Keeping schools open is stupid

My son is off school during this lockdown. Keeping schools open is a stupid idea while COVID rates are high.

If everybody is locked down, and they stick to lockdown, the cases will be enclosed in the household. But, when you send your child to school to mix with others they're going to either pass it on, or contract it.

Why not lock the kids down too, when the numbers change then open schools and see how the numbers are affected. They're doing the damned thing backwards which will no doubt cost more lives.

Oh, and don't reopen pubs, clubs, bars or restaurants until last! They're bloody breeding grounds. Balls to your alcohol tax money you greedy fat cats. Health comes before profits you ugly buffoon (Boris).

The Tory party are literally like babies in a nursery trying to stack their ABCs.

Blanket wide 1 month lockdown. Get the numbers right down. If it needs 2 months, so be it. When the numbers are down slowly reintroduce society and make changes to lifestyles.

I've had enough now. The solution really is that simple. I was always taught the best ideas are the simplest. I had the KISS principle drummed into me (keep it simple stupid). It works every time. But when you put all these babies in their playpen they fight, and throw giant lego blocks at each other. Keir Starmer is about the only grown up among the bunch.

Don't even go on Twitter. The trolls are running about "A lockdown is not needed". Daft idiots, seriously. At first I thought all of this was a joke, I even pondered the idea of a global conspiracy. But, we have a seriously effing problem on our hands and all people can do is attack Keir Starmer. What he said in Parliment was bang on.

The big difference between schools and other establishments is that they can (and are) tightly controlled in terms of movement and contact. It's a calculated risk, and has shown to be relatively low risk.

In an ideal world yes, kids would probably be kept away from even this much contact, but my 12 year old who absolutely despises school said he was rather be in school than stay at home during another lockdown.

His best friend had a confirmed case in their school and the school was on top of it in an instant, no further infections recorded since (over a month now).

It's a balancing act, and it's the fVcking dumbass grown ups that really need to be told what to do. Because 'freedom' etc.

Thing is they did that for months before and it's all back to square one. Until people act more responsibly we are stuck unless we have herd immunity to deaden it or a vaccine.

Until then, because people want do what they should, we are stuck with temporary fixes that only slow rather than stop it.

I do find it strange with unis though. Just how much of that is equipment needed for? Surely a lot could be done remotely?

I have to put a different spin on this I'm afraid because my child is autistic and attends a specialist school. My son (and the other children's) mental health is at risk if he doesn't attend - especially when we are expected to become specialist teachers at home - which in our case ended in numerous meltdowns because my son needs to keep home and school separate. He has PDA traits as well, so maybe you can imagine?

My son's class only has 6 kids in it and the entire school (2 campuses for the 70 pupils) has been placed into bubbles with social distancing in place, masks, and staggered break times etc. All after school clubs have suspended. Their temps are taken before they're allowed on school transport. We, and the other parents, are satisfied that everything that can be done, is being done.

I understand your feelings WIC, but a blanket 'keep your kids at home' isn't that simple for everybody in the UK. School is just school to most kids, but it isn't for kids like my son. It's a lifeline for him and for us.

I can just imagine the horrors of trying to "home school" your autistic child..I would have lasted 5 seconds..if that!! Home is home and school is school and never the twain shall meet...

School used to be a lifeline for me too..I could do with it now for my 2!:D

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Originally Posted by pulisa

I can just imagine the horrors of trying to "home school" your autistic child..I would have lasted 5 seconds..if that!! Home is home and school is school and never the twain shall meet...

School used to be a lifeline for me too..I could do with it now for my 2!:D

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One day in to home-schooling and he was arse up in the air in his anxiety pose. He does this sort of downward dog pose - it's useful though because it's obvious when he's stressed now, unlike little me who outwardly looked 'normal' when all hell was breaking loose inside...:madness:

Mainstream school almost did for us both, (it got very nasty) but specialist school saved his mental health. It took me a long time to stop having panic attacks every time the phone went. :scared15:

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Originally Posted by NoraB

I have to put a different spin on this I'm afraid because my child is autistic and attends a specialist school. My son (and the other children's) mental health is at risk if he doesn't attend - especially when we are expected to become specialist teachers at home - which in our case ended in numerous meltdowns because my son needs to keep home and school separate. He has PDA traits as well, so maybe you can imagine?

