What is the impact on children of the months of school closures in your view?

[MTBer2021]

It seems there's a huge range of views on this and partly depends on how much your child's school is offering and whether or not there's an adult at home to spend time supervising home learning etc.

I am surprised that some well educated parents I know are so relaxed about the impact on their young children of months of school closures. People whose child would ordinarily never miss a day of school other than due to genuine illness (no term time holidays etc) but who seem very relaxed about how the current situation won't mean their children fall behind at all.

There are some people endlessly saying that children are so resilient and how in other countries they don't even start school until age 6 or 7 so there's nothing to worry about..... and there are also those who are desperate to get kids back maybe before it's even safe and teachers who worry about kids who are doing little to no home learning for various reasons.

There are ways to manage home learning for some and I know some kids are happier at home than at school but is it really a popular and informed opinion that the current situation will have no lasting impact on kids and can all be easily remedied when schools open (whenever that is) and with no specific catch up programme?

@Dontwanttooutmyself

*Any thought of the teaching staff who it will have a great affect on if they catch it.... no? What a surprise*

Teachers shown to be at no greater risk of catching SARS-CoV-2 than the general population.

But even if they were, there is a valid argument to say that we need to ask teachers to put themselves at the increased risk, in the same way that we have asked medical professionals, care home staff, food production workers etc etc because the costs of school closures are potentially worth it.

I completely recognise that this isn't an easy argument, and that at an individual level, it is really tough to ask teachers to make this sacrifice, but we have had no problem asking nurses to take these risks, so why should it be any different for teachers?

You can ask me if I WANT to sacrifice myself. I don’t. Teaching is just a job and I am not prepared to suffer for your children. By the way, it really isn’t tough to ASK other people to sacrifice themselves unless you do it too. You are like the generals in World War 1.

@Justthebeerlighttoguide I'm not sure if you're implying that I am not instilling a good attitude to learning in my son.

Perhaps I should have mentioned that not only is he severely dyslexic, but he's also awaiting assessment for probable ADHD. He finds school work difficult anyway because he really struggles to read and concentrate, but he is painfully aware of what's going on around him and sees how much easier his friends find it, so he was starting to switch off as it was.

He was the only one of my 4 boys who didn't get to go back to school at all before the summer and that whole period just consolidated his disengagement.

I'm really delighted for you that whatever you/your daughter are doing works, but you know nothing about me, my child, or our set-up. Please don't assume your own experience is universal 🤷‍♀️

It is not just the school closures, it's the loss of all activities combined

@AHippoNamedBooBooButt I'm not sure that's going to cut it for my Y11 🤷‍♀️

It is not just the school closures, it's the loss of all activities combined

Yes, I agree with this. My dd is missing the stuff that she does outside of school as much as she misses school itself. A lot of the fun stuff has gone, but we're trying our best to find new fun instead!

I think Mumsnet in general seems to have a habit of having loads of parents of bright children who insist they abhor the idea of doing any extra work with their children (hothusing, they'll burn out, they'll hate you as a teen!), that doing more than a couple of extra curriculars a week means they must be exhausted and have no down time etc, etc. It's the same blasé attitude in lockdown but in both cases I'd bet good money they are mostly doing everything to ensure their children's success. It's just cooler to pretend you don't need to make any effort and that your kids spend their time catching tadpoles in jars, building forts, running around the woods and baking.

My DD is an only child and it's the lack of social interaction I worry about. Under 5s don't count in the 'meeting one other person for exercise' rule and older kids could meet up with a friend by themselves. My DD is 6 and I think she's pretty short-changed by this.

@redToothBrush yes but teachers can be flexible on when their holidays are, like in many jobs. Why do we need 2 weeks off for Easter instead of holiday for the whole of Feb and then continue till the end of July?

*But even if they were, there is a valid argument to say that we need to ask teachers to put themselves at the increased risk, in the same way that we have asked medical professionals, care home staff, food production workers etc etc because the costs of school closures are potentially worth it.

I completely recognise that this isn't an easy argument, and that at an individual level, it is really tough to ask teachers to make this sacrifice, but we have had no problem asking nurses to take these risks, so why should it be any different for teachers*

Nurses know when training there will likely be infectious conditions at times, I’d imagine teachers signed up the educate.

Most people would likely sacrifice themselves for their children but not for others. Many will have their own families.

@Zafferana I work in a primary school. We had one Covid case before Christmas. The first week back with KW children 11 people in my bubble tested positive. 8 of them children. The rest TAs. Most of the parents now have it and the TAs families. I have 4 children at home. I really wish they were were at school but at present it is not safe.

