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

And what happens to the teachers who children are high risk. And there you have the problem. You'll have doubling up of classes because teachers, contrary to popular belief, are actually human beings. With kids, parents and partners who may have underlying health problems or who may have them themselves.

So prepare to see your kids in classes of 60.

Personally I think it'll be limited school days or half the school in for half the week and the rest in for the other half. Great if you have two or more kids spreading over that week. Of course, child care will be hard to come by as many families will be in a similar position so parents will just have to work a half week.

And, of course, bus drivers (9 of whom have died in London alone) will be perfectly happy to transport all the kids to and from school. Or the parents will have to do it.

My friend already had an email from her DD’s school saying they are NOT opening again after Easter.
They obviously know something we don’t...
... no news from my DD’s school yet.
I think I could do another 3 weeks at home ‘comfortably’ but will be started to climb the walls after that. I can’t keep up with all the work being sent home. Having to completely manage it for my DD as she’s infants school.

The last week I spent in school was a truly worrying one I would not want to be back in that again. Lots of children absent too.

I don’t think they’ll open after Easter. I think there’s an outside chance they may go back sometime in June, but I wouldn’t be surprised if they’re off til September.

Where are people getting this from? If all this talk of schools re-opening is off the back of that one, small study they published in the Lancet then I wouldn't set much store in it. The WHO have just cautioned against lifting restrictions at this stage and we have no idea of we've actually hit the peak yet. I think if we're very lucky schools may start to re-open in June but all the schools round here are planning for September.

We think after summer half term but maybe phased to maintain distance and allow for lower staffing levels- key year groups or a rotation maybe. But really- who knows!

I would love them to go back-I have a year 11 and a Year 6 and would love them to have a few last days and some time to prepare for transition. The youngest is climbing the walls and desperate to go back. I would love after May half term but who knows.

I dont think anyone truly knows yet, I can't see lockdown easing before the 12 weeks for vulnerable people is up. Perhaps for the last half term of the year so that transitions can be completed, but they could do that in August anyway, lots of secondary schools run a summer school type week for new students.

Do you mean for schools to continue in August to help with transition? I think many teachers will be taking their booked holidays over the summer holiday if things are back to normal. It wouldn't be fair to ask them to continue when they have worked through all of this surely.

I am classed as vulnerable, but I am the childcare for my DGC as my DD and DSIL are teachers, so where would that leave us? I am sure we won’t be the only family in this position either. I can’t imagine they’ll lift the lockdown on Monday, they need at least another week to see if the number of cases and deaths are reducing, if they do it too soon, we are back to square one.

Seems to be so many rumours going about ATM .A lady I know from walking the dog, said she had heard they would be reopening Schools after Easter? Also in the papers 20 /30 year olds would be "let out" first to resume their Careers WTAF? So Corona virus has magically disappeared overnight then!

Many furloughed are being furloughed on a 3 weekly basis. So reality is this won't really impact on when they can return.

The only reason to go back soon will be money driven because the furloughing is costing way more than expected.

If schools open sooner than June, my child won't be going. To protect both me and my child.

And I imagine many others will do the same.

Like many I’m worried about what happens if they rush to open schools whilst we’re still really in the midst of the pandemic. We live with a relative who is far more at risk than us. If the household was going to catch it anywhere it would surely be at school (like every other virus we’ve had for the past 2 years). I don’t want to put that person at risk but neither do I want dd to miss out on any more school time. The head at ours was hoping reopening September would be the latest they’d go back.

What Wolfiefan said

It would be a bit pointless cancelling alevels and GCSEs only for us to go back after Easter! Maybe we’ll be back for a week or 2 in July to end the year and cause another ‘peak’ over the summer - we don’t want to have a big peak in September as winter flu season approaches.

Wuhan hasn't opened schools yet. It never even had them open for keyworkers iirc

My friend already had an email from her DD’s school saying they are NOT opening again after Easter.They obviously know something we don’t...

I should think it’s perfectly obvious schools won’t be going back straight after Easter. The fact we are still in lockdown being the first giveaway.

Denmark is opening primary schools on 15th April and secondaries on 10th May.

I'm guessing (and this is just my guess so please don't shoot me down) that they will open on Monday 15th June for the final five weeks of the summer term. I don't know why but that's the date that has been in my head for a while now.
If they open before then, I'm hoping those with high risk family members/ children with underlying health issues will have the option to keep them at home for longer.

If they open before then, I'm hoping those with high risk family members/ children with underlying health issues will have the option to keep them at home for longer.

Presumably those members of staff with underlying health issues (or living with people who do) would also be offered that option? Leading us back to what schools were like in the days before they closed-with numerous vulnerable members of staff off leading to inadequate staffing levels, large class sizes and no supply to be found for love not money!

@Appuskidu Yes of course I meant staff members and their families too, I just phrased it badly. Sorry.

People were originally saying September because of the 5 month restrictions in place block on the graph from Imperial College.

I've just had a call to if I wan't to send my son in after Easter, as he has an EHCP. I'm assuming from that they're not eclectic to be open to everyone the the next half a term at least

It's like bloomin' Chinese Whispers.

What I think has happened is: Lancet publish the report (which is not only flawed, but not applicable to the situation in the UK anyway). Media mash up the report into a "Schools should go back earlier" headline. Senior minister reads the media interpretation of the report and says, in passing to someone, "Hmmm, maybe we could send schools back after Easter, if that is correct, then". That person then talks to journalist who publishes it as fact.

Insane. Like the tanks on the Strand. Everybody knew somebody who knew for a fact it was going to happen.

I wish they'd confirm one way or not. At the moment I am paying nursery fees to hold my sons place however he is due to start school in September so if the nursery don't open before August I may as well cancel now and save myself some money.