Return to Education

[Solent&Wessex]

Covid: Gavin Williamson hopes England's schools will reopen by Easter

The education secretary says schools in England will be given two weeks' notice before reopening.

www.bbc.co.uk

Someone has just realised that telling schools on 15 February whether or not they will open on 22 February may not be a good idea (for anyone who doesn't already know, w/c 15 Feb will be the half-term break for many schools); I could have told them that weeks ago!

So this leads to two possibilities
1) They will bring the 15 Feb review forward by 1 week; or
2) Schools will be further delayed opening on 1st March

Sadly I predict 1st March for schools reopening.

I also predict school staff (among others e.g. police) will be prioritised for the vaccine from around that date, ahead of over 50s.

The same report quotes Williamson as only "hoping" schools can go back before Easter.

There is probably a separate discussion to be had as to whether the closure of schools has helped reduce case numbers (and, in reality, I suspect it will be very hard to tell either way).

I strongly suspect, sadly, that we are probably looking at after the Easter break till schools go back in earnest, not least because of the increasingly cautious sounding messaging from ministers about when lockdown might be eased and how long it will take for the effects of vaccination and lockdown to reduce the impact on the NHS.

That's not to say I necessarily support that approach. Personally I am not affected by school closures as I have no children, I also have no family relatives with school or university aged children. That said I do have a good friend who is studying at college. The course is a very specialist course which requires use of specialist machinery, tools and equipment and training in practical tasks and craftsmanship. There is a substantial theory element to the course too, obviously. Last term before Christmas the workshop and practical time was reduced due to social distancing and other covid rules which meant fewer people could use the workshops at any one time meaning the course had to be split and different groups going in on different days. Theory learning was done from home remotely. This term, obviously, all practical on site tuition is paused. My friend has reported that the tutors are concerned that if they don't return in late February then there will be insufficient time remaining after Easter to be able to complete all the practical training and skills before the end of the educational year. Due to the nature of the qualifications (Year 1 is a separate qualification to Years 2 and 3 and is basically a stand alone course and qualification in it's own right - you can do year 1 on it's own, you can also join and do years 2 and 3 without having done year 1) it means that carrying stuff over in to later years isn't really possible. There is no end of year assessment either with the qualification being gained by ongoing assessment of (aside from the theory work produced) the practical outputs you have manufactured and developments in your skills and use of the various equipment and machinery. My friend is concerned that if the college remains closed then the course may not be completed and may mean he cannot progress to the next stage as planned. This obviously affects his future career prospects, in addition to his finances as he is living away from home to complete the course as only a few places in the country do it.

I feel there has been very little publicity given to vocational qualifications and colleges in particular, with most focus recently being on traditional academic subjects at GCSE and A Level. Whilst totally recognising the impact on young people's educations and mental health by not being in school, the fact remains that it is still possible to teach - albeit not fully - most GCSE and A level subjects remotely via computer as they do not require as much, if any, practical assessments or use of specialist equipment.

If there has to be a staggered return to education then I would prioritise those subjects - at all educational levels (GCSE, A Level and College vocational subjects) - that require practical handling, practical on site tuition, use of labs or workshop equipment etc. It is far far harder for students on those subjects, of all ages, to complete their educations or qualifications in any meaningful way as in most cases you simply can't do it at home or in your own time.

 

[chris11256]

At my school we're working on the basis of no opening until after the Easter holidays.

 

[Richard Scott]

At my school we're working on the basis of no opening until after the Easter holidays.

I really wish politicians would take student wellbeing on board. A not insignificant number are suffering now and showing signs of depression. A colleague said she spoke to a lad who lives in her street and he said he can't do this for much longer. This is serious, so me won't make it to Easter. They need to be back now.

 

[yorkie]

I really wish politicians would take student wellbeing on board. A not insignificant number are suffering now and showing signs of depression. A colleague said she spoke to a lad who lives in her street and he said he can't do this for much longer. This is serious, so me won't make it to Easter. They need to be back now.

Quantity of life over quality is the priority of our society.

Our society wanted my grandparents to be kept alive with severe dementia, no dignity or quality of life whatsoever purely for the sake of keeping them alive; as a society we value keeping people alive no matter what over the well-being of young people. No-one has the willpower and ability to change it. This pandemic has exposed this ludicrous situation.

