Schools - why are they doing this?

[Scrooge89]

Why are the media preparing us for school closures? They simply can’t do this to us…

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-59673271

Not to my children. My youngest struggled so much at home and was one of the 25% who couldn’t go to school (although I saw how much some people fudged the key worker card I may have to do it).

I think it's sensible schools have a plan in place of worst case scenario. If a high enough volume of staff are off sick/isolating after the festive period what else can they do? I've just booked the first week of January off work as holidays incase I'm needed for child care, and I've bought some supplies for home schooling, just incase, from the works, (paper, year 1 reading books etc).

Ok, so schools can't function without staff.

But in that case, parents have to be at home to look after their children and ensure that they are learning something.

So how's that bit going to happen?

@Trixiefirecracker

If there are no staff to teach, what do you expect them to do?

Not all staff will be off for weeks and weeks. Anyway, they should ditch SI rules and just ask everyone with Covid to crack on if they feel well in themselves. That way it will all be done and dusted in a few weeks.

My DCs' school has already switched to remote learning. Not sure on the whole school numbers but I'm aware of 10 cases in one class and many parents pulled their children to try and save Christmas.

My issue with January closures will be selling this to parents whose children have already had Covid. If 50% + of the children have had Omicron why keep the school shut?

Because what's the other option. Schools need to prepare for going back to online teaching if the rates continue to rise at the rate they are. As staff and children will be affected.

And probably more importantly be prepared because they know if Boris is going to close they won't get any notification like last two times and like what he did last Sunday with his 'booster drive'. Doctors didn't learn that until everyone else did at 8pm on Sunday.

Lockdown isn't to stop people getting it, it's to stop everyone getting it at the same time.

From a pp - this is the best sentence ever!

My DCs' school has already switched to remote learning That's awful, poor children.

Our school are doing business as usual, over the last week we had a large Christmas concert, Christmas plays, Christmas lunch for all years, all matches and fixtures have gone ahead, even indoors ones with other schools. After school clubs are running as usual and we had a wonderful winter fair this weekend.

We probably all have Omicron now but we'll probably all be immune by January. I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities.

Not all staff will be off for weeks and weeks. Anyway, they should ditch SI rules and just ask everyone with Covid to crack on if they feel well in themselves. That way it will all be done and dusted in a few weeks.

Oh, that's OK then. Never mind the ones that catch it from those who 'feel well in themselves'. Who decides what 'feel well' means. The one thing that has helped is having a set number of days off so that there is no obligation to crawl into work feeling ropey (as some many teachers do, and have done after their10 days) or, more importantly, whilst infectious.

I understand people are anxious but this kind of attitude to public health alarms me.

That aside, a 'few weeks' of chaos could cause untold disruption to exam years. The DfE has its head buried in the sand about exams yet again. Even localised closures of any magnitude will lead to TAGs.

@BigButtons

Of course they can do it if they have to do it. I teach. We want schools to stay open to all but if it isn’t safe then it isn’t safe. Do you have any idea how scary it is to be in a work place where covid is taking out large numbers of staff and pupils alike yet you you still have to chance your arm and go in?

Completely this. Ooooh, shut down the rest of the country and let everyone work from home. But not schools, schools have to stay open even though they are full of unvaccinated, unmasked children who spread covid as they are rammed into small, unventilated rooms. Why should teachers put our lives at risk when no one has lifted a finger to help make schools safer working environments and, in the case of Us for Them, have actively worked against making it safer? Teachers didn’t even qualify for early vaccination.

If the situation is so bad that there is a general country-wide lockdown again, schools need to close too as they are one of the biggest drivers of community spread. Any lockdown without schools will be pointless. And when schools are closed, the government need to actively work on making them safer, which is what should have happened in the summer of 2020. That will cost money so probably means higher taxes but we need to suck it up.

I would prefer to keep schools open because teaching online is not nice but I am so angry with the lack of consideration for adults who work in them. I have colleagues who have now had Covid three times, as have a number of the children. It isn’t always ‘milder’ either.

@CactusFlowers

Perhaps if the government had funded covid mitigations such as ventilation then covid wouldn’t whip through a school at such an alarming rate? No point in sending schools a bunch of carbon dioxide monitors if there is nothing you can do when it flashes red.

This! The government have wasted this entire year doing NOTHING about schools. This is because, as a society, we keep proving again and again how much we hate children.

I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities.

Youre so grateful that your children's teachers are being used as cannon fodder? What an odd way to show your gratitude. 🙄

@OYeMuppets

My DCs' school has already switched to remote learning That's awful, poor children.

Our school are doing business as usual, over the last week we had a large Christmas concert, Christmas plays, Christmas lunch for all years, all matches and fixtures have gone ahead, even indoors ones with other schools. After school clubs are running as usual and we had a wonderful winter fair this weekend.

We probably all have Omicron now but we'll probably all be immune by January. I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities.

56 million people have not had covid yet.

Schools which are forced to close are no less passionate about education. Schools which are open are probably just riding their luck.

@OYeMuppets oh yes, ditching isolating sounds like a great idea???🧐

Schools which are forced to close are no less passionate about education. Schools which are open are probably just riding their luck. It's different if they are forced due to staff shortages and very sad for teachers and students alike (I have teacher friends who want to be in the classroom and are not in the slights worried) Many schools have cancelled these fun events as a precaution, not due to staff illness.

