Will Schools Close after Christmas?

Nannan2

And how did they work out if all the other vaccines they give to kids from being a few weeks old upwards are 'safe' to administer then, how do they 'trial' them?? Theres going to come a point where they have to include kids in this programme surely?

I don't know how other vaccines were trialled, but the fact is that they were. There are ethical issues on trials with children. In time, I guess the Covid vacines will be trialled on children too, but they haven't been yet.

My GD is at School in Shetland and doesn’t finish school until today (Tuesday 22 Dec). They returned for the Autumn term a week early, on August 12th, over 4 months ago. All staff and pupils are totally worn out after such a difficult term. Surely they should have been allowed to close last week, like English schools, to give people a chance to isolate for a few days before Christmas Day? No wonder the virus is spreading so fast with many children in larger classes. School life isn’t much fun atm with windows open on even really cold days, so kids and staff never fell warm in class! And then Boris announced on the last day of term that English schools have to do mass Covid testing in new year, when Secondary schools use their main hall for mock exams. What a nightmare. I’m sure many teachers must be considering leaving the profession at the earliest opportunity. ??

Lazyriver

Whatever happened to ' Every Child Matters' and the 'Voice of the Child'
Children have a right to an education, and to be treated as human beings, not just germ factories ready to infect everyone else.
On line learning did not work for many. Children don't always live in perfect homes, with lap tops. Many don't even have enough to eat!
School for many is a safe haven away from abusive home lives.
No one much on here seems to consider this and are more concerned with themselves. Teachers have always caught things from pupils, and usually accept it as part of the job. Perhaps if you work in a school and are overly concerned about your health, it is time to seek another job.
I have GC in both primary and secondary schools, and I have nothing but praise for both. They have worked hard to make the education of the children paramount.
I am just sick of posters on here shouting for the closure of schools.
There has been so much evidence recently of the damage done to children during lockdown, are you really all so blinkered that you can't see it. Are you really all so concerned for yourselves.
Maybe it really is time I packed in GN, yes it is!

Lazyriver you have fallen for the Government propaganda that keeping schools open somehow protects poorer children. In fact what is happening is that children living in. more deprived areas are suffering more interruption to their education because they are being sent home when cases occur in their school bubble or when too many staff are infected and the school can't cope Infection rates are higher in poorer areas. The resulting in and out process is far more damaging because there is no consistency. One thing those who work in such schools know is that consistency is vitally important to these children who frequently live very disorganised lives. Yes they were damaged by lockdown but imagining they are somehow better off with the present situation is so wrong.

Lazyriver, why is infection rate higher in poorer areas? What are the main reasons?

I wish keeping schools open did work lazyriver. My youngest is in secondary school in a deprived area & there are plenty of families who cannot provide a quiet home working area or the technology needed (& the govt cut back on the distribution of tech)

But he spent 5 weeks out of school last term (from year 11) and we are in an area with one of the lowest rates of infection. Teachers were having to try and teach kids from home themselves (as they kept having to self isolate), or had to try and teach some who were in school and some who were home. To suggest that last term was in any way normal just because schools were open (as the govt keeps doing) is at best wishful thinking but actually bordering on delusional.

Exams always highlight inequalities in society, but this year that is magnified a hundred times. If they start now, rather than making yet another last minute u turn then they could ask for teacher grades plus evidence. It would be just as fair as exams at this stage tbh

I think it's inevitable that secondary schools, at least, will closed for some time in January.

It's just been announced that mass testing has been abandoned because the 30 minute lateral flow tests aren't accurate enough. In Liverpool, they were only picking up 50% of positive cases.

The plan was to test all pupils and staff before allowing them to restart school, but that won't happen now. The plan was then not to send any contacts home, but to test contacts daily. Again, that can't happen.

I did hear that the lateral flow tests are even worse at picking up the new variant.

I agree schools will have to close and I just hope they then act decisively on exams.

