Sunday Times just reported that all schools in England will be back on 8 March

[LimitIsUp]

This quote from the article:
"All schoolchildren will return to the classroom on March 8 under plans to start lifting the lockdown, Boris Johnson will announce in a national address next week.

Under the government’s blueprint to reopen society, adults will initially have only small new freedoms so as to prioritise the return of schools — a move ministers know will raise the coronavirus R number for infections.

Adults will be allowed to sit down outdoors for a coffee or on a park bench with one friend, or with members of their own family — a slight relaxation of the current rule, which permits outdoor meetings only while standing up.

The decision to reopen both primary and secondary schools goes against the advice of some government scientists. But the prime minister was swayed by faster than expected reductions in hospital admissions and infections."

I can link to the article but for those of you without a subscription, there is a pay wall

www.thetimes.co.uk/article/back-to-school-on-march-8-as-johnson-starts-lifting-lockdown-0v5zbz5bt

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• Title edited by MNHQ (it said October, we've changed it to March as reported) *

Secondary Schools (5) in this area have a full timetable of live lessons since 11th Jan. I think this highlights the difference in schools as well as highlighting the poverty gap. The government could provide a laptop and internet for every pupil in need if they wanted to and make this an ongoing commitment “every child entering secondary school (ks2 would be better) requires a laptop” with a scheme for poorer families. Secondary schools vary vastly in quality of provision in normal times and outcomes for its pupils. This is highlighted by exam results, where pupils go after school and ofsted. Schools that are getting it right with a full timetable of online lessons no curriculum missed need to be brought into the spot light/praised and assist those that are not up to the same standard. Audit why they are not. Provided the pupils have internet and laptops there is no excuse for secondary schools to not be providing a whole online live timetable. If pupils aren’t engaging, were they really engaging in class or just going through the motions/passive learner? I can imagine quite hard for parents to accept their normally good kid who gets good grades is a passive learner. My DS school have all lessons live even the “arts” now, yes you can’t beat classroom learning but the quality is still high. If a class discussion or small group work is required “break out rooms” are provided where this discussion takes place. My DS was one of those passive learners great school reports good grades but this online learning has highlighted this passiveness. As the weeks have gone on this passiveness has diminished through the determination and encouragement of the teaching staff and effort from from DS.

with regard CV teachers - we are over 3 weeks before schools go back . Group 6 will be done by then based on an average of 400,000 vaccines per day. So no excuses. Perception of risk differs from teachers actual risk. Those at risk will have been done by 8th march. Think there's only 5.5 million people in groups 5&6 which equates to about 13 days of vaccines. Its possible many of group 7 be done by then.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/14/vaccine-priority-list-oxford-pfizer-who-first-covid-when-mine/

I seriously hope we don't keep schools closed to protect a 25 year old teacher

I say that as a teacher myself - early 40s and happy to return to school currently

@chubley thank you. I'm v happy to wait while we only have some students in school. But if all 1,800 are coming in then it would be nice to have some protection.

Lots of countries have kept the schools open

This actually is not an accurate statement.

I think once they do go back and the numbers start to shoot back up mixed with the new variants we will be locked down again within a few months.

Schools have shut in March 2019, it's extremely damaging for the kids

No, they really haven’t!

Why risk going back to the dark, dark days of January. Just wait until after Easter. It's a short term so only another 3 weeks left after 8th March. Seems bizarre to risk it all only to be back in yet another lockdown and back to square one. If they wait we have an extra 2 weeks of the Easter hols then all back in mid April with a MUCH lower death rate. Also almost all from group 9 will be vaccinated too

Omnivaccine is predicting group 6 between 27th feb and 28th march when I look. So lots may not be jabbed before 8th March. Its a huge group.

As soon as the cv are vaccinated Id be up for opening schools. Bit nervous that there isn't real preventative measures like other countries but I think having the cv vaccinated will be fantastic

I’ll be very happy if schools open, and the sooner the better.
Any parents who aren’t happy - keep your kids at home. It’s sad for the kids, but ultimately it’s your choice if you want to screw their education.

I agree that teachers should have been in a higher vaccine priority group.

There is some interesting stuff going on re Group 6, though. My DH does not even know if he is in group 6. No communication from GP at al. Group 6 is a group some GPs are moving patients out f (as they did with flue jab), presumably for expediency. Various confusions over heart conditions and asthma, for example.

