[Closed] Primary School Closure

Legal action against schools threatened by the government tomorrow.

U-turn by the end of the week.

Just a prediction.

Not yet, but will be happy when it happens

Nothing here as yet but I think it should happen.

Nothing here, but we still have a pretty low rate relatively. Are you in T4? The school is very good with communication and is sensitive to the notice parents need to make alternative arrangements.

Yup, turns out the unions did not like the pay freeze, the loss of holiday, the lack of testing, the lack of vacinnation priority and the complete contempt shown to teachers by this ****less government.

My wife works in a primary, they are still opening tomorrow. Lots of schools round the local area are not opening though.

Yup, turns out the unions did not like the pay freeze, the loss of holiday, the lack of testing, the lack of vacinnation priority and the complete contempt shown to teachers by this ****less government.

Give this man a medal!

Some schools not opening around Southampton with council backing, according to Echo.

Reading and Slough council backing primaries over non opening, sons school has inset tomorrow, wife works part time in private including primary, its shit for two weeks and has said do one on testing the kids themselves.

Monkey’s Primary Head emailed everyone this afternoon to say they’re continuing to follow regs and will open as normal on Tue with all pupils expected to attend.

As much as I’d like to see a semblance of normality continue, I’d be more pleased to see them close given the stats.

Yep, got told today and to be honest it relieves the stress of whether we were going to send out daughter or not. We're in Tier 4, are actually in a London borough but across the road is Surrey. The school is on our road, has a postal address in our London Borough but is administered by Surrey CC, the other primary school behind it is physically in Surrey but administered by Sutton so they were closing. Glad the decision has been made, seemed a bit mad locally albeit I appreciate that's a fairly specific and unusual scenario

Every recent Covid case I'm aware of has been through the schools, and my lad's primary was rife with it before Xmas.

Baffled why this is still even a debate.

But PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE can the mods close this thread down before we all have to listen to STEVEXTC go on YET ANOTHER rant about how teachers are evil and schools are the work of satan and that he would have been Master of the Universe had it not been for Mr Marshall who took his Tamagochi off him in 1984?

Nah, let him rant. If that is what he thinks it just underlines why paying attention at school would have made him less of a prick. (Married to a teacher who is in tomorrow with no plans to close the school).

My wife had to go for a flow test today (Sunday) ahead of going into school tomorrow. 40 minutes queuing in the cold. Awesome.

My daughters school (Greater Manchester) emailed us before new year (30th December) to say that it’d be home learning until the 18th January. Which was a relief to hear.

This gang of imbeciles, playing at being a government, will shut all the schools by the end of the week as the next huge rise in infections hits. Always too late. Always behind the curve.

How in gods name is that prize *-wit Frank Spencer Gavin Williamson still education Secretary? He’s out-Graylinged Grayling when it comes to weapons grade incompetence. Where is the *ing moron? Nowhere to be seen, as always

Baffled why this is still even a debate.

But Boris was adamant schools were safe this morning.....

I'd love to see the data he thinks he's basing that on. Or to see the data he's ignoring to press on regardless. I try not to fall for media hype and spin, but having seen what has happened in our kids schools, and seeing what TiRed is saying in the main thread, I can't see how anyone can claim "schools are safe but hairdressers aren't" without sharing how they are making those decisions.

I totally get how important education is, and my kids are definitely in a better place mentally at school, even with chaos and positive tests around them, but this is about wider society now with the current infection rates and hospital admissions.

Cumbria County Council have been told to **** off by tories.

However they (the council) have said they will back schools decisions to stay closed. https://www.itv.com/news/border/2021-01-03/cumbria-county-council-will-support-any-primary-schools-decision-to-delay-the-start-of-the-spring-term

Predictably my scumbag local MP (Mark Jenkinson - you may remember he claimed that locals swapped food parcels for drugs instead of feeding their kids...) thinks the county council are inciting panic.

Local Primary Schools are closing in North Cumbria, not just because of the Unions, but because the data is showing the dangers of meeting in large groups and the vast increase in cases.

The County Council and the Local Director of Public Health wrote to the DfE requesting that permission be granted for school closures. The DfE refused this request; with figures rapidly heading towards the 1000 mark, they considered schools were a safe place to be for children and staff.

Heads and Governors have made their own decision, backed by the County Executive, Leader of the County Council and the Director of PH. Schools will be closed so to give a bit of a 'fire break' and perhaps try and get numbers down.

Tier 4 here.
Had emails this afternoon.
The council have kicked off about schools having to open when other tier 4 with lower rates aren't.
They're going to keep the schools shut for two days " for discussions".
That councillor has just won my vote next time.

