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) *

I done even know what arête is, et alone where it came from!

'are opening'

Those 3 weeks in school are the cost of an extra five weeks to reduce the R and gain better understand of the new variants.
No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning.
There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result.

HauntedPencil

Every day counts for the kids when they've had so much disruption. I don't see the point of keeping them off until after Easter just because
Easter is jn a few weeks - if the advice is that there is headroom.“

Believe the current advice is that there isn’t, yet.

@Inastatus

I’m sure he knows, I’m sure he is raising it now and being ignored.

Here is a thread about how SAGE’s warnings re schools (predicting everything that would happen) wasn’t published until 5 months later. Yes, SAGE warnings about opening schools without mitigation published 5 months later. 5 months too late. I don’t think we can wait for the next cynically delayed release of minutes.

twitter.com/dgurdasani1/status/1359433657388306434?s=21

Lots of reputable scientists up in arms about the risks to the vaccination program.

@ItsIgginningtolooklikelockdown

Prioritisation is based on age and comorbodities, and that important principle should be maintained It's not just that though is it, OP, there are occupations that have quite rightly been prioritised for the vaccine such as health and social care workers. Plenty of healthy 25 year old will have been vaccinated due to their occupation. I can only assume people of the gung-ho, if you're not dead it's fine, category have not known many people who had a bad dose of Covid or who suffer still from long Covid.

You are not seriously suggesting that being a teacher is on a par with being a health care worker? The risk of exposure (and at higher viral load) is multiples higher for health care workers

@MyDcAreMarvel

Those 3 weeks in school are the cost of an extra five weeks to reduce the R and gain better understand of the new variants. No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning. There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result.

Especially as all schools are delivering the curriculum so unless it’s not being followed at home there is no reason for many gaps other than in practical areas in secondary.

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

That’s not the case where we are, in the NW. our region has been hammered by this and the vast majority here in our town appear to be observing restrictions, it’s very noticeable.

@MyDcAreMarvel

Those 3 weeks in school are the cost of an extra five weeks to reduce the R and gain better understand of the new variants. No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning. There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result.

Thousands of children’s’ futures have already been affected! The scientists already have a good understanding of the new variants. All the most vulnerable groups will have been vaccinated so the death rates will have diminished vastly.

And I am sure it would not be beyond the wit of headteachers to get in touch with local vaccination centres and get their under 50 and non-vulnerable school staff on the lists for any left-over vaccines. in fact I am sure school staff could get themselves down to vaccination centres at the end of the day to see if there are any doses left. Get it done this week and you've a good two weeks for the vaccine to take effect.

Jesus Christ. How can you think this is remotely possible? Vaccinations are not available to teachers. Do you think they're all going to go back into danger unvaccinated just because they're not as clever as you?

No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning.
There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result

I highly doubt that

Rosesaresweet

No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning.
There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result

I highly doubt that hmm“

Sadly, I don’t. Hope you’re right and I’m wrong.

Enough people are respecting lock down and with dc not mixing up thousands of people at school... So nos have come down
.

It's exceedingly stupid to send all of the kids back, and that soon. Plus we all know that nothing that is leaked ends up being the truth.

BUT. At least if it happens, when the infections shoot up again, Boris won't be able to blame anything else or say that schools are 'safe' because nothing else will be open! It will absolutely 100% show the effect that schools have.

If childrens futures will be so deeply affected by three more weeks then we need 🔝 stop long summer holidays.
Private school especially as they get far longer.

I think arguing about who is more at risk is pointless. Schools transmit and have a knock on effect on community transmission and cases. It’s in everyone’s best interests to minimise spread as much as possible and not throw away the successes of this lockdown.

Bing12

I think arguing about who is more at risk is pointless. Schools transmit and have a knock on effect on community transmission and cases. It’s in everyone’s best interests to minimise spread as much as possible and not throw away the successes of this lockdown.“

Yep, this.

@Ahmnotacat

It's exceedingly stupid to send all of the kids back, and that soon. Plus we all know that nothing that is leaked ends up being the truth.

BUT. At least if it happens, when the infections shoot up again, Boris won't be able to blame anything else or say that schools are 'safe' because nothing else will be open! It will absolutely 100% show the effect that schools have.

No, he’ll probably just “other” everyone that has died instead and call people shielding “anxious”.

@Snowsnowglorioussnow

If childrens futures will be so deeply affected by three more weeks then we need 🔝 stop long summer holidays. Private school especially as they get far longer.

What a ridiculous statement! How can you compare yet another 3 weeks added on to nearly a year of disrupted learning with the normal 6 weeks summer break after a full academic year?!

@Snowsnowglorioussnow

My two are at private school. I would be happy for both children to be off until after Easter and in fact have told them this will be the case.

But they'd better not touch our summer holidays.

Both of them have been online from 8.30am till 4pm daily, including Saturday school.

The only thing that's lost is the extra curricular and the social aspects of school. Both have followed a full timetable and curriculum and the Yr6 has nailed it this term, working his socks off.

@MyDcAreMarvel

Those 3 weeks in school are the cost of an extra five weeks to reduce the R and gain better understand of the new variants. No child’s long term future will be even remotely affected by three more weeks of remote learning. There will be thousands of extra deaths as a result.

But their short term mental health will be. It's not three weeks learning. It's the ongoing impact of being at home without contact since mid December. It's about minimising the great harm that will have already been done to so many children. It's not perfect obviously but the COMBINATION of vaccines and dropping community rates will make school much safer than before. We have to start somewhere.

Please let this be true.
I would give my left arm to have my normal class back. I am worried about whether this will just cause another massive spike but I suppose time will tell.

Of course it will cause a spike.

[quote actiongirl1978]@Snowsnowglorioussnow

My two are at private school. I would be happy for both children to be off until after Easter and in fact have told them this will be the case.

But they'd better not touch our summer holidays.

Both of them have been online from 8.30am till 4pm daily, including Saturday school.

The only thing that's lost is the extra curricular and the social aspects of school. Both have followed a full timetable and curriculum and the Yr6 has nailed it this term, working his socks off.[/quote]
Well good for you. Mine have had access to this kind of teaching but the emotional and mental stress this has caused our family has been so damaging for them. I can't even imagine how bad it is for other kids who haven't had this kind of privilege and support. They need to go back for the good of all.

School staff who are over 50 or vulnerable should be able to access the vaccine now. I am a teacher, I’m 34 and have no health conditions. I am fine to wait until all the over 50s and vulnerable have been vaccinated. I would like to be prioritised at that point over other adults working from home, alongside others such as the police and supermarket staff.

One of the TAs in my school caught Covid and sadly passed away. She was in her fifties.

@mrsminiegg

My comment was more directed at the idea that private schools have long holidays so shouldn't be able to have the full summer holidays because their are longer than most.

My kids will get more out of seeing their friends locally in the long summer hols than going into school for an extra 3 weeks now.