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?

YABU

The cat is out of the bag, mutations will happen. We have to just live with it

The virus cannot be controlled or contained.

We overreacted already by this crazy lockdown. Look at India. Their curve went down, they’ve been back to normal for ages

We are not an island anyway, flights still happen, mutated viruses will enter the country

We can not get rid of viruses

We just need to get rid of lockdowns

Its always "just another 3 weeks" isn't it

We don't know what the plan is yet though do we? Who says that all children will be going back on the 8th? We need to wait for Monday's announcement.

Personally I think primary need to go back and junior school children should wear masks. Exam years in secondary should go back with the other years following after Easter, masks for all secondary students.

YABU in case it wasn't clear from my post. Lockdown is not a cost free zero risk measure. Enough now.

I agree with doing doing a hide shut to full opening on March 8th.

Either wait the extra 3 weeks (which becomes 5) or do rota opening so everyone gets some f2f teaching and this time actually record the data in schools to see what's happening.

At least by then a good chunk of people will have been vaccinated, which will help a great deal.
I don’t think it’s possible to say at this point.

What do you think will change at Easter? They're telling us vaccination isn't the key to freedom, quarantine hotels are of limited effectiveness, there will always be new variants... It's a seasonal illness. Whatever we do from March onwards cases will drop and they will rise again in the winter. We need to unlock ASAP to take advantage of the seasons and really take a hard look at what risk we're willing to tolerate next winter not just in terms of Covid but everything else. We can't have schools shut between Christmas and Easter every year. What future do you want for your children? If we carry on down this path it's bleak.

I thought the teachers on here were saying that 2 thirds of kids are in school anyway, that everyone is taking advantage of the keyworker scheme to get their kids in school. Or was that all just bluster?

Completely agree with you OP

I don’t know anyone could say you’re wrong but I disagree.

I just posted on another thread: zero cases at my DC primary Sept-Dec and 1 burst bubble since Jan.

I agree, if we send kids back we will just have another lockdown looming. Again.

I agree OP. Starting opening after Easter is a delay of almost 3 weeks of teaching (not dismissing this would be important or the social contact that comes with it). With the benefit of the Easter holiday afterwards. The PM has said he wants this to be the last lockdown while ministers this week has said that they can't rule out further lockdowns. And the chancellor has increased furlow to end of summer. I am sick to the back teeth of opening up and locking down but I do think that delaying opening up for a couple of weeks may well save us from a further lockdown and get us back to having more normal contact sooner.

How does anyone here think we’ll eradicate COVID such that further lockdowns potentially won’t happen?

Hospitals are always rammed in winter, that is nothing new. Lots of Covid spread is happening in hospitals. Closing schools to control the spread should not even be an option.

@ChocOrange1

I thought the teachers on here were saying that 2 thirds of kids are in school anyway, that everyone is taking advantage of the keyworker scheme to get their kids in school. Or was that all just bluster?

Some teachers have said this. Many including myself have said lower figures. My school is more like 25%. It's definitely not bluster though.

Yanbu. I'd prefer to sit tight until after Easter.

I'm utterly sick of my teens at home. No one wants to be in the same room as anyone else. DD barely engages in school. But waiting 8 more weeks for more vaccinations and warmer weather is a wise idea. They might get a full summer term that way.

I only want them to go back if they can also do all the after school/lunch time clubs, sports and enrichment activities as normal so there is some balance. This is what kids need more than the actual lessons. DD2 (Y7) really struggled when she had to go into school - not only were there all the changes of going to secondary school, but all the fun and social activities were stripped out of it, plus all the worry about Covid every day. She is also struggling to be motivated to do her lessons at home, so I'm torn. I want her to go to school, but to normal school, not Covid school.

@Pleasedontputthatthere

Hospitals are always rammed in winter, that is nothing new. Lots of Covid spread is happening in hospitals. Closing schools to control the spread should not even be an option.

Agree with hospitals being the major spreaders. My mum works in a huge hospital and the amount of people who come in for other reasons and then catch Covid there is pretty high. Most people I know who have caught Covid caught it in hospital or at my workplace (factory). My workplace has had almost 10x the amount of cases than DS's school has.

Completely agree. At the moment I’m teaching my own class remotely or teaching keyworkers in school on alternate weeks, and traveling by tube and bus to get there. BUT class sizes are fifteen and tubes are empty. I feel really quite scared about how different things will be if schools open fully. And when we go back I want it to be permanent, not with loads of two week periods where we have to self-isolate followed by another lockdown. That’s much more unsettling to children than a slow return to school that’s sensible and safe, and letting them stay once they’re back.
But we’ll continue to do exactly what we’ve been doing for the last year. Get to school, put on a smile, plan some lovely lessons, be there for the kids, and then go home and cry. And try not to read nasty comments online from people working from home claiming the teaching profession is “lazy” and “doesn’t care about kids”.

I disagree

Primary at least should go back

I've got 2 girls in year 8, they've done 9 weeks in actual school since last March. They are due to do their GCSEs in just over 3 years. Why are they talking about sending the little ones back first? It's just so wrong. They've got years to catch up on.
My nephew is in year 11, all the hard work he has put in over the years has gone up in smoke. Who knows what the future holds for him. He hasn't seen his friends since December, it's a time of his life where he should be starting to gain independence.
My son is in year 7, has struggled throughout, thankfully he is in school. But he needs some normality now. He's my most resilient but even he's being affected.
I am sick of seeing the change in my children. It's heartbreaking.
Children need to be in school, I don't know why some people are so happy with them being off? Why? Do you not care about your children's education? Homeschooling is not effective unless you can dedicate all your time to it. Working parents can't.

@VashtaNerada

Completely agree. At the moment I’m teaching my own class remotely or teaching keyworkers in school on alternate weeks, and traveling by tube and bus to get there. BUT class sizes are fifteen and tubes are empty. I feel really quite scared about how different things will be if schools open fully. And when we go back I want it to be permanent, not with loads of two week periods where we have to self-isolate followed by another lockdown. That’s much more unsettling to children than a slow return to school that’s sensible and safe, and letting them stay once they’re back. But we’ll continue to do exactly what we’ve been doing for the last year. Get to school, put on a smile, plan some lovely lessons, be there for the kids, and then go home and cry. And try not to read nasty comments online from people working from home claiming the teaching profession is “lazy” and “doesn’t care about kids”.

Teachers aren't the only people going into work. I'm not working from home.

Supersonic I wonder the same.

Disagree. Businesses can be compensated for loss of earnings. We cannot compensate children for loss of education and social development.

I don't know why some people are so happy with them being off? Why? Do you not care about your children's education?
We’re not happy @supersonicginandtonic - the weeks when I’m remote teaching I have the DC with me and Christ knows they need to go back! But I don’t want us to rush it and don’t want them to keep bouncing in and out of school the way they have been. We all want the same thing - children with good physical and mental health, learning productively and having good relationships with their peers, as well as low rates of covid in local communities. The dispute is over the safest way to get that happening again and I think we have to listen to the experts who actually know this stuff rather than the politicians who don’t.