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Original poster

Should schools close again?

445 replies

FuckinGoddess · 30/11/2021 16:56

I’m at the end of my tether.

Worried about Omicron, of course, and the devastating effects it could have on lives.

Worried about children missing out on even more education. Worried about being forced to stay at home again. And worried about people dying.

What do you think will happen? What should happen ?

OP posts:
HesterShaw1 · 02/12/2021 09:26

As she said don’t socialise if you don’t need to whereas that is not the general gov message.

I think she muddled things unnecessarily

She absolutely does. WTF is "un/necessary socialising anyway?" Under whose definition?

HesterShaw1 · 02/12/2021 09:28

@RedHot22

I have no issue with teachers perhaps quickly collecting a takeaway coffee or similar and taking it home or perhaps sitting on a park bench

Meanwhile their students are having parties and sleepovers

I think this poster was clearly taking the piss.
rrhuth · 02/12/2021 09:41

@HesterShaw1

As she said don’t socialise if you don’t need to whereas that is not the general gov message.

I think she muddled things unnecessarily

She absolutely does. WTF is "un/necessary socialising anyway?" Under whose definition?

Yes I was pretty Confused at the idea of unnecessary socialising, almost all socialising is unnecessary in the strictest sense of the word, apart from for, you know, making life worth living!!
rrhuth · 02/12/2021 09:50

Although I see George Freeman has this morning said big Christmas parties may be unwise... and he is a member of the government!

madmomma · 02/12/2021 10:12

Closing schools again would be catastrophic for those children whose mental health declined in the last lockdown. Just as they're recovering.

Howshouldibehave · 02/12/2021 10:28

I think this poster was clearly taking the piss

Which poster?

Montecristocount · 02/12/2021 11:17

Of course they shouldn’t close. There will always be mutations, the reaction cannot be to close the bloody schools every time one is discovered!

Treaclepie19 · 02/12/2021 11:45

@Runaway1

Teachers are ‘running the covid gauntlet’ in our school - all staff in one class off with it, one still not well enough to return to work 2 weeks later. The head and deputy had it, and many other staff. They have worked really hard to mitigate the spread and keep school open.

If they asked the parents for a giant gold plated mince pie to share in the staff room, I personally would be melting down my jewels and getting baking.

Well said. I agree completely.
herecomesthsun · 02/12/2021 11:49

@Malteser71

The language of covid is never more fascinating and dramatic than (a) on mumsnet and (b) when applied to teachers.

‘On their knees, in a classroom crawling like a Petri dish of covid, whilst covid rips through the school and they are mostly clinically vulnerable and literally terrified.’

It’s very curious.

What I find curious is how insulting, ungrateful and dismissive some posters on here are, of the hard work that has gone into keeping education going.

Speaking as a parent myself. And not a teacher.

CallmeHendricks · 02/12/2021 12:50

Thank you, @herecomesthsun
@Treaclepie19
@Runaway1

GreenLakes · 02/12/2021 13:10

@herecomesthsun

The majority of parents are grateful for the word undertaken by teachers as far as I can see.

However, there seems to be a belief from some posters that teachers are the only people who have worked during the pandemic.

Millions of others from bin men to shop workers have been at work every day for the last 18 months, unlike teachers who were at home on full pay for many months (and may well still be if the teaching unions had their way).

herecomesthsun · 02/12/2021 13:12

Didn't we have enough of this nonsense last autumn?

CallmeHendricks · 02/12/2021 13:13

@GreenLakes, name is one teacher who has said this. Just the one will do.

PurpleDaisies · 02/12/2021 13:19

However, there seems to be a belief from some posters that teachers are the only people who have worked during the pandemic.
Where have you read this?

motherrunner · 02/12/2021 13:26

[quote GreenLakes]@herecomesthsun

The majority of parents are grateful for the word undertaken by teachers as far as I can see.

However, there seems to be a belief from some posters that teachers are the only people who have worked during the pandemic.

Millions of others from bin men to shop workers have been at work every day for the last 18 months, unlike teachers who were at home on full pay for many months (and may well still be if the teaching unions had their way).[/quote]
My time machine works!

