Should schools close again?

[FuckinGoddess]

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 ?

No absolutely not the kids have lost enough education and social interaction

I shall also point out that for some kids especially in winter it means they are warm and safe all day and get a hot meal which might be the only 1 they get because of the home life some kids have

Absolutely not. Education should continue in schools. They should, however, encourage people to wfh again where possible and insist that masks are worn in all indoor public spaces.

@cantkeepawayforever

I am completely in agreement with those who say ‘schools must stay open so we must do everything we can to mitigate the risks in schools, including restrictions in wider society’. I want schools to remain open to all, with children being taught by their permanent teachers, every day.

I am less in agreement with those who say ‘I want schools open but I do not support anything at all that genuinely facilitates this.’

I don't particularly want any restrictions as in things like closing pubs etc. I'm happy to mask up and ventilate where needed. If necessary I'd stop socialising rather than see schools shut although I hope it doesn't come to that.

@cantkeepawayforever

1st lockdown End March - 1st June - Small numbers in (up to about 25% of my school)

1st June - end July - 50% of school in (mixture of allowed year groups + keyworkers).

2nd lockdown
At least 50% of the school in throughout.

They aren't tiny numbers - that is an exaggeration.

That was not happening in Scotland

@Tittyfilarious81

I shall also point out that for some kids especially in winter it means they are warm and safe all day and get a hot meal which might be the only 1 they get because of the home life some kids have

Exactly. Which is why even temporary closures due to Covid illness in staff should be avoided at all costs through mitigation and measures within society - these vulnerable children were, in the main, accommodated throughout the lockdowns but a closure due to lack of staff has no exceptions for vulnerable children.

Pootle - it was almost universal in local primaries. Secondary was different (as I experienced - teaching one year group in person and another online, or half a class at home and half in school, was my job, while my child’s secondary had almost nobody in).

No. Don't be fucking ridiculous.

That's my toned down response (from "fuck off").

Would that we could identify those children who are at risk in the home reliably enough to actually know most of them were in school during the closures.

Seems like a resounding NO

I think that it is clear from this thread that the question:
‘Should schools close?’ is met with a resounding and emphatic ‘No’.

The question ‘How can we ensure that schools don’t need to close, not even due to staff illness or large outbreaks?’ is a more complicated one, and one that can’t be solved by simply declaring that schools ‘should’ be open.

these vulnerable children were, in the main, accommodated throughout the lockdowns

You keep telling yourself that

@VikingOnTheFridge

Would that we could identify those children who are at risk in the home reliably enough to actually know most of them were in school during the closures.

Of course. But not even the known ones can be in a school shut due to staff illness.

I mean....In the general sense, for most children closing the schools meant:

1. disrupted education (and a chasm or difference between schools: worksheets upon worksheets for some; live lessons for others)

2. lack of socialisation with peers (which for some was isolating and for others meant they could become recluses)

3. huge impact on mental health (due to above 2 reasons and others)

But for some individual families, it meant hiding the truth and allowing abuse to continue or escalate - do you really want another tragic situation like poor Arthur (RIP little boy)

Sorry, cross posted with Keating. I did not say that they were all accommodated. The point I was making was that NONE are accommodated in a school closed through lack of staff. None. Not a single one.

The point I was making was that NONE are accommodated in a school closed through lack of staff

Which would be for what? Days? A week tops?

Compared to months of lockdown.

No, of course they bloody shouldn’t.

We have only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the damage caused by long-term school closures.

We have only seen the tip of the iceberg in terms of the damage caused by long-term school closures.

Quite. Fuck knows what will emerge with time.

@Eightandahalfyears

Nope. Neither should anything else.

This!

Again, a misreading of my point. I do not want any schools to close, at all, because I want mitigations in society and in schools to keep children and staff well. That is what will keep vulnerable children in school. At the moment, each ‘temporary’ closure, that another poser didn’t seem to care about, puts vulnerable children at EVEN HIGHER risk than lockdown did.

@TheKeatingFive

these vulnerable children were, in the main, accommodated throughout the lockdowns

You keep telling yourself that

Actually no that's not quite right the vulnerable children are children known to the school to be vulnerable so there has been school intervention or sometimrs social services. In my area there is poverty so alot of free school meal children and parents who maybe can't afford to keep the house warm all day etc ,these kids are not vulnerable so not able to go in school plus some parents hide the extent of how much they struggle

Again, a misreading of my point.

Not at all. Short, temporary, very limited closures are not even remotely comparable to wide scale shutdown of schools.

So, we are all agreed- schools should stay open. So what are we doing to make sure that they do, through keeping all staff and children well?

Actually no that's not quite right the vulnerable children are children known to the school to be vulnerable so there has been school intervention or sometimrs social services.

And you can guarantee you've clocked them all, or that no new problems will emerge in pressurised times?

C'mon now.

@cantkeepawayforever

So, we are all agreed- schools should stay open. So what are we doing to make sure that they do, through keeping all staff and children well?

Well exactly! I am so the government is doing nothing to make schools healthy places to be for staff and pupils