Are School Going to Close Again
In the wake of the government's Plan B measures and a new variant, parents are wondering whether schools are closing again.
An increase in Covid cases and concerns around the Omicron symptoms across the Great britain has understandably had the public worrying. With many wondering if it's probable we'll get back into lockdown post-obit new rules on face masks and a render to working from abode throughout Jan.
Previous lockdowns accept 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-xv yr-olds vaccinations plan, it'south hoped that a full lockdown could be avoided.
As children render to schoolhouse this January, the Department of Instruction have offered up new information on what the current coronavirus stance ways for face-to-confront learning.
Are schools closing over again due to Covid?
Instruction Secretary Nadhim Zahawi has confirmed that schools in England will not close early and continue to remain open up in January.
Taking to Twitter on January 2, 2022, the government minister said that he was "looking forrard to welcoming pupils dorsum" to schoolhouse and higher during the first week of term.
"I know we confront challenges with the Omicron variant but as the Prime Government minister and I take made articulate, education is our number one priority," he wrote.
The Teaching Secretary farther re-affirmed his stance to go on schools open up in a piece he wrote for the Lord's day Telegraph. Here he stated that "in that location can be no alibi for our childen not learning face to face in the classroom where they want and need to exist". Whilst additionally sharing his intentions that this year'due south schoolhouse "exams will go alee as planned".
Schools and colleges have washed an incredible task to ensure face-to-face learning can continue.
Our measures confronting the Omicron variant volition assistance keep Covid out of the classroom and pupils in school👇🏽 pic.twitter.com/xHahu5miE3
— Nadhim Zahawi (@nadhimzahawi) Jan three, 2022
Despite his house stance, Mr Zahawi accepts that increased Covid cases across England will impact didactics. And that in cases were children and staff are cocky-isolating – remote learning volition be "necessary".
He told headteachers that merging classes and teaching about tin be an option for headteachers. Especially in the wake of staff shortages. Even so, the Department of Education has previously expressed that pupils being sent abode due to covid should but be done every bit a "terminal resort".
"COVID-xix continues to be a virus that we larn to live with and the imperative to reduce the disruption to children and young people's educational activity remains," they state. "Our priority is for you to evangelize confront-to-face, high-quality education to all pupils."
Guidance for parents, pupils and teachers on schooling during the pandemic tin can be found in the authorities'southward Schools COVID-xix operational guidance document. Updated in January 2022, it set outs current COVID rubber protocols expected in schools. This includes mandatory face up 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 January to set for the render of students. This was to give educational activity facilities time to put into place new covid measures to ensure safe learning going forrard.
The new school rules include staggered kickoff and finish times, the return of confront masks for staff and students in secondary schools and increased testing.
"Moving forrard, our stiff expectation is that all staff and learners of secondary age should testthree times a calendar week before inbound school using LFDs (on Mon, Wednesday and Friday) and record their results," reads a statement on the Welsh government website.
The Welsh Starting time Minister also said that schools should gear up for remote learning. Especially amongst staff shortages in January due to positive cases.
"In some places where teachers aren't in, and other school staff aren't able to exist there, they will have to plan for some menstruation where children will have to be taught remotely," Mark Drakeford told the BBC. "Simply that's a decision that is best made in that very local context by people who are as close to information technology as possible. Things are all-time washed at the school level because different schools face different challenges."
Are schools endmost again in Scotland?
No, schools in Scotland volition not be closing again co-ordinate to the First Minister.
On December 21 2021, Nicola Sturgeon told ministers in the Scottish Parliament that schools would re-open up after the Christmas break:
"Information technology remains our priority to re-open schools equally normal later on the holidays," she told MSPs.
Education Secretarial assistant @S_A_Somerville says asymptomatic testing and strict adherence to COVID-xix guidance will assist to keep schools and ELC settings safe as Omicron spreads. pic.twitter.com/XEkEUkljPY
— ScotGov Education (@ScotGovEdu) January 3, 2022
During the same accost, Nicola Sturgeon appear new Covid measures in hospitality venues and for outdoor sport events. Which came into effect from Battle Day and currently remain in place in Jan. These were "sacrifices" that she was asking Scots to make "to help minimise any affect on children'south education."