In my opinion, the Government have left so many questions unanswered and they are just papering over all of the cracks, hoping nobody will notice. It is about time they stopped playing games of Russian Roulette with every single citizen of the UK. They have messed around with the education system so much this year and with the new strain currently mutating at an alarming rate every day (based upon what Chris Whitty is saying, but he tested positive for the initial strain, so it is not known whether he knows what he is doing), I feel the Government want the fatality rate to increase substantially before they will sit up and listen.

If teachers and support staff catch it then no teachers, no school!!

Lynnenana

If teachers and support staff catch it then no teachers, no school!!

Which is why they should be teaching online. Vaccinations and tests can't stop anybody catching it. Only lack of contact with other people can do that.

growstuff
How do you know that vaccinations don’t stop transmission? Since the scientists don’t yet know this it seems unlikely that you do know it, but you keep stating it as a fact. It’s not a fact. No one knows, least of all you.

Well I work in a nursery and the children came back awful especially the boys. Another lockdown is something I dread on the return to work! Hope they stay open.

maddyone

growstuff
How do you know that vaccinations don’t stop transmission? Since the scientists don’t yet know this it seems unlikely that you do know it, but you keep stating it as a fact. It’s not a fact. No one knows, least of all you.

I state the facts as they are known by scientists, which is that it has not been established that the vaccine stops transmission. That is a fact, whether you like it or not. Maybe it does stop transmission, but it hasn't been established. Surely that's not too difficult to understand.

I will keep on stating facts.

Here's one link:

www.sciencenews.org/article/covid-19-coronavirus-vaccines-questions-social-distance-mask-transmission

There are dozens of others, saying exactly the same thing.

No growstuff it most certainly is not too difficult for me to understand. However, you don’t seem to understand that it is not known whether vaccination stops transmission or not. Scientists do not know, it may stop transmission, it may not. You seem to find that too difficult too understand because you have repeatedly claimed it does not stop transmission. The truth is that it is not known.

Well I have just read a "breaking news" flash, that the government are in talks and the whole of England might be put on full lockdown from Boxing Day, nothing more than that, so hoping it's a bit of hype,but it's probably not.....will this ever end?

No, not hype.
We are heading for a full lock down.

FannyCornforth

No, not hype.
We are heading for a full lock down.

We need to be.

There have been nearly 4000 registered deaths in the last 7 days. The number of cases is rising. Nearly 18,000 people are hospitalised, of whom sadly some will die.

The country needs a properly enforced real lockdown.

I would have thought the urgency to go into a full lockdown from December 28th is to stop all the New Year parties. Revellers, especially 20 - 40 year olds, will mingle far more freely (with the help alcohol) than pupils in any school classroom.

Oooh! Who should we blame next?

Is "Blame Revellers" replacing "Bash the Foreigner" as the on trend party game?

You really have no idea what's been happening in schools in some parts of the country.

Where is the word "blame" *growstuff?

Of course no one knows what is happening in schools everywhere, but I do know this sort of thing is planned in hotels in some parts of the country for 31st December.

Arrival afternoon teas in front of an open fire.
Champagne reception withcanapes followed by a Black Tie Gala five course dinner.
Watch the magician perform his amazing tricks.
After dinner, dance the night away before we count down the seconds to 2021. Welcome in the New Year with a spectacular fireworks display.
On New Year’s Day, brunch followed by departure at midday.
copied from a hotel's website

In my opinion it is indeed pressing to call a halt to New Year's Eve revelling.
No blame. Just unfortunate.

My grandson's secondary school reopens on the 11th January

A week late

The primary school grandchildren are, for the time being, going back on the 5th. .

Schools really are hotbeds for transmission. It's unfortunate but I'd be close them for the forseeable

Closing schools does enormous damage to children's wellbeing. Especially that of children from deprived backgrounds. Even as a teacher myself I found it challenging teaching a six year old during lockdown. Many parents find it virtually impossible. If we value the next generation we should keep the schools open.