Are They Shutting Down Schools Again
In the wake of the government's Programme B measures and a new variant, parents are wondering whether schools are closing again.
An increment in Covid cases and concerns around the Omicron symptoms across the UK has understandably had the public worrying. With many wondering if it's likely we'll get back into lockdown following new rules on face masks and a return to working from dwelling house throughout January.
Previous lockdowns take resulted in school closures and parents homeschooling their children. All in an effort to reduce the virus transmission. But with Boris Johnson increasing the availability of booster Covid jabs and speeding up the 12-15 twelvemonth-olds vaccinations plan, it's hoped that a full lockdown could be avoided.
As children render to school this January, the Department of Teaching take offered up new data on what the current coronavirus stance means for face-to-face learning.
Are schools closing over again due to Covid?
Pedagogy Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed that schools in England volition non close early and continue to remain open up in January.
Taking to Twitter on Jan ii, 2022, the minister said that he was "looking forward to welcoming pupils back" to school and college during the first week of term.
"I know we face challenges with the Omicron variant just every bit the Prime Minister and I have fabricated articulate, education is our number one priority," he wrote.
The Education Secretary further re-affirmed his stance to keep schools open in a piece he wrote for the Sunday Telegraph. Here he stated that "there tin can be no excuse for our childen not learning face to confront in the classroom where they want and need to be". Whilst additionally sharing his intentions that this year's school "exams will go ahead as planned".
Schools and colleges have washed an incredible task to ensure face-to-face learning can go on.
Our measures confronting the Omicron variant volition aid continue Covid out of the classroom and pupils in school👇🏽 movie.twitter.com/xHahu5miE3
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) Jan 3, 2022
Despite his house opinion, Mr Zahawi accepts that increased Covid cases beyond England volition impact education. And that in cases were children and staff are self-isolating – remote learning volition be "necessary".
He told headteachers that merging classes and educational activity virtually can exist an option for headteachers. Specially in the wake of staff shortages. However, the Department of Teaching has previously expressed that pupils being sent home due to covid should simply be washed as a "last resort".
"COVID-19 continues to be a virus that we acquire to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people's teaching remains," they state. "Our priority is for yous to deliver face-to-face, loftier-quality teaching to all pupils."
Guidance for parents, pupils and teachers on schooling during the pandemic tin can be found in the government'southward Schools COVID-19 operational guidance document. Updated in January 2022, it gear up outs current COVID condom protocols expected in schools. This includes mandatory face masks and increased testing.
Are schools closing again in Wales?
No, schools in Wales will remain open in January 2022.
Concerns over Omicron and increased Covid cases meant that schools in Wales were granted two extra days at the start of term in Jan to prepare for the return of students. This was to give education facilities fourth dimension to put into place new covid measures to ensure safe learning going forward.
The new school rules include staggered start and stop times, the return of confront masks for staff and students in secondary schools and increased testing.
"Moving forward, our potent expectation is that all staff and learners of secondary age should testthree times a calendar week before entering school using LFDs (on Monday, Wednesday and Friday) and record their results," reads a statement on the Welsh regime website.
The Welsh First Minister too said that schools should ready for remote learning. Especially amid staff shortages in January due to positive cases.
"In some places where teachers aren't in, and other school staff aren't able to be at that place, they will take to plan for some period where children volition have to be taught remotely," Marker Drakeford told the BBC. "Just that'due south a decision that is best fabricated in that very local context by people who are every bit close to it equally possible. Things are best done at the school level because unlike schools face up dissimilar challenges."
Are schools endmost again in Scotland?
No, schools in Scotland will not exist closing again co-ordinate to the Showtime Minister.
On December 21 2021, Nicola Sturgeon told ministers in the Scottish Parliament that schools would re-open after the Christmas interruption:
"It remains our priority to re-open schools as normal after the holidays," she told MSPs.
Education Secretary @S_A_Somerville says asymptomatic testing and strict adherence to COVID-19 guidance volition help to go on schools and ELC settings prophylactic as Omicron spreads. picture show.twitter.com/XEkEUkljPY
— ScotGov Educational activity (@ScotGovEdu) January iii, 2022
During the aforementioned address, Nicola Sturgeon appear new Covid measures in hospitality venues and for outdoor sport events. Which came into effect from Boxing 24-hour interval and currently remain in identify in January. These were "sacrifices" that she was asking Scots to brand "to help minimise any impact on children'due south education."