My son's class only has 6 kids in it and the entire school (2 campuses for the 70 pupils) has been placed into bubbles with social distancing in place, masks, and staggered break times etc. All after school clubs have suspended. Their temps are taken before they're allowed on school transport. We, and the other parents, are satisfied that everything that can be done, is being done.

I understand your feelings WIC, but a blanket 'keep your kids at home' isn't that simple for everybody in the UK. School is just school to most kids, but it isn't for kids like my son. It's a lifeline for him and for us.

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You've hit the nail on the head there Nora.

School can be a lot more to many kids than simply education, even those with non-learning disabilities, in particular those with not-so-good family backgrounds.

Of course it can also be hell to some kids, especially in a badly-run school for various reasons which I won't elaborate on here.

As far as Covid-related school closures are concerned, they should ultimately be pursued on a case-by-case basis rather than a collective shutdown of all schools nationwide.

It obviously made sense to shut nearly everything down during the original lockdown back in the spring as back then there were a lot of unknowns about Covid, unlike now where there is generally more and better knowledge of it, even though in the meantime there's still more work to be done.

As far as I'm concerned, this second national lockdown (in England) is essentially 'lockdown-lite', compared to the first one, especially in view of those who are against it.

I didn't consider some children rely on their care. My son was recently diagnosed with ADHD and home schooling him is a task.

I do home schooling a bit different with him now. He has his computer next to mine and I teach him math through Roblox Studio. It's a professional game engine believe it or not. I did trigonometry earlier to detect where a projectile will land in his game. Kids understand it so much more easily when they're putting what they're learning into practice. At least for my son. Tomorrow we're doing low poly 3D rendering with Blender to create game assets outside of Roblox Studio and import them in.

He has his own website. I can't list it due to his age, but he writes articles related to Roblox game development to help other people.

If schools do ever shut down, there are ways to teach kids in a different way. I've had to learn and figure out how he learns best and apply it to what he enjoys; which is game development and programming.

But I follow the sentiments of others that at the moment this whole situation is a shambles.

My youngest brother is still at University. He can learn remotely but he decides to go in. He can't deal with lockdown and I can only guess that others feel the same way. My other younger brother studies Law via Open University so he's ok. The police officer brother ... oh boy. I genuinely feel sorry for what he has to go through at the moment.

I just feel like things will be hard during a blanket wide lockdown, but it's required (obviously exception being children who receive special care and other exceptions I've not considered). The alternative is what Terry said. The nation together we'll will ever act responsibly, that's why there are laws and ultimately why we are still in this situation.

At the moment there's no evidence of herd immunity, and no vaccine.

Maybe I'm caught up in the "emergency" hysteria spread by the media. People keep telling me I've been caught in the fear trap. Whatever that means. :shrug:

Now the title of this thread is one I completely disagree with and one I can argue about forever :roflmao:

Working at a school I have seen exactly the reasons why I disagree......

Since the pandemic Schools are the cleanest they have ever been, they are cleaned daily and many high traffic areas are cleaned several times a day.... you could eat your food directly off the tables (I wouldn't advise it though as there is a pandemic going on and besides you may stain the tables :D )

Children know exactly what is expected of them, to be honest most are better at remembering things than the adults lol

Now the important bit....

The mental health of quite a few children has been severely inpaired, they have lost a lot of social skills during the last lockdown which has in turn hit their confidence majorly...

SEN children in main stream education have already had their normal routine thrown into chaos. Children with one to one assistants have lost valuable skills which were learnt with the help of the one to ones.... concentration skills and intergration into the mainstream classroom have diminished as well as educational skills and much more.... they have now started to gain those skills back again being back in the classroom environment, for that to be disturbed again would be a hugely damaging to their wellbeing in my opinion.

The older children lost a lot of classroom time, I know they were taught at home as well as parents could but they are not teachers, we cannot expect them to teach children 100% of the things they need to prepare them for secondary school.... I mean who knows how to do long division as an adult?? Yep, I don't and haven't had to use it since school. but it is something in the curriculum. any more time off and they will fall even further behind. ..... This isn't dissing the parents schooling the children at home, they did an amazing job!