 

[PeterC]

I suspect that school reopening will be on a regional basis depending on local infection rates.

 

[RomeoCharlie71]

It is being reported that Gavin Williamson is to rule out any return of schools in February. https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353105219031359490?s=21

https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353109508843823106?s=21

(There's nothing to quote, it's an image)

 

[Richard Scott]

Also being reported that Gavin Williamson is to rule out any return of schools in February. https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353105219031359490?s=21

https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353109508843823106?s=21

(There's nothing to quote, it's an image)

Just what we need, more kids getting depressed by the day, about time wellbeing was taken into account rather than paranoia about this virus. More rubbish trying to learn at home, what future have we got? Wrecked economy and a load of under educated individuals who, through no fault of their own, will be disadvantaged. Disgraceful.

 

[farleigh]

I would be dismayed if schools did not return after Feb half term. People in support of this type of policy must be oblivious to the harm being caused every day to the most vulnerable members of our society.

 

[yorkie]

I would be dismayed if schools did not return after Feb half term. People in support of this type of policy must be oblivious to the harm being caused every day to the most vulnerable members of our society.

They are indeed.

They have visions of kids whose parents work from home in well proportioned houses, and whose parents are supportive, and who have the right equipment.

But the reality is that some parents do not want to be supportive, some parents do not have time to do it, and some are incapable (I met one who said he is illiterate the other day).

This idea that "vulnerable" or "disadvantaged" kids are still in school is a fallacy; some are, yes but not all, and there are different definitions of these terms. The reality is that a school with a significant (higher than average) number of students with either special educational needs, and/or who are disadvantaged (and eligible for "pupil premium" funding) may have fewer than 7% of its pupils on roll right now.

Even some normally well behaved students are not always engaging; a parent told me in the supermarket recently that her son (who never misbehaves normally) had made it look like he was on the lesson but was not actually participating but had been found out. That is just one example out of many.

Many disadvantaged kids do not have access to adequate equipment of their own to participate in online learning and schools are desperately trying to source alternative devices for them, but many schools are still awaiting delivery as demand for certain types of devices is currently through the roof.

Kids are missing out on forming relationships, they are losing interest in many things; some are totally addicted to computer games and many do not want to go out to exercise as they do not see going for a walk with parents as fun enough to bother with. We are making the obesity crisis worse.

We are sacrificing the needs of the younger generation and we are then going to make them pay for it for years into the future.

And when kids commit suicide, the media are silent, as those sorts of deaths don't seem to matter. In fact someone in their 20s having a hard time battling Covid is deemed more newsworthy than a kid committing suicide. This is madness. What has our society become? Those who support this madness will not easily be forgiven by me.

 

[Ianno87]

I would be dismayed if schools did not return after Feb half term. People in support of this type of policy must be oblivious to the harm being caused every day to the most vulnerable members of our society.

Or the people in support who don't have kids (or grown up ones) so "close the schools!" literally has no consequences for them

 

[Richard Scott]

They are indeed.

They have visions of kids whose parents work from home in well proportioned houses, and whose parents are supportive, and who have the right equipment.

But the reality is that some parents do not want to be supportive, some parents do not have time to do it, and some are incapable (I met one who said he is illiterate the other day).

This idea that "vulnerable" or "disadvantaged" kids are still in school is a fallacy; some are, yes but not all, and there are different definitions of these terms. The reality is that a school with a significant (higher than average) number of students with either special educational needs, and/or who are disadvantaged (and eligible for "pupil premium" funding) may have fewer than 7% of its pupils on roll right now.

Even some normally well behaved students are not always engaging; a parent told me in the supermarket recently that her son (who never misbehaves normally) had made it look like he was on the lesson but was not actually participating but had been found out. That is just one example out of many.

Many disadvantaged kids do not have access to adequate equipment of their own to participate in online learning and schools are desperately trying to source alternative devices for them, but many schools are still awaiting delivery as demand for certain types of devices is currently through the roof.

Kids are missing out on forming relationships, they are losing interest in many things; some are totally addicted to computer games and many do not want to go out to exercise as they do not see going for a walk with parents as fun enough to bother with. We are making the obesity crisis worse.

We are sacrificing the needs of the younger generation and we are then going to make them pay for it for years into the future.

