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 think teachers, esp over 40, should be vaccinated before the return and shielding parents or others concerned be allowed to keep their kids off without penalty

I agree with this, I'd have liked to see hospitals, care staff and teachers all vaccinated as priority groups. There are other at risk groups but these are around large numbers of people and we know transmission definitely occurred hugely in the first two areas, and to a lesser extent through schools. I also think psychologically it would be a huge benefit to teachers, even if the stats don't bear out that they are more likely to die of Covid (I think that's what they say, I haven't checked lately).

I don't agree with waiting til after Easter as lots of people, with one dose vaccinated parents, will start mixing during Easter anyway, or having playdates, I don't think the entire nation is going to sit in during Easter if it has struggled to do so during Feb half term.

We should definitely wait until more are vaccinated. The most vulnerable have been done, but they aren't the only ones affected.

If the whole school population returns at once without any more measures than last time, cases will surge and some people will be badly affected.

For the sake of a few more weeks, during such a short half term until Easter anyway, it seems ridiculous to rush. Education is happening remotely, so children will just need to wait for everything to be as they'd prefer, just like us.

@Fembot123

Bubbles weren’t popping all over the place in my school either, secondary. As for my sons primary zero bubbles popped at all.

Same for us. DD's primary had no issues. Of the other 3 primaries in our village, only one year group had one group sent home.

The high school we feed to had three year groups sent home once each.

Cases here are almost as low as September. How is no school at all better than the risk of a burst bubble?

And if year 11 or 13 bubbles pop what are we going to do about getting the data for their exam results ? Some in, some out will be utter chaos as we have to offer the same to everyone now.

That's also assuming no staff get sick and are off (lots of that last term and none of us are vaccinated yet). Supply teachers can't assess results.

@Newtonn

We should definitely wait until more are vaccinated. The most vulnerable have been done, but they aren't the only ones affected.

If the whole school population returns at once without any more measures than last time, cases will surge and some people will be badly affected.

For the sake of a few more weeks, during such a short half term until Easter anyway, it seems ridiculous to rush. Education is happening remotely, so children will just need to wait for everything to be as they'd prefer, just like us.

A few more weeks is quite a loss of time - isn't is better to stagger kids , assess and have the holidays to form a break?

Rather than whack them all in after Easter?

@phlebasconsidered

Yes. I'm the sole breadwinner and I have a mortgage to pay and kids to support. Asthma is a funny one - my trigger is usually colds or viruses but because I haven't been hospitalised overnight in the past two years it is deemed "safe" enough by the DFE. I was told to stay at home in the first lockdown but not thereafter. There are many teachers in this situation.

I have chased the GP for mum and she is due one in the next 10 days - waiting on a centre spot now. I don't get carers allowance but I suppose I should let my GP know I live with mum- it's probably not on my record as she is at a different surgery where she used to live. I didn't think i'd qualify without a carers allowance?

That’s totally rubbish @phlebasconsidered glad you’ve had some respite from the uncertainty. There are plenty of support staff in the same situation too but I’d imagine we’d struggle to be the main wage earner as rarely earn more than 10-12 grand a year, although the ones I know who are have evening jobs too.

@SignsofSpring

I think teachers, esp over 40, should be vaccinated before the return and shielding parents or others concerned be allowed to keep their kids off without penalty

I agree with this, I'd have liked to see hospitals, care staff and teachers all vaccinated as priority groups. There are other at risk groups but these are around large numbers of people and we know transmission definitely occurred hugely in the first two areas, and to a lesser extent through schools. I also think psychologically it would be a huge benefit to teachers, even if the stats don't bear out that they are more likely to die of Covid (I think that's what they say, I haven't checked lately).

I don't agree with waiting til after Easter as lots of people, with one dose vaccinated parents, will start mixing during Easter anyway, or having playdates, I don't think the entire nation is going to sit in during Easter if it has struggled to do so during Feb half term.

I agree with this too, more protection for the vulnerable including financial protection whilst we jump this last hurdle.

My y11 dd had four lots of isolation last term. It was much worse than now as she wasn’t able to leave the house and got no online teaching at all.

I disagree, they've been off 11 weeks already. Easter would be 16 weeks and then only 3 months of school left - which I really think is the reason people like the goal posts moved back. We can all stick our heads in the sand where these kids are concerned.

If they go back in March, they're in for 3 weeks then 2 weeks off. I think that's reasonable.

Maybe different for secondary.

We're both keyworkers and because we don't have time to teach our kids and work they're also classed as vulnerable but no school place for us. Nothing will change in our situations, we're not quitting our jobs for public services that critically need our work. Our school is not supportive and their home provision poor - we're not the only ones although it's rare among our friends and family that 2 keyworkers haven't got a school place.

@Fembot123

Bubbles weren’t popping all over the place in my school either, secondary. As for my sons primary zero bubbles popped at all.