"To assist ensure that schools are rubber environments for young people and staff, updated guidance based on the recommendations of the Education Advisory Sub-Group was published at the end of last week," she added.
These recommendations included the reintroduction of social distancing. Plus mandatory face masks for teachers who are in close contact with pupils. Schools have besides received new air-cleaning units and resources to increase on-site Covid testing during the Jan term.
What are the new Covid guidelines in schools?
Increased testing, contact tracing and mandatory face masks in communal areas are the regime's new Covid guidelines currently in place in schools beyond the Uk. And information technology is hoped that following their advice volition help stop schools closing again.
The measures issued by the DofE apply to both staff and students at primary and secondary schools (including 6th form). They also apply to boarding and specialist learning schools, and post-sixteen instruction providers and academies.
The department highlighted that their "advice remains subject to change as the situation develops". This means pupils should continue to follow procedure until the government says otherwise.
Face Masks:
Face masks are to exist worn by secondary school students when exterior of the classroom.
An email update from the DofE said, "Confront coverings should be worn in communal areas in all settings past staff, visitors and pupils or students in Year vii and to a higher place, unless they are exempt.
"Pupils or students (in Yr 7 or above) should go along to article of clothing face coverings on public and dedicated school ship, unless they are exempt," they added.
In principal schools only staff and adult visitors should wear face masks when moving around in corridors and communal areas. Though primary school children are non required to vesture a covering in accordance with current national wellness advice.
The same guidelines apply to those in instruction in Scotland. Whilst Wales and Northern Ireland accept gone ane stride further. And asked both kids and teachers to article of clothing face masks in classrooms besides.
In contrast, Educational activity Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has ruled out face masks during class in England. This is because he and other MPs believe face coverings "tin can impede or hinder communication in a classroom."
The school guidelines follow new face mask rules on trains, supermarkets and hospitals ready out by Boris Johnson. The Prime Government minister asked that the public become back to wearing face coverings in wake of the Omicron variant.
Isolation:
NHS Test and Trace volition be continuing contact tracing in schools.
If your child comes into close contact with a suspected instance at school, parents will be alerted by Test and Trace. And they will be told further instructions on what to do next.
"Equally of Tuesday xiv December, all contacts of someone with a positive instance of COVID-19 – whether Omicron or not – should take an LFD test every day for 7 days," says the Department of Education. This includes fully vaccinated adults and children aged 5-18 years and half dozen months.
If one of these lateral flow tests returns as positive, the individual must get themselves a PCR test. They must isolate until they receive the PCR examination event (fifty-fifty if no symptoms bear witness). And if positive, should then start an isolation menstruum of 10 days. After this date, they may so return to school.
If staff and students are regularly testing negative and then they are expected to attend schoolhouse. As the DofE stressed:
"Pupils should only stay away from schoolhouse if they have symptoms or they get a positive test result. They tin can still nourish if undertaking daily contact testing."
Lateral Flow tests:
The Department of Education are asking pupils to do lateral flow tests twice a calendar week during school term.
"Staff in all didactics and childcare settings and students, of secondary schoolhouse historic period and in a higher place should continue to test twice weekly at home with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits, 3-4 days autonomously, for the rest of the autumn term and on return in the spring term," they stated on their Education hub blog.
This increased testing is of import in January 2022. With the DofE calculation that this would "help reduce transmission after a period of social mixing" in Dec.
Yous tin can get free lateral menses tests from the government website, Credit: Getty.
-
What is the living with Covid plan – and when do the isolation rules change in the United kingdom of great britain and northern ireland?
-
When do Covid rules change? This is when isolation is ending in the UK
-
Tin can lateral flow tests be fake positive or negative?
Headteachers must ensure plentiful lateral flow test supplies. So that all pupils can carry out testing protocol from the new year onwards.
"Nosotros understand that this is a significant additional enquire. Merely testing continues to play a vital office in keeping Covid-nineteen out of schools," said the DofE in an email to schools. This is turn will help any hereafter possibility of schools closing once more due to covid outbreaks.
Video of the Calendar week:
Source: https://www.goodto.com/family/family-news/are-schools-closing-again-covid-omicron-variant-637337
0 Response to "Are They Shutting Down Schools Again"
Post a Comment