And when kids commit suicide, the media are silent, as those sorts of deaths don't seem to matter. In fact someone in their 20s having a hard time battling Covid is deemed more newsworthy than a kid committing suicide. This is madness. What has our society become? Those who support this madness will not easily be forgiven by me.

Agree with you 100% on this. I'm really starting to worry that youngsters will see no way out other than suicide. The media and politicians need to start taking notice of the dire situation they are creating. I cannot believe this is being allowed to happen in this country in this day and age. It's criminal.

 

[kristiang85]

There are also physcial repercussions, that could harm them for life:

The Pandemic Could Be Harming Kids' Eyesight, But It Isn't The Virus to Blame

School closures are among the more controversial options for controlling the COVID-19 pandemic, with authorities debating whether the preventative measure is worth the potential educational, social, and emotional costs.

www.sciencealert.com

With COVID forcing the closure of schools for the first half of 2020, a new school year was kicked off in June rather than the usual September. But the usual screening took place nonetheless, giving eye specialists and researchers a good look at the eyes of thousands of children aged six to 13.

All up, the five consecutive years of testing provided the scientists with a glimpse into a total of 389,808 eyeballs.

An analysis of the frequency of refractive errors found in all of those eyes revealed a relatively stable trend from 2015 to 2019, with perhaps a slight shift towards myopia.

That shift was unmistakable in 2020's results though, with a substantial jump in errors that qualify as short-sightedness, significantly among six to eight year olds.

In fact, the prevalence of myopia in children aged six was three times more than in those of any previous year.

While we can only speculate over the cause of the widespread change, staring intently at books and screens for long periods while isolated indoors will do the trick just nicely.

"This substantial myopic shift was not seen in any other year-to-year comparison, making the cause possibly due to the unusual occurrence of home confinement in 2020," the researchers suggest in their report.

It's possible the fact the screening took place in June rather than September, together with all of the masking and distancing precautions that come with pandemic safety, just might have somehow affected the results.

But the differences weren't consistent across all ages tested, making it unlikely confounding factors are to blame.

It does say later on that the hypothesis that lockdowns and home schooling meaning children are spending far more time looking at screens being to blame has not been proven yet, but it does make sense. Certainly there will be a lot of unintended long-term physcial and mental consequences on children from all of this, especailly when they are at ages where much of their development takes place in a short space of time.

 

[The Ham]

They are indeed.

They have visions of kids whose parents work from home in well proportioned houses, and whose parents are supportive, and who have the right equipment.

But the reality is that some parents do not want to be supportive, some parents do not have time to do it, and some are incapable (I met one who said he is illiterate the other day).

This idea that "vulnerable" or "disadvantaged" kids are still in school is a fallacy; some are, yes but not all, and there are different definitions of these terms. The reality is that a school with a significant (higher than average) number of students with either special educational needs, and/or who are disadvantaged (and eligible for "pupil premium" funding) may have fewer than 7% of its pupils on roll right now.

Even some normally well behaved students are not always engaging; a parent told me in the supermarket recently that her son (who never misbehaves normally) had made it look like he was on the lesson but was not actually participating but had been found out. That is just one example out of many.

Many disadvantaged kids do not have access to adequate equipment of their own to participate in online learning and schools are desperately trying to source alternative devices for them, but many schools are still awaiting delivery as demand for certain types of devices is currently through the roof.

Kids are missing out on forming relationships, they are losing interest in many things; some are totally addicted to computer games and many do not want to go out to exercise as they do not see going for a walk with parents as fun enough to bother with. We are making the obesity crisis worse.

We are sacrificing the needs of the younger generation and we are then going to make them pay for it for years into the future.

And when kids commit suicide, the media are silent, as those sorts of deaths don't seem to matter. In fact someone in their 20s having a hard time battling Covid is deemed more newsworthy than a kid committing suicide. This is madness. What has our society become? Those who support this madness will not easily be forgiven by me.

It's not just those who are "disadvantaged" who will struggle. One of our schools has provided is with a reading system which doesn't work well on Android devices (partly as you have to use it through a browser). If you've got an Apple device you have access to an app.

Also we can only really focus on teaching one of our the children at a time, fortunately one of ours is year R and probably wouldn't be too far behind (at least with their maths) if they didn't progress much for the rest of this year.

