Schools in England should go back at Easter

[GinAndTonicOnIt]

I'm terrified that full return will result in increased transmissions. This will increase the chance of more mutations. Which increases the chance of a mutant that is resistant to the current vaccines.

Or just back with full wards, and yet another lockdown.

I loathe lockdown. I would give anything to wake up tomorrow and life be back to normal. But it's for this reason I think we should wait that extra bit longer. Get those rates right down and vaccines out, then have a return to school that won't result in another lockdown.....!

AIBU for thinking this? Am I wrong?

I'm completely with you on this.

Couldn't agree more op. Numbers tumbled down when school was included in the lock down!
Why is it this ridiculous gung ho charge in approach?
Why can't a gentle phased approach go ahead?
Ease the critical years in first... They can also become au fait with the testing... Less queuing and faffing when the other years come back etc.
Every week we wait more people get vaccinated, the weather eases and becomes warmer.

Having said all that it's next winter I'm concerned about when vaccines have waned, still no consistency over heating, warm clothes, masks in class.. Lessons shortened slightly to accommodate airing classrooms and getting students moving around...

I can't bear the build up of cases, the strain of the NHS, leading medics pleading for us to socially distance etc but they don't close schools.
I really hope a target is enshrined that we are all aware of for winter, that if cases go above x school close.. Non of this mental pressure and worry..

Yes, agree 100%.

Yes, numbers still too high, with new variants too it feels rather reckless. I’m sure Boris will cock it up again by throwing kids all back in at once, he never learns and it’s so frustrating!

Completely agree with you, OP. Will boil down to whether Johnson has the guts to stand up to the extreme right wingers in his own party.

It does seem like madness to risk undoing all our hard work and sacrifices for the sake of a few more weeks.

Totally agree. And the thought of possibly being locked down in the summer because of it is almost too much to bear!

petition.parliament.uk/petitions/573621

I noticed that this petition (Keep schools closed until May) is trending on the government petitions website.

I don’t care anymore. I feel completely numb to it all. I am not worried about the virus anymore. I am a teacher. I want to be back in school. I want to go to the gym after school. I want to books nice weekends away. I want to see my friends. I want my child to see their friends. I am not worried about this fucking virus. I’m sick of wearing masks. I am sick of my hands being chapped from the antibacterial gels. I’m sick of keeping away from everyone. I don’t care about it anymore. Whatever.

But @Totallyfedup1979 I think an extra 4 weeks or so now will make that dream far more likely to be a reality.

Get the teachers vaccinated and send the kids back to school.Our children have suffered enough. Even a rota system I don't care but they need some face to face teaching and interaction with their peers.

Yanbu. We should at least wait til we've vaccinated over 50s, which is the age group that 99% of deaths occur in. Many parents and teachers are over 50

Agree OP. The thought of blowing the whole lockdown because we went back just that bit too soon is hideous.

This is a good idea Spring:

I really hope a target is enshrined that we are all aware of for winter, that if cases go above x school close..

No more political faffing if the worst happens (awful variants?) and we just have to slam on the brakes. But hopefully with the vaccines that won’t be necessary. It’d be worth having it as an emergency last resort though, just so they don’t bicker about it way past the point of urgent action, like before.

However much my children really need school for their mental wellbeing, i too agree this is much too early. Deaths still to high, daily infections still too high. I think we should wait until all over 45s have been vaccinated.

I’m not comfortable with full school reopening on 8 March.

I have a 6yr old, would be happy with part time until Easter so they are getting some teacher and child interaction but able to socially distance.

My (almost) 12 yr old I’d rather they waited until Easter, give numbers a chance to go down even more and more people to be vaccinated.

I heard something on the news yesterday about having all the over 40s vaccinated by end of March (would be brilliant if they could do that) then we’d have the Easter break and by the time we go back later in April the vaccine would have taken effect.

So what is your plan though? Keep kids at home indefinitely? Until everyone vaccinated? It will mutate whatever happens. Then what? Next winter too?

Do you know what is happening to children at home? None of us do. We don’t know the damage being done them. Maybe you are right and we should. But I think our young have paid with enough time. Five year olds have been stuck at home for one fifth of their lives. It’s time to move.

Personally I think they'd be really foolish to just throw open the doors to all years at once. Schools drove the huge spike in cases, they need to go back on a staggered basis.

Totally agree with you. @GinAndTonicOnIt - to the poster who want to do things/ see friends. That’s what I want too. That’s why we must do this properly. A half arsed job will be lockdown #4 otherwise.

coronavirus.data.gov.uk/

The R rate is between 0.6-0.9. Cases ARE dropping quiet significantly. Have a look at the graph on the government website. The extremely vulnerable have vaccinated.

No need to drag this out any longer

Doesn’t really matter what the R rate is at the moment.

Hospitals are still rammed with covid patients. The same number as in the April peak. It has taken 2 months of lockdown for us to reach where we were last April!

We can’t open everything up yet if it means more hospital patients and all operations and treatments being cancelled.

It's crazy isn't it?

Bit then Johnson never learns.

I think it should be gradual, and so the Welsh and Scottish decision of 4-7 year olds first but not every child at once is one I would support being replicated in England.

Please just get the kids back to school BoJo 🙏🏼

We don’t know how he’s going to open them up yet. So stop stressing.

I agree full opening would be ridiculous

I think it will be 4-7s to match the rest of the UK

I disagree. Schools need to return on the 8th. We need to consider all of the damaging effects of lockdown and in my view the balance will have tipped by 8th March and it will be more detrimental to keep them off school any longer. How many will be vaccinated by 8th March? Well over half UK adults.