Email from DfE to Headteachers. Schools prepped to shut again?

[AntiMaskersAreTwats]

Do you think this means it likely schools will shut again?

@Kokeshi123

If the UK does close schools again for a few weeks, it might be a better idea to have a serious think about the idea of "treat closures as a complete break for kids/staff, and then open schools for part of the summer holidays instead."

That is what they did in Japan and I was so bloody glad. The kids are not behind here at all. And it was better than messing about with remote learning. The stats and figures from the results of online are now coming back, and they are pretty clear: at the macro level, most kids learn very little from online learning. A lot learned close to zero or actually fell backwards, forgetting stuff they knew already while not learning anything new.

In addition, in the United States, where most school districts rolled out online platforms in a more concerted way and much earlier than in the UK, the "look, we're doing online learning" seems to be getting used as a reason to let school closures drag on and on.

So I can only have my holiday from work in lockdown time when I can't go anywhere or even visit my family??

No way would I agree to that.

And who is going to look after the families of key workers and vulnerable children during the lockdown?

@MarshaBradyo

Dozer I’m sure many would join you.

Hopefully changed are happening anyway through parliament:

Isn't that bill getting it's second reading in Feb?

It'll be too late!

I.dont mind the term times changing in the future if we're going to have permanent rounds of Covid floating round in the winter term. A shorter summer holiday isn't ideal but would be okay. Not very helpful if school staff and families lose money on already booked summer holidays though.

@MarshaBradyo have you protested about school funding before, the reduction in children's services, that has impacted many vulnerable children well before the pandemic.

Schools local to me are struggling to access services for vulnerable children, nearest person available the other side of the county etc. And this is with schools open. Why aren't parent protesting about that, and not just the families who are directly impacted?

What is the point of closing schools? There isn't.

What is the bloody end game here?

The end game is to get everyone vaccinated. Unless and until people step forward and cooperate there is no end. A simple fact.

End game is international population equilibrium in immunity. Each wave builds immunity either through infection or vaccination. You eventually get to a point where things are endemic so things dont peak as highly and as often. But everyone has to have it.

Pandemics usually last several years. I think one issue with vaccines is about whether they prolong that period or reduce it.

Jury is out.

I think what we have discovered is that we can't stop a pandemic once its started.

1. The point of closing schools is to minimise the spread. It really, really does work.

1. Schools almost certainly shouldn't close again. The loss of learning and the loss of social care support and mental health support that schools provide is practically all there is out there for our children now.

1. Some schools will have to send children home for periods of time anyway AND ALREADY ARE DOING SO because staff get sick and there is no slack in school staffing, ever, and there is virtually no supply available anywhere.

All three of the above are emotionless facts.

@toomuchlaundry

If schools don’t have staff they may not have a choice. Not much use protesting about that.

Why aren’t more parents protesting about money spent on education, about the lack of capital funding and the state of some school buildings, the lack of proper ventilation. Much better to march and protest about that. What about cuts to many services to that schools are now having to take on a greater role for children’s welfare and wellbeing. Why aren’t parents protesting about that? That is causing harm to vulnerable children but didn’t see swathes of posters on MN pre COVID threatening to march

Amen to that.

Posters falling over themselves to bang on about schools as 'essential infrastructure' are notably absent from any discussions on here about how poorly funded and badly resourced they are.

If they genuinely gave a shit about schools and education, they'd have been protesting already.

Govt has just announced schools should pay for their own ventilation systems if they want them. I mean, sure, we can't even afford to repair the leaking roof in three different areas on our school site but, yes, let's pay for a ventilation system, extra staffing, extra cleaners, hand sanitiser, extra heating for open windows, all with zero extra budget.

And if they do buy them, Dangling, it is to be from govt-approved suppliers.

We know how that goes.

Hmm hmm. [nods sagely]

1. The point of closing schools is to minimise the spread. It really, really does work.

Well, it worked in terms of reducing contacts and helping minimising spread on the last two occasions. It doesn't follow that it will do again, however. Because in 2020 and 2021, school closures were accompanied by furlough programmes that allowed sufficient parents to look after their DC at home. Not all, but enough. That system no longer exists, so the number of parents needing both to work and have their children looked after will be higher. There will be a larger pool of children in ad hoc, unofficial, cobbled together arrangements which obviously means a higher number of contacts.

It would be more accurate to say it works when accompanied by policies allowing enough parents to look after DC at home and keep contacts low. We don't know what it looks like when that plank has been removed.

Twinkle yes it should have been a couple of months earlier

Still I’m glad it’s being spoken about now, it was in he news as more people are adding voices of support (children related can’t recall names)

It must be clear by now the value this government places on our children and our state education. The pandemic has certainly proved that by paltry amount of extra funding made available. Schools will stay open but as a parent I know our children are being treated unfairly.

Viking if they close schools they will have to bring back furlough. Which is the number 1 reason they will do everything they can not to. All those that scream we can't afford a lockdown, a lockdown will cost less than the NHS collapsing and mass amount of society being ill at the same time.

On protesting before when I say a vulnerable group I mean all children are impacted and I think society should shift on this now, it’s pretty much the reason for the bill - the reasons encompass all the harms

Interestingly, a local independent school attended by children in my wider family has closed early due to rising cases.

Some people only seem to give a shit about vulnerable children when they can wheel them out as an argument against covid measures.

Notable, and disgusting.

All children are vulnerable as a group.

Its not hard to get.

And as a group they have been de-prioritised and now people are looking to change status of schools to essential infrastructure.

And is this bill going to go further and properly fund schools as 'essential infrastructure'? No, I didn't think so!

Society shifting to look after a vulnerable group - ‘disgusting’

Hmm odd reaction.

Changing the status of schools to essential infrastructure so that they can't be closed nationally as a covid measure and not so that they get extra funding, measures to keep them open, priority for staff vaccination or whatever is exactly the sort of cynical use of 'vulnerable children' as political pawns that I'm talking about.

And anyone who invokes a recent child murder purely as an argument against closing schools/lockdown and not as an argument for greater funding for social services or a wider discussion of the complex reasons for a multitude of failings can go fuck themselves.

@VirusgonnaVirus

Viking if they close schools they will have to bring back furlough. Which is the number 1 reason they will do everything they can not to. All those that scream we can't afford a lockdown, a lockdown will cost less than the NHS collapsing and mass amount of society being ill at the same time.

I agree, there isn't going to be a national mandated closure again, for those reasons. If there are closures they will be ad hoc, due to staff shortages, and probably won't include keyworker provision either. For that reason they're not going to have the impact they did previously.