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).

@toomuchlaundry

As above, I know you need a DBS check but that's a one off event and then you can help all year as I used to do. I wouldn't be wild about taking a class as I'm not a teacher but I am a professional in my own field and do have a lot or transferable skills. Equally, my relative who is a retired teacher, so could be very helpful, has also been told she cannot help.

I'm not saying it's the overall solution but all these little things could help the situation if we weren't so blanket in our covid restrictions.

@motherrunner

Roll on lunchtime time tomorrow and can out this term to bed. I’m not even thinking about January. I’ll just make sure I have all my resources with me and my classes have all their books/folders etc. Johnson spent the weekend before Spring term boasting ‘schools are safe’ and 24 hours later we went into lockdown.

Be prepared as the Scouts say!

I was just recalling that myself! Sending kids and staff in for ONE day, to mix nicely after the Xmas break - then sending them all home again...

@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?

Agree with this so much.

Each day we go into school wondering which children will be off that day. Are they ok? Do they have covid? That child that coughed twice, is it covid? That child who I cuddled when they fell over. What if they test positive in a few days? That assembly I led for 60 children, will I catch covid? That time I partnered child A with child B, if child A gets covid am I responsible for them passing it to child B? My TA who is vulnerable, what happens if she works with a child who then tests positive? I close my window as I can hear my class as there is a PE lesson on the playground outside, will that mean I catch covid? Will I catch it? Will the children and then their families catch covid?

Although I don't want schools to close again due to the huge effect it had in my then reception age child, I also don't want to total shit show of last Jan. One day back at school and complete denial of any problems then close. That was the worst way to do it. The situation is becoming more serious by the day. I think we will be in lockdown by January sadly.

"Touch wood! and "been fine!" are the things that are stopping us get out of this.
Better for schools to plan than panic.

Also the not having parent helpers in, can come from Government advice and not schools. When our local Primary hit level 4 of their Outbreak Policy they were advised by PHE to limit visitors in school, which includes parent volunteers

@Scrooge89

The media…I don’t blame our schools for anything I can see the affect it’s had on the teachers. I just feel if people can go to pubs/restaurants / mix then we cannot close schools.

Maybe my 12 yo will engage more with remote learning if we go to our local 'Spoons with our laptops, a couple of bags of crisps and a glass of Coke.

Can people please, for the love of god stop saying ON THEIR KNEES!!!!
The NHS IS ON THEIR KNEES
SCHOOLS ARE ON THEIR KNEES

Change the bloody recors!

@toomuchlaundry

Also the not having parent helpers in, can come from Government advice and not schools. When our local Primary hit level 4 of their Outbreak Policy they were advised by PHE to limit visitors in school, which includes parent volunteers

This does worry me. Like I said I'm a parent helped but I'm also a trained early years teacher. I've been helping in reception and to be quite honest going over and above because they're struggling. If I'm not there (and I have had to miss a few sessions for isolation purposes) then they've said it does impact.

schools have to have contingency plans and would be failing to do their job properly if they didn't. As for they can't do this......of course they can if its what is necessary.

My sister's secondary school closed yesterday and we're in South West London

@CousinGreg what would you prefer we said? In DS's secondary school every year group has had to close at some point this term and revert to remote learning for a couple of weeks. I am assuming it is only going to get worse before it gets better

They should be closing schools early now alongside restricting all mass indoor mixing. If they wanted to slow Omicron, this would be the smart move, most are suffering already with staff and pupils off, it's only a few days until Xmas closure anyway - but those few days are days that Omicron will double and become dominant. If they closed now, stopped pantomimes and other large indoor gatherings etc, they quite possibly could save schools having to close in January.

They should know by now that early action and pain saves a lot more later action and pain - that's how exponential growth works.

But they STILL haven't learned those lessons because for Boris it's all about popularity and he'll only be popular if he waits until the bodies start piling up and then takes far too late drastic measures.

@CousinGreg

Can people please, for the love of god stop saying ON THEIR KNEES!!!! The NHS IS ON THEIR KNEES SCHOOLS ARE ON THEIR KNEES

Change the bloody recors!

I agree.

I prefer ‘fucked over by our corrupt, despicable Government’.

Parent helpers would be an extra pair of hands but school would truly be babysitting then. The government needs to recognise this.

The message from the government in my recent SATs training was that the children need to achieve the same end of year levels as a 'normal' year. This is placing massive stress on teachers and school staff. They also said 'if' you have children affected by lockdown or missed learning then they need to catch up. This is impossible without staff. The use of the word 'if' in that sentence caused my jaw to drop when it was said (by a trainer sitting in her home office).

My highly experienced and knowledgeable TA knows the children inside out and provides amazing support for the children in my class and can't easily be replaced.

The problem is that many people think that they could help but not take a class or deliver a proper lesson or deal with behaviour. These are the things that schools need their teachers to do. If too many teachers are off they don't just need people who are happy to be classroom assistants, they need people who can take and control a class. These people are not available. Anyone who can take and control a class is by definition a teacher ie someone who has left the profession or on maternity leave or is retired. These people largely will not come back and work in an environment where there is lots of covid. It is also not an easy job covering classes. The idea that some parents with a good education could slot in and man the schools is really pie in the sky thinking.

On Tuesday 10 minutes before our school nursery was due to open, we only had one member of nursery staff. We managed to get 1 supply and 2 staff who don't work that day raced in. But they would have had to close if we couldn't maintain the ratios.

The list of absentees has been huge this week. So it's not what we want but if not enough staff, the school cannot open safely.

@starfro

If Omicron is doubling every two days then it should have swept through the entire country by late December and be on the way down in January.

It's going to be a horrible few weeks, but unless lockdown is brought back in within days it should be over fairly quickly.

This.

@megletthesecond

"Touch wood! and "been fine!" are the things that are stopping us get out of this. Better for schools to plan than panic.

Schools are prepared. Online learning is in place.

The problem is - who supervises the children and helps them organise their work when they are not in school.

I’d much rather a sensible plan put in place and then not be needed then the ostrich approach and the chaos that creates.

This is just preparation isn’t it? we don’t know yet

Plus it’s going to be fast increase over next couple of weeks and see about Jan at the time

@Remmy123

Ive says this before. It should be on a schol by school basis not a blanket closure.

Our school was bad for a few weeks and now very low cases all back to normal.

If they close again they won't open for months like last time and our kids will be fucked.

I agree with this, but to close they have to get permission from the LEA and lots of them won't give it because the Govt is saying schools must stay open no matter what. Remember last winter when Gavin Twatterson threatened to sue schools in Greenwich that wanted to shut? LEAs do.

My OH works at a London primary that's got 26 staff currently off, either tested positive or their partner/spouse has so they've decided it's best to isolate. The school should shut, but it's not allowed to. If he gets to the end of tomorrow without becoming infected it will be a Christmas miracle.

@sarah13xx

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

Everyone still has to go to work? Why should teachers be any different?

Supply staff numbers are very low or non-existent, staff are run down and tired, the normal winter bugs are rife at the moment!

Our schools are doing everything to stay open but sometimes that is not enough!

Ultimately, schools have to take the advice of UKHSA (previously knwn as PHE). If they can't staff a class, it will also have to shut!

Two more schools near me have had to close today. Just two days away from the end of term. They had tried snd tried to remain open but with lrss than 1/3 of staff left without positive PCRs, it just isn't safe.

So, as has been said before many times on here, in individual school cases, there may be no option, and isn't too far a stretch to scale that up to areas then even to the country again.
Schools don't want to shut. The government doesn't want to shut schools. But we have all become aware over the last 20ish months that sometimes there are no good options.