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Secondary education

Connect with other parents whose children are starting secondary school on this forum.

Original poster

When do you think Secondary Schools will go back (Tier 4)?

38 replies

13lucky · 26/12/2020 22:13

So I know the Government has said 11 January for back to school in-person (apart from Year 11 and Year 13 who, supposedly will go back in-person at the start of term...but do you think these dates will actually happen? Obvs it's like asking how long is a piece of string but would be interested in people's thoughts...

OP posts:
RedskyAtnight · 26/12/2020 22:16

February (probably after half term). I think mass testing will be deemed to make schools "safe" but there is no way that most secondary schools will be able to roll it out in under a few weeks.

doctorhamster · 26/12/2020 22:17

DH and I were talking about this earlier. I've got a horrible feeling the number of new cases will shoot up over the next few weeks due to Christmas mixing (half my street has had visitors in their houses today...if this is representative of the whole country the impact will be huge) I think it's really unlikely that secondary pupils will all be back in full time on 11th. I really hope I'm wrong though.

AveEldon · 27/12/2020 09:57

I also think after Feb half term

AveEldon · 27/12/2020 10:00

I think Y11 & Y13 will go back as planned for their mock exams

AuditAngel · 27/12/2020 10:14

DD1 is in year 9, her school have told the parents we will receive a communication on 2/1 telling us what will happen.

I spoke with a friend on Tuesday who is a deputy Head, he told me not to be surprised if they were off for the whole half term until February

RoyBatty · 27/12/2020 11:45

Not possible for secondary to go back on Jan 11. No point in bojo announcing tier4 and then letting the age group with the highest number of infections to go around spreading covid19.
My bet is that schools will be online till Easter. That way the vaccine will be well distributed.
The lateral flow tests proposed for schools only pick up 50% (at best) of positive cases so is pointless. It is not what those tests were designed for but will give bojo a set of statistics which he can quote to keep schools open.
It is very convenient that this new strain allows bojo to do a few uturns and blame it on the new variants.

SaltyAF · 27/12/2020 11:51

Well as far as staff know it's exam years from 4th and everyone else from 11th with no mitigations to protect us. Rest assured that our health will be the lowest priority. On that basis, I'd say that's exactly what will happen of Gav has his way.

CountessFrog · 27/12/2020 11:53

If you ask a question like this on mumsnet, somebody will say ‘Easter’ or ‘2023.’

SadSecretSanta · 27/12/2020 11:58

I think schools will be shut until at least February. That’s what we’ve been planning for.

Oblomov20 · 27/12/2020 12:14

I think they'll be closed for the whole of Jan.

NoToMisogyny · 27/12/2020 12:26

If schools closed until Easter that would be catastrophic for the life chances of so many children. Many still can’t access any online learning. I hope it doesn’t come to that.

Teachers should be one of the top priority categories for the vaccine

RedskyAtnight · 27/12/2020 12:31

Since this is a guessing thread, does anyone have an opinion as to whether Year 12 students who are (theoretically) taking 1 year AS Levels in the summer count as being in an exam year (at least for the subject to be examined)? IMO they should be, but all the communications seem to talk about solely Y11 and Y13 (who I appreciate are more numerous and important). There's doubtless other exceptions - schools where Y10 take GCSEs early, vocational quals where there is exams in Y10/13.

Yumyum88 · 27/12/2020 14:03

What I don’t understand is how schools can run with some years in school and the rest online? How do the teachers manage as they have to be in school for years 11&13 so presumably at risk but having to run online lessons for rest of school and potentially have their own kids at home. How does that work?! I have a y11 and keen she is in school as has not done mocks yet but just don’t get how it works?!

