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) *

This is brilliant news and I can’t wait! Getting all children back to school and education should be absolute priority. Enough damage has been done.

@SteveBrexit

it feels like education is the only thing that is prioritised.

after a year of school closure? (minus 2 months before Christmas).
Hardly.

Yes, plenty of things have been closed for more time than schools have been.

Schools have been closed because of the transmission that is unavoidable in them, not because other things have been prioritised to open first. If anything, everything else will be closed for longer so that schools can be open.

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@VinylDetective but that is not in every area, and the group sizes are larger too aren’t they, so will take longer. I am in group 9, even if I am vaccinated in the next couple of weeks it won’t take effect by 8th March[/quote]
Not quite right, I don’t think. I was offered a choice of about eight vaccination hubs, not counting my GP surgery which is also doing the vaccinations. The numbers may be bigger, but there are more venues than at the start and process is getting slicker all the time.

In terms of area, once you’ve got the letter you can go anywhere you choose to get the jab. The government has fucked up just about everything so far but this is the one thing they’re absolutely getting right.

Isn’t there a risk of more serious mutations if left to run through the unvaccinated population

Yep, but people don't want to hear about that

Schools closed (for non-critical workers) in March 2019

No they didn't

@Remmy123 Chances are incredibly low - kids do not suffer we know that now!

Not all students in school are children. Even those who are children are often physiologically similar to adults if not the same - all those 6 foot plus 16/17 year old boys for example.

@Chollok

Schools closed (for non-critical workers) in March 2019

No they didn't

sorry, I meant 2020 🤦‍♀️

My original point of school closed for an entire year (minus pre-Christmas) stands

Of course all parents won’t have been vaccinated RMRM. If you’re vulnerable or in a higher risk age group then then call is yours to make re. sending kids back or homeschooling. But the vast majority of parents - especially with primary age kids will be under 50 and most without underlying health conditions. And we want our kids to get an education and enjoy precious childhood years in a way thats vaguely normal again. We want to be able to hold onto our jobs.
If you’re vulnerable- you crack on and keep shielding. But don’t force this on everyone else.

@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.

Our council may be unusual but, for us, it would be 4 weeks at school before Easter, not 6. It would also be the difference between my children being away from school and friends for 2 and a half months or for 4 months. This is a very significant time gap, especially for younger children.

When schools originally closed, the attendance (here) was less than 10%.

Non locally, some towns even had only ONE school opened and parents had to drive around to drop kids there instead of their normal school.

Today, there's more than 50% here (and a lot more in other towns).

So either schools are such a risk and something needs to be done about non-critical workers abusing the system
or (my personal choice) reopen the school fully to the 40-50% who are missing out!

It will be hard enough to send some of the kids back, yes 3 weeks make a huge difference. And their life easier if they know they settle back but have a break coming...

Schools should reopen after this half term, not wait until March.

@SteveBrexit what do we do about bubbles bursting? Schools have had to close locally even with reduced numbers

what do we do NOW?

Penalising half the children is clearly not working!

[quote Orangeblossom1977]BBC is reporting a bit differently to the media headlines..

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56058744[/quote]
A relief to read a bit of sense today!

A relief to read a bit of sense today!

A topsy turvy world indeed when sense comes from Dominic Raab

@IfNot

It makes so much sense to open schools (secondary have been mostly closed to all but a handful) in the SPRING when this virus appears to be seasonal! Yes, it might mutate, viruses do. It's not going anywhere, covid will always exist. What should we do, keep schools closed all spring and half the summer, then it's the summer holiday and then, ooops, it's Autumn and cases go up..Spring is the time. We are vaccinating at a steady clip, why do some people seem to want this to go on and on? I know so many people who may not have died but their lives have been utterly destroyed, lost their careers, their businesses, their marriages even their homes. And the impact in children will be felt for years to come. ( Obviously I have lost people to actual death in my time too but wasn't covid so no one cares! )

No one is suggesting schools stay close until Summer. It just seems a little crazy to open them just 3 weeks before Easter, when they close for 2 weeks again. If they leave them closed until after Easter, that's another five weeks for the infection rates etc to get a hell of a lot lower and millions more people to have been vaccinated, which makes the return to school safer and more likely permanent. It's not worth the risk of infection rates rising again for "just" 3 weeks of school. Far better to delay it one last time with the aim of it being a permanent return.

I also agree with Xenia, once the vulnerable are vaccinated we have to open up.

@poppycat10

This is ridiculous. Kids mixing in schools whilst adults still can't see even one person at home? They are torturing the population

What do you mean? I've been meeting friends for walks and runs since this lockdown started. Yes it would be nice to have a coffee indoors when it's cold, but it's hardly "torture" to go for a walk and a chat! Wrap up warm.

You got my hopes up with the 8th March start OP and now I see there's a delay for secondary according to the Telegraph, grrr. And as always sixth form colleges get ignored.

Not so easy to meet for a wrapped up warm walk and chat when the other person is frail and in their late 80s.

In any case I think sending all pupils back in one go is absolutely reckless. I sincerely hope that doesn't happen.

@Chollok

Isn’t there a risk of more serious mutations if left to run through the unvaccinated population

Yep, but people don't want to hear about that

Puts fingers in ears and sings tra la la la. 🙃

@ineedaholidaynow

Isn’t there a risk of more serious mutations if left to run through the unvaccinated population

Yep!

Is the Sunday Times reporting this as something government has decided and is about to be announced tomorrow....or is it just one of very many possibilities still on the table?

The way this is written makes it sound like a done deal and this WILL happen, but Sky News and BBC are not reporting this.

Is The Times just trying to grab readership with a misleading headline?

@SteveBrexit what do we do about bubbles bursting? Schools have had to close locally even with reduced numbers

The benefits of children and teenagers going back to school far outweigh the risk of 'bubbles bursting' and community transmission, especially as most of the vulnerable are vaccinated and hospitals have spare capacity and better treatment options.

In other words, it won't matter so much if bubbles burst.

I expect it is one of those planted stories to gain reaction and discussion. Successful if that is the case.

@ineedaholidaynow

Isn’t there a risk of more serious mutations if left to run through the unvaccinated population

Oh gosh, someone better tell Prof JVT about this as I’m not sure he knows!

@SteveBrexit

It's pretty obvious non one is respecting the lockdown anyway.

people are using "bubbles" to carry on as normal, have sleepovers, meet family and friends, and how many are going away for half-term when they can stay in their holiday home or with friends?

Keeping the schools closed is just wrong.

No one is respecting the lockdown? That might well be your experience. It's not mine.