Do you think schools will reopen soon?

[carrottopper]

So many articles about schools opening after Easter. What do you think? It makes me feel like my health as a teacher is not important. So many people are home and furloughed yet will send their children in

I had thought that schools would be closed until September. From what I've heard more recently, I'm wondering if the government will aim for May or June.

I'm happy to go in at the moment because we can spread children out (I'm teaching a mixed year group and have had between 8 and 12 children out of a cohort of 180). But social distancing (and the extra cleaning we are doing now) will be completely impossible if we reopen fully. That's not even taking into account the inevitable staff absence due to illness or self-isolation.

Nobody knows.

No. No one knows. I suspect that they will try and get ya back in for a few weeks before the end of the summer term but it may be September.

At the other end of the scale, my school has already started to consider how we teach the new intake of year 7 if we’re not back until October half term or beyond.

I can't imagine that we'll reopen after Easter. Yesterday Raab said next week was too early to consider ending lock down and wouldn't be drawn on an exit strategy. The infection rate needs to come down for a sustained amount of time. Testing will need to be sufficient that teachers can be tested because otherwise absences will be so high some schools will close.
We've got 6 children in at the moment and we're a 1200 on roll school.
I think any suggestions that schools will reopen after Easter is click bait.

Ive one class of 33 in a room with 28 desks. Been a nightmare all year before the virus. It isnt possible to social distance in a school. So presumably there will be new ‘research’ suggesting social distancing children isnt actually necessary, if they want schools open.

I'd say june is the earliest we can expect. I'd not be surprised if we have repeated short closures all next year.

wonderstuff me neither. I hope they make a decision soon about exams for current year 10 and 12 in terms of a slimmed down syllabus because we are never going to get this sorted otherwise

I also agree about June. In my head I can see us in for the first 2 weeks of July, if for no other reason than to get everyone ready for September.

If schools reopen, will those furloughed be back at work do you think? Seems only fair to me.

I think you can reopen schools without businesses but you cannot do it the other way around so it depends if it’s a staggered approach or an all in approach.

I agree with @PotteringAlong about the last couple of weeks of term. There's been a bit of fuss about year 6/11/13 missing out on last days so I can see schools wanting to open up for that, and also to officially finish off the year if you like. But obviously that hugely depends on the situation, staff levels etc. It's impossible to say really.

I did like the idea that I read somewhere that if it's September then everyone goes back to their current year until October half term then moves up. Not sure how that would work logistically but it's a nice idea.

I think you can reopen schools without businesses but you cannot do it the other way around

Can you explain that?

Are you assuming only parents of young kids work?

What about the younger people yet to start families, people without kids? What about families where one works, parents of teens or older. What about those who’s kids have left home?

It’s not just parents who work!

It’s not just parents who work!*
Of course it's not, in my department there is only me who have a dc who would need to arrange childcare. so if the lockdown is lifted provided I have a job to go back to I won't be able to go back until schools do unless I use annual / unpaid leave for a few weeks like I do in the holidays .
I imagine the government would know that businesses won't be back to full capacity for quite some time anyway . It will most likely be a phased return to work .

So if schools are back to normal in a few weeks does that mean everything will be back to normal? It seems seems weird to me to have schools open but everything else shut and adults still in quarantine? So I'd assume schools will open when quarantine is lifted. Just my opinion of course.

Will be very hard with so many staff in isolation or at risk because of conditions.

Dh had one third of the staff unavailable last week (they're open for key workers)

They couldn't possibly open for 1300 students

They can’t do it with social distancing so if they open schools they’d have to explain why kids are allowed to sit next to each other but everyone still has to queue up at Tesco.

It's all so confusing. I presumed schools would open the same time as everything else but it seems there is a lot of talk about the reopening but most people furloughed for a while. I can't see how it is different, but I'm reading otherwise. Seems school staff are different to the rest of the work force!

Totally contradictory reports in the press today. Raab saying it's too early to review lockdown as peak is yet to come, WHO warning countries not to lift restrictions too soon then some random minister (can't find the actual source) saying 'yep, schools back after Easter' Bizarre!

I haven’t seen lots of articles about this but I’ve seen a few, based on the very flawed Lancet research yesterday. This stated that closing schools wasn’t very effective IF done on its own without any other social isolation.

Some journalists have interpreted this is meaning that school closures were useless, which clearly isn’t true, as Neil Ferguson himself has stated.

Luckily he is advising the government and he can read the article for himself, rather than just reading what some newspapers want us to read.

I don't think they will.
I can barely stop them running in the corridor, no way can I ensure they stay 2m apart from eachother (and me)

First week of May I have heard as likely reopening of primary schools, there's evidence coming out of other countries that it doesn't significantly increase the spread - high risk kids obviously to be kept at home

People are furloughed for different reasons. Those involved in large events won't be back for a long time, I think shops will open before pubs. My husband can't go back until openreach restarts allowing telephone porting...
It'll definitely be phased.

@okiedokieme it isn’t high risk kids who are the only issue. It’s the fact that kids spread the virus. To parents and those they interact with. To grandparents who act as childcare etc etc.
I can’t see schools opening until at least September. If they open in June it wouldn’t be for long. Cases would surely spike and then they would have to close again.
We’re in this for the long haul.

First week of May I have heard as likely reopening of primary schools, there's evidence coming out of other countries that it doesn't significantly increase the spread - high risk kids obviously to be kept at home

Primaries won’t be opening round here during the first week of May unless the government says that it’s fine for our vulnerable and pregnant teachers to come back to work before the 12 weeks is up!

Other countries are only slowly starting to reopen schools. All eyes will be on them.