Likelihood of schools closing again before summer...

[confuseddotcomma]

I know noone knows what will happen. But I feel this is increasingly more likely every day... Fingers crossed we can hold out until the summer holidays!

Given that they are winding up the furlough scheme, which school closures would be reliant on being in place given the number of working parents, then I can't see it likely.

@confuseddotcomma

I'm so frustrated by all this! I know we all are... I'm not trying to upset teachers but I'm so upset myself about what has happened to my kids and about having to keep working in unsafe conditions myself for such a long time. I'm jealous tbh! I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe! You teachers are very lucky with that. I wish there could be more support and good will from all sides. I wish my local school could do something different for the kids so they don't come home crying every day in key worker sessions. I wish I wasn't a nurse mostly!!! I know there's no solution, it's just shit for us all

The unions only supported us in pointing out there was a legal protection against working in unsafe conditions. Your union could easily have done the same.

If you are unhappy about keyworker provision that was there for your kids then that’s sad, did you speak to the school? It’s unfair to be dismissive of other’s concerns because a school hasn’t provided exactly what you wanted. My GP hasn’t provided the service I wanted over the last year, but I wouldn’t dream of wanting any health professional working in unsafe conditions and being constantly denigrated by the public.

Schools won’t shut en masse unless a new variant really takes hold and is much more dangerous. Your local school may close but you won’t get any keyworker help in that case anyway.

I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe!

Are you in Unison? They have been doing an awful lot to campaign for the members from the NHS, including threatening strike action, all throughout this pandemic.

I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe! You teachers are very lucky with that.
Do you genuinely believe teachers have not been working in unsafe conditions?
I can't believe you don't have masks in schools, for example.

@MaMelon do you know what area that was in? Glasgow?

Just checked and we have 5 cases per 100000 currently, so can’t imagine they would close schools!
It’s also potentially easier to do lessons outside

Maybe a year group sent home to isolate but I think schools in general should be ok. Not many weeks now before they break up.

I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe! You teachers are very lucky with that.

Lucky? Working for months at close range with classes of 30+, not wearing masks in poorly ventilated buildings with very few of us vaccinated. Yes, very lucky

One of our local schools is closed until at least next Monday as a few classes have been told to self isolate, all the other school in the area are still open.

I wish my union would support me in not working when it was unsafe! You teachers are very lucky with that.

Teachers have been working in unsafe conditions for ages. Lucky teachers.

One of my TAs spent a month in intensive care with covid. She feels very lucky.

Not nationally, no. It’s not long till the summer holidays and even if schools become a real issue nationally again over the next few weeks (they aren’t now), this government is famously slow to act.

Obviously individual schools have already had to close due to new variants spreading like wildfire and that will continue. Hopefully outbreaks in schools will be clamped down on more robustly and rapidly (whole year groups sent home, whole school closures) than before Christmas when it was allowed to circulate largely unhindered in secondary kids.

Why on earth were your children coming home 'crying every day' due to school's provision? What on earth were they doing to them?!

Really surprised by all these comments. I know feelings are running high.
Of course I would get childcare if schools close as my husband and I are both nurses. Yes we have complained to the school a lot about what they provide. They don't do anything about it.
Of course I don't want teachers working in unsafe conditions but as I've said before I'm just jealous that schools have been closed and teachers have been more protected than us! We haven't had the choice to be at home through the worst months. Instead the government lies about what PPE we have and how it protects us.
Honestly I wish we weren't being pitted against each other by this horrible situation and our crap government. I wish none of this was happening as I'm sure do you!

I am a teacher. I've had my vaccine. I'm 30. I'm the second youngest member of staff at my school. Everyone over 25 has been invited for the first vaccine in our area. I don't think that many teachers who would take the vaccine haven't been offered it.

@PurpleDaisies they are in comparison to nurses is all I'm saying. Two of my colleagues died and many many more were very unwell with covid. We work in close contact with actual covid patients. I'm not saying teachers have had it easy I'm just saying I think they've had it better than us.

But that's in your area, Rosie. Other areas are available.

Also OP please don't quit your job over something that probably won't happen. Use annual leave if it does.

Honestly I wish we weren't being pitted against each other

You are doing some of the ‘pitting’ here!

Ah so the thread is really just a dig at teachers.

I can’t see it. I know numbers are rising elsewhere but our numbers are 5 per 100k and we aren’t a tiny village or anything. It would be appalling if schools in our area were closed any time soon

I think we might see localised short term shut downs if there are big enough outbreaks but I can’t see it at a national level again

I'm just jealous that schools have been closed and teachers have been more protected than us!
Eh? Could you explain how they have been more protected?

Why are you making a competition OP? Are you complaining about the many people working from home? Or those on furlough?

Erm 0%!

@Howshouldibehave

I don’t think there will be another national school closure in the summer term, though it wouldn’t surprise me if it happened again in the winter.

This. Vanishingly unlikely before September - after September? All bets are off. I'd like to say they won't close schools again, but who really knows. I also think the government don't plan another lockdown but that doesn't mean it won't happen.

teachers have been more protected than us!

Tell us when you and your colleagues were offered the vaccine, and what covid restrictions there are in your workplace?

I’m surprised I spot this as a teacher bashing thread earlier.

I’m out.