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 wouldn’t accept an additional year at school, I also don’t think it’s necessary for the vast majority.
Employers have been understanding but they can’t be forever, a lot more people are entitled to school places than are using them at the moment. The longer this goes on the more applications schools will get for places anyway! I’m having difficulty seeing why it would need to be May. Surely we will have so many businesses ceasing to trade if we lockdown that long

@DrRamsesEmerson

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).

Completely agree and I think it’s because their hands were tied partly because of the teacher unions.

YardleyX
The nightingale's may have been built but they don't have staff to staff them.

Yes you could use empty offices for children but were would you get the staff? How do you deal with the long term impact no school leavers, double school leavers one year?
In countries where formal schooling doesn't start until 6/7 inevitably have kindergarten / pre kindergarten / nursery starting at 2,3,4.

Yes, this is zero covid. As long as one person dies from covid, we can ruin our children’s physical, social and educational development. As well as their job prospects, but the Conservatives don’t care about the economy any more given what they have done with Brexit.

I don’t want the year to be repeated, that would make them 19 when they leave and compulsory education stops at 18. Mine aren’t a year behind so why should they have to sit through another year? Up to parents to catch up any gaps the their children may have not penalise the ones who havent.

@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?

We'd also need to clamp down on who is eligible for a school place to enable this though.

Many schools, especially primary and infants, have too many children in right now to have roots work. We have 40-50% of all classes in daily. We'd need that to drop substantially to take in more on rota.

@ConfusedcomMum

They should just bring the 6 week holidays forward to Spring and have the kids study in Summer & be able to see their friends when cases are low. I agree with a PP, it shouldn't be all or nothing. Sometimes you have to think outside the box instead of rigidly adhering to timetables when it's at odds to the seasonal nature of this virus.

Yes why couldn't we do something like this?

Surely it depends on rates of transmission/hospital situation/vaccine targets met going into March. If it's still dire then they'll stay closed off. If it's looking a lot better then why wouldn't they be allowed back?

It is scandalous. We will shortly have vaccinated the most vulnerable. Children are missing out on learning (and even the best remote learning isn’t good enough, especially for young children) and socialisation. Gaps between the poor and the affluent are widening. There is so much that could be done in terms of outside
Learning, changes to timetables etc
Etc
And working parents are expected to supervise all this.
If they dare reopen shops and pubs before schools I will be even more
Livid.

Someone asked up thread about who should be turfed out of key worker provision to make way for all children attending part time.... many many of them! My school has children in full time who have a part time working parent. We’ve had to refuse entry to children with one key worker and one SAHP much to the outrage of the families who said they were ENTITLED because one parent is a key worker. I’m sure some schools ended up letting these children attend. Our NHS medical staff are only sending their children in when they are on shift. Our university support staff are sending their children in full time when they only work 3 days a week for example. Refusing entry to kw children apart from when BOTH parents are actually working would make space in my school to allow ALL children some physical school time in small groups. It’s outrageous that some children are in full time with only part time working parent and other children are not in at all!

Someone else mentioned school transport and logistical issues. My school has no taxis or buses so this wouldn’t be an issue. Schools should be allowed to organise themselves for the benefit of their own school community the best that they can.

@Nellodee

If this is the case, I think one of the first things we need to see is a loosening on restrictions about seeing other people outside, particularly for children. I think Scotland have got much better rules on this than England have.

And yes this. If they're not in school, allow those younger children to not not count in numbers for gatherings. Then individual families can determine if they're are happy to take the risk, rather than the school staff.

Mind you, our local playgrounds are busy and the children are NOT socially distancing, so people are doing this regardless here.

Though tbh the playgrounds and parks are really the only visible rule,breaking I'm seeing much off. We appear to have high compliance with masks, etc.

My son is entitled to go to school as he has an EHCP. We had been keeping him off and trying unsuccessfully to manage at home. If this is going to be the case, then we’re sending him in.

At this point shortening the summer holidays is probably the most sensible option. Although some schools don’t have a 6 week summer break they have 4/5

Absolutely fucking joke

Scandalous , our kids are meant to stay indoors for months

Priority for teacher vaccinations should be put in place from Monday.

I’m a key worker WFH and if this is the case I am going to use the provision and send my kids in

@BungleandGeorge

At this point shortening the summer holidays is probably the most sensible option. Although some schools don’t have a 6 week summer break they have 4/5

They will never shorten the summer holidays...the unions would be up in arms

I don’t want to be further fobbed off with private mixing

Denying in school for so long to same dc is the issue

@DrRamsesEmerson

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 don’t think this is true at all , I think they are focusing on getting the community levels to manageable levels. It is ridiculous to think we could get to zero Covid from where we are now and the briefings have said a number of times that it is here to stay and we will have to live with it so I’m not clear why you think a zero Covid policy is the current game plan?

@redsquirrelfan

If the virus comes back?

Its not going anywhere !

People will just be vaccinated against it

@DianaT1969

No surprise. The hospital beds and staff don't exist for higher rates of admissions than we have now.

I think it is surprising since the rates of infection have come down. I'm in Scotland and our average rate is now where it was at the maximum in October (when schools were in). There is lag for hospitals and deaths but I can't understand why on earth that wouldn't allow a return to school up here after mid term / mid February. Especially with the vaccinations.

@Emmie2021

I’m a key worker WFH and if this is the case I am going to use the provision and send my kids in

But the school may very well refuse you a place. The guidance has changed (thankfully) and schools are free to refuse places to key workers who can work from home.

The more people try to use the provision when they don't absolutely need it the more the schools will tighten their criteria.

I think the key worker list needs to be reduced to be clear that it is those who are critical to the COVID response CANNOT reasonably work from home or cannot WFH with children present.

There also should be proper support such as a statutory right to be furloughed for childcare purposes but that would be unafforable I imagine sadly

@CarolEffingBaskin

I just want to die now.

Same. Every night I pray that I won't wake up.

As a former teacher we need to move the 6 week holiday and have it sometime from Feb half term to May half term. This will take the pressure off working parents trying to homeschool. But maybe encourage parents to keep learning ticking over in English and maths with an hour a day. All summer holidays abroad this year should not be allowed anyway and learning is more important. Children can work over the summer for maybe 4 weeks in school and have 2 weeks holiday. That’s plenty of time for a break away in the uk although that should be discouraged this year. Teachers should get time and a half for those 4 weeks.

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.
I do think there is an Aesop to be had here: if people plead for lockdown, and for schools to be closed, that is what they will get.