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...

@HUCKMUCK

FFS - it feels like my Year 11 DS is never going back to school.

I'm not saying it's wrong just totally depressing.

I remember this feeling last March when I realised my yr 11 was finished. Robbed off a last day and prom etc all tiny really but no doubt sad for them all.

Yeah, I don’t think I saw a single parent saying they didn’t want their kids to do any work over the summer, it was the teachers pointing out they weren’t paid.

Let me be the first then! (I'm not the first.) I absolutely won't allow my children to do any work over the summer. They'll be outside getting vitamin D (that we in the UK are all very much short of, which could be a contributing factor to the covid death rate) and fresh air and playing and having fun and enjoying a bit of freedom (I pray!) Maybe they'll take a fiction book to the beach but that's all!

@LucyLockdown I fully agree!

[quote fromdownwest]@ElliFAntspoo - Basing the success of an individual purely on their renumeration output is quite a simplistic view.

I am sure the heart surgeons, pilots, bio mechanics and engineers that have not made a million pounds, but have created benefits for society would argue that their solid and robust education assisted in their success.

Also, picking arbitrary numbers out of the air without citation doesn't really expose my argument as hollow.

90% of people who succeed in life have 4 or more A Levels. See how easy that was to do![/quote]
Suggesting that academic qualification defines success in life, and that children who do not get qualifications are in sum way inferior and that as a result will lead a compromised life is ridiculous.

Then when I point out that the majority of millionaires come from what you are defining as a compromised educational environment, and that you do not need any qualifications to succeed in business, you decide to reframe your argument by saying that you don't need to be 'affluent' as you originally put it to be considered a success.

A truly remarkable U-turn from your first response. Are you in politics?

No matter what metric you choose to measure success, be that relationships, health, free time, pursuit of a passion, pursuit of financial wealth, desire to be a social media star. None of them require, or are compromised by, an uninterrupted educational study period.

Children do not need the amount of education we give them. They need a loving home, self confidence, an enthusiasm about the world around them, the ability to differentiate between right and wrong, and a basic understanding of mathematics and written language.

If you can give those to a child, the rest is irrelevant fluff. They will succeed regardless of how much the world tries to hold them back.

I’m just watching the briefing. There have been decisions I have thought were taken too late and I do think travel and borders need to be looked at however I am quite relieved that they are sticking with all the scientific and medical advice in relation to priority groups. It is reassuring that on this issue they are standing ground.

@ChimaeraEgg

Clearly I'm a dreadful person for suggesting people should self respect and be honest with themselves.

I legitimately have no idea what you're talking about here.

I asked if you could differentiate between a selfish reason and a "genuinely struggling" reason.

I suppose if I were a SAHM with an income of 250k per year in a 7 bedroom mansion with access to 10 acres of privately owned parkland and a live in nanny, who wanted my DC back at school so I could shag the gardener openly on the kitchen table then yes, you could say that was selfish.

Can't imagine there are many of them about though. I imagine most people who want their kids back at school want them back there because it is incredibly hard, for whatever reason, to have them at home.

How did you know I was here!

The sahm mum with 10 acres and a 250k income.

You’ve outed me.

Grin. Kidding

• FFS - it feels like my Year 11 DS is never going back to school.

I'm not saying it's wrong just totally depressing.*

Just think of all the things he can do instead.

I can't see how they would need to change the entire curriculum by extending school to the summer holidays and having a longer holiday at Christmas. They would just be shifting the timing of when things are taught!

Personally I would be in favour of a shorter summer holiday and longer winter holiday for schools if they think we are still going to have this problem next winter.

It looks like holidays abroad are going to be restricted anyway for this summer. A shorter summer holiday of say 4 weeks with a 'staycation' somewhere gives people the chance of a break. They could stagger the holiday dates for different counties to take the pressure off holiday bookings.

@MGMidget, how would you manage all the thousands of people who already have holidays booked?

@rainbownamebow I was quoting a pp....just to be clear, that is not my opinion.

I want them to have a summer holiday too - to be able to go out and play go to the cinema see friends etc etc when things open.

They've already had a rubbish spring term being in lockdown

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

I don’t bloody want a 6 week holiday over winter thank you very much.

And when people say they want children back at school for their mental health I think they need to consider how much fun they will have in winter, like now, or how much they could have getting out and playing in summer.

Holidays may not be the same in the summer anyway

Maybe they'll take a fiction book to the beach but that's all!

A "fiction book", no less.

@IceCreamAndCandyfloss

I don’t want the summer holiday changed, I want mine to enjoy the nice weather and time off as they have worked hard.

If others are behind parents are free to home educate more over summer if they wish but many have kept on top of home learning so shouldn’t miss out.

I feel the same about GS who is living with me, the thought of a summer of fun out with his mates is something he is looking forward to. He has put up with it all without complaint, is up to date with his work, he has worked just as hard at home through both lock ups as he would at school. Why should he, and your kids, lose their summer?

We love winter @ancientgran - both me and DD detest summer, so a longer winter holiday would be ok with me. Probably a factor in my wishing for summer schools to be fair!

When are they going to address the fact that many Y11s are still being expected to take their IGCSEs this summer? GCSEs have been cancelled but not IGCSEs which many schools opt for. My Y11 daughter has 4 standard GCSEs and 5 IGCSEs. Edexcel are refusing to cancel. She’s missed so much of her courses that she’s in no way prepared to sit the exams. Why isn’t either the PM or Gavin Williamson addressing this?

Another winter lover here, would much rather have a long winter holiday!

I've often wished for a shorter summer holiday and longer in the winter or even at Easter pre Covid.

@GinaJaffacake

When are they going to address the fact that many Y11s are still being expected to take their IGCSEs this summer? GCSEs have been cancelled but not IGCSEs which many schools opt for. My Y11 daughter has 4 standard GCSEs and 5 IGCSEs. Edexcel are refusing to cancel. She’s missed so much of her courses that she’s in no way prepared to sit the exams. Why isn’t either the PM or Gavin Williamson addressing this?

Awful.

Old, white ,privileged men have dictated our National Curriculum for decades.
Take a look at the Examination boards from 30 years ago. Cambridge Examination Board. Oxford Examination Board.
I hope that the pandemic allows parents to consider what their children are studying , and why they are studying it.
The Arts have been decimated to allow for the EBac.
I can’t find a school in my city that offers a study at GCSE about Industrial Britain as part of the syllabus.
The exams our children are being prepared for are irrelevant in subject material. I include Shakespeare.
I’m an English and Perf.Arts Teacher and don’t understand why a drama text should be taught as literature.
No practical lessons in Science regardless of the discipline.
Our children are being prepared to pass exams and tests, that if you have a conversation with anyone who has a career outside of their specialised subject at university, has little bearing on their future careers.
Bring back tech quals and the opportunity to take practical, useful subjects for pupils as individual learners NOT as a statistic to prove our Education system is good.

@Nonamesavail, thanks. I’ve just started a thread in education to see if anyone else knows anything. DD’s school seem to be saying they don’t know anything and it’s Pearson Edexcel who make the decision snd they’re saying because they’re running in other countries they’re insisting on running them here. DD has really struggled during lockdown anyway and the uncertainty of this is really stressing her out. It just seems mad that she’s expected to come into school and sit half her exams whilst the other half will be teacher assessed because the government have decided it’s unfair.

My son is year 12 now but I remember all the anxiety last year but it seems this year 11 has even rougher deal. :(