Boris to make imminent announcement on schools, any guesses?!

[Adviceneededalways]

Do we think an extension delaying opening or is he going to try and get children back in sooner...

I have to say I think the latter would be a fucking disaster but I wouldn’t be at all surprised...

The teachers are been tested well they are in Yorkshire!

My DD's special school has informed us of the following:

Category 6 of Covid 19 priority groups include those who are in receipt of a carers allowance or those who are the main carer of an elderly or disabled person whose welfare may be at risk if the carer falls ill.

For you to be able to access the category 6 Covid 19 vaccine rollout you must be registered as a carer with you GP

Notify your GP today that you are caring for someone who's welfare may be at risk if you fall ill.

I don't know if you will get anywhere with your GP's but it may be worth a shot.

Vintage - i do accept your view, to a point. But 5,000 deaths from all causes across a month is not 1,000 a day from one specific threat and right now, that's what we may be headed towards.

@itsgettingweird

My god PMQs is painful to watch

Try watching the First Ministers Question Time in Wales.

Makes old Bozza look like a progressive and vibrant leader.

what? We aren’t teachers, we’re parents with out the skills to home school!!!

And there it is. Who cares how many people die because schools open too early along as some parents dont have to teach their own kids

Do you think we'll see less "When do you think schools will open?" threads now? March 8th earliest. I give it a week before people will be asking.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

I do think though that some (too many) parents are sending their children/can't wait to send their children back to school when they could homeschool them. Purely because they realise it's hard bloody work and they just don't want to do it So what? We aren’t teachers, we’re parents with out the skills to home school!!!

So what?

When my school was bombed in the war (before I was born!) and parents had to home school whilst they made provisions, parents weren't whinging like they are now.

They realised they were in the midst of a national crisis, and got their heads down and got the fuck through it.

My school briefly merged with the boys school, and then rebuilt further up the road.

They did extra classes to catch up with the rest of the country curriculum wise.

There was no wailing of WE DONT HAVE THE SKILLZ TO HOMESCHOOL

You're in a far better position with the internet at your fingertips than they were whilst an entire school was being built

Everyone look at the carrot. Isn't it pretty. Watch it dangle on the string. Listen to me. You will returning to normal soon.

I'm predicting more confusion, obfuscation, excuses and BS. I'm predicting more of he same staggering successes that they have already achieved, the same supply problem with vaccines, the same misinformation, the same problems with the supply chain, and no-one talking about it.

Why would those responsible for organising and making decisions, suddenly become staggeringly more organised and more capable?

I'd suggest you already know, regardless of that your telly tells you, what is going to happen. But if you need to believe your telly cos it makes you feel better, than that's what its there for. The message is doing exactly what its meant to do.

There was no wailing of WE DONT HAVE THE SKILLZ TO HOMESCHOOL how do you know no one complained?

This isn’t a war it’s a virus that will barely affect most people. Now I’m not a covid denier and I will follow the rules but we are entitled to groan and worry about our children and be fed up of sacrificing their education for others.

@DianaT1969

Do you think we'll see less "When do you think schools will open?" threads now? March 8th earliest. I give it a week before people will be asking.

😂😂😂 I’d expect this afternoon

They key to your speculation ladies and gents was the word ‘HOPES’ - they HOPE to have them start going back by March 8th.

Easter is more realistic. Providing the vaccine doesn’t mess up or another new variant rears it’s head.

*When my school was bombed in the war (before I was born!) and parents had to home school whilst they made provisions, parents weren't whinging like they are now.

They realised they were in the midst of a national crisis, and got their heads down and got the fuck through it.

My school briefly merged with the boys school, and then rebuilt further up the road.

They did extra classes to catch up with the rest of the country curriculum wise.

There was no wailing of WE DONT HAVE THE SKILLZ TO HOMESCHOOL

You're in a far better position with the internet at your fingertips than they were whilst an entire school was being built*

How hard really is it to teach a child up to the age of 12? Surely almost every adult in this country is at least intelligent enough to be able to achieve that?

Oh yawn - more war stories about how no one ever complained and just got on with it. From a 32 year old.

@Sparklfairy I think the key bit there is "before I was born".

@snowballer

Oh yawn - more war stories about how no one ever complained and just got on with it. From a 32 year old.

Ha yep

How hard really is it to teach a child up to the age of 12? Surely almost every adult in this country is at least intelligent enough to be able to achieve that?

IF the child is motivated and able to concentrate at home as well as they would in school, and IF the parent isn't also trying to do their own job, then yes, it's probably not that big an ask. Two quite big 'ifs', though.