And I know people are stressed, but no need to take it out on others with personal attack posting.
Rule one should still apply.

@Simon_Semtex and all the other teachers on here, you're all great, keep up the hard work (wife is a teacher though stepped away last year to look after our son, so I know how much effort goes in) and try to ignore the vocal minority ranting away.

Your post made me laugh though!

Jaminb family all had Covid for Xmas after 6 year old came into contact with infected member of school staff. (Surrey next to London borough of Richmond)

If you want to catch Covid send you kids to school

Coyote..... I love u!

All the best to your wife.

It's important to remember 'closed' schools are actually still open. My girlfriend is still expected to work, the teachers (rightly) have refused to work, but the Teaching Assistants have no union and take over for keyworkers kids.

Thx TWISTED....

Glad i made you laugh!

It’s important to remember ‘closed’ schools are actually still open. My girlfriend is still expected to work, the teachers (rightly) have refused to work, but the Teaching Assistants have no union and take over for keyworkers kids.

Not quite as clear cut as that.
My union (NEU) are saying we shouldn't be teaching face to face, but that we should be volunteering to look after key worker/vunerable pupils, and should be teaching remotely, either from home or in school.

TAs can join a union, and I'd suggest they all do.

Sorry.... Not true. Teaching Assistants do have a union. Its called Unison.

Todays members briefing by the NEU made it very clear that Unison are throwing their full weight behind the Safe Schools cause.

Please encourage your gf to join the Union. If not for this then definitely as protection against false student allegations or bullying SLT etc.

Sure but girlfriend and others are all on zero hour contracts, so not same choice teachers have. None of them have joined the union

My OH's got an email. There's a "Dear [insert name of school here], I'm not coming in on advice of my union" template letter on UNISON's website.

Imo teachers have a right to refuse to work in unsafe conditions and should do so

Even on zero hours contracts you can and should join a union

Thank you all teachers. We know you’ll still be working, come what may.

We are in tier 4, and are expecting to be back in school on Tuesday according the the email from the head today, fully expecting Whitehall to shut all schools tomorrow though as it is the opposite of what was said yesterday

Totally agree, but you don't get paid in a zero hour contract if you don't go in.

I'm a teacher and so relieved I'm teaching remotely next week. Ill help my students as much as possible and even help write custom projects fpr those with limited equipment to work on.

I had symptoms of Covid back in March and the NHS told me to go home, yet my work gave me a hard time with HR on my case. Had a high temperature in October and informed work. They wanted me to come in and not bother with a test. In November one of my students tested positive so the class was sent home. Though I had to stay and continue to teach other classes and share a staffroom with others. There is no social distancing.

This is the reality. It is not safe.

We have a (Tier 4) County Council telling us its all good; meeting tomorrow with appropriate extracts from this to suggest that might not be the case or in the best interests of our staff, pupils or wider community

I fully back teachers standing up to keep themselves and others safe by only opening to vulnerable kids and those of critical workers. Absolutely ridiculous that London schools are advised to close but not others. One of our local primary schools announced they won’t open this week.

Thank you to all of you and others working in schools.

fully expecting Whitehall to shut all schools tomorrow though as it is the opposite of what was said yesterday

This^
Whatever Johnson and his band of twonks say one day, you can almost guarantee they'll do the opposite a day or two later.

Sons primary has shut for this week

Hearing a few teachers doing this, with so much going on i think the government can only get positive outcomes by another national lockdown, it'll suck but this death by a thousand cuts style lockdown is not working and just delaying (and increasing) the inevitable

Agree another full national lockdown will work, but only if it is enforced. Proper fines for people breaking the rules. Maybe a percentage of salary, and community service.

Hmmmmmmm.... it’s a dilemma.

On one hand we have highly qualified and experienced frontline teaching staff, doing the job every day, saying one thing and on the other hand we’ve Gavin Williamson and Boris Johnson saying the opposite

I just don’t know who’s judgement to trust on such matters?

Totally agree, but you don’t get paid in a zero hour contract if you don’t go in.

You don't get paid if you take industrial action regardless of your contract. And it doesn't count as a days service for your pension either.

But this isn't industrial action, it's exercising your legal right to refuse to work in an unsafe environment.

2 weeks starting tomorrow for my kids' primary in Durham. Fair enough I think. Don't think it's a council decision, just one by the school.

MK was on governments list so decision made

Sad for the kids (& my wife's & I's sanity) but cases are v high here- way higher than in April wave, so it's not surprising

Fair play to the teachers (and heads). My two aren't primary, but won't be going in regardless. Cases are up 100% this week locally to me, I can see the trajectory and it's not one which involves safety for staff, pupils or their families.