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...

@Sparklfairy

Also a direct quote from the ONS

'In Week 53, the number of deaths registered was 26.6% above the five-year average (2,115 deaths higher) but this increase should be treated with caution'

The data can be easliy mis read and attributed to Covid-19. However, drill down the data and you see that it accounted for 31.2% of deaths

But, as is the millennial British way, when the going gets tough, the tough whinge about human rights and civil liberties and I'm alright jack instead of pulling together as a community.

Yes that's right, blame millennials.

Tedious argument.

Maybe some people will be waking up and realising just how poorly their children are being educated, just how little they learn at school, just how poorly prepared they are with what they are taught, and think to themselves, 'I could do better myself.'

If nothing else, these spells of parents having their children at home are going to let them know what teachers do in exchange for their salaries.

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

I haven’t heard a single teacher say or insinuate this. They have, however, asked for more money and plans to mitigate the spread of Covid in their workplace, which is fair. If they’d been given it, who knows how many lives could have been saved.

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.

Well that’s not true because a third of the population is obese, which counts as a condition. Others have conditions that wouldn’t have taken their lives. Asthma, for example. You seem to be assuming that most people are totally healthy and so most people are safe. Your assumption is deeply flawed.

A generation of childrens education ruined.

Very overdramatic.

@OwlWearingGlasses

What other profession is in a crowded room with 30 children all day, no masks, little or no ventilation, no social distancing, serving and clearing lunches, performing first aid, helping after toilet accidents, comforting, holding hands after a child has put their finger up their nose straight after washing them etc etc... You do realise the recent data on teachers was over a 9 month period from March to December; 6 months of which, not many children were in school and it was spring/summer so windows could be open and more time spent indoors?

Teachers seem to think that if they shout the loudest they will get listened to.

I’m going to believe the independent reports say that teachers are at no greater risk, and that the closure of schools was done to stop transmission between households, and nothing to do with protecting teachers.

@Peppafrig

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 .

I suppose that's what home schooler's would say in a lifestyle choice.

[quote Pootle40]@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.[/quote]
True. And my grandparents were unusual in that my nan was in a wheelchair with MS by the time my mother was 5, so was unable to do much of anything and it fell to my grandad.

But that's one case. Sometimes it is disheartening to know that certain friends/relatives are not trying their best, and want an easy(er) life even at the expense of the population as a whole.

Some people (on this thread included) try really fucking hard. And some just bail at the first hurdle. I just wish there was a balance. My posts werent an attack on anyone or any specific situation.

I'm not a millennial I'm Gen X but boy am I whinging about the hit to children's education!

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.

Are you psychic? I'm a professional historian and I think this new research method of 'making shit up about things that happened before we were born' could really revolutionise the field.

If home schooling was actually as easy as sitting back with a cup of tea and watching rosy cheeked, smiling cherubs studiously working through textbooks in a sunlit kitchen, then I assure you we'd all be fine with it.

@ChimaeraEgg

But, as is the millennial British way, when the going gets tough, the tough whinge about human rights and civil liberties and I'm alright jack instead of pulling together as a community.

Yes that's right, blame millennials.

Tedious argument.

Not when I AM a millennial

It's not a fucking lifestyle choice when you have homeschooling forced upon you!

this new research method of 'making shit up about things that happened before we were born' could really revolutionise the field.

The decision will be unpopular, but people die.

The problem is that we are at a point now where hospitalisations are so high that there isn't a viable alternative. Even if the government tomorrow said OK fine, bugger the restrictions, it is going to cost too much money and destroy children's education and mental health- going back to "normal" would not be the problem solver you think it would. If the virus was allowed to do its thing then the economy, mental health and education would be shot to shit regardless. It isn't an either/or situation and we are choosing to destroy children's education for the sake of some 90 year olds in a care home.

It honestly baffles me that people still aren't understanding this. If it were a case that we pound the economy into the ground but we save the lives of the elderly, do you really think that a Tory government would choose to do that if there was any kind of viable alternative?

There was a viable alternative of course, but that ship has sailed.

Not when I AM a millennial

Makes no difference one way or the other, it's a lazy, tedious argument.

A generation of childrens education ruined

Hyperbole. More accurately: Some of the children have been at school through out. some are doing ok with home schooling. Some will be able to catch up when they return to school. Some will need additional support to catch up. Some have had their education ruined.

@Hardbackwriter

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.

Are you psychic? I'm a professional historian and I think this new research method of 'making shit up about things that happened before we were born' could really revolutionise the field.

Our Prime Minister agrees with you

www.newstatesman.com/books/2014/11/one-man-who-made-history-another-who-seems-just-make-it-boris-churchill

elliF

Maybe some people will be waking up and realising just how poorly their children are being educated, just how little they learn at school, just how poorly prepared they are with what they are taught, and think to themselves, 'I could do better myself.'

I think most parents are desperately googling subordinating conjunctions, not planning on teaching it to 30 kids.

@bingandflop

It's not a fucking lifestyle choice when you have homeschooling forced upon you!

No, its a life style choice to work and send your kids to school. Complaining about having that choice removed is understandable.

@Pootle40

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.

I agree with this. At some point in the not too distant future I wouldn’t be surprised if the rest of the uk will report negative excess deaths at points.

At least 20% of those who died of COVID had a life expectancy of less than two years (given that 20% of deaths were care home residents and this is the average life expectancy of care home residents).

The average COVID death is someone over aged 80.

(Caveat: I’m not saying it’s ok that these victims have died alone and suffering and before their time).

@Hardbackwriter

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.

Are you psychic? I'm a professional historian and I think this new research method of 'making shit up about things that happened before we were born' could really revolutionise the field.

😂😂 best thing I've read on mnet!

[quote fromdownwest]@Sparklfairy

Also a direct quote from the ONS

'In Week 53, the number of deaths registered was 26.6% above the five-year average (2,115 deaths higher) but this increase should be treated with caution'

The data can be easliy mis read and attributed to Covid-19. However, drill down the data and you see that it accounted for 31.2% of deaths[/quote]
Absolutely it should be treated with caution.

Lockdown has, directly or indirectly, caused many other deaths besides covid.

It has also indirectly saved a minority from car accidents etc simply because they haven't been going out.

I don't know why people are so focussed solely on deaths though. If I'm sick for 3 days in a month, that seriously impacts my finances.

If it was a week, so not even long covid but still not able to work productively, that would be even worse.

If I had long covid, I dread to think.

And if I was (however unlikely) like poor Kate Garraways husband??

It is not just deaths. The only thing we can control is the spread. Schools simply cannot be opened yet.

I think there is a very unpleasant subset of person who thinks they are being a no nonsense straight talker type in bemoaning the general public's lack of resilience, saying people have coped with much worse, stop being hysterical etc. They are just being dicks frankly.

There are plenty of others (like me) who both recognise the necessity of the current restrictions and have empathy and sympathy for anyone struggling with their effects.

It shouldn't be difficult to do both.

@ChimaeraEgg

Not when I AM a millennial

Makes no difference one way or the other, it's a lazy, tedious argument.

In your opinion, which is no more or less valid than mine.