In two weeks pupils can safely return to school..

[Regulus]

..can they fuck.

There maybe plenty of reasons why they have too but to lie that it's safe is deplorable.

Yes hurrah they can seee their friends after being isolated for months. They can get a proper education. They bloody deserve it

@Remmy123

Don't send your kids then. Simple.

Sick of these threads.

Poor Remmy.

I am much more worried about mental health and suicide than I am about Covid-19. Keep your children at home if you want to.
It seems autonomy has been forgotten. It seems risk being a price of freedom has been forgotten.

So ridiculous. Compromising children's education.

I have a business on its knees actually beyond being on knees, I don't know what that is, flat on face? I've spent my life savings and got into debt to keep it afloat and keep staff I've had for years in employment. With no end in sight.

We have a teenager here who is utterly depressed. Another child who is at least a year behind where he should be. Struggle to get them out fo the house. Took afore-mentioned teenager to Waitrose to get him out of the house and give him some little sense of normality, first time he was in a shop in months, got shouted at by another shopper that only 1 person should be out shopping.

We're stuck in a rental that's too small waiting for a house to buy to come up on the market and they are not because people are terrified, we did not plan for university aged children being here the entire year.

I'm a very resilient person usually, this is a dystopian nightmare.

i'm worried but hopeful.

We've been told on here for weeks that we didn't have to keep children home to protect teachers, that it was to protect the NHS. Now the NHS won't be overrun than objective met.

Get them back in. I'm overjoyed tbh.

@mumsneedwine

Agreed OP

Its not about schools been safe. There is no safe or unsafe at the moment unless you completely and totally stay at home until this is over.

The R rate is such that we have room now to start heading back to normal without it rising exponentially. The decision has been made that the room we have for the next 5 weeks is schools going back - nothing else. After that we should have more if it goes well and so on.

Schools going back wont cause another lockdown - people misunderstanding what it means for them going back. That the only room we have for now is schools going back.

As it lowers even more there will be more wiggle room. That isnt to say there wont be a rise in Community spread as schools open because of course there will be - what the hope is that it is not sufficient enough to make it grow and that vaccinations alongside it can cancel it out

@Jarstastic

I am much more worried about mental health and suicide than I am about Covid-19. Keep your children at home if you want to. It seems autonomy has been forgotten. It seems risk being a price of freedom has been forgotten.

So ridiculous. Compromising children's education.

I have a business on its knees actually beyond being on knees, I don't know what that is, flat on face? I've spent my life savings and got into debt to keep it afloat and keep staff I've had for years in employment. With no end in sight.

We have a teenager here who is utterly depressed. Another child who is at least a year behind where he should be. Struggle to get them out fo the house. Took afore-mentioned teenager to Waitrose to get him out of the house and give him some little sense of normality, first time he was in a shop in months, got shouted at by another shopper that only 1 person should be out shopping.

We're stuck in a rental that's too small waiting for a house to buy to come up on the market and they are not because people are terrified, we did not plan for university aged children being here the entire year.

I'm a very resilient person usually, this is a dystopian nightmare.

I completely agree with you, I'd give you if they meant anything. I get all the arguments. But don't say its safe.

I told my kids that tonight we find out for sure whether they’ll be returning to school on 8th. 7yo did a huge happy squeal of delight whereas as my 5yo said she doesn’t even want to cross her fingers any more in case they move the date and they don’t go back; so for their sanity and mental well being (as well as my own) I really hope they return to schools on the 8th.
Yes, there’ll be risks, but looking at it like that none of us would ever leave a house; there’s risks everywhere.

@Quartz2208

Its not about schools been safe. There is no safe or unsafe at the moment unless you completely and totally stay at home until this is over.

The R rate is such that we have room now to start heading back to normal without it rising exponentially. The decision has been made that the room we have for the next 5 weeks is schools going back - nothing else. After that we should have more if it goes well and so on.

Schools going back wont cause another lockdown - people misunderstanding what it means for them going back. That the only room we have for now is schools going back.

As it lowers even more there will be more wiggle room. That isnt to say there wont be a rise in Community spread as schools open because of course there will be - what the hope is that it is not sufficient enough to make it grow and that vaccinations alongside it can cancel it out

It's still not 'safe and if you have read the latest PHE report you'd realise that the vaccine isn't a panacea

@Walkinglikeazombie

I told my kids that tonight we find out for sure whether they’ll be returning to school on 8th. 7yo did a huge happy squeal of delight whereas as my 5yo said she doesn’t even want to cross her fingers any more in case they move the date and they don’t go back; so for their sanity and mental well being (as well as my own) I really hope they return to schools on the 8th. Yes, there’ll be risks, but looking at it like that none of us would ever leave a house; there’s risks everywhere.

