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

===========

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

Oh, I hope so.

Oh this is such good news for the kiddies, they so desperately need to be around their peers. And working parents who have been doing their very best to cope. It’s been so so hard

@Kazzyhoward

Is it really worth the risk for just 3 weeks? They're off for 2 weeks at Easter, so surely it would make more sense to hold off and send them back after the Easter break instead when infection rates would be a lot lower. It's one hell of a risk for just 3 weeks in school.

Precisely. Bojo and the gang have one shot to get this right.

The wrong call will totally eff up summer plans

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

The lack of joined up thinking is amazing.

[quote Louiselady500]I think it’s time children go back to school. As has already been said, adults have been able to meet for a walk/run with another adult as many times as they have liked throughout this lockdown. This article highlights just one of the many terrible consequences we are going to see for our children. www.telegraph.co.uk/news/2021/02/13/explosion-children-tics-tourettes-lockdown/[/quote]
I am deeply unconvinced by that Viner/U4T article. Much better to be making the environment safer, listening to the proper scientists who understand infection control and getting the kids back as quickly as we can without having another major wave this spring.

Good. About time education was prioritised.

@Kazzyhoward

Is it really worth the risk for just 3 weeks? They're off for 2 weeks at Easter, so surely it would make more sense to hold off and send them back after the Easter break instead when infection rates would be a lot lower. It's one hell of a risk for just 3 weeks in school.

this is a good thought too

@Staffdontblowitnow

Hospitals don’t really have capacity at the moment the staff are bloody knackered

and this also

@Thislittlefinger123

Good. About time education was prioritised.

and yet it still isn't being prioritised.

Is it really worth the risk for just 3 weeks?

from a child's point of view, absolutely.

Technically, the "key worker" children who are bringing school to 50% occupancy or more are already endangering the teachers.. as by definition their parents CANNOT WORK FROM HOME!

So bringing the ones whose parents at are home... hardly increasing the risk if people respect guidelines.

It’s not three weeks, it’s five when you count Easter holidays.

SteveBrexit

You are showing a distinct lack pf knowledge of what is going on in schools.

@SteveBrexit

Is it really worth the risk for just 3 weeks?

from a child's point of view, absolutely.

Technically, the "key worker" children who are bringing school to 50% occupancy or more are already endangering the teachers.. as by definition their parents CANNOT WORK FROM HOME!

So bringing the ones whose parents at are home... hardly increasing the risk if people respect guidelines.

from a child's point of view, my kids would rather that silly Boris took the scientists seriously as they seem to understand this stuff. Unlike Boris, with whom they are not impressed

It's not just the risk to teachers though it's the parents the children are going home to. Plenty of our students parents are over 50 and that's the group with increasing hospitalisations.

Exactly. Increase interactions and transmission will increase. We saw pupils, parents and grandparents hospitalised (and one death) from the December spike.

Children won't have a future to look forward to anyway if we keep society and the economy shut down to educate them. There will be no jobs left for when they leave school.

@FrippEnos

SteveBrexit

You are showing a distinct lack pf knowledge of what is going on in schools.

I am not discussing every school in the country, but I know the numbers of local schools, why is it so hard to understand?

I am not dismissing the vulnerable children!

The lack of joined up thinking is amazing.

Isn't it just.

Don't people realise that the more community transmission there is the more opportunity for mutations to occur? Yes some may be milder. Some may unfortunately may be more virulent. It is much better to get community cases as low as possible before schools return, otherwise we risk being right back in this situation after Easter.

herecomesthsun

“ ..... from a child's point of view, my kids would rather that silly Boris took the scientists seriously as they seem to understand this stuff. Unlike Boris, with whom they are not impressed grin“

You have wise children 😁

@CoronaIsWatching

Children won't have a future to look forward to anyway if we keep society and the economy shut down to educate them. There will be no jobs left for when they leave school.

2 or 3 weeks won't make a huge difference and another big spike would be a real problem coming out of this and potentially very expensive. If so, not in anyone's best interests.

@CoronaIsWatching

Children won't have a future to look forward to anyway if we keep society and the economy shut down to educate them. There will be no jobs left for when they leave school.

that makes no sense.

You are not talking about reopening leisure and holiday industry first are you?

Non essential activities, currently only available on click and collect, are still running and in any case, parents cannot go to work if schools are closed.

In theory, non-essential workers shouldn't have their kids at school right now..

@DumplingsAndStew

You also omitted the fact that YOU ARE TALKING ABOUT ENGLAND only.

FFS

Oh bore off.

“Exactly. Increase interactions and transmission will increase. We saw pupils, parents and grandparents hospitalised (and one death) from the December spike.”

Yep. We’re watching the same, slow motion car crash over and over but learning nothing. For the first time, yes a real opportunity to get on top of this for good. Seems again, for the want of just a few weeks until top 9 groups are vaccinated, the Govt. is preparing to screw it all up again.

Why are these people refusing to learn from experience? It’s just baffling.

Great news if it's true!
I don't understand why people are writing "freely mixing at school" not fair stamp stamp. They don't mix freely at school they are all in class bubbles and not allowed to mix at all!!

Drakeford would like holiday caravans and tourism to maybe open in April. So all those kids who are mixing in school and out of school, will then be travelling about around the Country.

I'd just like my hairdresser to open and to be able to sit in someone else's house for a drink.

Oh they do mix freely in school- if each bubble consists of 300 kids!

And there were loads of kids in kids' primary having sleepovers etc.

In fact, the only people in school who weren't mixing freely, were the staff.