Emmz we got an email telling us one of the kitchen staff had COVID and no more food will be served this week. Instead they gave out Asda vouchers. But for that 1 day children ate the food she cooked. I know kids are not at risk but its cases like this that scare me.

His school is in this list: https://www.birminghammail.co.uk/bla...cases-19110756

One of the schools down the road are on a 2 week circuit breaker and is also in that list. Am I silly for keeping him off school?

There's 15 cases at Dudley Colledge. It's going to come crashing down I can feel it in my gut.

As an aside my son got into a fight at school. He threw a concker at his friend and accidentally hit the bully. It was filmed and shared online etc and the crowd of people in the playground was in no "bubble". The entire playground in a circle around them, 50+ people. I think my sons school isn't acting responsibly; hence the cases. Police were able to remove the video btw ... I found that good in my sons case, but freaky how fast it was removed from social media sources.

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Originally Posted by WiredIncorrectly

He has his own website. I can't list it due to his age, but he writes articles related to Roblox game development to help other people.

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It's my son's dream to do stuff like this. Gaming is his world. It's how he copes with life, bless him.

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If schools do ever shut down, there are ways to teach kids in a different way. I've had to learn and figure out how he learns best and apply it to what he enjoys; which is game development and programming.

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Problem is that I'm autistic too and when my son goes into meltdown I have to work very hard to keep my own anxiety from shutting me down - because I go the opposite way to him when I'm overloaded. When they had to shut the school earlier this year (because of staff levels) I found myself in a situation where I was out of my depth because I have a learning disability (Dyscalculia) so can you imagine me trying to help my son with maths? Nightmare! :scared15:

Homework is a massive trigger for my son, and most every child at the school - which is why they only have reading to do.

However, despite this being an autism specialist school (and generally they get things right) that first week a fifty page file was sent home and most of the kids had meltdowns just looking at it!

It was a learning curve for the school as well, and I accept that, but as far as I'm concerned, if shutdown happens again it will be independence lessons I'll be teaching my son.

Hubs can do the maths etc but, even then, he suffers from neurotypicalism :D and he forgets the effect tone of voice can have on an autistic individual - especially when they are anxious.

My son will engage if it involves his obsessions, but we have to make it not school-like, if you get me? So the school sending work they would have been doing at school was never going to work.

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Maybe I'm caught up in the "emergency" hysteria spread by the media. People keep telling me I've been caught in the fear trap. Whatever that means. :shrug:

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I operate on a 'need to know' basis. My anxiety can't handle people's Covid hysteria and the drama of the BBC on a daily basis. I listen to Uncle Boris when I have to, do as I'm instructed, and accept that this will pass as everything does.

In all honesty, this lockdown is bothering me more than the first because I have fibro and I always get flare-ups this time of year due to cold and damp. I can't get out for walks, and that has a direct effect on my mental health. In spring I was wandering about in the woods taking pics of the masses of bluebells. Very different this time around. :weep:

I try and improvise by taking myself for a virtual walk on Youtube. There is a lovely coastal one that I use a lot. That, some essential oil, and nature sounds, and I can trick my mind into thinking I'm really there. :yesyes:

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Originally Posted by NoraB

It's my son's dream to do stuff like this. Gaming is his world. It's how he copes with life, bless him.



Problem is that I'm autistic too and when my son goes into meltdown I have to work very hard to keep my own anxiety from shutting me down - because I go the opposite way to him when I'm overloaded. When they had to shut the school earlier this year (because of staff levels) I found myself in a situation where I was out of my depth because I have a learning disability (Dyscalculia) so can you imagine me trying to help my son with maths? Nightmare! :scared15:

Homework is a massive trigger for my son, and most every child at the school - which is why they only have reading to do.

However, despite this being an autism specialist school (and generally they get things right) that first week a fifty page file was sent home and most of the kids had meltdowns just looking at it!

It was a learning curve for the school as well, and I accept that, but as far as I'm concerned, if shutdown happens again it will be independence lessons I'll be teaching my son.

Hubs can do the maths etc but, even then, he suffers from neurotypicalism :D and he forgets the effect tone of voice can have on an autistic individual - especially when they are anxious.

