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'll also mention all the scientific papers I've read have said the more virus around the more we'll see further mutations.

So right now when we have one twice as transmissible you fell it follows the science to put crowds of 30 in non ventilated rooms for 6-7 hours a day.

As Stephen from NHs said yesterday - "covid loves a crowd"

@IloveJKRowling

If schools can't / won't pay the 15 quid - does that mean the Tory mates get 35 quid without doing anything?

How does it work?

If not, since most schools can't afford 15 quid per hour per child, is there a pot of unused money somewhere? If so, could we please have it for soap and opening windows? Or to pay for heating and food for people who otherwise can't afford to isolate. You know, just the basics.

Not sure. Wouldn't put it past them and presumably they've already been given some kind of massive retainer.

Journalists are badly letting us down acting as mouthpieces regurgitating political messages without investigating and reporting facts and pulling up politicians when they are lying to or at best deliberately misleading the public.

Why is the scam that is the private tutoring catch up funding not widely reported on? How come everyone is being left to believe the outright lies about sums of school funding?

No one is holding these dudes accountable and they appear to be getting more and more arrogant and dishonest as a result.

Why is the scam that is the private tutoring catch up funding not widely reported on? How come everyone is being left to believe the outright lies about sums of school funding?

Yes journalists TheHoneyBadger's just given you a brilliant investigative piece to do. The kind that could well win awards if done well. Come on.

Interesting that H&S government blurb upthread too - it says employers must supply adequate PPE (essentially).

I can't see how they can argue they aren't failing in this duty when all other workplaces with much lower risk and exposure are doing it. DH's workplace has given everyone masks even though these days pretty much everyone is working from home and any interaction is passing over equipment which takes a few minutes at most.

It's not even that they don't supply PPE. They won't let us wear our own! Actively against it...

@TheHoneyBadger

Journalists are badly letting us down acting as mouthpieces regurgitating political messages without investigating and reporting facts and pulling up politicians when they are lying to or at best deliberately misleading the public.

Why is the scam that is the private tutoring catch up funding not widely reported on? How come everyone is being left to believe the outright lies about sums of school funding?

No one is holding these dudes accountable and they appear to be getting more and more arrogant and dishonest as a result.

Agree. I love Sean from GMB. But I wanted to throw something at my tv when he said yesterday he believed only 6 children under 19 without underlying health conditions had died so he could see why pupils in school were generally fine.

I wish he'd have asked about teachers, school staff, etc. The information the dfe won't publish but need to be asked over and over again.

Perhaps Piers Morgan could get on it? He shouted so ugh about care homes and still gives them shit now about it. I don't particularly like his style but he could be useful if he'd get on board!!!

Dfe, I am really intrigued to know how schools can be regarded as 'safe'. What does Boris mean by this and how could we make other places, where people gather in large groups, equally safe?

Is it the lack of social distancing or lack of mask-wearing that does it? Or the large groups sitting close together for large periods of time?

@schoolsarenotsafe

Dfe, I am really intrigued to know how schools can be regarded as 'safe'. What does Boris mean by this and how could we make other places, where people gather in large groups, equally safe?

Is it the lack of social distancing or lack of mask-wearing that does it? Or the large groups sitting close together for large periods of time?

This x 100.

[quote GrumblyMumblyisnotJumbly]**@Barbie222* This! Just give the infuriation*

^ I think the DfE and Gavlar have achieved this[/quote]
Lol it was a great autocorrect. We're all infuriated today

@schoolsarenotsafe

Dfe, I am really intrigued to know how schools can be regarded as 'safe'. What does Boris mean by this and how could we make other places, where people gather in large groups, equally safe?

Is it the lack of social distancing or lack of mask-wearing that does it? Or the large groups sitting close together for large periods of time?

Good point! We should be sharing our good practice so that all of the theatres and pubs can reopen immediately given its so safe in school. It's got to reproducible and the world can go back to normal seeing as we've sussed how to safely have people from over 1000 different households safely mingling at close proximity with no ppe!

Let's save the economy by using the school method everywhere!!

No?

PHE surveillance report. Published today.

OMG! It's overtaken shopping!!!!

Didn't the education bar used to contain childcare as well?

How the bloody hell can they have the sheer gall to say schools are safe??!!!

Full graphs from PHE

assets.publishing.service.gov.uk/government/uploads/system/uploads/attachment_data/file/948529/Weekly_COVID-19_and_Influenza_Surveillance_Graphs_w53.pdf

Lol schools are so safe that attending one puts you at higher risk than working as a hcp.

4 legs good...

Do they study Orwell at seton?

If you are in communication with the DfE, @MNHQ, could you ask about special school provision? Parents of kids with severe and complex SN have been begging you to advocate for them here: www.mumsnet.com/Talk/am_i_being_unreasonable/4113739-Disabled-kids-the-forgotten-Covid-victims

I've just realised they've only published up to week 50. These are old graphs and are missing the last 2 weeks of term!!

@schoolsarenotsafe

Dfe, I am really intrigued to know how schools can be regarded as 'safe'. What does Boris mean by this and how could we make other places, where people gather in large groups, equally safe?

Is it the lack of social distancing or lack of mask-wearing that does it? Or the large groups sitting close together for large periods of time?

Brilliant question.

Awaits answer ........

@lonelyplanet

I've just realised they've only published up to week 50. These are old graphs and are missing the last 2 weeks of term!!

Week 50 was the last week? 51/52 are current 2 weeks whilst we are on holiday?

Positivity rates.

itsgettingweird

Week 50 was the last week? 51/52 are current 2 weeks whilst we are on holiday?

Ah maybe they don't publish school age group data during the holidays. It would have been useful to see the last full week of term. This data came out on 17th before the last week was complete and there would have been some backdated cases that needed adding to this.

True. I don't know what dates weeks are. So data produced in 17th would have been week 50 - which ended on?????

I'll try and look at reports and see if I can suss it.

But absolutely right we need this data to see the effects as I know kids isolating over Christmas from cases of contacts last day of term.

Over 120 cases in our secondary school since the last day of term; that’s 10% of the children!