Sunday Times: Schools back in 3 Weeks

[Lumene]

Will post link

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow not always. Helps to have the right schools and connections behind you though.

Err , hasn't he always said March the 8th was the priority date for re opening schools.

He has definitely not confirmed this . He said he's setting out the road map for reopening the country on the 22nd February.

It's the newspaper's interpretation of what he said yesterday, that he " hoped to re open schools on 8th March " and now of course the newspapers have it set in stone.

Bloody hell he has to be cautious. He's damned if he does and dammed if he doesn't .

But this a Tory hating site so I will get my hard hat

Infection rates ARE higher amongst school staff because there’s no social distancing in schools. But hey, don't you worry about them its a risk they have to put up with...

‘Analysis’ of government figures by the unions.
Covid related absences quoted as infection rates. When they’re completely different.

But this is MN The daffodil klaxon will go off soon and the usual suspects will be shrieking about the poor teachers. Heard it a thousand times before. If you don’t feel safe, stay at home. In the real world schools will open and the majority of teachers will get on with it.

@Multicover

‘ A 333% infection rate when compared to the average community spread between Sept-Dec is eye watering.’

It’s also complete and utter bullshit. Random numbers made up by the unions to suit their own agenda do not equate to scientific fact. So sick of seeing this misinformation peddled as fact. Sick of MN teachers whinging about me, me,me.
Get schools open and get our children back.

I’m sure the 333% isn’t right, but there is no doubt Covid spreads in schools. Which then leads to community spread. Particularly with the new Kent variant.

Teaching in the middle of the pandemic. Watching Covid pass from one pupil to another and then to members of staff, is actually quite distressing. I know a TA who caught it in class. She is ok but she gave it to her husband who is still very sick.

No teachers are saying “never go back” some want to go back ASAP. Others like me would prefer a delay till after Easter. I am concerned about bringing Covid home to my clinically vulnerable Dh. I’m not going to apologise to you for being worried.

However, regardless of my concerns, when the government say it is time to go back. I will go back, as will the vast majority of teachers.

Can’t wait for the children to go back to school, they absolutely need it and have sacrificed so much. Roll on 8 March!

Loads of Bristol schools have had to close due to outbreaks. But he wants to send them back in a couple of weeks🤔

@CovidHalloween completely agree

I really want children back, both as a parent and a teacher, but it has to be done carefully. I want this to be the last school closure but if we rush things we could end up closing again and again as numbers go up and down. A phased reopening would be the most sensible, watching the numbers closely and gradually bringing back more year groups. As another poster said, I’ve seen covid spread round my school and it happens quickly and scarily. I don’t want to see that again.

Bubbles have been bursting all over the place here too and we are quite a low rate area too. Doesn’t bode well if we send all children back in one go with no mitigation measures. Wonder if masks will be mandatory for everyone.

The kids all need need to be back. No more putting it off. At some point the risk/benefit balance shifts and I believe we are well past that point now. Too much damage is being done to many children and young people's lives by depriving them of all school has to offer in addition to education.

I would be very happy if 8 March is true. Enough's enough now.

The kids all need need to be back. No more putting it off. At some point the risk/benefit balance shifts and I believe we are well past that point now

I agree the kids need to go back, but I disagree about is being at that point now. New cases have dramatically reduced from the crazy peaks over Christmas. But the spread is still high.
Possibly it’s better to wait till after Easter and get the numbers even lower.

this must be the last time now

Until bubbles start closing again with no notice or KW provision, or until schools are so short staffed due to illness that they have to close.

Pupils first, staff last. Again.

Just saying 'enough is enough' doesn't make a highly transmissible pandemic virus go away because it's inconvenient.

Why would a doctor from Cambridge be talking shit?🤨 Don’t you have to have a brain the size of Britain to be at Cambridge?

One thing that the pandemic has taught us is that you can be the world expert in one thing and really idiotic at everything else. Experts should only be asked about the things they are actually expert in

@ArseInTheCoOpWindow

Why would a doctor from Cambridge be talking shit?🤨

Don’t you have to have a brain the size of Britain to be at Cambridge?

It was Deepti Gurdasani. An epidemiologist from Queen Mary University. Her twitter account is very informative about the risk around school children and community spread. She was on bbc breakfast news about 33 minutes through the programme today saying as many others have done time and time again that sending children back without mitigations is unrealistic and will lead once again to community spread. This is what I find really troubling about this discussion. It's not just about you individually or your children. It's about whole community spread. I say this as a parent of a teenager who is an only child and really missing school. As other posters have said, unless we are exceptionally lucky, we will be back to square one again if we go back to sending all children back at once to overcrowded classrooms.

Yep, she’s the one.

People are just ignoring this.

By the way my post above wasn't aimed at anyone just answering who the epidemiologist was on the news! I sh have said, it's not about THE individual and their children.

@Multicover

‘ A 333% infection rate when compared to the average community spread between Sept-Dec is eye watering.’

It’s also complete and utter bullshit. Random numbers made up by the unions to suit their own agenda do not equate to scientific fact. So sick of seeing this misinformation peddled as fact. Sick of MN teachers whinging about me, me,me.
Get schools open and get our children back.

I hope I don't teach your kids.

Have the leaked reports mentioned any mitigating measures, apart from open windows

Have the leaked reports mentioned any mitigating measures, apart from open windows

I think we also have to keep our fingers crossed.

I don’t think people have particularly opposing views on this. Everyone knows we will have to open up again. Some want that to happen asap. Others would prefer to wait a few more weeks and maybe introduce some mitigation measures.

Can’t believe anyone with half a brain would support secondary remaining closed to y11 (and sixth form) when they are about to ‘sit’ GCSEs.

These kids have missed about 8 months of a two year course.

I can only assume those who think they should remained closed never felt the pressure of taking an exam themselves, which would perhaps explain matters.

GCSE’s have been cancelled havent they?

I have a Y11 DC, I want him to be able to be in school. But I don’t want it to be a case of going back and then being constantly disrupted by bubbles bursting.

I worry that the decision is being made for the wrong choices. The ‘schools must open this day regardless’ MPs make me angry. What is wrong with waiting just 1 or 2 weeks longer if the benefits of lockdown are going to be greater?