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) *

@sherrystrull - not sure what you mean about the vaccination being the ‘only difference’ and ‘we all know how that turned out’? That difference is hugely significant and the vaccination programme is going amazingly well!

Keeps posting too soon.

Having some children being vulnerable is not reason enough to send all kids back to school I’d the science doesn’t say that’s the best thing to do.

@TwelvePaws

year5teacher

Vulnerable kids are in school.

Every one of them in the U.K.?

That’s very naive of you. I’m sorry, but I know of at least five children in my school alone who are vulnerable and not in. There’s nothing we can do. We can’t force their parents to send them in.

@AllAroundTheWrekin - but all the vulnerable groups will have been offered the vaccine by then.

And I repeat lots of younger teachers live with middle aged relatives. Also kids too.

@AllAroundTheWrekin

I have zero respect for people who want to send teachers into crowded classrooms with no safety measures or vaccination. I utterly condemn politicians who are not even providing the most basic safety measures.

If other countries can do it then so can we.

And I'm not a teacher.

Absolutely right.

Honestly I think anyone advocating for this is disgusting. I've no tolerance left.

@Delatron

I would argue that the fact that the vulnerable people have been vaccinated is a huge difference between Sept and now!

My point was the difference in schools. There's no difference there since September in terms of mitigation to staff, children and family members who aren't in the vaccinated categories.

The government say they are prioritising schools. How?

Sorry - didn’t see your other post!
They are checked on, but what can we actually do when parents present them to us and they look vaguely clean and aren’t actively disclosing anything right at that second?

year5teacher

I posted 2 posts after the one you’ve quoted as it kept posting too soon.

@AllAroundTheWrekin

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-56058744

It's crackers. Just look at the figures and the chart. And with the new strain it could explode again if all the kids are sent back in one fell swoop with no mitigation measures.

Insanity is doing the same thing over and over and expecting a different result. Einstein I think.

Absolutely, and it's SO FRUSTRATING to see them throwing away another lockdown. And even more frustrating to have people pushing for it. We learned nothing after the first lockdown and it seems we'll learn nothing after the second one either.

[quote AllAroundTheWrekin]**@AllAroundTheWrekin - but all the vulnerable groups will have been offered the vaccine by then.

And I repeat lots of younger teachers live with middle aged relatives. Also kids too.[/quote]
@AllAroundTheWrekin - And I repeat, all the vulnerable groups will have been offered the vaccine by then. The middle aged with no underlying conditions are not vulnerable!

They are checked on, but what can we actually do when parents present them to us and they look vaguely clean and aren’t actively disclosing anything right at that second?

The answer isn’t to get all the kids back to school though if it goes against scientific advice. A close family member of ours is a welfare officer at a school so I do know quite a lot about the issues faced. This was a massive issue before covid, the bar is way too low on what makes a child vulnerable in her and my opinion. Getting all the kids back to school won’t make vulnerable kids be back in school necessarily. Too many kids are left in the care on shit parents and welfare officers, schools, social services know this but are powerless.

Yes middle aged people and children are not vulnerable...

There has to be a balance.

I do think they’re being very ambitious sending them all in at once. Of course, I would be personally happy if all children were back on the 8th but as I said in a previous comment, it would be awful if that made rates go right back up to where they were before lockdown. (Although I’d argue it’s the hospitalisation and death rates we need to look at most).

But what can we do, keep schools shut for an entire new term? It winds me up so much when people are blasé about the impact this is having. Like no, you can’t keep vulnerable kids safe just by checking on them once a week.

Since schools were last open fully, we have made massive progress in vaccinations. I also think that bi weekly lateral flow tests for all primary staff (not sure what’s happening with secondary) will make a difference.

What would be awful would be having to close schools AGAIN. I do think that I would probably begrudgingly send EYFS-Y2 back on the 8th and then the rest two weeks later.

@KasparKat
No, unfortunately we had no online teaching March-July (year 12) last year. Online teaching only started in earnest for us in September (Y13) but as two of DS A’Levels are practical subjects they can’t be taught effectively online which has lead to a huge gap in the syllabus and learning.

Twelve paws I think this should be the major focus, after all this... What can we do to help dc in awful homes.... How can we educate the parents... And assist those dc.
The amount of dc unhappy at home is awful and they won't be loving school either...

Everyone is vulnerable to Covid. Obviously some people more than others.

That's not my point though.

Nothing has been put in place to keep children, under 50's staff and families. Nothing. But yet we're supposed to go back into small classrooms.

The exact same thing will happen as September, cases will skyrocket and people will die. Hopefully less people yes.

The government say they are prioritising schools but have again done nothing to support them.

@Elevenbells

I’m really sorry to hear that is happening to your child. It is very worrying. I hope your child gets the care and support they need.

I wish people would stop dismissing the impact the lockdown is having on children. These people really need to do their research.

@AllAroundTheWrekin

I'm still not seeing any adequate safety plan or mitigation measures for schools from Government.

Sadly, not surprising is it?

We’re not trying to prevent all cases of Covid or all deaths.

If you are vulnerable to COVID being a serious disease for you then you will have been vaccinated.

I think this should be the major focus, after all this... What can we do to help dc in awful homes.... How can we educate the parents... And assist those dc.
The amount of dc unhappy at home is awful and they won't be loving school either...

Yes, I agree. We seem to talk about vulnerable children in quite large numbers like it’s an acceptable part of a developed society when it really shouldn’t be. It’s heartbreaking and much more needs to be done to improve their lives.

@Delatron

We’re not trying to prevent all cases of Covid or all deaths.

If you are vulnerable to COVID being a serious disease for you then you will have been vaccinated.

Not in all cases necessarily.

There is a difference between being in a category known as vulnerable, and being vulnerable to a virus, the effects of which are unpredictable. If we could tell in advance what our outcome would be if we caught Covid wouldn't that be great? But we cannot.

If you are vulnerable to COVID being a serious disease for you then you will have been vaccinated.

Nope, not true. By 8 March most in the 'vulnerable' category (group 6) won't have been vaccinated, and certainly won't be 3 weeks on from being vaccinated.

@Delatron

We’re not trying to prevent all cases of Covid or all deaths.

If you are vulnerable to COVID being a serious disease for you then you will have been vaccinated.

My ds won't have been, he's 10 and been shielding for most of the year. There won't be a vaccine suitable until at least the end of the year. I'm not sure if I'm supposed to keep him off until then (thus missing his transition to secondary)....and what about his sister's?? Should they go back and risk bringing it home to him?

@Useruseruserusee

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.

I hear so much common sense and compassion on here, we really need to look at why people like you don’t go into politics or maybe why we keep voting in tory elite who have no compassion and empathy.