Why can't schools all go back at once?

[Trumplosttheelection]

I have seen suggestions that secondary pupils will have to wait a week longer? Why?
Secondary schools have actually managed social distancing quite well and adolescent mental health is in crisis. Not to mention their academic future being in the toilet.
I can't see why they have to wait another week?

15/16 year olds will be spreading the virus the same as adults. And few people are suggesting allowing 30adults to mix in a room that doesn't allow for social distancing. I work in many schools and don't know a single one that has a single classroom allowing social distancing. Except perhaps a sports hall.
We need the cases to be low enough to allow for the obvious spike this will cause to not overrun the nhs. If cases are still high and then get higher we will be back in lockdown before you know it.

@Trumplosttheelection

I have seen suggestions that secondary pupils will have to wait a week longer? Why? Secondary schools have actually managed social distancing quite well and adolescent mental health is in crisis. Not to mention their academic future being in the toilet. I can't see why they have to wait another week?

There’s a pandemic at the moment.

One of our local schools had no cases at all last year. Absolutely decimated this term, even with less pupils in. Stricter risk assessment this term too.

I have to admit that I'm genuinely surprised at the number of people who appear to honestly believe that there is social distancing and "safe" mitigations actually happening in schools.

Our school are planning for testing everyone twice before they come back to school. Until the govt announce otherwise. That's in the region of 5000 tests. A mammoth task, I can see why some schools would need an extra week to carry that out.

I think a bit of critical thinking is required her op. Secondaries are never going to have as years back from day 1 even if they go back at the same time. It seems sensible to test the R rate for at least a couple of weeks before allowing secondaries to open. And I have skin in this game with a child in yr8.

Raab is saying they hope to start the process of having schools back on 8th March. I think the newspapers got overexcited.

Dd3's secondary did very well with social distancing last term. They didn't need to send a whole class home at any point.

I doubt they were able to socially distance. In my school we still have 30 in a class and the teacher stuck right at the front unable to circulate. The students all sit right next to each other. I think only a private school with say 12-15 per class would be able to distance.

I really want everyone back. I'm teaching live with my kids home and husband in school FT with key workers. But I don't want to get back and then have to start lockdown for a 4th time in May/June.

A staggered approach would work best.

Secondary schools have actually managed social distancing quite well

Wow, the site must be huge if it allows for 2m between every pupil in the classroom and at lunch, in corridors etc

@CallmeAngelina they just want to believe it.

I can't see how having the priority groups vaccinated helps schools stay open. As most teachers and teaching staff don't fall into that category. Kids and staff will still get it and take it home to their families.

I have 32 students in one of my year 11 classes. They cannot be 2m from each other or more than 1m from me unless I'm not in the room with them.

Secondary schools have actually managed social distancing quite well

This is the funniest thing I have heard for a while! I’m a secondary teacher. There is bugger all social distancing in schools. On March the 8th I will go back to seeing 180 different teenagers a day in a very small classroom. But I can’t go out for dinner at the end of the day because, you know, that’s far too dangerous.

I get the need to open up slowly to protect schools but let’s not just ourselves that secondary schools are anything other than dumping 1500 people in close confines and hoping for the best.

Secondary schools were totally fucked before Christmas. Secondary school kids were the most infected subset of the population by far. Some secondary schools in Kent and London had less than half the kids in (one council only had 17% attendance the last week) because the rest were isolating due to the new variant.

There is no social distancing in schools. There can't be. Children sit shoulder to shoulder talking and breathing in each others faces for hours a day. Do not be fooled into thinking this is not the case.

It looks like ALL schools, secondary and primary, are back by 8th March.

Most of the vulnerable groups will have been vaccinated and hospital cases will have come down to manageable levels.

The virus won't ever be eliminated, but most children. teenagers and teachers won't be at high risk of complications. And hospitals should hopefully have enough capacity to cope.

@CallmeAngelina

I have to admit that I'm genuinely surprised at the number of people who appear to honestly believe that there is social distancing and "safe" mitigations actually happening in schools.

Do you think they actually believe it though given they will have been in schools previously so know the space etc or is it just that they want schools open as it suits them. I suspect the letter in most cases.

@Pastanred

Pinkhappy

It wont matter if people get it, if they dont go to hospital

With priority groups vaccinated - over 90% admissions dropped. We wont be having all these rules for a virus which gives flu like symptoms which is what those who don't go to hospital normally suffer with

And this is exactly why secondaries shouldn't go back on 8 March - because groups 5-9 (still vulnerable, and the groups more likely to include teachers and parents) won't have had their first jab plus 3 weeks to develop immunity. If we are taking this route we need to wait until those groups are done before sending secondaries back in full.

social distancing wont be needed once the priority groups are done. I think the 2m rule will be gone by early summer.

Exactly. We need to accept that we won't ever eliminate this virus. We need to learn to live with it. Thankfully most of the population will be either vaccinated or will only get a mild disease.

@Rosesaresweet I think it depends which newspaper you read, as they are reporting differently about which year groups going back on 8th March

but hospitalisations - 90% are groups 1-4 who have been done

Dd was in school the whole term. This is a standard secondary school. 1500 pupils. Year groups kept apart, masks at all times except eating and lessons, staggered and separate arrivals.
Around 25 cases in the whole term including staff and that was with levels in the city steadily rising. It can be done.
My point is if schools are going back, they should all go back. No reason to prioritise primary aged kids over secondary. If one age group can go back they can all go back.

Primaries also need a staggered return to allow for social distancing. We need to be cautious in order to keep schools open.

@Trumplosttheelection all schools should have done that as that was Government guidance. Other schools with similar rules had bubbles bursting all over the place

Risk groups 1-4 (majority of hospitalisations) will not only be vaccinated by 8th March but had a couple of weeks for their immunity to build up.

So yes all schools need to open in March.

Dd was in school the whole term. This is a standard secondary school. 1500 pupils. Year groups kept apart, masks at all times except eating and lessons, staggered and separate arrivals.

My Dd was also in all term.... ds however was off twice due to being a close contact and then the whole bubble closing.
Across the school, close contacts were being asked to isolate numerous times and a few bubbles closed at various times during the year.
It is highly likely that you were not told of every bubble closure or number of pupils being told to self isolate, as I know we were only given information that directly affected us.

There is no possibility to socially distance in any school. None at all. Windows can stay open, people can wear masks, but there definitely wasn't any social distancing, except perhaps between pupils and their secondary school teachers.