March 8th for schools - who will go back?

[Springhere]

It seems very likely that schools will reopen in some form on 8th March but how do people think it might work? Staggered or full return? Opinion seems so divided on this. I'm starting to think primaries will open in full (as it would be difficult to have cherry picked year groups alongside keyworker bubbles) with a slower, staggered return for secondaries. Would be interested to hear what others think, especially those of you working in schools.

The vaccination programme has been such a success that I’m presuming primaries will open in full. Even though at one point in December the rates in primaries were highly than in secondaries!

I thought it was 2 weeks notice for schools from March 8th, that's not the same as all schools in on that date. It's all unknown and is based on numbers. Noone should view it as set in stone. My kids are older but I would have to see some social distancing being possible I think. Not sure that is going to happen. I don't want my kids to go back just yet. I appreciate why ohhers do.

@42isthemeaning

FWIW I live in Scotland and I don't see Nicola opening schools again anytime soon.

Really? I absolutely think she will. What makes you think that? Really hoping they don't. I don't think its safe.

I really hope it’s staggered. Last summer when class sizes were fifteen is the only time I’ve felt properly safe teaching. I think they need to prioritise the children who didn’t have school last summer and then gradually build up. If primaries open in full I think rates will start to go up again. Even if they do vaccinate teachers and teaching staff (& they probably won’t!) the children will still spread it amongst themselves and take it home.

My guess at what they’ll do would be Year 11 and 13 only in secondary, all primary kids back (given the numbers in many primary schools already, they may as well). Though it really does depend on case numbers and vaccinations. My opinion for what would be BEST would be fortnightly rotas in secondary schools for all year groups (case data permitting, of course)

The schools announcement will be tomorrow if you are in England.

Cabinet agreed on the school plan at the beginning of last week. So there is a plan, we just don't know about it yet.

The schools announcement will be tomorrow if you are in England

Really?
I've heard nothing about this

@speaksofty

The schools announcement will be tomorrow if you are in England.

It’s the 22nd.

I was sure they’d said 22nd for the announcement.
Tomorrow would be the last day we would hear if it was a return after half term. But this is already ruled out I think.

I think all primaries. Our HT thinks the same but admittedly doesn’t really have any insider info. No idea about secondaries-
Have several secondary teacher friends and there doesn’t seem to be any insider info at all

I don’t think they will open on the 8 March unless teachers/TA’s have been vaccinated otherwise we’ll be back to square one with cases being transmitted between children, their families and school staff.

I thought lockdown was ending March 8th where the hell did I hear that?

Our head thinks years R and 1 will be first, but I’m hoping for all infants as I’ve got a year 2 dc!

Not sure about year 6. They weren’t first priority last year - years R and 1 came before them and in schools where there was insufficient space/ teaching staff they didn’t go back.

The big problem is there isn't one answer for England. We have 2 and 3 tier here so when Y6 in primary went back for transition we in 3 tier wanted Y4 and Y8 back instead but that didn't happen. The Scottish and NI systems (I know nothing about Welsh schools) are standard so one rule for everyone works

I'm sure we had a letter from school to say all being well look forward to welcoming you back after half term in the 8th?

@Parker231

I don’t think they will open on the 8 March unless teachers/TA’s have been vaccinated otherwise we’ll be back to square one with cases being transmitted between children, their families and school staff.

1 vaccinated teacher in a room of 30 pupils will not stop transmission between pupils and their families

If schools are to return after the half term we will hear tomorrow, it is the last day of the two week warning. I personally think ALL schools will be back by the 8th of March for a month before Easter. No reason for them to be closed, infection rate has plummeted, hospital admissions are slowing down very quickly and the vaccination programme will have the most vulnerable vaccinated by then. What reason could they possibly give to keep them closed?! Remembering that most families will be fine even if they catch covid, the idea was never to stop transmission (as that is impossible) but to keep the hospitals from being overwhelmed.

We won't be waiting for everyone to be vaccinated, as children and teenagers are not even included in the vaccination programme.

@manicinsomniac

I really don't think anyone can do more than guess right now.

I think it should be left to individual schools to decide on their priorities and safe limits. At my school, the most important year groups are Years 2, 7 and 8 but they'd never get national priority. The govt doesn't understand that not all school's are the same.

My head thinks it will be nursery, reception and maybe Y1. Possibly Y2. But no more. I hope she's being overly pessimistic. But I don't know. Nobody does.

If it was left to the schools to decide, our primary would be shut to everyone except NHS kids till 2025 🙄

The trouble is there will be some pupils in every year group that will be struggling a lot. I wonder how much will be lead by the urgency actual or perceived loss of learning in particular year groups. Instead how much by industries that feel that parents wfh and homeschooling are not as productive.

Exams years 11 and 13

Primary.

@speaksofty we’ve already been told that they won’t make an announcement about schools until 22nd Feb (making March 08 earliest opening in line with 2 weeks notice)

DS1 is year 11. The school are still teaching the gcse syllabus as there isn’t an alternative plan as yet. Quite why the DfE couldn’t have drawn up alternative plans is anyone’s guess. They’ve had nearly a year to create plan b, plan c and so on.

Hopefully someone somewhere will decide that year 11 and 13 are vaguely important

@TheDrsDocMartens
Infants/years 10-13/
Juniors if they’ve infant siblings maybe?
Then juniors /7-9 after Easter

Sending children back just because their sibling is back isn’t going to be a policy. I had one in Yr6 back in May last year and a younger DC out of school until Sept

Is it officially announced in Scotland/Wales yet? Is it definitely only infant years and will it be full time or part-time? Have they announced their plan to get the older years some onsite in person education?

I think if they try to do a full return to primaries the unions will not agree and section 44 letters will be done again

@GertrudePerkinsPaperyThing

Our head thinks years R and 1 will be first, but I’m hoping for all infants as I’ve got a year 2 dc!

Not sure about year 6. They weren’t first priority last year - years R and 1 came before them and in schools where there was insufficient space/ teaching staff they didn’t go back.

Not everywhere. My school prioritised y1 and y6 but didn’t let reception (my own ds) back