Teachers need to be treated as key workers and the wherewithal found to vaccinate them with other key workers. Schools do seem to be hotbeds of transmission, so all that can be done to minimise that, must be done.
We need our children back to school as soon as that can be as safely as possibly achieved. Parents, usually mothers are juggling wfh with home educating. The young parents I know well, are mostly educated to degree level and tech savvy. None of them are finding home schooling, negotiating the school sessions straightforward.
Also, the children are bored, isolated from friends and in many cases grandparents. Many children mixed with no one for ten days in the Christmas holidays. Their return to school for one day ruled out so many grandparents As child care because of the possible spread of the virus.
They do not need to repeat a year. As has been said, many other European countries don’t have formal education as early as we do. My experience of refugee children is their capacity to learn English and achieve in school is huge.
GCSE and a levels can’t take place this year. Trust the teachers