Do you think schools will return as normal in January?

[LucozadeGirl]

Just that really.

God hope so. Just had covid before Christmas and I've had the kids off for too long. They have sen and have been climbing the walls with boredom!

Primary teacher here. No news so far. I think if we re-introduce anything it'll be bubbles, but I'm not sure if we will do that tbh. We have gone back to Zoom assemblies, but that's about it.

@ScottishTinydancer321

You guys seem to be on the attack. I hope schools don’t close BUT it’s is important to do lft regularly even on healthy children (my son had so symptoms) as there will be vulnerable children and teachers and other adults in all schools. Also if a class gets over run the schools will send that whole class home which is even more unsettling for the kids. Keep school opens but schools do need more provisions to keep everyone safe and also As parents we need to use our common sense too. The virus has not gone we need to learn to adapt to it. Also the worry is the nhs, I already can’t get a doctors appointment. 111 has a massive wait time and ambalance as are struggling. No one wants their kid to not have a education.

Not sure what you mean by on the attack but no dc class getting delta over a short period wasn’t more unsettling than all the other methods used with dc to keep cases lower in adults.

@0ncloud9 Home education isn't ideal for many families, especially working families and families who do not have access to sufficient resources. Some children also find it very difficult socially and emotionally. As a teacher, I'd be really upset if we went back to home learning!

From the TES

"Geoff Barton, general secretary of the Association of School and College Leaders, warned this week that schools were doing "scenario planning" before their pupils returned and that "in the worst-case scenario, if you couldn't cover all of your year groups in that situation, you would have to make a decision - in secondary, for example, are you going to say exam classes come back and others are remote learning?"

Mr Barton said heads did not want this to happen but were "basically doing what wasn't done by the government last year, which was scenario planning"."

This is exactly what the head of our senior school has been saying.

Iwww.tes.com/magazine/news/general/fears-schools-cant-afford-knee-jerk-ex-teacher-covid-fix

I have read a few comments where people assume no closures because "surely they'd have told us by now" and "they'd have to give us more notice".

Have you forgotten last January, when England were told "schools open tomorrow, they're safe, no problem here" then closed the next day after the first day of term?

I really hope schools don't need to close, but don't assume anything at this stage. It's always best to have a back up plan, just in case.

“ Everyone I know would rather isolate to protect older relatives who they still want to have contact with”

My parents would never want my children to compromise their education to protect them. Either we’ll meet outside or we’ll test. And if we lived together for they’d be taking their chances I’m sure rather than expecting their grandchildren to miss out on education.

But there will be local closures at times when staff are ill, same as there will be closure in all aspects of our society. But then they’ll be back up and running after a short time.

It’s the blanket closures suggested by some ‘to keep everyone safe’ that’s so ridiculous - as well as damaging and wrong.

@kittensinthekitchen

I have read a few comments where people assume no closures because "surely they'd have told us by now" and "they'd have to give us more notice".

Have you forgotten last January, when England were told "schools open tomorrow, they're safe, no problem here" then closed the next day after the first day of term?

I really hope schools don't need to close, but don't assume anything at this stage. It's always best to have a back up plan, just in case.

That was madness wasn’t it. Mixing for one day then closing anyway. ‘Luckily’ in London they didn’t go back for that one day.

It’s nearly two years since this all started, kids have sacrificed enough. Everyone who wants to gas a vaccine. There could be no justification to blanket school closures now.
I can hardly believe some posters wanting schools shut generally to ‘keep everyone safe’ or to ‘protect older relatives’. Is there no end to wanting young people to be used as a shield to protect others, at their own expense?

So do mine. And so do all the vulnerable children for whom home is just not a safe place. Let alone a place they will get education.

@PeterPomegranate

So do mine. And so do all the vulnerable children for whom home is just not a safe place. Let alone a place they will get education.

Sorry there should have been a quote at the top of that saying

”Speak for yourself. Mine need to be in school”

@canary1

It’s nearly two years since this all started, kids have sacrificed enough. Everyone who wants to gas a vaccine. There could be no justification to blanket school closures now. I can hardly believe some posters wanting schools shut generally to ‘keep everyone safe’ or to ‘protect older relatives’. Is there no end to wanting young people to be used as a shield to protect others, at their own expense?

Is that not what happened? You could say, is there no end to adults using children to build herd immunity to protect themselves? Willingly infecting their children to protect their way of life. Without any thought about long term implications or how to make children's schools less disrupted and safer.

@TerfetyTERF

What job do you do?

I haven't seen any posts from teachers saying they are more at risk than anyone else. Merely sharing concern about risks in schools to all of the school community.

