Schools and Covid 19 (part 5) **Mod warnings in OP**

I give my kids the answers, my husband goes mad, they use their phones too, im tired after work and on my day off, have house cleaning and jobs to catch up. I type up all their projects and pretend it is them doing it using childish type phrases. I hate homework, those projects do my head in, I have no patience. I thinking of getting a tutor for secondary school as I just won't be able to have the head space for it.

I think if the aim is to protect the vulnerable that would be the most impactful measure they could take, overall. Causes a total nightmare for working parents though.

I’m not having a go I’m genuinely asking why would it be convenient not to discuss that?

Because then they would have to address ventilation in a serious manner. In order to do this they would need to allocate funds and change legislation. Many businesses and amenities would have to be retrofitted etc. It would be a costly and a significant undertaking.

Its much easier and cheaper for them to just emphasize handwashing, hand sanitizers, and wiping down surfaces etc.

As far as I'm aware there's no legal mandate but like so much else (eg: the "requirement" for doing antigen testing after you've travelled) it's intentionally phrased and reported to confuse people as to where it's law or not, in order to coerce them into complying anyway.

Last I saw (been out of the loop a few days) they'd backtracked on this one to say that schools should engage with individual parents who object - dumping it on the staff to sort out essentially.

And there is an argument for (at least at second level) keeping them in school, which is a controlled environment where they will be socially distanced and wearing masks, opposed to having them out in shopping centres with larger groups where they'd probably be more likely to pick it up

And the question of why does the responsibility of what children do outside of school hours/days fall to schools as opposed to parents being responsible needs to be asked as well.

Personally I would like to finish up Friday the 17th so as to have an extra few days to check for symptoms/antigen testing before visiting my elderly parents/in laws. If this means the schools are back a few days earlier so be it.

That's what I'll be doing. One of mine has a cold that looks like it'll be here at least half of this week, and we're spending Christmas day with a few particularly vulnerable relatives. I'll see if their teachers want to give them anything to work on at home but they won't be going in.

I agree with you that the schools (unless something major changes) don't need to close early. But, I just have to point out that you will find parents who get annoyed at everything. If we didn't do stuff just to appease the annoyed parents, we'd do nothing. I'm generalising now and I know that, but they were gas last year. Raging that the schools were open, then raging when they closed. Raging that too much work was being sent home then raging there wasn't enough of it. 'Teachers are lazy so-and-sos who don't deserve a wage and sure I could do what they do in me back shed with no training' yet at the same time 'Our kids have suffered enough and are so far behind, they are regressing and we can't be expected to do this, you need to get the teachers back'

If the schools hadn't closed because of Storm Barra, you can bet they'd have been raging about that too.

Hey guys, just wanted to throw my 2 cents in here RE: Schools possibly closing Friday.

I understand this doesn't apply to every school, which is understandable, but is it not a wise choice to close schools a week earlier considering the final week is spent watching movies/cake sales etc?

I think throughout my years in primary/secondary school, we always had a week after exams where it was just wasted doing no substantial learning. I recall we used to just practice for the Christmas play (which isn't happening in Primary schools this year) and in Secondary school, we spent the week watching movies/ having free classes once we got our test results back.

I don't particularly think it'll do anyone harm to finish 4 days earlier considering the final week isn't even the full 5 days and you really learn nothing substantial in the final week? (even in 6th year, once I had done my Christmas exams, learning was the last thing on my mind.)

I think I pose this reason because COVID is pretty bad currently. I understand we're all vaccinated so it should reduce the severity of symptoms, but I unfortunately caught COVID 2 weeks ago (most likely in college where it's rampant currently) and it was still an unpleasant time, and now my sister has it. My cousin (who is a primary school teacher) has also caught COVID now too...

I'd just feel really unfortunate for any poor kid who catches COVID a week before Christmas and ends up losing out on seeing family or doing the traditional Christmas festivities like my family have. I'd also argue they don't need to re-open schools "earlier" either considering the final week isn't even a proper learning week and just fun activities. Other countries like the Netherlands and Denmark have closed their primary schools (I believe?) so it's obvious something's up...

Anyway, I hope the government manages to make the right decision. I'd really hope it's not a situation like last year where they didn't foresee the advice and schools/college's ending up going online for up to 5 months. It wasn't a particularly fun time for anyone.

To be fair, it's not teachers running with this 'close the schools early' - that has been coming from immunologists. I've no doubt teachers have been rubbing their hands together at the thoughts of possibly getting off a bit earlier - I know I have and tbh, who wouldn't? - but we haven't been going looking for it.

I see where you are coming from, but the final week isn't entirely spent watching films and doing cake sales. Certainly not in all schools anyway. However, even if it was, students (in secondary school at least) are WAY LESS LIKELY to contract Covid whilst sitting, masked, in a room, 1.1m apart from their friends and using sanitiser regularly for half the day than they are if they are let "stay home to stop the spread". Do you really think they will all stay at home for those 3 days?

Any student or family have genuine concerns about catching Covid in school can stay home. They don't have to come in. If they are that worried about catching it in school, they probably will actually stay home and will be safer.

But there are lots who don't care and come to school without masks, not wearing masks properly, don't sanitise etc, etc. If we close the schools 3 days early, we are letting all of those lot loose on society, where they will definitely go to local shopping centres/into cities/go to house parties/meet up with groups of friends.

Schools should stay open. Parents are capable of making their own decisions. They can take them out if they wish, no school would judge or blame them.

In my opinion boards is really not a reflection of the general public . Mainly its for those who want a good whinge about everything and anything !!

My granddaughter is in 2 nd class and had three teachers during this pandemic . They have been amazing and deserve all credit for it . Her teacher this year deserves a medal !

That is really nice of you to say. If you haven't already, say it to her face. A parent spoke to me last week and said some really nice things and I know I shouldn't need the reassurance, but it was really lovely to hear it.

Yes, you are right. In fact - the major teacher/parent problem with boards, is that I think the good parents are not really on here because they are too busy being good parents and they are actually looking after their children. And the poor teachers are not really on here because they barely teach when they are IN school so certainly wouldn't have any interest in discussing or debating it when at home.

So we end up with a load of parents with chips on their shoulders (possibly rightly so in some cases for all I know), directing it at the wrong types of teachers altogether.