January (schools)

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If we are faced with remote learning, will school be open for vulnerable children?

I doubt schools will close again tbh. There are hardly any kids left standing locally who haven't already had Covid!

I expect them to stay open for vuneravle children and key workers.

Mine will stay home if schools closed and maybe even if they dont nut should

I hope they don't close!

But they should certainly stay open for exam year pupils. They've already missed soo much schooling over the past 18 months...!

If - and it is a very big if because I don't think there is a wish to do that - there is a move to online learning I am as certain as I can be about anything they will be open for vulnerable children.

I really really don’t think schools will close again. Apart from anything there is no point because nearly all children will be in as it turns out all jobs are pretty important.

Hopefully Omicron will be confirmed as a mild virus, in which case schools don't need to close. In fact, it might be better for the virus to spread so as to replace the delta variant and to build up immunity.

I think it's possible schools will close again. It will all depend on whether hospitals are coping.

Yes apart from temp situations where there aren't enough staff. I think lockdown style school closure as before is unlikely anyway. I think all the predicted modelled scenarios include keeping schools open.

I doubt they will close at all, but if they do I expect it will be much more like the end of lockdown 3 where heads were told to encourage every child that could be eligible to go in, rather than lockdown 1 when they were told to try and keep all but the most severely in need children away.

I don’t think they’ll close across the board but may be some will have ad hoc classes off

I don't think they'll close (unless the numbers start to affect adults too much). I think it will just continue in the same haphazard way it has this term, but hopefully with fewer teen hospitalisations due to vax.

I think it would be an utter disgrace if the schools were closed again.

I'm happy to follow every other rule and observe all other restrictions but enough is enough. Children need an education.

They won’t close again on a permanent basis. There may be some closures if there are outbreaks but it won’t be a blanket across the country closure.

Be a bloody outrage if they did. There was a report out last week about how behind children now are with education. We can’t afford to fail our children anymore for a virus that is incredibly mild for them!

I’d imagine schools may close on an individual basis if there are severe staff shortages. But this would only be for two weeks at most.

There would be a huge outrage if the Government attempted to close schools again!

Funny but I've just had a text from my sons high school asking about my key worker status, I think they're getting ready

I can't see them closing but who knows. I do know that people will be using key worker status much more than in previous closures if they do (I'm included in that).

I don't think they will close. They should do everything else before they get to that.

Hardly any point anyway I suspect 70% at least would claim key worker status so would be really unfair on the kids who have to stay home.

True, if they allow exam years 11 and 13 and all key worker children then hardly any kids would stay at home..!

If they do I will suddenly develop a full time job. I currently work 3 days as a HCP but DS needs to be in school.

At this point pretty much all children need to be in school.

Keep a lower percentage out is madness and very bad for them.

I think it's unlikelymschools will be ordered to close.

But I think it's very likely there will be outages if there is too high a level of staff sick absence (and that will mean total closure - no key worker provision)

There aren't enough supply teachers to patch that, and the vague idea goung round about a volunteer corps to keep schools open (separate thread on that) is so full of holes it's a colander.

So it's going to be, potentially, really tough for Y13s and what it means for A levels. Not terribly good for Y11s either, but they aren't facing university entrance in a year which was exceptionally competitive (all those who held over from last year) and being the first year which has both GCSE and A levels disrupted

It would be lunacy if they close.

I hope to God the education minister stands up to the unions this time. Mental health effects of the closures were so damaging last time, not to mention the educational hit.

The thought of this is utterly sickening and beyond belief. After the past nearly 2 years of interrupted education - and now 3 vaccinations later through (most of) society - they can close schools again? WTF - if they do that each time there is a new variant then the threat to their education will never, ever end.

Schools in parts of Wales have switched to online learning for the last few days of term. Still open for vulnerable and key worker kids.