@canary1

But there will be local closures at times when staff are ill, same as there will be closure in all aspects of our society. But then they’ll be back up and running after a short time.

It’s the blanket closures suggested by some ‘to keep everyone safe’ that’s so ridiculous - as well as damaging and wrong.

We are expecting a lot of disruption in schools this term.

The disruption could be mitigated by better Government support and planning.

For example, many schools could not afford extra supply teachers even if a suitable one were to be available; the alternative is likely to be to close the class.

[quote CallmeHendricks]@DigitalGhost, like what?
I can't see what measures are going to be able to stop or even slightly limit this one running riot through school communities. [/quote]
No classes mixing except reception, teachers wear masks, windows open they added fleeces to the uniform so kids aren't freezing.
Few seem to send their kids in with a case in the house which is probably the biggest factor. That was at the request of the head teacher so I'm surprised people have done it.
They've managed it really well so far imo and haven't had too many outbreaks. Obviously everything is different with the new strain but going by how many people I know with it currently alot will have caught it over Xmas.

I won't be sending mine back. Primary schools have no measures and it's completely mad that we aren't trying to prevent this from infecting the kids at all or mutating further. I would feel much safer if schools had more protection and safety measures but that seems unlikely.

Mine are going back and I'm going back to work in a school. I'm triple vaccinated and will follow school rules regarding masks. If I get it then so be it, same goes for my kids

TerfetyTerf that's exactly what I'm trying to do, thanks. I just can't think of anything more likely to put that in jeopardy than getting together with 300 other staff from 3 different schools the day before the children come back? Do you really think that's the way to ensure high attendance for the first 2 weeks of term? I would happily avoid all my colleagues all term if it means I can have a full term of teaching children.

It's ensuring face to face teaching that is important, not sitting in education conferences. Would you disagree with that?

@ScottishTinydancer321 sensible and supportive post.

@Workyticket

Bit late to tell us if not but that wouldn't bother the government

I think there'll be local closures due to staff shortages but not whole country ones

I'm in FE and I worried we'd go back to teaching online but there's been nothing said and I'm hoping not

This - if the lack of LFTs doesn't get fixed sharpish staff shortages will be even worse, as there will be a lot of secondary and HE students going back to school in Jan without having done 2xLFTs to pick up asymptomatic cases in advance, purely because their parents can't get hold of any tests to do it.

@blameitonthecaffeine

TerfetyTerf that's exactly what I'm trying to do, thanks. I just can't think of anything more likely to put that in jeopardy than getting together with 300 other staff from 3 different schools the day before the children come back? Do you really think that's the way to ensure high attendance for the first 2 weeks of term? I would happily avoid all my colleagues all term if it means I can have a full term of teaching children.

It's ensuring face to face teaching that is important, not sitting in education conferences. Would you disagree with that?

He/she won't have bothered reading your post properly Blameitonthecaffeine, I wouldn't worry about it.

Not sure it matters much whether they are back like normal or online,

Last term while schools were open yet thanks to the lack of mitigations staff sickness with Covid19 was literally non-stop. Getting cover isn't easy so lots of lessons were pretty much written off. The schools being open only gives a false sense of security if you ask me. Education will be disrupted either way.

Does anyone care about vulnerable kids outside the hours of 8.30am and 3.30pm? I see they're being bandied about as a useful argument by some again.

Child is in an abusive or otherwise dangerous home - Us4Them reaction - all fine so long as school is open as normal No one going to campaign for sorting out social services, children's services, foster places etc? Nah, course not. They're just useful for dressing up your argument with a bit of faux virtue.

From new year they will be introducing their own tighter restrictions that include twice weekly LFT testing for everyone, PCR required for ANY cold symptoms at all and not to come in until negative test supplied, if anyone in school tests positive then whole class including teacher must get a PCR test and cannot return to school without forwarding the negative test to school, and if someone at hone has covid child must not come in for 10 days.

That's quite an onerous level of restrictions. Our (private so possibly feels under pressure from our scary parents not to go to remote teaching) secondary went back to mask wearing in lessons at the end of last term.

But the school rules are that you send in kids if there's a positive test at home. In fairness, this proved a good option when my eldest tested positive but his younger brother didn't so didn't miss a week of school (he did daily LFTs before he went in).

They will also not provide links to live lessons if kids are off for anything other than having a positive covid test. Their rationale being that you can be in good health despite having covid (my son was) but, if you're too ill to be in school, you're not well enough to be doing remote lessons. It has proved a little controversial with some parents but, particularly in exam years, they feel the kids need to be in school as far as possible as they perceived they're behind after two years of disruption.