MNHQ here: Details on school closures from the Department of Education

[AnnaCMumsnet]

Hello

We have been contacted by the Department of Education about the school closures affecting Primary and Secondary. They say:

"The Secretary of State for Education, Gavin Williamson, has today announced plans to keep early years, schools, colleges and universities open from January.

"The government will now begin applying the contingency framework for education and childcare settings in areas of the country with very high rates of incidence or transmission of the virus, with the first areas to move into the framework listed below. The framework requires secondary schools and colleges to offer face-to-face education to exam years, vulnerable and critical worker children, and remote education to all other students.

"Please note that vocational exams scheduled for the first weeks of January will go ahead as planned."

Return dates for primary and secondary schools & colleges in England

4 Jan – majority of primary schools start returning
4 Jan – secondary schools and colleges to provide remote education for exam years and face to face for education for vulnerable and critical worker children
11 Jan – face to face education for exam years and vulnerable and critical worker children and remote learning for other secondary school and college years
18 Jan – secondary school and college students return for face-to-face education

"In the following local areas under contingency framework, all primary students will receive remote education. The areas will be reviewed on 18 January and any secondary schools in the areas will provide remote learning except for exam years and vulnerable and critical worker children:

London
Barking and Dagenham
Barnet
Bexley
Brent
Bromley
Croydon
Ealing
Enfield
Hammersmith and Fulham
Havering
Hillingdon
Hounslow
Kensington and Chelsea
Merton
Newham
Redbridge
Richmond-Upon-Thames
Southwark
Sutton
Tower Hamlets
Waltham Forest
Wandsworth
Westminster

Essex
Brentwood
Epping Forest
Castle Point
Basildon
Rochford
Harlow
Chelmsford
Braintree
Maldon
Southend on Sea
Thurrock

Kent
Dartford
Gravesham
Sevenoaks
Medway
Ashford
Maidstone
Tonbridge and Malling
Tunbridge Wells
Swale

East Sussex
Hastings
Rother

Buckinghamshire
Milton Keynes

Hertfordshire
Watford
Broxbourne
Hertsmere
Three Rivers

"For more information please go to www.gov.uk/government/news/school-contingency-plans-to-be-implemented-as-cases-rise."

I felt so angry at the "schools are safe" comment. Or the reflecting community spread. They're causing community spread 🤦‍♀️

@RememberSelfCompassion

I felt so angry at the "schools are safe" comment. Or the reflecting community spread. They're causing community spread 🤦‍♀️

Me too.

@TableFlowerss and was anyone the child spread it too also ok, you seem to have forgotten to ask.

Well if you’re reading this DfE, I can tell you that remote learning does not work for many primary school children. They cannot log on to online resources and switch from one resource to another when they can barely read or write. It needs constant parent supervision and is completely unachieveable when both parents are working. I had heart palpitations last time. Oh well, at least my DH will be able to afford a nanny from my life insurance payment out if I cark it.

No mention of SEND or EHCPs. Or weirdly all.of the counties that border London.

@RememberSelfCompassion

I felt so angry at the "schools are safe" comment. Or the reflecting community spread. They're causing community spread 🤦‍♀️

Not sure. They were actually on a thread a few weeks back!

I felt so angry at the "schools are safe" comment. Or the reflecting community spread. They're causing community spread 🤦‍♀️

I'm angry too.

What are they doing to make the schools which remain open safer, and to stop airborne transmission?

Nothing.

It's disgusting. Unsafe for teachers and unsafe for children (and their families) and will result in more community spread and school closures, sooner or later.

They should FUND SCHOOLS to MAKE THEM SAFER which will in turn make it MORE likely they can stay open. Why are they not doing this?

@LegoAndLolDolls

No mention of SEND or EHCPs. Or weirdly all.of the counties that border London.

Why would all the counties bordering London be mentioned? All of London isn’t closed.

@BunsyGirl

Well if you’re reading this DfE, I can tell you that remote learning does not work for many primary school children. They cannot log on to online resources and switch from one resource to another when they can barely read or write. It needs constant parent supervision and is completely unachieveable when both parents are working. I had heart palpitations last time. Oh well, at least my DH will be able to afford a nanny from my life insurance payment out if I cark it.

Surely the whole point is the safety of your child? The safety of you.

