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

I was happy to hear this!! People (mn, friends, social media etc) have been saying Easter, summer or even september. March is 4.5 weeks away. This is week 4 of lockdown. In June we did like 10 weeks? We can do it, and hopefully for the last time, please and thanks.

Hopefully! As I’d rather the first 6 categories were vaccinated before schools went back tbh

Well the way the EU is carrying on that will be this time next year. Be careful what you wish for.

The virus needs to be contained to the point that the numbers of people needing medical care do not exceed the care available. When this happens, our NHS staff will be put in the horrific position of telling people to go home and die when, at other times, they would have been treated.

Those people aren't just the old and the sick who would have died soon anyway (not that it would have made it any better). It could be anyone who needs medical care for any reason.

The virus being mild for most people doesn't change the potential for this nightmare situation to occur. Neither does the fact that children are missing school and parents are struggling to support them with home-schooling.

Children missing school isn't great. Hoardes of people dying simply because there isn't an ICU bed/oxygen/ventilator available for them is far worse. Some would be loved ones of those children who are missing school. How would they then be better off?

@LucasLeesEyebrows

But you are completely ignoring the equal number who hate school and thrive at home with remote learning. School damages the mental health of many children. School playgrounds and school buses are dangerous places were physical and mental abuse can happen. Etc etc. The list of those affected includes and goes way beyond those affected negatively Then it’s absolutely your right to take your kids out of school and home educate them, on your own terms. Unfortunately, for the parents who want their children in school, that choice has been pulled from under us.

Lucas absolutely homeschool is an option in that case

@PolarnOPirate

I was happy to hear this!! People (mn, friends, social media etc) have been saying Easter, summer or even september. March is 4.5 weeks away. This is week 4 of lockdown. In June we did like 10 weeks? We can do it, and hopefully for the last time, please and thanks.

EARLIEST.

By the end of Feb there will another reason why they can't open on 8th March. Why 8th and not 1st?

Op, what do you want to happen? Your school had many cases before Christmas. You say your kids have good remote learning provision. Yet you really wanted and expected the school to be open? If many teachers get sick as well as children, there will be no school and no good remote learning either.

He didn't say all kids would return either. I suspect that if 8 March happens it could be some year groups

@LucasLeesEyebrows

But you are completely ignoring the equal number who hate school and thrive at home with remote learning. School damages the mental health of many children. School playgrounds and school buses are dangerous places were physical and mental abuse can happen. Etc etc. The list of those affected includes and goes way beyond those affected negatively Then it’s absolutely your right to take your kids out of school and home educate them, on your own terms. Unfortunately, for the parents who want their children in school, that choice has been pulled from under us.

There are many many children who suffer in school, for whom long term Home education is not on option. There are many children doing far better now than they ever would at school

My head has nearly exploded this week working whilst guiding DC, cheerleading them whilst working 50 hours per week. Enforcing walks and exercise. Listening to how sad they are not to be at school and trying to make nice food and have some semblance of an evening. We can all moan.

But of course there is no alternative and I’d rather it be a proper lockdown than a half arsed one like before that had lead to this.

Deal with it. Everyone else is.

I'm surprised the PM bothered with a press conference. The Unions have been dictating school closures and come 8th March, they will do what they want, not what the PM says.

@BlueTimes

It’s actually better than many have predicted, assuming the date isn’t pushed back and all pupils return then.

I’d rather this be the last lockdown and for schools to be safe when children return.

They can't push the date back, as there isn't a date. They've said that's the earliest.

It's people fixating on a random date that was given that leaves others disappointed when it doesn't happen, as they mistakenly believe it was a fact.

@BlueTimes It’s actually better than many have predicted, assuming the date isn’t pushed back and all pupils return then

They won’t. Look at the wording on the DfE blog for this they state how they ‘opened their doors to more pupils in June of last year’ and go on to say ‘we will reopen schools and colleges to more pupils as soon as the public health picture allows’

So what’s the bets for which years will get an onsite education?

As it stands it makes sense until vaccination of the vulnerable is complete and effective to hold off reopening schools fully. It’s so unfair if primary years don’t get some form of rota though as they are all so young to have no social interaction with peers for months and working parents are carrying such a burden now they have to keep up 4-5hrs worth of lessons for each primary child per day.

Please remember he actually said he "hopes to start reopening English schools on 8 March" That does not mean it will happen and it will likely happen in stages starting with primary then secondary after what JVT said.

Please manage expectations

And, by the way @dingledongle - you neglected to mention that you were talking about schools in ENGLAND. Surely you didn't mean to paint your own reality as fact for everyone.

I hate to tell you, but our Head has said students won't be back before Easter.

1700 more people died today.
NHS ICUs still running at 200% capacity, 50k NHS staff off sick/isolating and thousands have PTSD.

I do sympathise, I have two kids, my siblings and friends all do.

But the virus is out of control.

@stuckinagut

I'm surprised the PM bothered with a press conference. The Unions have been dictating school closures and come 8th March, they will do what they want, not what the PM says.

What an absolute load of rubbish. Did you miss the part where all schools were sent back as normal last September when unions were asking for safety measures.

Ah as usual, a lovely supportive thread on Mumsnet!

It's shit. It really is. But if kids are engaging with online lessons, they're not missing that much. Granted, my class discussions are a little more stilted, but I'm still pretty much able to teach as I would jn school. Better, in some cases, cos my Internet always works and kids can use their phones for interactive quizzes etc.

Luckily, my own kids have been ignored whilst I've worked for their whole childhood. They're getting on with their school work without me. I get 30 minutes for lunch, so they have to sort that too. My job is to reach the Kitkats.

They're missing mates, all the fun non school stuff and poor dc2 will never get to be a proper Brownie now, but all kids are in the same boat. For possibly 6 more weeks. How much of yr 4 do you remember anyway?

@movingonup20

I'm sure they will be more damaged if we don't get this under control and their parents die.

Which statistically is very low. You are aware the average death age is 82 to covid. Or are you talking about 45 year old children?

@redsquirrelfan he explained that they would be reviewing mid February and then need to give schools at least two weeks notice after half term to prepare for opening.

Think it's likely that it will be specified year groups or only certain areas if it goes ahead.

He isn't keeping schools shut for shits and giggles. Our hospitals are full. One of my dc is Y10 so missing GCSE stuff, but I feel it's the best strategy for now.

@Porcupineintherough

Some children will be irreparably damaged

Yep. The ones who've lost parents for sure.

This absolutely 👆🏻

Never fear, 8th March will soon be here.....then 8th April.....

This is getting monotonous now. Firstly parents were calling for schools to close, then people wanted them opening again. Rinse and repeat again this lockdown. You're never going to please everybody but we need to think about our communities as a whole and try to be patient. There's no rule book for this as it's unprecedented.

Two of my dd's friends have lost their grannies to covid.