Same for my children's school. I've said it before on here and I'll say it again, no one in real life wants schools to stay shut to most children only on Mumsnet!!!!

@Fembot123

Bubbles weren’t popping all over the place in my school either, secondary. As for my sons primary zero bubbles popped at all.

Very few unrelated cases at DCs secondary school, the cases that happened didn't result in transmission within the school to students or teachers. Most cases resulted from family travel just before school returned or half term ( no they didn't isolate 🙄) or large social gatherings of older kids for birthday parties facilitated by parents 🙄🙄

@Gerberageri

I disagree, they've been off 11 weeks already. Easter would be 16 weeks and then only 3 months of school left - which I really think is the reason people like the goal posts moved back. We can all stick our heads in the sand where these kids are concerned.

If they go back in March, they're in for 3 weeks then 2 weeks off. I think that's reasonable.

Maybe different for secondary.

We're both keyworkers and because we don't have time to teach our kids and work they're also classed as vulnerable but no school place for us. Nothing will change in our situations, we're not quitting our jobs for public services that critically need our work. Our school is not supportive and their home provision poor - we're not the only ones although it's rare among our friends and family that 2 keyworkers haven't got a school place.

Nobody's been off for 11 weeks already. Schools have holidays where lessons stop and terms where they continue.

It's been half a school term of learning remotely. I doubt any adults asked to work from home during any of the lockdown, or even normally, count themselves as off work.

@Flinstones @Fembot123 our school had no bubbles popping until mid November. We were quite smug too. And then all hell broke lose and it was chaos. We now have 2 dead staff members, several off with long term health conditions, 5 have resigned as had enough, and students are fearful of going through that again. Be v careful what you wish for - once it gets in it can be horrific. Staggered return, or safety measures like every other place at the moment (masks, screens, some attempt at SD). Otherwise there will be many more schools going through what ours did before this is over.

I could be wrong but if I understand it correctly aren't mutations more likely when the virus struggles to spread

@WhenSheWasBad

I completely agree... the highest infection rates are still in hospitals and care homes. Shall we shut those too? Schools are an essential service

Hospitals are care homes are open and the infection rate is dropping. Why would we shut them?
Infections rates were extremely low in summer. Schools opened in September with very few mitigation’s - we had peak number 2 (and a lovely more infectious variant).

I want schools open. But waiting till after Easter seems sensible. I wish it wasn’t true but Covid spreads in schools. Simply stating schools must open doesn’t change that.

Didn't rates also fall in the November lockdown when schools were open?

Lots of schools did have bubbles popping and cases. If you didn’t you were lucky.
We had six cases in my primary school class including me. That was passed between each other and then onto parents / siblings / grandparents.

@bathsh3ba

I disagree. I remember in the summer lots of people saying 'just wait till September' as if it was some magical date when all would be well. It wasn't. We still got a second wave because it is foolish in the extreme to think we can control a virus. Lockdown is a blunt instrument for short term use only, even the WHO says so. It's notable that most countries have followed a very similar curve regardless of their restrictions.

Easter isn't a magical date any more than September was. It's highly likely cases will drop over the summer anyway as the virus appears to be seasonal. Open up cautiously by all means, prioritise teachers for vaccines, mandate masks, try rotas. But we need to start the process of ending lockdown because if we don't adjust our perception of risk, we will never get out.

Schools can be safe if Heads have the courage to implement their own measures as my girls' school did, with very few cases.

Totally agree with you. It's not Easter either is it? Easter is the first weekend in April which for my DCs is the first weekend of the Easter holidays. What people saying 'Easter' are really arguing for is 19th April. That's six weeks after the 8th March date currently being floated.

Presumably everything else is to stay locked down until at least then too?

Didn't rates also fall in the November lockdown when schools were open

raggiedolls they dropped a little. But do you remember what happened in December? The Kent variant is much more transmissible.

Easter is the first weekend in April which for my DCs is the first weekend of the Easter holidays. What people saying 'Easter' are really arguing for is 19th April.

Exactly which is two months away.

bath

Thanks for letting BFF me know what your daughters school is doing.

My school has been doing exactly the same (maybe could insist on masks in classrooms not just corridors). Still badly affected by Covid, quite a few staff sick and kids sent home.

Not quite sure what the BFF is doing there, sorry about that.

@Worriedandonedge

I could be wrong but if I understand it correctly aren't mutations more likely when the virus struggles to spread

You are wrong

We didn’t have a single bubble burst and my kids are already in small classrooms of only 15 kids so keeping them off doesn’t seem logical or fair. They need to go back to school.

We didn’t have a single bubble burst and my kids are already in small classrooms of only 15 kids so keeping them off doesn’t seem logical or fair. They need to go back to school

Bit of an “I’m alright Jack attitude”

Plus just because your schools is ok now. That’s no guarantee it will be ok later.

I agree. I just can't send DC back to that miserable time last term when repeated groups were in isolation, teachers were sick and all the fun parts of school are cancelled anyway.