What are your predictions for this school year?

[Sheepsheepmoresheep]

Be interesting to look back. I didn’t think they’d close the schools again this time last year, but I was wrong!

I don’t think they’ll close the schools again … but we’ll see!

That’s not what was said at all though, @mumsneedwine

At no point have I posted you shouldn’t be allowed to open a window.

I would just like some forethought to go into things this year. That's all I ask. Not knee jerk panic responses.

For example, if it starts to look (properly) like Dec - March are going to be carnage again, then let's make a plan for rota schooling. We can still keep the vulnerable/KW groups going, but can somehow work out a way of having the other children in school in smaller groups.

Something like in school for a week, then sent home for a week with follow up work. Teachers can plan for that, it wouldn't require tech access for everyone, little children can deal with it, parents have to do less time home schooling and working. Etc. School staff are able to distance from children, children are able to distance from children - or at the least have fewer contacts.

I dunno... just brain dumping.

@Sheepsheepmoresheep @Bryonyshcmyony am assuming neither of you work in a school ? I don't have any windows that open in my classroom. None. Zero. One door that opens onto an enclosed corridor. Room is so stuffy by end of the day.
I am not alone in this !

shouldn’t be allowed to open a window

We have to open windows, but also keep the temperature at 18 degrees or above. Impossible. So, closed windows.

That sounds horrific @RuleWithAWoodenFoot

Your assumption is wrong, @mumsneedwine

I know some schools are in a shit state of repair but you can’t seriously be suggesting that we should go to some sort of home schooling system because the windows in your classroom don’t open? Sheesh.

@Bryonyshcmyony

Surely you can open a window if you want, unless you are in a building with no opening windows in which case you can't 🤷🏼‍♀️

Well, the Government have said we shouldn't open windows if 'thermal comfort' is an issue.

Schools are cold when windows are open, but heating costs money - which the Government hasn't given us. As the Government has not mandated ventilation, parents complain (vociferously) that their children are cold.

Not all windows that have opening windows in theory do not have them in practice - painted shut, limited to a very tiny opening, unsuitable blinds or other coverings - and changing these things costs money.

There are spaces in pretty much every school that are used for teaching but do not have opening windows. These need mechanical ventilation - for which schools have no money.

Keeping windows open wasn't possible last winter. Believe me I tried but the kids were shivering and turning blue.

Also, to the poster who said have a rota system - we had almost 50% kw children in last lockdown. If they're in full time, when are the other 50% going to be able to come in?

[quote mumsneedwine]**@Sheepsheepmoresheep* @Bryonyshcmyony* am assuming neither of you work in a school ? I don't have any windows that open in my classroom. None. Zero. One door that opens onto an enclosed corridor. Room is so stuffy by end of the day.
I am not alone in this ![/quote]
Then you can't open a window 🤷🏼‍♀️

Then you can't open a window 🤷🏼‍♀️

So what do you propose should be done to ensure adequate ventilation?

@cantkeepawayforever

Then you can't open a window 🤷🏼‍♀️

So what do you propose should be done to ensure adequate ventilation?

I believe they are trialling air purification systems at some schools in the North.

What are those of us in Key worker jobs that aren't NHS, (therefore no KW school place, but expected to be in work full time, no furlough, no other options) supposed to do with "rota schooling"? How do I hold down the full time out of the home job that my family depends on to keep a roof over their heads and food on their plates when I have to be at home to educate my seven year old?

I don't want my kids to catch Covid. But I need them in school.

@noblegiraffe for once I agree with you.

I would just like some forethought to go into things this year.

The problem going into last September was that the government were lying about schools being safe and then covering up that they weren't, until the reality was undeniable and they had to close.

This time the issue is that the government have decided that children are ok to get covid but have not communicated that to parents or justified it, and are muddying the waters by coming up with (laughable) contingency plans that suggest that they might do something differently when covid is flying around schools, instead of that being what they want to happen. They've also done nothing to protect vulnerable kids in primary, which is outrageous, and have left the protection of vulnerable kids in secondary too late to be effective for the start of term.

It looks like vaccination is on the cards for secondary but again with no clear vision it's going to be a mess. If they're going to vaccinate, that suggests they are concerned about them catching covid, if they're concerned about them catching covid, why aren't they implementing any mitigation measures until they can be vaccinated?

What. Is. Their. Plan?

The whole thing sucks - I made a suggestion as an alternative to being completely at home again - just in case that wasn't clear.

I was teaching from home with my child at home too, it was shit. I don't want to do it again. But if schools are closed and I/my partner only have to do it half of the time, then yay. That's better than the whole time.

