also going to make the divide between those who have been able to go into school and those who have not so much wider.

Only if they don’t do the work at home surely.

Not being smart here but can someone please link to data showing that the new strain ‘ripped through schools’ and that this spike in infections is from schools and not Christmas mixing? I genuinely want to know, I am not trying to make a point.

I could just cry. I have been trying to manage my expectations but they seem intent on keeping us in lockdown until perpetuity. I feel for people in the hospitality industry, and for all our poor children

I think the Government has not so subtly shifted from protecting the NHS to zero Covid as a strategy. Politically they're not willing to accept that even one Covid death is acceptable as a consequence of opening schools, and no-one is taking any account of non-Covid damage (to children or anyone else).

I wholly agree with comments above. I’ve worked with children my whole life and I fear for their mental health and educational needs in the future. But it’s not that simple as just to vaccinate and send all the kids in:

Teachers will need 3/4 months before fully vaccinated if you count the governments adjustment between doses and time post vaccination for it to work. Also it doesn’t stop community transmission from child to
Child to their families. So bubbles still burst and children/families still self isolate.

The vulnerable will have had in most cases one dose, some two, care home residents are still dying post vaccination. They need the second dose and 2/3 weeks later for it to be fully effective. 10-12 weeks is a long gap between doses.

Maybe get the government to follow the proper vaccination guidance so that we can get the vulnerable (not just elderly) fully protected quickly. ( although I’ve read about problems with both Pfizer and Astra Zeneca reducing their distributions which will be an issue.

Also plenty of European countries and us states have had children off school for long periods it’s not just the U.K. also lots insist on masks where here lots are against kids wearing masks. There is no right or wrong answer. So many variables right now.

Schools need to be made safer and a better plan of action than dumping 32 kids in a classroom 5 days a week... it doesn’t work!