My son will engage if it involves his obsessions, but we have to make it not school-like, if you get me? So the school sending work they would have been doing at school was never going to work.



I operate on a 'need to know' basis. My anxiety can't handle people's Covid hysteria and the drama of the BBC on a daily basis. I listen to Uncle Boris when I have to, do as I'm instructed, and accept that this will pass as everything does.

In all honesty, this lockdown is bothering me more than the first because I have fibro and I always get flare-ups this time of year due to cold and damp. I can't get out for walks, and that has a direct effect on my mental health. In spring I was wandering about in the woods taking pics of the masses of bluebells. Very different this time around. :weep:

I try and improvise by taking myself for a virtual walk on Youtube. There is a lovely coastal one that I use a lot. That, some essential oil, and nature sounds, and I can trick my mind into thinking I'm really there. :yesyes:

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Don't mean to undermine your concerns Nora, but I personally feel this second lockdown is (metaphorically) a walk in the park compared to the first one back in the spring.

IMO it's not really a lockdown, it's more the whole of England put into a 'phantom' Tier 4.

Sadly I think the term 'lockdown' is probably the only language the thicko Covidiot rule-breakers can comprehend, hence its use.

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Originally Posted by NoraB

It's my son's dream to do stuff like this. Gaming is his world. It's how he copes with life, bless him.

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How old is he Nora? I'm passionate about programming and feel like all children should have the chance to explore it as early as possible. It allows a child to express their creativity in a different way; like making games, or creating algorithms. It promotes logical thinking too because in programming your code has to make decisions and you have to program those decisions.

Like this:

if human.touched then
human.Health = human.Health - 10
end

or like this ...

if human.Health <= 0 then
human.die()
end

You can probably understand that yourself by reading it. If the human health is less than or equal to zero kill the player :)

I've got an idea, but I don't know if it's something people want, but I thought about a Youtube channel teaching Roblox game development from the very very basics with an aim at teaching kids logical thinking, and mathematics, through game.

It's all Double Dutch to me:D

There is the addictive element to gaming to consider though? It can get out of control and cause real problems.

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Originally Posted by pulisa

It's all Double Dutch to me:D

There is the addictive element to gaming to consider though? It can get out of control and cause real problems.

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As my son is getting older he's going to want to play consoles and tablets. But, being the cautious parent knowing what a lot of these games do (get you addicted) he's only really had a kindle paperwhite, computer and DS. He's only recently started playing games on his PC. But I ensure the gaming he does is offline. He does get to play Roblox but only when he's with me, or his cousins are here.

Early on in life I gave him an iPad, and a console. But I quickly seen how he'd sit on the tablet rather than play with toys. He'd wet himself and poop himself because he didn't want to put the tablet down to go to the toilet. I sold it, and we started buying him toys and lego. Every parent has the Lego addiction problem ... right? My son is addicted. He has some sort of addictive nature.

He can't get addicted to games because he doesn't have the ability to sit on them all day. He has to clean his room, and ensure his attitude is correct, if he wants screen time. He doesn't have a smartphone.

All throughout this I tell him why, and I show him what the game companies are doing to get children addicted. He's aware.

He can use the computer at any time, so long as it's programming. For me that's something constructive on the computer. It's like having to ask for sweets, but being able to take as much fruit as you like. If that makes sense? And sometimes he doesn't want to code, so he won't touch the computer.

Because my son knows games are addictive he asks how a game is able to make somebody addicted. I don't have all the answers for him, but he cottoned on it. He asked "If I make an addictive game I could be rich?" and the answer is absolutely. What I say to him now is rather than waste hours and hours playing games, be the person who makes the games who makes the money. That way at least you profit and you're still doing something you enjoy.

The gaming industry is straight up gambling today. If you're somebody who enjoys games you're either the consumer or the producer. It's always better to be the producer, while laying down some morals.

It's really difficult to make a game and not want to make it addictive. If you're not doing it somebody else is and their game will do better than yours. Kids are interested in the numbers next to the games. If it's not popular they're not interested. Every modern popular game since Mario (and maybe before) has been designed with some sort of input from neural scientists.

I hope that makes sense. This goes for mobile applications and things like the Fitbit too.

