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.

Yep. It’s just drip drip drip. It’s only a few weeks more, now just another few weeks, now another few. I’m getting really pissed off about it now. Get the vulnerable vaccinated, reduce the strain on hospitals and then let us get back to living!

January is always crap hospital capacity wise. Of course it was going to be bad this year too. It’s a bit daft to make decisions about the next 5/6 months based on hospital figures in January.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

our kids are meant to stay indoors for months

No they are not there’s no rule saying they can’t leave the house. They can go outside to exercise, play in gardens etc.

We have the worst death rate so should be doing all we can to stop that, remote education isn’t a big deal and most people want their children, family and friends to be safe and healthy.

What do you mean remote education isn’t a big deal? It’s a massive deal: even for children who are well supported and have all the kit and a quiet place to work it’s a pale shadow of the real thing. And that’s before get to the social benefits of being in school, which is also a big deal, especially for younger children. Do you have, or know, any actual children?

@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.

Absolutely agree

I think we should push for the children who have fallen behind in this school year to either be to access extra help or to repeat the year.

People who always homeschool usually:
mix with other homeschool families
go to libraries, museums, galleries etc
put on group learning events
create opportunities for the children to socialise

Don't sit at home sequestered, looking at 5 hours of zooms each day during the daylight hours

@CrackOpenTheGin

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.

That would be a great plan except that some schools are 50% full of the children of “key” workers. Wouldn’t this mean teachers and TAs would have to work during this extended holiday?

@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis

People who always homeschool usually: mix with other homeschool families go to libraries, museums, galleries etc put on group learning events create opportunities for the children to socialise

Don't sit at home sequestered, looking at 5 hours of zooms each day during the daylight hours

Absa-fucking-lootely.

[quote Thewiseoneincognito]@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis let’s be honest going to school on a dark cold wet morning was grim as children. I would have absolutely loved to be staying at home doing schoolwork in my pjs. The dream![/quote]
Not for dc who miss out on seeing friends in school for two terms.

It has an impact

Get the vulnerable vaccinated, reduce the strain on hospitals and then let us get back to living!

Isn’t that what’s happening ?

Potentially one of the few sensible decisions this government has taken throughout this pandemic.
Makes no sense to send schools back too early as they are a huge source of transmission and cases will soar again.
Does anyone actually find this decision surprising?

[quote Thewiseoneincognito]@Ihatemyseleffordoingthis let’s be honest going to school on a dark cold wet morning was grim as children. I would have absolutely loved to be staying at home doing schoolwork in my pjs. The dream![/quote]
. So you're not working 8-6 in meetings all day then when you're children are still in pjs all day having done nothing but played on iPads and watched TV?

@starrynight19

Get the vulnerable vaccinated, reduce the strain on hospitals and then let us get back to living!

Isn’t that what’s happening ?

Get teachers vaccinated more to the point

This is not good for the kids still set to take exams (iGCSE, IB and btecs). Some start in April - how will that work?

@Thewiseoneincognito - the only genuine positive for the teens is not having to get up at 6.30 am, in the dark, to get to school this January

@MarshaBradyo trust me, if Zoom, Snapchat and WhatsApp had been a thing as kids it wouldn’t have been a problem at all. Especially in the winter months.

@Pipandmum

This is not good for the kids still set to take exams (iGCSE, IB and btecs). Some start in April - how will that work?

Thrown in with the rest of us probably

Emmie2021
Scandalous , our kids are meant to stay indoors for months

No they're not. If you believe this you've misunderstood the guidelines.
You can take them to playgrounds and parks, for long walks, bike rides etc.

[quote Thewiseoneincognito]@MarshaBradyo trust me, if Zoom, Snapchat and WhatsApp had been a thing as kids it wouldn’t have been a problem at all. Especially in the winter months.[/quote]
You’re not experiencing it with young dc are you?

That would be a great plan except that some schools are 50% full of the children of “key” workers. Wouldn’t this mean teachers and TAs would have to work during this extended holiday?

The new ‘6/4 week’ holiday could still offer places for keyworkers but run more like a holiday club. Lots of holiday clubs would Iove the business. It could be done with some thought and some money thrown at it. But I’m sure this government won’t bother.

@starrynight19

Get the vulnerable vaccinated, reduce the strain on hospitals and then let us get back to living!

Isn’t that what’s happening ?

It’s supposed to be! Except we were initially told that this would be done by mid February. Now they’re taking about May!

What did everyone who was demanding schools were shut expect would happen? That there would be a 2 week break and things back to normal. I’m a TA and I’m still in working as normal but actually teaching the 50% of the class I have in whilst my class teacher is teaching the rest online. Meanwhile my DS who is Y11 is absolutely crumbling under the pressure of not knowing what the hell is going on. Year 11 and Y13 need to be a priority. If primary years can have 50% of kids back under KW status then Secondary Schools can have 50% back as well as clearly they don’t have as many KW children.

As said repeatedly before some schools still open. Admittedly possibly a minority and not majority including some of these with enough people to breach health and safety multiple household mixing bubbles. Presumably asymptomatic Covid testing is ignored (as with common sense use of PPE etc) in case of positive testes as possibly only testing when symptomatic with more contagious and severe Covid disease incubation facilitation.

Possibly for some - short term Covid risks of infection, severe disease, fatality or long post Covid syndrome with perpetual cycles of short to medium term lockdowns and semi lockdowns is preferable to longer term new normality and reopening when disease is less prevalent and under a modicum of control (deaths) to lives and livelihoods. Mental and logistical challenges are nothing compared to Covid fatalities and long post Covid syndrome. Each to their own and without community consensus the continued reckless and selfish individualistic approach will cause more super mutating spreading and eventually all schools will close to in person schooling when all teachers and pupils are ill. The science is that simple to understand as choice of temporary logistical, economic and mental hardship relief or longer term return to sustainable new post pandemic normality with no more such challenges for all survivors.

@CrackOpenTheGin

As a former teacher we need to move the 6 week holiday and have it sometime from Feb half term to May half term.

As a current teacher, no thank you.

I don’t know why this is a surprise.
Teaching unions have no intentions of letting schools reopen until every last demand they have is met.
And when a demand is met, they’ll come up with another one.

@ceeveebee

Once they have vaccinated all the vulnerable adults, and add the teaching staff to the priority groups, then why can they not return? Does it matter if they transmit it between pupils and parents if all the vulnerable adults have been vaccinated?

And yes they need to relax the meeting outdoors rules, or allow outdoor sport. It is very difficult for children with no siblings to not see any other children for months at a time (or even those who have siblings but quite frankly want to see some other kids). As an adult I can go for a run with a friend, but my primary aged DC obviously can’t go out unsupervised.

Even waiting till all the nine vulnerable groups are vaccinated will still take months . Then you need to give it a few weeks to work. So still would be talking May.