@RedcurrantPuff

I agree teachers should get the vaccine. However which group of people clinically agreed to be more likely to die of Covid do you bump off the list to make way for them? I’m not sure there’s much option other than prioritising them after the over 50s.

As an other 50 (52), I am happy for teachers who are over 50 or who are CV to be vaccinated prior to me, but not at all happy with younger teachers displacing me in the queue - afterall I have a 16 year old who will be returning from school every day to live at home with me and am also exposed to possible covid. Prioritisation is based on age and comorbodities, and that important principle should be maintained

@FoolsAssassin the trouble with staggered returns is that they just won't work given the number of children currently in. I know at my DC's school, Y6 didn't return last year although permitted, as there wasn't space in school for them.

Even if they can go back in full classes rather than bubbles of 15, it is likely to still be the case in many places as there are more children in this time. Which then means some children in a certain year group are in and others not, depending on how much space there is in the school.

I'd like to see all primaries in on 8th. I think it might be a bit ambitious for secondaries - maybe a key years and a rota until Easter, so the effect can be gauged (and I also have a DC in secondary who would love to be back).

@Pastanred

with regard CV teachers - we are over 3 weeks before schools go back . Group 6 will be done by then based on an average of 400,000 vaccines per day. So no excuses. Perception of risk differs from teachers actual risk. Those at risk will have been done by 8th march. Think there's only 5.5 million people in groups 5&6 which equates to about 13 days of vaccines. Its possible many of group 7 be done by then.

www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/14/vaccine-priority-list-oxford-pfizer-who-first-covid-when-mine/

I seriously hope we don't keep schools closed to protect a 25 year old teacher

I say that as a teacher myself - early 40s and happy to return to school currently

Well if you’re happy to take the risk and go back that doesn’t mean to say many others are too. It’s a very maverick attitude to have and slightly naive may I add.

Be very surprised if they all go back at once

Not to mention an 18 year old with a temporary job on a production line thereby mixing with 20 other households

My children's education has been completely fine from home and they've not missed out at all academically (I realise this isnt the case for all.) But they were really missing their sports and their friends. I cant wait for us to be able to meet up and to do sport ! But being in school would be a huge socisl benefit.

So disappointed by this news. I agree that our children need to be back in school but our infection rate is still really high and the vaccine drive is going so well. My worry is that infections will sky socket again and allow the mutations that make the vaccinations less effective to spread causing chaos with the effectiveness of the vaccinations. Waiting until after Easter would give infection rates more time to fall and time for more people to be vaccinated. By opening up too early we risk undoing the progress we’ve made. When will the government learn!

Woooohooooo!! This was never about cases and people becoming injected but hospital admissions and deaths!! 88% of those age ranges have been vaccinated so let's just get back to normal now!!!!

Group 6 is not a huge group - 2.2 million so it'll take less than a week at current vaccination levels

see link above

Yes there's a big risk of new variants once children start mixing en masse again. I think that for all we have gone through in the past year, if we can make it another 2/3 weeks of proper lockdown we can get a proper handle on this. Opening up too soon risks a much longer lockdown/restrictions in the long term.

I feel that we are now at the beginning of the end and to open up a few weeks too soon now, risks everything that we have all sacrificed to achieve.

It sort of is as they thought 99% of deaths came from groups 1-6. So once they have jabbed 1-6 they should make a huge difference to safety going forwards.

Good.

My daughter has essentially missed a whole year of school - online is no substitute.

We need to learn to live with this virus - it will become endemic and we now have vaccines to tweak when new variants appear.

@KasparKat

Haven't secondary schools been having full time live lessons during lockdown? I know it's not ideal but have they really missed a whole chunk of the syllabus? My friends with secondary aged children have said that their DC have been working just as hard as when they are at school.

Some have, others haven't. As with everything else some

Considering we have been in a lockdown of some sort for nearly a year now, it seems crazy to open up a few weeks too soon and risk everything for the sake of 2/3 weeks of school.

Also, once schools go back you're going to see some children and parents seeing it as a free for all to mix freely outside of school e.g. during the Easter holidays as they will say why can't I see my friends in the holidays if I can see them at school?

not the point of the thread but the wording of that has made me feel a sort of way.

adults will be allowed small freedoms and can sit on a bench with a pal instead of having to stand. LOL thanks boris, very good of you