The EARLIEST schools will open is 8th March!!!

[dingledongle]

I cannot believe this!

Stunned!

My kids have lost one year of school and are going to be paying for this for decades to come

@blue25

I really hope schools don’t reopen until after Easter. Opening on the 8th March doesn’t seem worth it for 3 weeks.

I’d take the three weeks. Worth it for sure. If the numbers allow it.

Opening schools as a response to the children and young people's mental health crisis situation is not not option. It just isn't possible without the repercussions on their MH being even worse than they already are.

Other options need to be explored.

8 hours of childcare to include home school

It’s not childcare to parent your child plus I highly doubt any school is setting 8 hours of work a day

[quote HerrWanksock]For all those saying keep schools closed I'd like you to read this. It doesn't matter that this tweet is from the US, we are creating a MH crisis for our kids the likes of which we have never seen.
twitter.com/LilMsOpinion/status/1351361654634774532?s=20[/quote]
My God, that is horrifying.

dingledongle

My retired ndn are planning their travel back to their second home in Spain after their vaccination

Great while the rest of the working population are at home working and educating our kids angry

Sounds fair to me- NOT!”

Calm down, this will not be permitted. Announcement today, essential travel only with proof required at departure. Visiting a second home is not essential and they will be turned back.

@Royalty2k

Boris did say they will be helping Schools to help Children catch up on the lessons they have lost

Is this sarcastic? I spat my tea out! Good one ha ha

@starrynight19 I agree it's not as simple as to claim these children are not being identified, but we certainly haven't got them all at my school - this I am certain of despite us trying hard like you will be too.

@blue25

I really hope schools don’t reopen until after Easter. Opening on the 8th March doesn’t seem worth it for 3 weeks.

Surely thats a positive though, just three weeks then two weeks off as a natural circuit break. It was also said school would be phased in from then so likely not the full three weeks for most pupils.

I really don’t know why anyone is surprised. I was on a thread during the first lockdown where someone was asking when the schools would reopen and I said then September or January and people thought I was mad. It might have been better if that’s was what had happened. I wouldn’t count your chickens now, vaccines notwithstanding.

It’s not childcare to parent your child plus I highly doubt any school is setting 8 hours of work a day

Frankly it doesn't matter whether you call it parenting or childcare - either way it is still 8 hours a day that I have him around when in normal times I wouldn't. He is 5. I get maybe 2 hours a day tops he will watch TV or play games on his tablet. We don't have a garden so I can't send him outside to play. No of course he doesn't do 8 hours of school work a day, but he still needs attention and care for the majority of those 8 hours when I am also meant to be giving cafe and attention to my job, which also requires 8 hours per day.

Luckily, as I said upthread, my employer is flexible and understanding. Many don't have that luxury.

I am pro school closures so please get off your high horse. I believe that working parents need need be better supported.

Please tell me what part of my post you find unreasonable.

A tiny amount of time to all catch and spread virus followed by Easter holidays. What could possibly go wrong?

All I can say is that no school or LA or the DofE can ever again have a moan up or issue a fine for a term time holiday or raise a patronising eyebrow about home schooling.

@BertNErnie

@starrynight19 I agree it's not as simple as to claim these children are not being identified, but we certainly haven't got them all at my school - this I am certain of despite us trying hard like you will be too.

Yes I doubt any school has. We can only do what we can. The issue being it’s highlighted that it’s schools who have had to prop up all the cuts to mental health services. This was happening long before covid and it’s sad all those people saying they are concerned about it now didn’t give it a second thought before.

ChimaeraEgg

The ship to be "normal" sailed when Boris and co refused to lock down when they were originally told to by scientists in early 2020. Then again multiple times when they have chosen the "balancing act" with the economy, failing to realise that there is no balance possible. Prioritise the economy and you fail in all areas. Prioritise the virus, normality can resume sooner.

Lockdown earlier we would be in the same position but just a few week later.
unless you get immunity or eradicate it all this started with 1 case it will ALWAYS COME BACK

I've been at work every term time week day since March, not all school staff are working from home you know.