But hey, you say it looks like double dutch. Is that the only thing stopping you wanting to give programming a try or do you think it's just something you're not interested in? I'm just interested to know the responses of non programmers.

As for me, I'm just not into anything like that. I appreciate that it's a form of escapism but it just doesn't appeal to me. My son is keen on Nintendo 64 and his Goldeneye game-nothing else. My daughter used to love playing Mario and Pokemon games but hasn't touched them for years. Their adult cousin is totally addicted to gaming though.

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Originally Posted by pulisa

As for me, I'm just not into anything like that. I appreciate that it's a form of escapism but it just doesn't appeal to me. My son is keen on Nintendo 64 and his Goldeneye game-nothing else. My daughter used to love playing Mario and Pokemon games but hasn't touched them for years. Their adult cousin is totally addicted to gaming though.

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Strange, that was my favorite game too (007 on the N64). I'm a Pokemon addict but only really play the first generation games and cards. 007 was groundbreaking for its time and there's entire documentaries on it which you probably know about if your son is hooked on it.

Oh yes..It's a cult game. I managed to get a second hand N64 and GE game for him when he came out of hospital. It's the envy of his Bond forum!:D

Playing Goldeneye multiplayer stoned whilst eating a kebab was the highlight of my 20s.

Wow, sad :yesyes:

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Originally Posted by ankietyjoe

Playing Goldeneye multiplayer stoned whilst eating a kebab was the highlight of my 20s.

Wow, sad :yesyes:

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Not at all....Simple pleasures are always the best.

My son's knowledge of Goldeneye is immense. He can recite the entire film script from memory. Playing the N64 game this Spring really helped him to rehabilitate after months in hospital on a psych ward.

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Originally Posted by ankietyjoe

Playing Goldeneye multiplayer stoned whilst eating a kebab was the highlight of my 20s.

Wow, sad :yesyes:

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This was me, except it was GTA ... the first version. I still love the first version, and the London edition. Mike Skinner really captured the moment of what life was like for a young adult.

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Originally Posted by pulisa

Not at all....Simple pleasures are always the best. My son's knowledge of Goldeneye is immense. He can recite the entire film script from memory. Playing the N64 game this Spring really helped him to rehabilitate after months in hospital on a psych ward.

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Classic autism. I don't know what I can recite. I can open notepad on windows and write a piece of software from my head. Maybe that's it. I've always been impressed with people who can recite entire movie lines. I can recite a lot of the 8 Mile movie but not entirely and I'd need practice now.

Glad to hear your son is doing better Pulisa. Like you said, it's the simple things in life. For your son it's 007.

Thanks, James.

I saw this the other day and thought it could be useful reading for some people on here https://www.theguardian.com/books/20...-society-prize

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Originally Posted by WiredIncorrectly

How old is he Nora?

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He's 11.

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if human.touched then
human.Health = human.Health - 10
end

or like this ...

if human.Health <= 0 then
human.die()
end

You can probably understand that yourself by reading it. If the human health is less than or equal to zero kill the player :)

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Nope. You just spoke a different language mate. I'm having flashbacks. :scared15:

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I've got an idea, but I don't know if it's something people want, but I thought about a Youtube channel teaching Roblox game development from the very very basics with an aim at teaching kids logical thinking, and mathematics, through game.

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My son would be on it like a seagull on a chip! Because that's what he watches - dudes talking gaming.

It would have to be very un-school-like though, as in, you're educating them, but they don't know it. A bit like when you give a dog worming tabs in a jam sandwich? :yesyes:

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Originally Posted by NoraB

He's 11.

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That was the age my son started.

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Originally Posted by NoraB

Nope. You just spoke a different language mate. I'm having flashbacks. :scared15:

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It's really strange to hear people can not understand that. My wife is the same, she's been with me 12 years and she still knows nothing about programming. My son just picks it up. For your sons generation I think it's considered the norm to know a bit of programming.

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Originally Posted by NoraB

It would have to be very un-school-like though, as in, you're educating them, but they don't know it. A bit like when you give a dog worming tabs in a jam sandwich? :yesyes:

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That's the hardest part. I think the teacher would also have to be a good actor, to act silly, make it funny and keep children entertained. I think that's way out of my league :roflmao: ... I'm more monotone I don't think I'd capture the interests of young ears.

