Coronavirus and schools

[Petrus1983]

Please keep this specifically about schools - there’s plenty of other threads regarding the overall situation.

What are others doing? I’ve suggested my gf keeps her 11yo off school tomorrow - she lives with her mum who’s previously had a stroke and has other underlying health conditions. We’ll do it tomorrow and look at the new stats that come in. I’m far from alarmist - but I think a lot are surprised at the school/college/uni situation - especially so close to the Easter break anyway.

[hyphen]

Will continue as normal.


If closed: will WFH, splitting time with their mum.

Mine are young, so keep well fed, make sure loads of toys are out/dressed for garden and outdoor toys and hose are out and they will entertain themselves mostly. Will come to me every so often for attention.

Will take for a walk in morning, and afternoon.

Conference calls: Put on Thomas the Tank Engine classic on youtube in another room, no more than 5 mins before and they will keep away for an hour+.

Note: Has to be the classic Thomas with Ringo doing the voice, and Fat Controller and so on shouting at the trains No modern PC crap.

Edited by hyphen on Sunday 15th March 20:15

[TwistingMyMelon]

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

[Petrus1983]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

I’d normally 100% agree - it’s the living with an almost 70 yr old that’s the confusing factor.

[Bill]

Kids are least at risk so mine are off to school as usual. I get the OP's concerns with someone at risk at home but it's far from widespread yet so I'd stick with scrupulous hand hygiene etc and keep him at school for now.

[TwistingMyMelon]

Petrus1983 said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

I’d normally 100% agree - it’s the living with an almost 70 yr old that’s the confusing factor.

You do what you think best , everyone's situation is different

[hyphen]

Petrus1983 said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

I’d normally 100% agree - it’s the living with an almost 70 yr old that’s the confusing factor.

Can gf and her kid come and live with you? 'temporarily' So mum is Skyped instead daily and not seen so much.

[MethylatedSpirit]

Children are least at risk, although their role in spreading the virus is (in my opinion) not studied or understood yet. There may be a very sudden U-turn on this.

Some teachers / schools are prepared for home / online / postal working. Some are most definitely not.

[Petrus1983]

hyphen said:

Can gf and her kid come and live with you? 'temporarily' So mum is Skyped instead daily and not seen so much.

I wish - but the reality is no. The mother is reliant on my gf and doesn’t have a reliable back up. We’re fine - but worried the daughter will be a carrier.

[john-992x8]

They aren't doing it for the kids really, it's to safeguard the parents and teachers.

Mine are going in until told not to.

[anonymous-user]

Govt will be acutely aware of just how many kids only get a hot meal once a day at school, and how those kids are more likely to have parents on zero hours contract positions of employment. May only be a minor factor in them remaining open for as long as possible but it’s a factor nonetheless

[GlenMH]

pablo said:

Govt will be acutely aware of just how many kids only get a hot meal once a day at school, and how those kids are more likely to have parents on zero hours contract positions of employment. May only be a minor factor in them remaining open for as long as possible but it’s a factor nonetheless

Or kids that only get any form of food at school. Along with kids that are safer in school than they are at home...

[FourWheelDrift]

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

Closing schools will only make them go out more during the day spreading their germs further and faster. And CV19 if they have it.

If you have a school full of non-infected children then keep them all together as much as possible.

[hyphen]

FourWheelDrift said:

TwistingMyMelon said:

Keep going as normal

This is going to last months and months

Keeping them off now will do bugger all bar make them stir crazy

Closing schools will only make them go out more during the day spreading their germs further and faster. And CV19 if they have it.

If you have a school full of non-infected children then keep them all together as much as possible.

Isn't that the point? that any of them, or the teachers can get infected at any point, and spread it around like wildfire.

They virus won't be giving 14days notice to the school before entering! Symptoms will take time to show, and by then most of one class may be infected, and the teacher will have given it to the Head teacher who will interact with all teachers, and so on to the rest of the classrooms.

[hondafanatic]

Teacher here. So is the missus. Given the time of year we really don’t want school to shut for the gcse kids.

However the conversation keeps coming round about what to do. We’ve one kids in primary and another at secondary school. So between us that’s four Different schools.

