Should schools close?

I work in childcare and the effects of my three year olds was evident from day one. The girls seem shyer and more withdrawn than the boys and the boys are totally wild having been in lockdown they have monents when the anger comes out these don’t even seem to be the same kids that left in March. It’s so sad stay open please.

OK, nobody seems to understand my point of view so I will state it more clearly. A post was made which said that the very elderly will be given the vaccine because they don't know what the long term side effects will be. That is not why the vaccine is being given to older people first, it is being given to them first because they are at more risk of death.

Offhand comments like the original post are how rumours and misapprehensions start, and they should not be allowed to go unquestioned.

Both DDs teach. One school is now closed, for a while 4 years were running but another outbreak has made it impossible to keep open, one reason is that they are running out of support staff. This means that one GC from a year group with Covid in it is at home but the sibling will be off to a different school as usual. How can they stop it spreading with so much mixing going on. Some teachers are worrying a lot and some have admitted being scared now, it is not a good atmosphere once the virus is in the school. Obviously it is better for them all to be in school as the teachers and parents find the online teaching stressful and not everyone has the facilities or the capability to do it properly. Some children are now way behind with others way ahead it will take a lot of sorting out.

I think that some of us (me included) imagine that classrooms are functioning as normal. Because I'm now retired, I'm dependent on what teachers tell me. Twice in the last week I've been really shocked how naive I've been.
First was a secondary school teacher saying that a third of her school's teachers are off either isolating or shielding. Consequently there's an unusually high number of supply teachers in who don't know the system or people to talk to (assuming those staff are in school), and so behaviour in school is sinking. Most teachers in school are losing planning frees to cover, and TAs are being asked to look after classes. Hence staff are very run-down which is also very bad for behaviour.
The other teacher told me 2 teachers had died in their school. (This has a devastating effect on pupils, who have probably have only ever known death in the context of old people.)
Two other facts. It's only in last couple of weeks that govt has accepted the need for adults and pupils to wear masks in the classroom. And England's Y11s and Y13s have been told their exams will be 3 weeks later to accommodate the disruption. With staff out and bubbles sent home, I would think most lost 3 weeks classroom time in one half term.

but show very clearly that the steepest rise is amongst secondary pupils.

So anyone with a jot of sense should realise that teachers should be in the first swathe of those receiving the vaccine.

I don't understand what is so difficult to understand about that!

The vaccine will do nothing to stop that. The only solution is to stop pupils in the most infected areas from contact.

No, it won't.

But they may only develop mild symptoms that is why teachers, and vulnerable pupils, should have the vaccine as a matter of urgency.

I work as a supply teacher, although I only work in one particular school and have been attached to one particular ‘bubble’ since September. Today I have been sent home and told to isolate for 14days as a pupil has tested positive for the virus. Too right schools should close - I’m in a tier 3 area and this is the fourth bubble to go in a week at our school. I’ve never felt ‘safe’ going into school, but if I don’t work, I don’t get paid!

Kate1949

What about the staff? Our daughter works in a secondary school and she says the virus is 'running riot' in the school. She and her husband both tested positive which was frightening to say the least (they are OK thankfully). One of her colleagues, a young woman, is in hospital, quite poorly with Covid.

We are as sure as we can be that my 11 year old grandson and his friend brought the virus home from school infecting both sets of parents. My daughter has asthma and was very poorly, then my 13 year old granddaughter caught it and was also badly affected.

My step grandchildren are in quarantine for two weeks because both of their teachers have the virus.

Liz46
This is precisely why NHS staff and teachers/school staff should be getting the vaccine first, not old people.