"To help ensure that schools are safe environments for young people and staff, updated guidance based on the recommendations of the Education Advisory Sub-Group was published at the cease of last week," she added.
These recommendations included the reintroduction of social distancing. Plus mandatory face masks for teachers who are in shut contact with pupils. Schools have also received new air-cleaning units and resources to increase on-site Covid testing during the January term.
What are the new Covid guidelines in schools?
Increased testing, contact tracing and mandatory face masks in communal areas are the government'due south new Covid guidelines currently in place in schools across the UK. And it is hoped that following their advice will aid stop schools closing again.
The measures issued past the DofE utilize to both staff and students at master and secondary schools (including sixth form). They also use to boarding and specialist learning schools, and mail service-sixteen education providers and academies.
The section highlighted that their "advice remains subject to change as the situation develops". This means pupils should continue to follow procedure until the authorities says otherwise.
Face up Masks:
Face up masks are to exist worn by secondary school students when outside of the classroom.
An e-mail update from the DofE said, "Face coverings should exist worn in communal areas in all settings by staff, visitors and pupils or students in Year 7 and above, unless they are exempt.
"Pupils or students (in Year vii or above) should go on to wear face coverings on public and defended school transport, unless they are exempt," they added.
In primary schools only staff and adult visitors should vesture face masks when moving effectually in corridors and communal areas. Though primary school children are non required to vesture a covering in accord with current national health advice.
The aforementioned guidelines apply to those in teaching in Scotland. Whilst Wales and Northern Ireland have gone one step further. And asked both kids and teachers to clothing face up masks in classrooms also.
In dissimilarity, Pedagogy Secretarial assistant Nadhim Zahawi has ruled out face masks during class in England. This is considering he and other MPs believe face coverings "can impede or hinder communication in a classroom."
The school guidelines follow new face up mask rules on trains, supermarkets and hospitals fix out by Boris Johnson. The Prime Government minister asked that the public go back to wearing face coverings in wake of the Omicron variant.
Isolation:
NHS Examination and Trace volition be standing contact tracing in schools.
If your child comes into shut contact with a suspected example at school, parents will be alerted by Test and Trace. And they will be told farther instructions on what to do next.
"As of Tuesday xiv December, all contacts of someone with a positive case of COVID-19 – whether Omicron or non – should take an LFD examination every twenty-four hours for seven days," says the Section of Education. This includes fully vaccinated adults and children aged 5-18 years and vi 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 exam result (even if no symptoms evidence). And if positive, should and then start an isolation menstruum of 10 days. After this engagement, they may then return to school.
If staff and students are regularly testing negative then they are expected to nourish schoolhouse. As the DofE stressed:
"Pupils should only stay abroad from school if they have symptoms or they get a positive test result. They can still attend if undertaking daily contact testing."
Lateral Menstruum tests:
The Department of Instruction are asking pupils to practise lateral period tests twice a week during school term.
"Staff in all didactics and childcare settings and students, of secondary schoolhouse historic period and above should go along to test twice weekly at habitation with lateral flow device (LFD) test kits, 3-four days autonomously, for the remainder of the fall term and on return in the leap term," they stated on their Education hub blog.
This increased testing is important in January 2022. With the DofE adding that this would "help reduce transmission after a catamenia of social mixing" in Dec.
You can get free lateral menstruum tests from the government website, Credit: Getty.
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Can lateral menstruum tests be fake positive or negative?
Headteachers must ensure plentiful lateral menstruation test supplies. And then that all pupils tin can carry out testing protocol from the new year's day onwards.
"We understand that this is a significant additional ask. But testing continues to play a vital office in keeping Covid-19 out of schools," said the DofE in an email to schools. This is turn will help any futurity possibility of schools closing again due to covid outbreaks.
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Source: https://www.goodto.com/family/family-news/are-schools-closing-again-covid-omicron-variant-637337
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