We’ve all had parents evening last Thursday so that’s more exposure. I did look around the sports hall where most of the teaching staff and management were in the same proximity for three hours with a mix of kids and families. The families age range was between new born and very elderly grandparents. A few infected people could have infected a lot of staff. A few infected staff could have infected a lot of families.

My mum is 78 and spends time at ours most days either letting the dogs out or having dinner with us as she lives a few doors down.

My MIL is being treated for leukaemia and her husband has some of the underlying health issues highlighted as at risk. Our girls spend every Tuesday night with them.

We’re not sure what’s for the best.

Tuesday nights will probably be cancelled but my mum is very healthy for someone her age so she’s unlikely to change her pattern unless I told her she’s better not coming round.

Everyone is going into school tomorrow. None of the schools have mentioned cancelling assemblies or line ups however I appreciate kids are not getting ill but can be carriers.

It’s very much ‘watch this space’ and we’ve sorted online resources for pupils but not all our pupils have access to a laptop/pc, often relying on a phone as the only connected device beyond a games console.

Anyone else in a similar position?

[jonwm]

My kids are going as planned tomorrow (2 in primary 1 in pre school) I'm also a parent governor and raised the issue a few weeks ago before it was as bad as it is now.

We have already had home learning log ons sent to parents, cost was quite minimal really and allows teachers to have input on the work each child has.

I'm also fully aware of the amount of kids that would be an inconvenience to there parents if they had to had extended time off school, quite sad really.

[dazwalsh]

Suppose its treated in many ways like a mass gathering, so suppose it would run riot through a school full of unhygienic children.

The key is keeping kids away from grandparents, and schools should be able to continue as usual, with more emphasis on hand washing and the like.

It will be a pain in the arse for them but isolating the old is a good choice. Already my local Facebook group is gathering together a bunch of people who can run errands for the elderly which is quite heartwarming. Several businesses have also offered support, the local chippy will start a delivery service for them for example.

[sim72]

hondafanatic said:

Teacher here. So is the missus. Given the time of year we really don’t want school to shut for the gcse kids. #

...

Anyone else in a similar position?

Ditto, two people who work in schools here. My mother is in a care home and I have stopped visiting while I am still working in a school.

I suspect that the Govt is trying to reach the Easter holidays without mass closures, whether that's a good idea or not I don't think anyone knows.

We have online resources in place for our students and are currently doing work to find out if any Year 11 or Year 13 students do not have Internet access outside school, and whether we can do anything about that if so (I suspect, these days, that the numbers will be small).

One thing that has arisen is that I work in a school with a very high Asian population so many of our students live in homes with extended families including elderly relatives, which is going to cause quite an issue if the over-70s are asked to self-isolate, not to mention the existing risks of infection.

[hondafanatic]

sim72 said:

Ditto, two people who work in schools here. My mother is in a care home and I have stopped visiting while I am still working in a school.

I suspect that the Govt is trying to reach the Easter holidays without mass closures, whether that's a good idea or not I don't think anyone knows.

We have online resources in place for our students and are currently doing work to find out if any Year 11 or Year 13 students do not have Internet access outside school, and whether we can do anything about that if so (I suspect, these days, that the numbers will be small).

One thing that has arisen is that I work in a school with a very high Asian population so many of our students live in homes with extended families including elderly relatives, which is going to cause quite an issue if the over-70s are asked to self-isolate, not to mention the existing risks of infection.

I agree that the government probably has an Easter holiday aim in mind. Do you think keeping schools open only for gcse classes is an option?

Heard from Pearson’s that they are moving all moderation to online or aiming to do that. No talk yet how, if schools are closed, pupils wont’t lose out on grades etc. Well nothing I’ve picked up yet

[ABZ RS6]

Situation normal at present but several hints that my boys school in Aberdeen will close as of Friday this week.

Well set up for remote study as all pupils in both junior and secondary are equipped with their own laptop. Even before this event they were set work to be completed remotely if off school with sniffles / sts etc and regularly submit homework electronically.

Given this is a private school and maybe not all state schools are this prepared but can’t see shutting the schools as an issue outside of who cares for them if you can’t work from home.