Agree, you've agreed that there are risks. Why has our esteemed leader denied this?

I hope that all of you sending children back to school with joy in your hearts, appreciate that in order for all this to work you will all need to act responsibly. I know that sounds patronising but I don't care.

@Viciouslybashed

I hope that all of you sending children back to school with joy in your hearts, appreciate that in order for all this to work you will all need to act responsibly. I know that sounds patronising but I don't care.

It's worse that that. The kids are mixing at school so why shouldn't they meet up/have sleep overs/go shopping

@FiveFootTwoEyesOfBlue

How many times?

The ONLY criteria for order of priority in receiving vaccines is likelihood of serious illness or death (except for NHS/carers who are exposed to massively more virus than teaching staff).

If teachers were prioritised over older or more vulnerable people, there would be MORE DEATHS.

Why is it only deaths that seem to matter? Personally I'd say severe long term consequences for a 50 year old is worse than a 90 year old dying a little bit earlier than they otherwise might have done.

OP is correct - schools are no more safe now than they were in December, so it's inevitable that COVID will start to spread between children and then back to their parents. The govnt presumably knows this and seemingly does not care - "some of you may die but it's a risk I'm willing to take" - and calling them safe means that those people who want their kids out of their houses at all costs, and who would happily question anything else that came out of this government's mouth, can simply turn their critical thinking skills off for this one specific case, tell themselves and everyone else that 'schools are safe' and go guilt-free about their day.

Now maybe this is actually a risk that is worth taking - I'll be sending my kids back after all - but lets at least be honest about these things, if only out of respect for the teachers who are justifiably concerned and in the end are the ones who have to walk the government's talk.

Boris Johnson has said that lifting lockdown will cause more hospitalisation and therefore deaths
I'm disgusted, but not surprised, at some of the comments on here.

Crying with happiness. Really.

@Teachernamechange

Boris Johnson has said that lifting lockdown will cause more hospitalisation and therefore deaths I'm disgusted, but not surprised, at some of the comments on here.

Crying with happiness. Really.

Oh ffs. Would you rather we lockdown forever until death isn't a thing anymore?

Have they ever cared about the number of deaths? Because from what I can get from all of the briefings Is they only care about the strain on the NHS! Thats why older people were getting the vaccines first. That’s how it’s come across to me anyway.

Boris Johnson has said that lifting lockdown will cause more hospitalisation and therefore deaths

Cars cause hospitalisation and death. I expect you’d have something to say if they were outlawed.

Personally I'd say severe long term consequences for a 50 year old is worse than a 90 year old dying a little bit earlier than they otherwise might have done

Yep. My gorgeous, intelligent mother who has done so much more for the community than I'd could ever imagine says the same. We love her, she is still contributing to society but she is realistic.

[quote mumsneedwine]@Fembot123 you might. I take my health over having students back. As I'm denied a vaccine I'm not going back. So 17 classes will have no teacher. All they had to do was vaccinate us. As Starmer said this could have been done over a weekend without causing any hold up to anyone else as they have the extra capacity. But Boris refuses to answer why he won't do this. So I'm afraid I'm out. [/quote]
You are putting your needs and wants above the children you are supposed to teach which is absolutely fine and the right thing for you and your family, but dont get upset by parents who are putting the needs and wants of their children before you.
We all have to put our own family first in every situation and deal with the consequences of other peoples decisions as they arise. None of this is perfect or ideal for anyone. I hope you get vaccinated soon.

There will be deaths from Covid every year. There will be hospitalisations every year. So you’re proposing permanent lockdown then as that’s the only way to get zero deaths? How stupid.

Its exactly the same as when they went back in September. I can't wait and my dc is so excited aswell 😆 🙌

Oh ffs. Would you rather we lockdown forever until death isn't a thing anymore

But what difference would 3 more weeks make?

So many completely selfish and uncaring people on here, I am gobsmacked. Can nobody get the fact that putting additional measures in place (staggered return, rotas in secondary, proper ventilation, masks in classrooms) will not only benefit all children by reducing the chance of having to isolate, but would also prevent families like mine, with clinically vulnerable dc, having to make a horrific choice between the mental health and education of our children (keeping them at home whilst everyone else is back in full time with minimal mitigations) and the risk of very very serious consequences for the health of one of them. So much ‘I’m alright Jack’ on these threads, I genuinely think no one gives a toss about vulnerable children and their families. And I am certainly not suggesting that schools stay shut ‘forever’, just that reopening them is done in a more measured, cautious way rather than “all schools open for all children” on 8th March.