AveEldon · 27/12/2020 15:27

@RedskyAtnight

Since this is a guessing thread, does anyone have an opinion as to whether Year 12 students who are (theoretically) taking 1 year AS Levels in the summer count as being in an exam year (at least for the subject to be examined)? IMO they should be, but all the communications seem to talk about solely Y11 and Y13 (who I appreciate are more numerous and important). There's doubtless other exceptions - schools where Y10 take GCSEs early, vocational quals where there is exams in Y10/13.
Y12 don't count as an exam year. AS results won't count towards your A-level grade so they will discount them (my guess)
SilkiesnowchicksandXmastreecat · 27/12/2020 15:45

I've got one in y9 and one in y10 - y10 and y12 are not included. I think even the key worker kids who are allowed in its just bring your own laptop and do work by yourself that's online rather than any teaching in school though I presume y11 and y13 will be taught as whole years in.

We've just been told 1 week from home here and I think how long will depend on if Tier 4 can bring rates down but no-one is enforcing restrictions. In our area most people are complying but we had very low rates and they started to rise rapidly over last couple of weeks and have reached national average and so we got moved from Tier 2 to Tier 4 on Boxing Day. Old area is Tier 4 but their rates are 6 times ours. We are awaiting news on testing - we just had one message asking for parents to volunteer and school saying they were hacked off about it but would imagine no updates now until 3rd January. Saw the data that 2.5% of secondary school kids had it last week of term so if that continues and all kids are tested they are going to be closed for ages though it'll be one day in, 10 days off, 1 day in 10 days off, great. SN child is absolutely terrified by it and already at breaking point with anxiety so will almost certainly have to keep him home with me - he's spends hours at school in the rain by a 60mph road as it is as he's anxious and there's no help available.

RedskyAtnight · 27/12/2020 15:46

AS results won't count towards your A-level grade so they will discount them (my guess)

I was meaning 1 year AS Levels, where getting the AS Level is the terminal qualification.

PastMyBestBeforeDate · 27/12/2020 15:50

I'm hoping it's at least 2 weeks, preferably the whole of January.

Talk4000 · 27/12/2020 16:33

Any thoughts on primary schools?

DS's school had no cases last term which felt almost unbelievable.

Todayisgood2 · 27/12/2020 16:38

@talk4000 that's luckily, I know it does against logic but I think they might open as usual! I've had 2 positive cases just in my class, isolated twice so far.

Talk4000 · 27/12/2020 16:56

Yes I wondered too if they'd open - just so there is 'childcare' available.

But unions may well say no. And to be fair, they may be right.

SaltyAF · 27/12/2020 17:30

@Yumyum88

What I don’t understand is how schools can run with some years in school and the rest online? How do the teachers manage as they have to be in school for years 11&13 so presumably at risk but having to run online lessons for rest of school and potentially have their own kids at home. How does that work?! I have a y11 and keen she is in school as has not done mocks yet but just don’t get how it works?!
No one cares about this except the teachers affected. It has been an absolute ballache to facilitate my children's school closures so far. My ILs, quite rightly, won't have them and neither will their school. We just have to manage, it's not factored into anything.
glitterfarts · 27/12/2020 18:12

Why can't the government just prioritise all medical personnel and all people who work in schools to get the vaccine? They could have vaccinated all school staff by Jan 4th!

Then do a mass testing of children over the first week, and then allow them back if covid free.

Online school is shit. DD1 has already declared she isn't doing it this time. DD2 is not in a good place due to previous lockdowns. Sad

CountessFrog · 27/12/2020 21:21

They haven’t been able to prioritise the medics working on the front line with known covid patients, as they have to prioritise the elderly. Wrong decision IMO.

However I think we are now seeing quite a bit of propaganda designed to make us favour vaccinating NHS staff (lots apparently off sick or isolating) over the elderly, so perhaps teachers will follow.

Nonamesavail · 27/12/2020 21:22

Son is yr 12. Exams cancelled earlier in year. I wish they could just tell him when he is going back poor lad.

pasanda · 27/12/2020 21:32

Dd in yr 12 really struggles with online learning 2 brand new subjects. She doesn't need endless power points. She needs actual teaching.
She has already dropped one A level and is convinced she will fail the other 2 if online learning continues. It's heartbreaking tbh

But yet I have lots of sympathy for the teachers too.

It really is a no win situation.