Wales 5

[DdraigGoch]

The old one filled up before we could link a new one but here we are.

I'm hoping for Friday that we'll have a date or idea when Ks2 will go back and some additional freedoms outdoors - I hope the travel ban is relaxed a bit

I don't think they'll relax anything until KS1 have been back for 3 weeks. I think it would be beneficial to see what happens when only schools are open and community transmission is low. We've not had that before.

Mine is in reception - he had 3 x online, half hour class lessons and 2 x online, half hour small group sessions and 10-13 activities a week. It was a lot, and I’m a trained primary teacher that spent most of her time in nursery and reception but I was SO impressed with the school.

I’ll be pretty annoyed tbh if they go hell for leather opening up now. We’ve sacrificed so much for so bloody long just to throw it away.

No online lessons here, just 2 class sessions a week with teacher which is really just to check well being, they play bingo or something Mine is year 2 but am sure junior kids have similar from what I've heard. Just lots of tasks and activities to do including some worksheets. We are to record our child reading once a week too.

It’s the secondary school kids that concern me.

Will the kids currently in years 10 and 12 be expected to sit exams next year as usual? There will be no way that a lot of them will be able to catch up with what’s been missed or they’ve not properly understood (and not realised that they don’t understand).

I have one in year 10 who seems to be doing ok but has already dropped a set in one key subject and one in year 8 - we’ve not had a parents evening for them since they joined the school!

Of course it’s nice for the young ones to get back to school, but they have far more opportunity to catch up than the older ones.

I know that it’s all more complicated in comprehensive schools due to the moving about and sheer numbers (ours is an 8 form entry school with 6 form where lots travel in on buses) but I do wish that the government would give us more information about what the strategy is and what key points need to be achieved for certain things to happen. Unfortunately I’m not getting my hopes up for this Friday’s announcement (well, Thursday really as it always gets leaked a day early!).

Theyve mentioned several times about wanting to monitor how the opening of school impacts things before making any other decisions, so I'd be amazed if they decided this week to announce anything for older pupils.

Today V Gething seemed to hint at a few more small freedoms to be announced for families with children but I would put money on them not deciding until the next 3 week review for schools.

I also am very worried about the current yr 10 and yr 12 exam years. I’m worried sick that the exams will be rolled out as usual next year, leaving the two current pre-exam years with little time to catch up.
My DD, yr12, didn’t get the chance to experience GCSEs and there will be a two year lack of reference at A Level, for when she sits.
I agree....lovely for the younger children to get back to school and start to enjoy the experience again. They have several years to catch up academically though.
However, for some....not all....exam year kids, who struggle with online learning, this could be disastrous and could result in needing repeated years. My DD feels desperate and there is absolutely nothing I can do to reassure her, due to the lack of an obvious plan for these crucial year groups.

Yes I have relatives with children in Year 10, 12 and Year 6, all of whom I'm concerned about. September's Year 7 cohort could be starting secondary school having missed half of Year 5 and a lot of Year 6, so may not be as ready as they usually would be? And this/next year's university students may not be as emotionally equipped or independent enough to start university life as they would have been previously. I'm sure we will be studying and feeling the effects of this for many years yet.

ImAllOut....
.....you raise a good point there about the kids who are to transition to secondary school from yr 6.
Hopefully they’ll get enough time in primary for the rest of this year to help them cope. It is a worry though about the usual transitional exercises, such as school visits and open evenings. Really hope your relative gets to experience some of that at least!

All counties are now below 150 cases per 100k on the seven day rolling average. Most are below 100. The light has appeared at the end of the tunnel. Small light, granted (ever been in Ffestiniog Tunnel?) but it's there all the same.

Unless you live in Powys where cases going up. What the hecks happening here.

Scotland have said they'll review and make a further announcement for older children but it is very unlikely to be before the 15th - 3 weeks after infants - I was thinking we'd be about 3 weeks too

It is only a 5 week term so I am not sure if all secondary pupils will get the chance to go back. This is based on my thinking and pondering and nothing official at all.

Is anyone concerned about Easter tourism? I work in tourism so would benefit from it being opened, but it seems silly to me? In my head it should go like this -

3-7’s back for three weeks. Following review and assuming figures are still going down, 7-11s back for two weeks before Easter break.

Five mile rule introduced for Easter break.

Middle week of Easter break, assuming figures are still going down, announce that secondary schools can go back. Maybe exam years full time and years 7-9 on a part time basis for three weeks.

Full assessment of figures at the end of that three week period. If figures are still ok, years 7-9 back full time and reopening of hospitality with covid safe numbers.

Allow internal welsh holidays for the latter half of May. By mid June, should all figures be ok, start allowing U.K. wide holidays.

Of course this does depend on business support and furlough being extended past April but I think anything slower is surely irresponsible now? We need to never be in the position where a lockdown is necessary again but the only way we can do that is open up sensibly and cautiously and hold if necessary.

I absolutely see your logic AlohaMolly but given the number of second home owners who've turned up here for half term I can also see that those with b&bs, rentals etc will be feeling increasingly frustrated & wondering why there is - literally it seems - one law for the rich and another for the poor.

I thought the second home owners coming was illegal?

I'm sure it is, doesn't stop them though!

Full of second home owners where I live too.

I’ll be really pissed off if they open up for tourism before they fully open the schools. But it wouldn’t surprise me. Our children really don’t seem to matter.

I haven't noticed any of the three second homes immediately neighbouring me (two of which I share a boundary with, the other is over the road) being occupied again.

I didn't think he will do anything too mad - though he made some noises about allowing self contained holiday accommodation open around Easter

It's a way off for cases though about 6 weeks? If things carry on decreasing as now then he might be able to open a little quicker I mean we could be seeing under 100 a day with no deaths by then - I think it having the travel ban in for another 6 weeks if cases carry on coming down like they are might be overkill - it's kind of self defeating here as we all go to one park which is rammed and you can't go to more spacious places - so agree with all of that timetable but I'd be happier if the 5 mile came back in around mid March (if I remember the stay local rather than stay home message)

If certain beauty spots etc get crowded they could take local action - they are doing this in Barry.

It seems sensible to have groups of kids back in in the three week batches they like.

@Pandapotato

Full of second home owners where I live too.

I’ll be really pissed off if they open up for tourism before they fully open the schools. But it wouldn’t surprise me. Our children really don’t seem to matter.

How old are yours?

The whole idea of renting a property, is home from home, but eating out, I would not want to spend a week, just cooking and cleaning another house, that sounds miserable. So until Wales, England, Scotland, open up hospitality again, you might as well stay home.

Oh god I know. I actually hope they don't as we rearranged our Easter weekend away from last year to this year at the time - and I'd rather not go at all to be just sat on a caravan with nothing open and no one wanting us there - but to have a refund I supppsed they'd need to stay shut!

We haven’t walked in our village today which is usually tourist central, and walked out of the village yesterday so I haven’t clocked any second home owners yet!

I just think that slow and steady is the name of the game now. I know we’ve got the vaccine, but I still think there will be a resurgence next autumn and if we do what we did last time and suddenly open everything at once, it feels like we would throw everything we’ve all worked so bloody hard for away!