@Imdreamingofapeacefulxmas

And why hasn't the gov "recommended" children can wear what they need too to keep warm? Why the hell are they still in school uniform??

Why does the government need to "recommend" that? Can't headteachers use common sense and say if the windows are open and it's a cold day, the kids (and staff) can wear warm clothes.

Sadly, it’s not all about our individual children. It’s about a health crisis that makes schools impossible to run.

We are going to have to stop thinking of the impact on ourselves, everyone else is in the same boat too and it’s awful for everyone.

@Scrooge89

Touchwood neither of my DCs schools have had to close. There was covid in elder DCs class beginning of school term in Sept identified by parents doing LFTs and two kids were off. Other than that it’s been fine! I do know both schools have restricted ‘outsiders’ coming on site eg no nativity/carols service etc

Things have changed a lot since September.

@htfdth

I'm fully expecting a delayed start to 2022. You'd be bonkers not to.. the media and government are ramping it up to the max. I was one of the parents who sidelined her own working from home to ensure her children did all their schoolwork daily at home, kept the routine ticking over and went for an hours walk daily.. only to be told when I questioned the head why they were going over the same work we'd completed at home that 'not everyone had your standards' this time round I'm going to enjoy flexible living with no school run and zero fcks will be given to complete any work.*

Same here. I could also be classed as a keyworker but deliberately kept mine at home as that was the right thing to do (and I could do some work from home). In the meantime, there were parents who worked weekends as keyworkers using school places for 5 days a week, so many pisstakers! It was awful actually to see people I respected and thought of as friends blatantly taking the piss. Not this time round! Mine will be going in if they possible can. I’m simply not prepared to put us all through that again.

@LethargicActress

If schools have to close because they have too many staff that are ill or waiting out an isolation period, then that is down to individual schools at the time that they are worst affected. Many schools will have already been through the worst of their staff absences this term and managed to get through it. There is no need and no point in closing all schools next term.

People are getting Covid twice or three times. You are obviously working somewhere very Covid safe if you haven’t seen that. The obvious impact of that is that it doesn’t rip through a school on one, solitary occasion but over and over.

Im a Scottish secondary teacher.

200+ kids were in the assembly hall yesterday every period with 2 deputy heads trying to administer crowd control while they watched a DVD. This meant those deputys could not be available for support if there were fights or emergencies if called. Some children experienced that more than once in the day. There are daily begging emails from the head to help them out with class cover, despite everyone doing the legal maximum class contact. This means preparation and marking and reporting goes undone.

Every class I've had has had at least 8 kids off out of 33 with covid or isolating. We are expected to batter on to prepare them for assessments.

Behaviour is beyond crazy. I've been teaching 12 years and I've never experienced anything like it. Kids turn up to classrooms with a note on the door sending them elsewhere, many kids don't cope with this last minute change of routine. Kids won't follow covid protocol, not wearing masks, not sanitising, not following proper isolation rules.

Teachers are on their knees. And belittled for saying it.

@OYeMuppets

My DCs' school has already switched to remote learning That's awful, poor children.

Our school are doing business as usual, over the last week we had a large Christmas concert, Christmas plays, Christmas lunch for all years, all matches and fixtures have gone ahead, even indoors ones with other schools. After school clubs are running as usual and we had a wonderful winter fair this weekend.

We probably all have Omicron now but we'll probably all be immune by January. I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities.

Are you part of 'Us for Them' by any chance?

What a twisted comment, implying that schools with sick children and staff who close aren't passionate about education.

I heard of first closures round here today. Not a whole school, but 3 year groups on one secondary. Too many cases amongst the staff to remain fully open.

All schools were reminded in the autumn to check their plans to deliver offsite learning. Looks like that's going to be needed, in part at least and for many.

I am so grateful that my kids' teachers are so passionate about all these opportunities

I think you'll find that all schools are like this. But 'being passionate' isn't enough to keep your school open when an infectious disease hits and causes significant levels of absence. It's just luck when and how badly. No amount of 'being passionate' makes any to the transmission of this virus.

@middleager
It's different if they are forced due to staff shortages and very sad for teachers and students alike (I have teacher friends who want to be in the classroom and are not in the slights worried) Many schools have cancelled these fun events as a precaution, not due to staff illness.

Reading comprehension?

School staff are just being sent in to work until they contract covid and have to isolate. How is it fair on the staff to have to do this while also giving up their lunch to supervise the dinner hall and take on playground duty too due to a lack of staff? Not to mention the fact they’re still expected to deliver all-singing, all-dancing lessons all day long, in fear of showing a Christmas DVD in case get a parental complaint.

Many parents are genuinely scared their child is missing out but many (like those kidding on to be key workers in the last lockdown), just can’t be bothered having to deal with their own child 24/7, often because of their behaviour. Yet amazingly, teachers are having to cope with 25-33 of those children at the same time, all day long.

If schools need to shut due to physically not being able to carry on any longer then they should, they’re not a babysitting service

I'm happy for school to remain open with strict measures in the place and procedures for dc who don't have want to comply.
Why on earth should staff be dealing with constant moans and often vicious reactions to windows being open? Why should staff have to put up with it? With co2¶monitors ignored? Even fellow in vaccinated staff slamming windows shut because they get "chilly"? Endless coughs and dieseses going around and nothing, no power to say, toe the line, keep us all safe or go home??