I get the 2nd bit of code but not the first.

Been a while for me but you are waaayyy beyond my meagre VB & VBscript skills.

I think it's good if kids learn this stuff. Even if they don't go into tech roles it may help them in offices using software like Microsoft Office. Beyond that it might help them apply logic to decision making.

Oh how I remember all those nested loops to rearrange data files sent between companies in unusable formats for those of us performing analysis outside of IT settings.

Terry, there is a solution for VB programmers ... Pascal. It's still a thing and tbh Pascal is one of my favorite languages. If it interests you take a look a Lazarus which is free. Don't go with Delphi, that's no longer free (it may have been when you were programming). Pascal is very much like VB. I have Lazarus installed and a few projects in Pascal.

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Oh how I remember all those nested loops to rearrange data files sent between companies in unusable formats for those of us performing analysis outside of IT settings.

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That's still a problem today believe it or not. Today people create scripts in Python to parse the data from spreadsheets and convert it into another form, or utilize its data.

Yes, Pascal does look a lot like VB. If I was still in that role it would be a good thing to look at. I'll keep that in mind, thanks.

Most of my stuff was in databases. Making them easier and faster for users via our (very slow) network drives. Our IT were very protective of their role but very inflexible when it came to data extraction and bespoke smaller databases. So we would undercut them big time with a bespoke solution we supported as long as we worked there. All done in far less time without project managers taking their cut for little return.

I used to perform a lot of analysis and I always needed data out of the main systems. It used to be cheap & quick but as the company bought others out, and moved from stable legacy systems into pretty ropey 'new world' systems, new IT guys were far stricter. The output files were often nasty so I had to learn from a former colleagues scripts, a book and some Googling. It really helped with Excel and Access.

Absolutely with the industry I worked in (energy). I've been out of it for ages but I do know of companies doing things manually as the systems used to send & receive files don't output anything user friendly. It's madness paying people to sit doing a cut & paste all day. The big firms moved to SAP and what a mess that was.

We used to have a guy at uni but working part time for us. Getting him to just screen scrape gave us so much useful data for no real cost. When he left I had all his code and started learning as he was invaluable.

You would be well handy to people like us (as we were) as you are a flexible guy. There were a few like you many depended on to cut out the IT managers.

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Originally Posted by WiredIncorrectly

It's really strange to hear people can not understand that. My wife is the same, she's been with me 12 years and she still knows nothing about programming. My son just picks it up. For your sons generation I think it's considered the norm to know a bit of programming.

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Hubs can do basic programming, as could a lad I once went out with in the 80s when computers were like, MASSIVE. I say 'went out' with - I sat in his bedroom watching him do his programming games - which to me was a complete yawnfest. However, he'd got the new Ozzy album, so it wasn't all bad. :yesyes:

When it comes to gaming, all my lads are gamers (and Hubs number 2) and I've tried, but I'm so epically bad at it that they hurt themselves laughing. I'm always facing the wrong way, smashing into walls, or killing myself innit? :unsure:

My youngest didn't accept it when Hubs told him just how bad I am...:whistles:

"Play Kirby with me Mum - you'll be great with that!"

How could I say no to his beaming little face? :shrug:

So he set us up playing Kirby on his Nintendo Switch and after 5 minutes he disconnected me! :ohmy:

It was almost comical how he went from the, 'Try again Mum' of my first failed attempt to stomping out of the room five minutes later!

I think he was actually disgusted with my woeful performance. :weep:

But then, it's to be expected because gaming is his world. He takes that shit seriously! That and memes. He currently communicates in memes. :shades:

A lot of autistics like computer programming/gaming/etc but I'm not one of them. I'm a creative lunatic who still wears band t shirts and likes decorating (when fibro permits me) I simply don't understand computing (it's alien language to me) and gaming just requires something which my brain can't handle..:scared15:

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That's the hardest part. I think the teacher would also have to be a good actor, to act silly, make it funny and keep children entertained. I think that's way out of my league :roflmao: ...

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Maybe bring someone else in to do that part then? You do the donkey work and they pitch it to da kidz?