Coronavirus and schools

[h0b0]

Boozy said:

I live in the US and we’re home schooling for the foreseeable future, it’s going to be interesting, some towns are closing the playgrounds and advising against play dates and general social interaction.

Those that teach do and those that don’t, now do.

Just to add they’re putting huge effort to ensure the kids who have meals provided still have that service.

Edited by Boozy on Sunday 15th March 23:15

Fellow Jersey resident here. Kids are being home schooled now for at least 2 weeks but expect it to be a lot longer. We have set up a schedule for them today and will see how they are going to follow it. The 8 year old may but the 6 year old is a pain in the ass free spirit. Schools in NYC closed with no notice for 5 weeks. They will struggle to home school for all the reasons others have posted, lack of tech and parent's jobs evaporating as the zero contract jobs dry up.

Oddly, some areas of PA have closed off licenses. That seems like punishment.

[21TonyK]

Special schools in Belfast to close indefinitely from Monday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-519...

I work in SEN. We are down about 20% of pupils and 10% staff. By the end of the week I suspect we will have less than 50% of kids in school.

[page3]

21TonyK said:

Special schools in Belfast to close indefinitely from Monday.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-northern-ireland-519...

I work in SEN. We are down about 20% of pupils and 10% staff. By the end of the week I suspect we will have less than 50% of kids in school.

It's a difficult one. We sent our SEN child in to school today because home schooling simply won't give him what he needs - the social aspect. I suspect this'll be the last week school are open though.

On the bright side, social distancing is like heaven for him.

[ukaskew]

My 5 year old is inconsolable as he loves school and cannot understand why he has been sent home despite being absolutely fine (mild occasional cough aside). It helped a little that he was one of at least 10 being sent home including one of his best friends, so he didn't feel completely singled out.

Really tough situation for the schools as they don't appear to getting any guidance (my wife is a SEN teacher at a different school so we're seeing both sides of it.)

[hondafanatic]

Our pupil numbers have dropped massively and a fifth of pupils are off. Over 200.

We’ve been instructed to not teach new stuff and instead retract and consolidate learning for those that remain.

No new instances of staff being off though.

[sim72]

105 students off today, many with flu-like symptoms.

PHE response? "Close for a day and do a deep clean, then business as usual".

Well, a day off for me. Think I'll go to the pub ... oh, wait.

[ukaskew]

Our primary school have just confirmed no kids in for 14 days if they have a cough. With parents having to stay home (many of whom will be teachers themselves) this is essentially going to start the triggering of schools needing to shut anyway due to staff shortages.

1/5th of the kids at our local were sent home yesterday.

[hyphen]

ukaskew said:

My 5 year old is inconsolable as he loves school and cannot understand why he has been sent home despite being absolutely fine (mild occasional cough aside).

animated video of a germ on YouTube helped mine to visualise the issue.

[21TonyK]

We were down nearly 40% of kids yesterday. Today I expect 50%+ off and probably 20% of staff.

We will most likely close at the end of this week and see what happens about reopening after Easter.

Half expect to be redeployed to another federated school if they remain open.

[panholio]

I’m spinning out a bit over what to do. I have a 4 year old and a 7 year old. Wife and I are now indefinitely wfh , but my wife is upstairs in bed with what she is describing as flu like “chills” but no cough.

My gut is to keep everyone home now until this settles down. My wife wants to send them in.

[MYOB]

panholio said:

I’m spinning out a bit over what to do. I have a 4 year old and a 7 year old. Wife and I are now indefinitely wfh , but my wife is upstairs in bed with what she is describing as flu like “chills” but no cough.

My gut is to keep everyone home now until this settles down. My wife wants to send them in.

Most definitely keep them home.

[Budflicker]

MYOB said:

Most definitely keep them home.

Yes if the wife is in bed with fever and chills then you all need 14 days isolation.

this is how we all work together to minimise the numbers needing ICU care along the curve.

[Bill]

Budflicker said:

Yes if the wife is in bed with fever and chills then you all need 14 days isolation.

this is how we all work together to minimise the numbers needing ICU care along the curve.

+1 No ifs, no buts.

Edited by Bill on Tuesday 17th March 08:21

[Sheepshanks]

ukaskew said:

My 5 year old has had a cough on and off for 3 weeks, he's seen a doctor and it's just a phlegmy chest (which he has suffered with before). Luckily after a good cough in the morning he's been absolutely fine so school hasn't been an issue, in fact he's almost cleared it.

Today he happened to cough at school, so we have to keep him off for 7 days. Sounds like they are sending many, many children home.

That seems ridiculous - both our granddaughters (5 & 8) were here last night - they go to different schools and one has a full class and the other one child is off but he’s been off for a while. Parents evening at the younger ones school went ahead last night but it’s a much smaller deal at that age than at secondary.

One of our daughters teaches and the other is married to a teacher. They’ve both been told they will be expected to come in if the school closes unless they’re ill themselves and, amongst other things, that they’ll be ‘child-minding’ children of essential services workers. However it seems there's a bit of a row going on more widely as teachers are being told they won’t be able to bring their own kids in.

[Bill]

Two of mine are off today. Staffing levels are lower due to a couple of coughs and now a big accident on the main road in means no safeguarding lead can get in in time.

Yay.

[Murph7355]

Fully expecting my kids' school to have Friday as the last open day. Only a week before they were due to break for Easter anyway, they typically don't do an awful lot of new stuff in that week regardless (4 and 7) and it'll give everything time to settle one way or another. Parents and visitors already not allowed on site, events all shut down etc.

I think the govt have been looking to get to this point for the last month. Would be surprised if there aren't announcements on it tomorrow/Thursday, with comms ramping up until the plug is pulled.

School have been preparing to go fully online for the last couple of weeks, but have had an online presence for ages anyway (and the kids love it - though my eldest's main question this morning was "will people still be on TV...and if not is he allowed to watch YouTube and films"...he has his father's sense of pragmatism

[21TonyK]

Not official yet but we've all been to make sure laptops, iphones, ipads etc are all on overnight for updates of skype etc

Give it 48 hours and I'll be sent to another school for the last week before Easter.

[Petrus1983]

My gf’s daughter went in today - bus stop was as busy as ever so will be interesting to know numbers when she gets back.

[hondafanatic]

Well considering all the advice is that children are more carriers than victims, they are dropping like flies today.

[conkerman]

My eldest has a cough this morning.

Younger brother was unhappy as he wanted to go to school.

131/2 days to go.