It doesn't affect me as in Scotland, no doubt we will follow suit. The issue of anyone's 'safety' is misleading. In terms of the 100k deaths we will never know how many (and to what extent) COVID played a part in their death. This isn't just ramblings from me, I have seen numerous health board letters in Scotland which were requested by ordinary citizens and had to be released under the freedom of information act. In the latest one yesterday for a smaller health board there were in the region of 5,000 deaths (all causes) between feb 20 and dec 20. 12 of the 5,000 were solely attributable to COVID. I think some proper transparency would lead to a much more honest view of what has happened/is happening. For example, in the 2nd week of January in Scotland we were in negative excess deaths. That's right, in the peak of winter during a pandemic. I'm not a conspiracy theorist i would just like full facts - those are sadly lacking and certain figures and data are being used for a specific narrative.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

There was no wailing of WE DONT HAVE THE SKILLZ TO HOMESCHOOL how do you know no one complained?

This isn’t a war it’s a virus that will barely affect most people. Now I’m not a covid denier and I will follow the rules but we are entitled to groan and worry about our children and be fed up of sacrificing their education for others.

I don't see how moaning will help. Yes, grumble if you must, they probably did whilst homeschooling before trying to gradually merge with the boys school.

I keep going back to my original post here though, which was a response to "OPEN THE SCHOOLS" (and I assume, fuck the consequences).

With respect "with a virus that barely affects most people" is an insult. Latest deaths stats on the ONS are 29% higher than the 5 year average. We are 36% higher in 2021 so far.

That's not including any long covid, or just long(er) lasting effects than flu.

Nor is it including people like me that if I can't work because I'm I'll, I don't get paid. So even 2 or 3 days would affect me.

Everyone has their own problems. You for example may be focussed on wanting to keep your child in education. I may be focussed on the fact I live alone and when I go to the supermarket I don't want to pick it up from someone who has picked it up from their child who is in school. If I get it, my income and ability to pay my rent is affected.

Yep - spare me the war analogies.

My DD, who has always struggled academically and was having a lot of tutoring etc pre-pandemic to get her up to speed, has now essentially missed nearly a year of school.

Lets be honest - online schooling is patchy at best.

I am very worried about how I am ever going to get her education on track again - and she is a middle class kid with access to Wifi, her own device and a quiet place to work in.

My Skillz may be many but I am not a teacher.

As for the war analogy - My father remembers it well, he was 10 when it ended and was evacuated twice. Even he thinks the war comparisons are ridiculous.

They need every single person who is vulnerable vaccinated and/or community cases dropped sufficiently and the NHS not to be about to break beyond repair before they should be considering open schools.

Do you not think community cases will have dropped to that extent by march? Genuine question.

@Sparklfairy ....other BIG difference being that significantly more households have both parents working now. I'd suggest in 1940s it was often just the man.

I can teach my primary school age children and feel capable enough to do it so that's not the issue for me. Simply that as a professional working women at home with my husband in a similar type role we are unable to work, feed, entertain and teach our children. We are not fucking superhero's.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers

There was no wailing of WE DONT HAVE THE SKILLZ TO HOMESCHOOL how do you know no one complained?

This isn’t a war it’s a virus that will barely affect most people. Now I’m not a covid denier and I will follow the rules but we are entitled to groan and worry about our children and be fed up of sacrificing their education for others.

Exactly this.

Teachers are going on like this virus has indisrimatley swept through the nation taking the lifes of teachers by the thousands.

From the ONS there has been 4476 detahs with no 'known' underlying health coniditions.

That represents 0.0067% population.

So the risk, is minimal to the majority of the population.

Yet we are willing to see a whole generation of children lose a years education, businesses to go to the wall, national debt to be numbers people can not comprehend.

When, is someone in charge going to have the balls to undertake a proper cost benefit analysis.

The decision will be unpopular, but people die.

Statements like

'one death, is one death too many'

Like we have somehow become immortal.

Madness.

A generation of childrens education ruined.

How hard really is it to teach a child up to the age of 12? Surely almost every adult in this country is at least intelligent enough to be able to achieve that?

Hmm actually I think that’s doubtful (you’re assuming everyone is like you) BUT nobody has to teach their kids! Supervise, yes. Teach, no. Schools are providing remote learning. If they’re not doing it effectively then complain or at least supplement with the wide variety of educational resources available - many on your tv.

@SanFranBear

Vintage - i do accept your view, to a point. But 5,000 deaths from all causes across a month is not 1,000 a day from one specific threat and right now, that's what we may be headed towards.

Do you realise more like 50,000 people normally die per month from all causes in the UK?

@LucyLockdown

How hard really is it to teach a child up to the age of 12? Surely almost every adult in this country is at least intelligent enough to be able to achieve that?

Hmm actually I think that’s doubtful (you’re assuming everyone is like you) BUT nobody has to teach their kids! Supervise, yes. Teach, no. Schools are providing remote learning. If they’re not doing it effectively then complain or at least supplement with the wide variety of educational resources available - many on your tv.

How hard really is it to teach a child up to the age of 12? Surely almost every adult in this country is at least intelligent enough to be able to achieve that?

Pretty hard when you have three of them under 12 and you are also working full time .