Schools shut next week?

You are lucky - we got an email from school at 5.20pm on Fri saying school now shut until next term!!!!

I think the Welsh Government have been forced into doing it FannyCornforth unfortunately, as the situation is so serious in South Wales now. Let’s hope it contributes to bringing the levels down, and keeps people safer over Christmas.

A headteacher in Hertfordshire, whose school has had 50 cases of Covid, has been threatened with legal action for wanting to deliver teaching online in the last week of term.

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/dec/12/minister-threatens-school-heads-over-pre-christmas-online-lessons

Casdon - apologies, I had omitted to mention that that that was the case in Wales.

All secondary school children are being taught virtually in Wales from Monday, and many parents are withdrawing primary school children as well, the virus levels are rising rapidly here.

It would have made more sense if the schools closed for two weeks before the start of the “ 5/days of Christmas” .but I do see that this would impact on child care.

It is because if there is a CoVid case, someone at the school has to inform all contacts of the child involved. This would mean the child's parents having to inform the school, then the school having to get a list of all the classmates for every lesson and where they were sitting and so on, and phoning around to their parents - who themselves are probably busy with other stuff by then.
My daughter's school is closing one day early to give one less day for potential infections to occur - not much of a breathing-space, but helping a little.

I thought the extra day off was so that teachers don't get caught up in the track and trace just prior to Christmas.
Are they being expected to take the day out of their yearly INSET days allocation?

ThanksSueDonim That explains things. Here in the South there have been comparatively few cases in our local schools (I am talking about my town only before someone jumps down my throat.Other towns may have higher numbers) and the Heads just send an email to those who need to isolate and the other parents just get notification of the case with a no need to isolate email but I can see in some areas this would be a mammoth task.

One of my DIL's has kept the GC home since Wednesday (year 8 and year 6). She informed the schools and asked for work sheets which have been provided.

At GS's school (year 1) so many parents have decided not to send children in next week, the school will be virtually empty after next Wednesday's Christmas lunch and festivities.

Greenfinch

Yes,but how will itbe beneficial? If teachers are having an inset day,there is really no benefit for them . Am I missing something ?

I don’t know how thing work in your area, Greenfinch but in some areas of Scotland, it’s been the headteacher and senior staff who’ve had to do the contact-tracing for any pupils who develop Covid. In a large year group, that means contacting hundreds of people by phone (because of course, head teachers have nothing else to do with their time! ) .

With some schools not finishing until 22nd Dec, children could develop CV on 23rd/24th Dec, meaning the SMT would have to spend their Christmas making hundreds of phone calls.

My daughter administers services for schools and has managed to pass on the contact tracing duties over Xmas to the track & trace people (who should have been doing it in the first place. ?‍♀️).

I believe the closure on Friday is so that anyone who has to self-isolate will be clear for Christmas Day.

I am astounded that teachers are still standing, this term is always a hard one but they have been working for getting on for four months. Roll on the set term timings that some areas have trialled.

My DGD’s primary schoolschool is now finishing for Christmas next Wednesday instead of Friday although some parents have already decided not to send their children in.
DD finishes teaching also at primary school on Thursday and SIL teaching at secondary school finishes on Friday.
DGD has been lucky as she her bubble haven’t missed any school at all.DD has had to isolate once and SIL twice.

My GDs school has switched to online learning for the last week and she had 7 lessons yesterday. My son is a teacher. Despite having a one way system, ultra violet lights and teaching with the windows open, the whole of the junior school were off for two weeks and they have now switched to class bubbles instead of year bubbles. The HT is very conscious that parents need to go to work. But is also aware of his responsibility to keep both the children and the teachers safe.

Our GC school is closed last week and next, mainly because of the infection rates among teachers. Distance learning is in place. Rural school, but rates are on the up.

My grandson's secondary school closed on 4th and won't open until new year due to lack of staff. He is kept occupied by on line lessons.
The one at primary school was sent home to isolate due to having contact with someone who tested positive and was due back on the 10th but his school is now also closed until January

My GDs High school is now shutting on Wednesday after school not going back till Tuesday 5th Jan so they’ll be off almost 3 wks.

As far as I am aware it's so that people will not have to isolate christmas, the inset day can be done from home.

As I said previously, I think that it's more of a chance for the teachers to catch up with some work, so that they take less work home with them.

I wonder if the Christmas holiday will be extended?
Otherwise kids will be going straight back to school after the five day free for all nonsense.

I just meant that the teachers are not really getting a break and does one half day without the students being around make that much difference to the spread of the pandemic ?

I think that the thinking behind it was so that teachers could get a bit of work done, workload has been huge this term.
But it's rare to see such common sense at play in the Government, so maybe not.
I don't really understand your question Greenfinch, I think that I'm missing something!

Well, if it’s an inset day, there’ll be no children will there, so should be safer surely Greenfinch?

Yes,but how will itbe beneficial? If teachers are having an inset day,there is really no benefit for them . Am I missing something ?

Greenfinch - I think that it was announced earlier this week that schools could have a voluntary INSET day on Friday.
Your GCs schools must have taken up the offer.
Mine wasn't going to, but that's irrelevant now.