Considering whether schools might close in Janl?

[PigeonLittle]

Trying to create a title so as not to panic anyone!

What are your guesses, will schools close again?

@sashagabadon

I agree canary. Lockdown 1 did contribute to Arthur’s death as if he had been at school his injuries and his loss of weight would have been noticed.

Certainly they might, but his father kept him at home after lockdown was lifted.

www.theguardian.com/society/2021/dec/03/arthur-labinjo-hughes-timeline-of-events-that-ended-in-his

A bit of education for the teachers too as to how covid works (and that a bit of extra hand washing is not enough) would be great

Do tell all the thick teachers, why don't you?

You do realise teachers have to do as they are told, so it's not them, it's advice from the LA.

2 week extension to the holidays if the pubs stay open for new years maybe.
If pubs close then I can't see how they will be able to justify schools closing.

@canary1

Just to be clear - no one is promoting school closures, what we are doing is discussing them.

The government are not going to keep schools open if the harms of keeping them open are deemed to outweigh the harms of closing them. You know that. The government is already aware of the implications for children at risk.

Anyone promoting school closure as a societal measure should be ashamed of themselves.

Anyone citing the case of that poor child as an argument against closing schools should be ashamed of themselves. His circumstances were unique and nothing to do with school closure.

echt
His father was a murderer? So yes, we know he made bad decisions for his son. The point is that before 2020 and mass school closure, this absence would obviously been taken seriously, parents couldn’t just decide to keep their kids home for this length of time.
Again, school closures in this manner gave murderers the circumstances in which to do whatever they wish.

R4 had a piece on lockdown and impact on child abuse - this morning

Most can see the connection.

And it should be discussed so the harm and impact is recognised

Even if on here it’s waved off

Shutting any service is undoubtedly complicated and we are facing a very difficult situation.

When there is difficult decision-making, there will be unintended consequences.

This is what covid has done - destroyed the (rather crappy, if we are honest) equilibrium we had got used to.

Yes it’s difficult, personally I’d like to see more weight to impact on dc

There is a lot of possible harm from both courses of action.

I am glad I do not have to decide and can pontificate without impact. There are no good decisions just now it seems. I sometimes wish I could have the certainty other people show but I remain firmly unsure what is best wrt schools. I know what is best for my own kids is schools open, but the system isn't about just me.

However, I say again - with the Omicron numbers, I do not see how they stay open uninterrupted.

That’s fine. Certainty doesn’t really figure but I appreciate that the conversation has changed and finally the huge harms are being discussed.

Finally acknowledging the impact on dc.

It’s been swept away too easily so far

There’s a statistic out this week (I’ll find the source) that only 8% of children have benefitted from the additional COVID catch up funding provided to schools. This is because there just aren’t enough teachers/supply teachers (among other reasons) to provide the support. Additionally the Ofsted annual report is out and states the negative impact lockdowns have had, unsurprisingly, and its ‘naice’ families who have been affected too by lack of (as much) progress.

Parents need to do everything they can to support teachers and schools. LFT couple of times a week even if asymptomatic, reduce high risk events/gatherings if possible and definitely sending them in when school is open and teachers are available to minimise more days they’re missing.

@MarshaBradyo

Yes it’s difficult, personally I’d like to see more weight to impact on dc

For once.

The impact of covid on children is not all on one side. Every covid wave creates more orphans and child carers for example.

Well one of my children's schools have already had to close due to so many teachers testing positive.

They are certainly preparing as when they logged in, there was already work for January uploaded.

TikTokbitches Yes one of my children’s class was sent home due to staff sickness. But they are back up and running. Same with my Gp practice, lots of sickness few weeks ago. Now much better.

@rrhuth

The impact of covid on children is not all on one side. Every covid wave creates more orphans and child carers for example.

No, it isn't one sided. That's the point. We've seen far too little understanding of that.

@canary1

echt His father was a murderer? So yes, we know he made bad decisions for his son. The point is that before 2020 and mass school closure, this absence would obviously been taken seriously, parents couldn’t just decide to keep their kids home for this length of time. Again, school closures in this manner gave murderers the circumstances in which to do whatever they wish.

Have you read the timeline?

The parent kept his child home when the school was open.

@MarshaBradyo

R4 had a piece on lockdown and impact on child abuse - this morning

Most can see the connection.

And it should be discussed so the harm and impact is recognised

Even if on here it’s waved off

Where has this been waved off?

I don't know what's worse. Schools potentially being closed or the daily mayhem we're enduring at the minute with them being open but the endless drama, scaremongering, adhoc days off whilst being told to keep healthy kids at home while await PCR results etc (this could just be at my own children's school). I don't see this improving anytime soon.

I don't think it will be all or nothing. I think schools will have to shut classes or potentially the whole school if their staff are off sick with Covid or looking after their own kids. If there are no staff, they can't safely have the kids in school. Bigger schools will find it easier as they have more staff who can cover. Supply teachers are like unicorns at the moment, I'm a school governor and it's impossible to get cover for anything, not just Covid. So, I think there will be kids at home learning next term, but not because the government shuts all schools.

It's often responded to by pointing out that there will always be parents who abuse their children, which amounts to waving it off. Because after all, everyone knows that and nobody thinks child abuse didn't exist before March 2020.

echt
Yes I know his school was opened then. But was he attending it? Nope. The school were happy with his fathers explanations. Would that have happened before mass school closure? No.

Do criminals say ‘ yes please I’ll send my child in because they are vulnerable, living with me’? No.

In June 2020 it was acceptable to keep your child at home if you wanted to, if you chose to.

I can’t explain it any more clearly. If you are unable to understand the link between mass school lockdown and how circumstances it allowed some children in, so be it.

No, it isn't one sided. That's the point. We've seen far too little understanding of that.

I agree. It’s taken too long but changing now.