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) *

Yes, schools need to open.

I dont trust anyone who reads "The Sunday Times" what a load of Posh Tosh 😂

Also Boris needs to get his head out of his arse and make a proper decision

@sassysuspenders which papers do you trust?

Not trying to be goady, I’m genuinely interested because they all seem to have their own agenda

@AnniversaryScaresMe

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

I’d rather have my kids in school vs socialising

This pisses me off utterly. The shitty, frequently wrong speculation in the media, the announcements well in advance of official ones that the same papers then back track on...

None of these are helpful or even informative. They make crap up to sell their papers. Everyone knows the 8 March has been floated for weeks as the first possible date some schools may begin to open up again. It is unlikely to be to all year groups.

The decision won't have actually been agreed yet and this is another example of utterly irresponsible journalism. They are no better than the gutter press.

And when all schools and all pupils are NOT back on 8 March many parents will be up in arms because they feel lied to.

But the newspapers don't know any more than anyone else. Don't believe all you read. Surely if anything that should be the slogan for the last year?

That title gave me actual palpitations.

Yep, I'll wait to hear the official announcement, I've made this mistake before.

a slight relaxation of the current rule, which permits outdoor meetings only while standing up

The regulations actually state that you can meet one other person outside FOR EXERCISE - doesn’t actually say you have to be standing up. My gym (in normal times) runs Chair Exercise sessions so if you want to sit down you just have to be inventive and wave your arms and legs about.

Too many actuallys!

They’re relaxing the rules so that you can not only now stand up but sit down to pee outside

I'd be surprised if they were all fully back on the 8th. But hopefully the numbers will just keep going down and maybe it will actually happen!!! My DC will be disappointed but I think it's better for them to have a bit of life outside of home.

I hope so, we're not having a great time.

Not a single case in our (primary school) before Christmas, and only one case whilst they have been open for KW'ers.

Our rates were high over Xmas (600's) but are now lower than before Christmas, so fingers crossed that's a good sign, and we can return to school.

Incorrect about newspapers, @NovemberR - it’s well known Downing Street leak their plans into the press to gage public opinion. They’ve done it repeatedly over the last year. If it’s reported in the Times or Telegraph, you can certainly believe it’s the current line of thought! Tories together & all that.

Also, who had a clue you had to be bloody stood up to meet friends outdoors 😂 I mean, it’s been either raining or -1 for weeks, so I certainly haven’t sat down but good grief, it’s laughable. I hope it was OK to sit on my sledge while my friend sat on another. 😂 good job no-one was policing our sledging hill, children sat down sharing sledges left right & centre!

I really hope numbers of hospitalisations are down more by 8th March if this is the government's plan. Also would like to know a projected estimate of how many people in the top 3 vulnerable categories will have had their 2nd vaccine dose by then. I want schools back but not if doing it too early means we are back in another lockdown come June or something silly. I want this lockdown to be the last one- I don't know how much more some of us can take.

I don’t know what I would do if I were in charge, If we are lucky there will still be about 4000 cases a day still on March 8 . That’s still a huge number which makes loosening restrictions pretty risky. With schools open will people really carry on obeying all the other restrictions?

I desperately want schools to open but even more I don’t want yet another lockdown. I think I would send reception and year 1 back on March 8 and the rest of school after Easter.

Fantastic news! It looks like all schools too, and fully reopening as they should.

Very excited kids this end!!!! :)

Just to add to the optimistic forecast for March 8.

Around 620 covid hospitalisations in England per day.

Around 240 daily covid deaths in the UK.

Are these numbers low enough to reopen schools?

Oh and we can meet one friends SITTING down outside - the government are clearly spoiling us now, with all this excitement of sitting down outside AND schools opening.

Life is literally unrecognisable.

I’m mixed on this one. Yes children need to be back to school but they also need down time, fun, meet up with friends and family just like adults do. This would be good for mental health. (Maybe the giver could do a holiday/activity scheme instead of the eat out to help out!) From evidence alone on here home schooling has been tough, children need time to be children. Happy children make happy healthy learners. By opening schools children can see their friends but within the constraints of a classroom and the curriculum. If the all or nothing approach is adopted I hope the curriculum is temporarily slimed down and well-being is the primary focus:lots of PE, group activities, appreciate your surroundings etc. Also to add I know lots of people who will no longer follow rules on not meeting family and friends etc as soon as children are back to school. It’s happened last time it’ll happen this time.

*LovePoppy" I’d rather have my kids in school vs socialising

Good for you. But some of us are hanging on by a thread. Some of us aren't lucky enough to have a partner or kids, and now never will. Some of us had our whole lives torn away last March and no reason to go on, and had to be isolated and alone whilst kids are mixing freely in schools. It's immoral.

Good.

@Sweettea1

So do we want schools open or not? Personally I think children getting an education is more important than adults seeing friends indoors. Simple if everything opens at once then we will be locking down again in weeks. so let's get the children some education first or are they not important because well their children so dont matter. Yes sod the schools an the children let's open up the pubs an be done with education.

You're the one talking as if ADULTS don't matter. Children have people round them. Adults, especially single adults, need people around them too. They should have supper bubbles for only children though. But to keep adults isolated whilst kids mix freely is just wrong. How dare you say you want to prolong this torture for us.

Last time our primary went back they added an hour english/maths a day to the school day which I won't agree to again if they do it. They made the other subjects at the end of the day - so yes my child will get a slimmed down curriculum but it will be all maths and english! Im planning to take her out after school to areas to play. She needs that more than extra lessons.

The Telegraph today is saying primaries back on the 8th, secondary schools ‘a week or two later’.
The government seem to leak everything to the Telegraph first, so I’m working on the assumption that this will be the case. If all go back on the 8th that would be a bonus ( with 2 teenagers).

October?? Fucking hope not!