@LittleBearPad

The DfE isn’t bloody lurking nor are MN doing government marketing. It’s helpful to have the information in as many places as possible including bizarrely the biggest parenting website in the UK.

This isn’t the first time they have asked MNHQ to post.

@IloveJKRowling

I felt so angry at the "schools are safe" comment. Or the reflecting community spread. They're causing community spread 🤦‍♀️

I'm angry too.

What are they doing to make the schools which remain open safer, and to stop airborne transmission?

Nothing.

It's disgusting. Unsafe for teachers and unsafe for children (and their families) and will result in more community spread and school closures, sooner or later.

They should FUND SCHOOLS to MAKE THEM SAFER which will in turn make it MORE likely they can stay open. Why are they not doing this?

How? What do they spend the money on?

Also, if they'd funded schools to be safer from September, we absolutely wouldn't be here now with schools having to close again.

Friends around the world have children who wear masks all the time and sit socially distanced in small class sizes (some of them doing blended learning) and NONE of them are having their education disrupted like this.

This is the government's failure - so many other countries have done better. We are the bottom of the pile. Yet again.

How? What do they spend the money on?

Sorry? What money? There is no money. Is there?

And @starrynight19?

It’s still not marketing. Nor do I imagine they are reading the thread

It’s still not marketing. Nor do I imagine they are reading the thread

Oh yes they are. They've got MNHQ to post on other threads in answer to our concerns.

@LittleBearPad

And *@starrynight19*?

It’s still not marketing. Nor do I imagine they are reading the thread

The last post was in a response to a thread , did you actually see it ?

Masks, more staff to allow smaller class sizes, among many suggestions.

If you look back over school threads that have been on MN since September there have been the lots of suggestions made over and over. None of which THIS government has done although LOTS of other governments around the world have.

Independent Sage have a school report which lays out a whole list of things they could do to reduce transmission in schools.

@Elephant4

How? What do they spend the money on?

Sorry? What money? There is no money. Is there?

But if there were and let’s face it the government can create money.

The poster says “They should FUND SCHOOLS to MAKE THEM SAFER which will in turn make it MORE likely they can stay open. Why are they not doing this?”

So if there were money what do they spend it on. There’s a finite number of teachers. School premises won’t get bigger. What does funding schools to make them safer look like in reality?

@LegoAndLolDolls

No mention of SEND or EHCPs. Or weirdly all.of the counties that border London.

SEND and EHCPs are mentioned in the section about education on gov.uk.

Why did the PM lie again and say "schools are safe?"

Stop gaslighting parents. Stop placing children, staff and families in danger.

My child caught Covid at school, along with 20% of his class. This was because you crowbarred children in small classrooms with no masks or ventilation yet told wicked whoppers that children were safe and do not transmit the virus.

Your lies are killing people.

Agreed. What a huge disgrace. Schools are NOT SAFE by any stretch of the imagination. Anyone with a brain knows that.

As a side note, I'm glad government employees have nothing better to do than lurk on here and correct misunderstandings due to the government's shambolic communication attempts. Yes you. Get a better job - one that doesn't involve selling your soul.

Ok so more teachers. Where do they come from?

Nope, table, he was quite poorly with it, despite being a healthy teenager normally who does lots of sport. He still has issues seven weeks on, but thanks for asking.

[quote ItsIgginningtolookalotlikeXmas]@TableFlowerss and was anyone the child spread it too also ok, you seem to have forgotten to ask.[/quote]
No I didn’t forget to ask. Anyone could catch it anywhere!!! That’s the problem, no one knows.....

@LittleBearPad - are you the DfE spy by any chance?

You are very defensive on their behalf.

With regards to money - use your imagination. As IloveJKRowling just said:

*If you look back over school threads that have been on MN since September there have been the lots of suggestions made over and over. None of which THIS government has done although LOTS of other governments around the world have.

Independent Sage have a school report which lays out a whole list of things they could do to reduce transmission in schools.*

Well my DD's school got extra funding in June/July and recruited lots of extra TAs, halved class sizes and taught socially distanced classes.

Not a single child was ill in 4 weeks.

They were creative with existing space to do this and all classes just ate lunch in their own classrooms. Each class was it's own bubble with very limited crossover for staff.

Since September, no extra money, the TAs have gone and my child's education is worse in the larger class sizes as well as the school being a prime environment for coronavirus spread.

Crowded, class sizes over 30, no masks.