@Dutchesss

What a knob that Headteacher is. Are teachers suddenly above criticism? If they aren’t doing their job particularly well, then they bloody well should be challenged (as should ANY profession)

Constructive feedback and rude criticism are two entirely different things. If you read the letter it says they welcome the feedback.

I would question how any parent who hasn't trained to teach would know if I wasn't doing my job properly or not.

I think it's a great letter and yes, it clearly states they welcome feedback.
What they won't tolerate is some parents sending highly critical messaged of advice to teachers about how to do their job via these new platforms. That's not acceptable in any form. If you have a problem, go directly to the head - don't think it's ok to post in the Teams chat whilst the teacher is doing their job - that's bloody rude!

Lockdown earlier we would be in the same position but just a few week later.

Not just lockdown but all the other measures that came with it.

Plenty of other countries have managed so please don't pretend this was inevitable.

This happened because European governments collectively decided to treat this as a flu event, rather than a SARS like one. Now we are witnessing the results of that.

Tbh I’d protect the teachers more than that letter. Not sure how it works on platforms but the dc teacher converses with dc and parents wouldn’t use it to message the teacher directly. People can be worse by DM than email.

@starrynight19 most definitely.

I posted further down about the fact that schools seem to have moved away from primarily being places of education to now being the local supermarket, the mental health crisis team, the housing office and the extension of social services due to funding cuts over a number of years.

I feel the pandemic has highlighted how much we wrongly rely on schools to prop up other aspects of support in society.

@MarshaBradyo

Tbh I’d protect the teachers more than that letter. Not sure how it works on platforms but the dc teacher converses with dc and parents wouldn’t use it to message the teacher directly. People can be worse by DM than email.

We have opened communication with parents and carers via technology and on the whole it is positive. Those parents or carers who cannot conduct themselves appropriately are pulled up by SLT and are confronted. In extreme cases they would be banned from contacting the teacher directly ever again.

@ChimaeraEgg

Are you able to contact your school? We give devices, dongles and also provide work books for those in situations such as you are in

Sorry, it isn't me - was a hypothetical situation!

Very few families percentage wise would be in this predicament and if they were then schools would help. Certainly no one on here should be moaning about their child falling far behind because they obviously have the means to access mumsnet

Does ANYONE else on MN believe that school closures are 100% necessary and supports them wholeheartedly but also believes than working parents in particular are being asked to do the impossible and that children will suffer for it?

It seems on here you either believe that schools closing is something that has been done to selfishly save pensioners' lives while riding roughshod over children and their parents, or you believe that children will be fine and dandy and working parents just have to get on with it and stop whinging about parenting their own children. I've literally been accused of being both a lockdown fanaticist AND a covid denier on here

Seriously, does anyone have a nuanced viewpoint which can see both sides of the argument? Anyone?

Kids aren’t going to be ‘irreparably damaged’ for decades.

Most kids absolutely adore being off school, dossing about all day, having more screen time than usual, rediscovering board games, hom pom, the formerly mostly ignored back garden!, their immediate local green spaces, cycling, walking to the corner shop, and are knuckling down to remote learning just fine, certainly over age 11 they need barely any supervision at all thanks to well structured teaching online.

Many are spending more time outdoors than they ever did going for walks and getting fresh air.

Many are spending more time with their family, enjoying playing with siblings again, those bonds are growing.

When asked how their mental health is doing, my 11 and 13 year old shrug it off and say things like all their friends love being off school, admittedly missing seeing their friends in person, but they know that will get back to normal eventually.

They’re finding security and comfort in their home base and their family connections, and having grown up into a digital world, learning by screen is no big deal to them.

Where remote learning lacks, they’ll pick it up when they go back to school.

None of this probably applies to SEN kids and other disabilities and disorders of course, it is obvious they may struggle more. So that minority of children, indeed, will suffer.

But for most kids, they’re bloody loving the lockdowns in my experience.

Porcupineintherough bravo - puts all this nonsense into perspective

Certainly no one on here should be moaning about their child falling far behind because they obviously have the means to access mumsnet

I am currently accessing MN on my phone; that doesn't necessarily mean I also have a laptop or tablet for my child(ren) to use.

I think it is massively naive to assume that all children have access to exactly what they need.