I also don't want to have to provide any learning for children who are isolating, but I have to. Pointlessly in most cases. It's literally doubling my work load. How come that's fair? I've had a pay freeze and a doubled work load over the last year.

What. Is. Their. Plan?

Indeed.

On the window opening front. If you have windows that open - they dont have to be fully open all the time so some sort of thermal comfort can be achieved. If you are lucky enough to have a high up window that can be left ajar thats perfect as no one sits in a draft. Otherwise airing between lessons.

Obviously no good with non opening windows which is why i want the government to fund air filters

@Sheepsheepmoresheep 🥴 er where have I ever said return to home schooling ???? I suggest a bit of money is spent on ensuring all rooms have opening windows. Why do people assume teachers like home learning ? It's horrible I hated it. Don't want to do it again, so I want to keep school open. But can't do that if I'm sick.
Staff ill = school closed

@noblegiraffe government and plan are not words I think go together 🤔😂

The situation is quite different for primary and secondary schools. Having a rota at secondary is not such a silly idea. Leaving a 12 year old at home alone every day is different to doing it half the time. Yes there will be a small amount who shouldn’t be left but there were very few students in secondary school during the last lockdown anyway. A lot of students have now received laptops or parents have bought them. Schools have got their act together for remote learning. A lot of grandparents have now been vaccinated and children are seeing them again. I think we do have to accept that the situation we have now is not the same as it was and alter plans.

But those who turned up for the festival clearly travelled and paid for a ticket and didn’t want to miss out - so preferred to dupe the rest so they could party?

May not have been the LFT that was the issue.

My biggest prediction is that exams will be cancelled at the last minute, no earlier than Easter. Case numbers will rise every week & the government will announce that the double jabbed will no longer have to isolate if testing positive & by October half term will have stopped counting cases & deaths, sweeping it under the carpet.

I don't want my kids to catch Covid. But I need them in school.

Parents who don't want their kids to catch (or spread) Covid are going to find that they have gone from being perfectly reasonable, to outrageously unreasonable over the course of the summer holidays.

Which is why my prediction upthread was that when schools return, we're going to have parents uncomfortable with the new lack of measures, particularly around non-isolation of extremely close contacts. I've already seen a couple of threads about it.

We have seen on this thread the claim that parents don't care if their kid catches covid, but that's obviously not the case.

Because the government has not clearly articulated this as their plan (just indicated it by their actions), nor justified it, parents will turn to schools. So pleas (and threats of legal action) for schools to implement more mitigation measures, e.g. notifying parents if sat next to someone whose household has covid, bubbles, isolation, masks, staggered starts, while from the other end we have threats of legal action not to implement more than the government guidance.

Schools in the middle trying to mop up the government's mess again.

@noblegiraffe

That was sarcasm.

People going 'oh we can't have x mitigation measure in schools, that would damage their education' should admit that schools being closed due to rampant covid was actually worse for their education.

Schools should no more need to close for rampant Covid than they would do for norovirus or flu. The fact that contacts won't have to isolate, and that many young people will get Covid without displaying the three "main" symptoms should hopefully mean Covid will pass through without massive disruption.

Unfortunately all children will be exposed to Covid at some point whatever we do short of extreme restrictions forever, so let there's little point in putting suppression measures in place that will end up closing schools.

See I would want to know if my Child sat next to someone with a positive family member - we presumably won't be able to tell parents even if we know.
But the kids will chat, and then cue irate parents blaming us for their kids getting Covid.

I think testing will drop off. Lots of people would rather live in ignorance than face the implications of a positive test - especially if asymptomatic or only under the weather.
Especially if employers are less than understanding or if they are self employed and can't afford to isolate.

Agree with PP - to use Boris' words, he should 'level with us' and explain that children getting Covid is their expectation as schools return.

I predict that the shit will start hitting the fan by the end of September but nothing will be done and the government will be hoping that half term will work as a circuit breaker, it won't and by Christmas we'll be in a worse place than last year.

The government don't seem to be willing to learn, people who are vaccinated can still get Covid-19, there's still a sizeable amount of the population who haven't been vaccinated either by choice or not. Covid-19 is here for the foreseeable future but it doesn't mean that we can't make adjustments to minimise the risk. Telling everyone to go back to the office, changing the goalposts in regards to isolating, not offering financial support to people who need to isolate but they've also got bills to pay, not improvi school's ventilation etc.

It just seems like a lot of missed chances.

My husband will not be going back to work in the office, what does that tell you when private companies as well as Local Authorities are going against government advice and embracing WFH? Yes some have dragged staff back.in but those staff are now a recruitment officer's wet dream.

Schools should no more need to close for rampant Covid than they would do for norovirus or flu.

Some schools close for norovirus every year.

Just 1 example