@kingat what are you talking about, teachers cannot be flexible around holidays? It's pretty much the only job where we can't pick our holidays. Also the holidays are as much, if not more for the students. Do you really think 6 year olds should go that long without a break?

You seem to be pretty ignorant of what teaching actually entails.

I value education as everything

I just don't want think for dc who are not in critical years that their education would suffer for the rest of their lives
.. Having on line teaching.

Those in critical years will have some impact yes.

Some very interesting views on who can be cast out to die and who matters.

I wonder how those posters feel about sacrificing over 70s still extremely active, no health concerns, very creative, witting, composing etc... Should we cast them out too die in the place of a youth who doesn't want to work?

Unless you signed up to work in infectious diseases - no we didn’t imagine we’d be working through this - cancer/ent/ cardiac etc all working on covid wards. Most specialities are not exposed to infectious diseases.

Most summer hols are 6 weeks, private can be 7 or 8.

We are coming to the end of summer holidays stage...

Another 4, 5 weeks to go?

@Perfect28 what is the issue with schools potentially going back 1st of April rather than waiting another two weeks because it is half term? Then there is half term in May, and they could do June and July, that is the same lenght as Sep and Oct term???
What are you talking about?

It's pretty much the only job where we can't pick our holidays.

I've seen this said a few times, it's really not true. There are a good few jobs where holidays are mandated at certain times. My DH used to do a job in which he was allotted his holiday at the start of the year, no negotiation.

Anyway, talk of sacrificing yourself for others children is a little dramatic. I'd rather sacrifice myself for children in general than for Aunt Bessie's frozen bloody Yorkshires or in a meat packing plant. Yes, I understand the concerns about not being allowed PPE (and I totally support a conversation about how to open schools as safely as possible) but lots of people are having to put themselves at some risk at the minute to keep society going.

[quote kingat]@redToothBrush yes but teachers can be flexible on when their holidays are, like in many jobs. Why do we need 2 weeks off for Easter instead of holiday for the whole of Feb and then continue till the end of July?[/quote]
No. They are contracted to work so many weeks a year.

How exactly do you intend for them to take holiday from work at other times of the year? When they are teaching in school.

They are under no obligation to work during their contracted holiday period.

Its against their contract. They legally can tell the government to piss off.

Its not holiday for a lot anyway. There is still preparation work to be done during the summer for the coming year.

Teachers dont sit on their arses for 6 weeks...

The other Mary

But you can understand why teaching staff feel nervous when so little was put in place before Xmas?

Not even masks in secondary classroom?

@Perfect28

I will look into the data but considering that schools were open for one term out of the last 10 months I'm not sure the rates can be directly compared with those working in face to face roles the entire time.

Usually when a parent states schools were shut, there's always teachers jumping at the bit to say schools never closed. So which is it?

@kingat

You were saying about taking Feb off, that would be going back in March not April.
This keeps coming up. It's not a solution. What happens when the situation isn't better in March? What about those who have booked time off work in the holidays and can't change it? Would parents still expect work sent home/provision for key worker/vulnerable students?

Ultimately if the holidays are the same length, how does it help at all to bunch them? Are you just optimistic that the situation would be different enough upon return?

Usually when a parent states schools were shut, there's always teachers jumping at the bit to say schools never closed. So which is it?

True. I like your last part, very Starmer (not that I like him atm)

It's pretty much the only job where we can't pick our holidays.

Aren’t holidays a big draw? You could choose one that gives you 4 or 5 weeks over it if flexibility is preferred over time

@3littlewords

You can't be so dense to see only a black and white picture I'm sure. You know the answer to your question so why ask it, to be facetious? Schools remained open to a small number of students. Staff worked face to face on a rota. Teachers continued to work throughout, but often from home or empty classrooms.

I can't believe I just wasted time answering a question you already knew.

@MarshaBradyo

Oh here we go, the holiday debate. Did I say I was unhappy about that? Or that I wanted flexibility? I was simply responding to a poster saying that teachers had flexibility over when holidays were taken which isn't true.

I don't know why I even open these threads. All it makes me think is I should follow the lead of the other 4 teachers just in my dept alone and get out of teaching. I'm not really willing to be in a crowded room of 30 people 7 times a day with no measures whatsoever. I wonder how many are

[quote Perfect28]@MarshaBradyo

Oh here we go, the holiday debate. Did I say I was unhappy about that? Or that I wanted flexibility? I was simply responding to a poster saying that teachers had flexibility over when holidays were taken which isn't true.[/quote]
No debate here. I don’t care if you do choose teaching for holidays. I take holiday time into account when choosing a job. Why not?