I have returned to Mumsnet Spring 2020!

Parker231 · 02/12/2021 13:44

@GreenLakes - teachers were at home when advised by government but all those I know as teacher friends and at the school I’m a governor at worked more hours during lockdown as they were managing key workers children’s in school classes and creating home learning with daily online classes.

Sounds like the schools you know are the poorly performing ones.

Tanith · 02/12/2021 14:01

According to the Coronavirus Infection Survey, sent out by the Government today:

people working in the education sector continued to be more likely to test positive in comparison with other working adults; this is likely related to the continuing higher infection levels among school-aged children; we have seen this result consistently since mid-September

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveycharacteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19uk/1december2021#characteristics-associated-with-testing-positive-uk

PrivateHall · 02/12/2021 14:07

[quote Tanith]According to the Coronavirus Infection Survey, sent out by the Government today:

people working in the education sector continued to be more likely to test positive in comparison with other working adults; this is likely related to the continuing higher infection levels among school-aged children; we have seen this result consistently since mid-September

www.ons.gov.uk/peoplepopulationandcommunity/healthandsocialcare/conditionsanddiseases/bulletins/coronaviruscovid19infectionsurveycharacteristicsofpeopletestingpositiveforcovid19uk/1december2021#characteristics-associated-with-testing-positive-uk[/quote]
To get back to the point of the thread, is this really a reason to close schools though? This is our lives now, covid is here to stay. There will keep being new variants. We have all been offered a vaccine and booster (or will be offered a booster soon). I well believe teachers are more likely to catch covid, along with all other bugs etc that kids like to share around. But we cannot keep closing schools forever, can we.

SpinsForGin · 02/12/2021 14:08

Millions of others from bin men to shop workers have been at work every day for the last 18 months, unlike teachers who were at home on full pay for many months (and may well still be if the teaching unions had their way).

What do you think l teachers were doing when they were at home? They were working!!!

I really hate this assumption that if you were working from home then you had it easy. I'm a university academic and WFH until I was allowed back on campus. I've never worked so hard in my whole career. It pretty much broke me.

Smokeyfish · 02/12/2021 14:08

No. I work in a school. All if fine. All is good.

PrivateHall · 02/12/2021 14:09

GreenLakes, what an incredibly pointless post. Like many people, teachers had to suddenly adapt to working from home with no preparation or training or proper equipment, many with their own small children running around too. Absolute nightmare. They kept working, they were not on furlough. You make it sound like they had months off Hmm It was bloody tough times, hardly a holiday!

herecomesthsun · 02/12/2021 15:05

I think at this point most people don't want schools to close at all.

There might be an argument though for tolerance of families who want a few days early holiday so that there is less risk of families having Xmas spoilt etc.

The stats on teachers being at risk of covid from work were probably posted in answer to an earlier post about this, rather than to argue for closing schools @PrivateHall

Madmog · 02/12/2021 15:13

Our school has just extended it's xmas holiday, so we're off for over three weeks. They're acknowledging staff have gone over and above what's required, but also thinking about the health of their staff and children over xmas, extending into the wider community!

Drumshambo · 02/12/2021 15:15

@Madmog

Our school has just extended it's xmas holiday, so we're off for over three weeks. They're acknowledging staff have gone over and above what's required, but also thinking about the health of their staff and children over xmas, extending into the wider community!
I hope more schools do this!
DoubleShotEspresso · 02/12/2021 15:16

I don't think in an ideal world anybody wants to see schools close ever again.

However, it's clear vaccination rollout is going to take beyond January to cover a sufficient volume even if (& that appears to be a big if) take up rises. There's also the issue of transmission still possible and rising with new variant, so I'd support at this stage an early extended Christmas break on the basis that people are sensible and avoid mixing / unnecessary trips etc. If it means we can have some sort of containment whilst we get a better handle on this new variant I feel it might benefit us all.
But longterm closures no, I think other areas such as retail and pubs should close before schools do , they should always be priority.