 

[Ianno87]

Random thought (which might well be totally nuts): Should the the government be thinking about financial compensation to pupils for the level of disruption to education that they're going through.? Payable to pupils (not parents) as a trust fund available to them on their 18th birthday.

 

[The Ham]

Random thought (which might well be totally nuts): Should the the government be thinking about financial compensation to pupils for the level of disruption to education that they're going through.? Payable to pupils (not parents) as a trust fund available to them on their 18th birthday.

Probably easier to provide an increase of spending to schools for those who are younger and/or provide grants for them at uni.

 

[Ianno87]

Probably easier to provide an increase of spending to schools for those who are younger and/or provide grants for them at uni.

Toning down Uni tuition fees might be reasonable. So that'll never happen.

 

[Mag_seven]

Should the the government be thinking about financial compensation to pupils for the level of disruption to education that they're going through.? Payable to pupils (not parents) as a trust fund available to them on their 18th birthday.

Good idea but I suspect it will be the other way round in that our current young will be saddled with higher taxes for years to come to pay for all of this.

 

[brad465]

It is being reported that Gavin Williamson is to rule out any return of schools in February. https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353105219031359490?s=21

https://twitter.com/politicsforali/status/1353109508843823106?s=21

(There's nothing to quote, it's an image)

Just what we need, more kids getting depressed by the day, about time wellbeing was taken into account rather than paranoia about this virus. More rubbish trying to learn at home, what future have we got? Wrecked economy and a load of under educated individuals who, through no fault of their own, will be disadvantaged. Disgraceful.

This is now the basis of a number of front pages tomorrow, although the Telegraph is adding that a Tory revolt is brewing over it, while the Mirror is reporting that Parents are furious about the move:

 

[The Ham]

Toning down Uni tuition fees might be reasonable. So that'll never happen.

Indeed.

Good idea but I suspect it will be the other way round in that our current young will be saddled with higher taxes for years to come to pay for all of this.

As I've said before there's nearly a need for a certain amount of debt within the country. For instance a lot of borrowing by the government of from the population, either directly (NS&I) or semi indirectly (pension funds) or for the benefit of companies (people who wish to buy goods and services or planning on coming here holding UK money). As such, as long as the government can pay whenever they are demanded then then the system keeps on working.

The need to tax has little to do with the ability to pay.

Obviously there's a need to keep things broadly on an even keel, however it's not the same as balancing your own household finances as the government can just create more money. Whilst there's risks with that, mostly (initially anyway) that's only an issue for those wanting to buy goods and services from overseas or travel. For exporters is a good thing. Currently it could be argued that now it could be a useful thing to do, and that the normal impacts (my holiday abroad will cost more or the goods I buy will cost more and so I'll get upset about that) would probably be fairly limited as it's likely to cost more anyway (with much reduced air travel capacity likely to increase costs and extra taxes on EU goods coming into the UK - see recent news stories). It would certainly reduce demand for overseas goods (something which is currently increasing costs anyway due to do much stuff being shipped here, including from non EU countries, that container costs are significantly above where they typically are - IIRC reports of costs of £10,000 rather than £1,600).

 

[Jamesrob637]

Isn't now the time to send alternative year groups back alternative weeks?

(Which I've advocated since last summer!)

Children really are missing out if schools remain closed beyond the February half term.

 

[Richard Scott]

Isn't now the time to send alternative year groups back alternative weeks?

(Which I've advocated since last summer!)

Children really are missing out if schools remain closed beyond the February half term.

Certainly could do with exam classes going back full time then maybe at very least the other groups going back alternate weeks? I think all should be back but this option may be more union friendly?

 

[londonteacher]

Isn't now the time to send alternative year groups back alternative weeks?

(Which I've advocated since last summer!)

Children really are missing out if schools remain closed beyond the February half term.

The issue is that is as disruptive as them all being off.

We would need to have the normal classes with additional key worker bubbles as the children would not be able to return to their classes like normal one week and then mix with other children next week.

The best way to return would be all year groups. If not possible, then some year groups full time with the rest remote learning.

It's hard as well because children, in my experience, spread the virus. Although they are less likely to die they are likely to pass it on to school staff. Staff illness was one of the biggest headaches before Christmas in schools. Vaccinate school staff and schools are safer to reopen, don't vaccinate then risk disruption from staff absence.

