Acadamy schools closing a week early

[asifiwould]

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-55022096

Apologies if this has already been posted - 15 schools to be shut early for Christmas. I suspect this will be the start of a much bigger stream of whole school closures.

I do wish that those parents in denial would actually look at the facts - The trust said since September 28% of children and 38% of staff had been instructed to self-isolate. 1,740 children and 375 staff have had to stay at home.

Looks like that magic air protecting schools from covid just don't seem to be working.

I think it will be all of us soon enough with the same message... Certainly KS3 and up.
And a long break over Xmas.

Given the number of parents who are stating they intend to take their kids out of school a week early anyway so that they can 'save Christmas', combined with the number of kids who will be self-isolating we might as well! Although we'll all be called workshy and told we're damaging children's mental health and didn't we have enough time sat around drinking gin and watching Netflix during the first lockdown

I’m no longer a teacher but think all schools should close on 11th Dec, will prevent infection and give staff a well earned break too.

The news report said the academy is going to make up for the week later in the school year. How would that work? Taking away a week of the Easter holiday? Finishing a week later in July? Surely they can't just change the holidays like that?

I am also very sceptical about GCSE and A Level exams going ahead next year in England. How can that possibly be fair when some students have missed so much of theis school year while others have been able to be in 100% of the time. Or do the powers that be not give a damn as it is mainly impacting the North and Midlands. Those poor kids - in Liverpool they have had to put up with an extended lockdown period, being in and out of school like yo yos, many will have had the stress and worry of covid in their own families - yet they are expected to sit the same exams as students from other parts of the country that have had none of that to cope with. I have no idea how teachers are managing to get through the exam specs at all - if you are in that position I have every sympathy with you.

I think as we get further into the Winter we are really going see the impact of this poor planning re schools. How on earth are the key workers in the NHS going to be able to get in to work overstretched hospitals if they have no child care and the school is shut. Where was the planning??? We need to plan now for key workers children in the event of school closure, not cross and fingers and hope it will be ok.