Has the DofE taken leave of their senses.......

Yes, they appear to have taken leave of whatever senses they ever had.
The last week of my Christmas term (retired teacher here) is given over to parties, making Christmas cards for parents, the Nativity play and the carol concert. All a major headache for teachers (I would much rather have been teaching) with very little educational benefit to the children.
Hope you are ok Luckygirl and have a good Christmas break.

I think that they are terrified about the truth regarding schools finally getting out.
Schools are not covid secure by any stretch.
The legal ramifications of teachers not wearing PPE and catching Covid are huge.
The TV news and the papers were full of propaganda in September - half empty classrooms, everyone wearing PPE, temperatures being taken, screens etc.
I think once the lid comes off it will be impossible to get it back on again.
I do wonder what will happen in January.
My school is shut all of this week.
More than half the kids and staff are ill or isolating.

My GD is still going to school even though most of friends are now self isolating, she’s actually getting on better in her tiny class groups and able to finish some projects that she’d got behind in, she’s 15 and will take GCSE next year if they are still on. It does all seem to be a terrible muddle.

No. they have not taken leave of their senses; they are trying to ensure that pupils receive as much education as possible, having missed so much already during the past year. It isn't just about the days before Christmas, it is also the proposal to delay the return to school in the New Year.

Better, in my opinion, to vaccinate secondary school pupils and working people in the 50 to 65 year age bracket who are keeping the economy going, and leave those who are able to stay at home to take our turn. Only a few months at most for us, and these pupils' futures are being destroyed by their lack of education, necessary preparation for their futures which won't come again.

It just goes to show that they have no idea what goes on in schools for the last few days of the Autumn term - watching Xmas films and making decorations.

I think we all know that except them.

I said on another thread how much I was missing the Christmas Fair, the carols round the tree at school, not to mention the school Christingle service in church which is held in the evenings long after teachers would normally have gone home for the day.
They would normally be taken to a local pantomime too.

It's all part of their wider education.

My 11 year old grandson brought the virus home from school, as did his friend. Both boys infected their parents and my 13 year old granddaughter.

Welsh senior schools and colleges are shut but they are working on projects from home - probably doing more academic work than they would normally in the last week of term.
I did wonder how many primary school pupils will still turn up this week.

But eazybee the children would still take infection back to their families, even if they were vaccinated. That's the real issue.

A few weeks ago, headteachers were ordered to have contingency remote learning lessons in place. There are at least two websites which have good lessons available for free (one of them funded by the government). In reality, losing the last week of the autumn term won't do the pupils much harm, although I understand that childcare could be a problem.

tanith

My GD is still going to school even though most of friends are now self isolating, she’s actually getting on better in her tiny class groups and able to finish some projects that she’d got behind in, she’s 15 and will take GCSE next year if they are still on. It does all seem to be a terrible muddle.

My GS2 is the same. Much happier in his bubble and lunch being served in bubbles so no crushes at lunchtime.

eazybee
Thank goodness for the voice of reason. You are absolutely right in everything you say. What is the point of vaccinating all the over 80s and 90s when they are able to stay safely at home. The workers and teenagers and students should be being vaccinated first as they are the ones who are keeping the infection going. I think it should be NHS staff and care staff, followed by teachers and school staff, then all key workers and school children, then students, then people at particular risk (if they weren’t already done in another group) and followed by the rest of society. This infection will go on and on and on, and by the time it’s contained, a vast number of the over 90s, who were first in the queue for a vaccine, will have died anyway of something else.
I realise my view won’t be popular on a site for older people, but it’s the harsh truth. As long as the oldest, who will simply go home after vaccination, are the ones being vaccinated, the virus will continue to rage all around us.

I have a granddaughter at secondary school in Greenwich. Her mother is pregnant, I am hoping that Greenwich council stay firm in their resolve to put safety first.

growstuff since the scientists don’t know whether vaccinated people can pass the infection on, I don’t know how you apparently do know that they can. Apparently you know what the scientists don’t know.

When I saw the thread title I thought Prince Philip had been out in his car again.

merlot

It seems to me that we are either in the middle of a pandemic or we are not. If we are, then local councils should be free to make local decisions depending on the R number in their area. Some London boroughs have erred on the safe side and I applaud them - the government should not be wasting time and money taking them to court. Heaven knows the pandemic has cost-a-load already without adding extra costs.

We need to be realistic here - the last few days of the autumn term are not critical to the children's education - fun of course, and developing social skills etc., but not critical.

There are many teachers who feel they are simply being thrown to the wolves - left to sink or swim in the viral soup.

Madness. We have a GC who's school has been closed for a week already. Schools need to do what they can. It's rife in schools at the moment.

I too Merlot?

merlotgran

Did the DofE ever have any sense?

Sorry, as some of you know, I was a private school Headmistress/dictator who was allowed to run the school exactly as we pleased with no interference. It makes such a difference if the person at the top can make the right decisions at the right time for the children and staff.

I do think state schools should have closed this week, as did most of the independents. It would have given a sufficient time gap for pupils and teachers to stay home before going off to mix with relatives from other households at Christmas.

I would however shoot anyone who didn't fit in a final week of festive fun for the kids, even if that meant starting on December 7th. There's far more to education than tiresome Maths lessons and phonics. Learning carols, creating Christmas works of art, Christmas lunch, watching a video, having non uniform days, playing classroom games with friends etc all have a place in the school calendar.

I agree with your last paragraph Elliane - I think these things are important. But for the government to suggest that their education is disrupted by missing these last few days is nonsense. And definitely not worth wasting the time of courts, and then money it would cost.

Me, too, Merlot!

I have very mixed feelings on this issue. I’d say my younger friends are divided half and half about schools. Some want schools closed so they can isolate before Christmas while others say their children need to be at school for their mental health and because they have exams coming up.

Parents of younger pupils want to know where they're supposed to magic up childcare from, in order to continue working at their own jobs.

It’s all very difficult.

Couldn’t agree more, Ellianne. The Gradgrinds are taking over primary education.

Looking at things from a different angle: I worked in the Education department at our local council when Gove was Education minister.
I visited a great many schools in the county and their feelings for Gove were unanimous. An absolute disaster!
Maybe he and his advisors should keep quiet if they haven't got anything helpful to say

A teacher from the local senior school just came round with a bag of presents for a pupil.
A similar address to ours but not the right house.

I thought that was lovely.

(I did direct him to the right house in case you were wondering.)

merlotgran

When I saw the thread title I thought Prince Philip had been out in his car again.

I did wonder the same

"Just close the *** schools and give the teachers the vaccine now!"