I say all this as a teacher.

 

[The Ham]

Certainly could do with exam classes going back full time then maybe at very least the other groups going back alternate weeks? I think all should be back but this option may be more union friendly?

Locally the junior school has 4 classes in total and 2 classes in currently, going to alternate weeks would be fairly limited in terms of numbers of children not in the classrooms.

As such it's unlikely to reduce case numbers much below everyone being in.

The issue becomes wrap around care and other groups children go to where you're likely to see bubbles mix.

Personally I think that if the unions want to protect their members the most then they need to (until, say, Easter) consider the option of encouraging their membership to provide bubbled wrap around care so children can (at a cost to the parent, which they would otherwise be paying anyway) be within the school from 8:30 to 17:30. Yes the kids may well just be playing or watching a TV program so the staff can be a bit productive with their other work

Obviously there'll be pushback of such an option, but it's likely to be a question of do you want not to be able to work effectively or do you want to be at much higher risk due to there being bubbles (and often schools) mixing at childminders and after school childcare settings? There may be other options to consider. Teachers discuss...

Groups such as Scouts and Guides would need to stay closed.

 

[sjpowermac]

Certainly could do with exam classes going back full time then maybe at very least the other groups going back alternate weeks? I think all should be back but this option may be more union friendly?

Personally I think that if the unions want to protect their members the most then they need to (until, say, Easter) consider the option of encouraging their membership to provide bubbled wrap around care so children can (at a cost to the parent, which they would otherwise be paying anyway) be within the school from 8:30 to 17:30.

Please would you both kindly state or provide a link to give evidence to back up your claims that the government is listening to the teaching unions in any meaningful way?

As has been pointed out many times, the government largely ignores the teaching unions. Do either of you think the government shut schools in January because of union pressure?

 

[Yew]

Please would you both kindly state or provide a link to give evidence to back up your claims that the government is listening to the teaching unions in any meaningful way?

As has been pointed out many times, the government largely ignores the teaching unions. Do either of you think the government shut schools in January because of union pressure?

I would suggest that it was public pressure, driven by the Unions.

 

[sjpowermac]

I would suggest that it was public pressure, driven by the Unions.

As I mentioned to previous posters, would you care to back that up or is that just your opinion?

 

[Richard Scott]

Please would you both kindly state or provide a link to give evidence to back up your claims that the government is listening to the teaching unions in any meaningful way?

As has been pointed out many times, the government largely ignores the teaching unions. Do either of you think the government shut schools in January because of union pressure?

Didn't say government was listening to unions. My opinion is schools should be open for all but limiting numbers in at any one time may be a compromise, the unions will make a scene if they feel like it and government probably won't listen but the extra week proposed in July didn't happen due to union pressure so think there is an element of influence. The schools weren't shut in January due to union pressure, unions were less vocal on that one they just wanted some tougher measures brought in.

 

[sjpowermac]

Didn't say government was listening to unions. My opinion is schools should be open for all but limiting numbers in at any one time may be a compromise, the unions will make a scene if they feel like it and government probably won't listen but the extra week proposed in July didn't happen due to union pressure so think there is an element of influence. The schools weren't shut in January due to union pressure, unions were less vocal on that one they just wanted some tougher measures brought in.

Thank you for clarifying that you don’t believe the government was listening to the teaching unions with regard to school closures.

Given that, I’ve no idea why you felt the need to mention ‘union friendly’ in relation to exam classes going back. When the government want exam classes back in, the classes will be back in, end of.

I’m still waiting for anyone to present clear evidence that teaching unions in England have had any influence on any government since the late 1980s and was rather hoping we had ‘debunked’ this particular theory.

 

[Richard Scott]

Thank you for clarifying that you don’t believe the government was listening to the teaching unions with regard to school closures.

Given that, I’ve no idea why you felt the need to mention ‘union friendly’ in relation to exam classes going back. When the government want exam classes back in, the classes will be back in, end of.

I’m still waiting for anyone to present clear evidence that teaching unions in England have had any influence on any government since the late 1980s and was rather hoping we had ‘debunked’ this particular theory.

No, maybe I should have used a different term but was the best I could come up with.

 

[sjpowermac]

No, maybe I should have used a different term but was the best I could come up with.

Again, many thanks for clarifying.