What will be the 'new normal' for schools?

[Springhere]

I know it could be a long while before schools reopen, but it's inevitable that things will be far from normal when they do. What do you think the major changes will be?

www.tes.com/news/coronanvirus-reopened-schools-show-new-normal

[Letseatgrandma]

I honestly don’t know-I can see schools opening for just a few weeks next half term in a very different way-staggered start/end times, children only attending a day or two a week but will that still happen into September?!

[EachDubh]

We won't be as organised or as financially well supported as other countries. Wht should, and reallybneeds to be national policies will be left to local authorities to decide so provision will be patchy.
I know in our school we are identifying areas to use to allow splitting of classes. We are a primary with an average of 33 per class.
I am lucky that i have a small class due to being in a department. Hopefully i can have all my kids in, we accept that there can be no social distancing in our rooms due to the kids needs.

[Keepdistance]

I cant read it.
Thing is they seem to think its unlikely kids would have good immunity to it even once theyve had it. So it's not even like they are ok to go back once theyve had it.
I think by sept some schools could have some prefabs put up?
Ours took a few weeks over summer. However they cant really double the classrooms.
Tbh i would probably cut out ks1 temporarily. Which would give almost enough space.
Such young kids cant distance. Online videos of phonics. So might just get behind with writing. Yr r dont really need to start till after xmas.

I guess the Q is how well have kids done at home now.

[Titsywoo]

I really think year 10 and 12 should go back first as they need to be taught more than anyone else right now. Well assuming GCSEs and ALevels aren't cancelled again next year!

[RubyViolet]

Will the Teachers get PPE ?

[Chelsea567]

I'm hoping they'll prioritise year 10 and 12 who will still have to
sit GCSEs and A levels next year. My DD is year 12 and quite frankly is getting almost no online support from her sixth form - just " do some revision" She's really freaking out about next summers exams having missed months of college. And DCs aged 15 and 17 are probably capable of sticking to social distancing rules.
I know it's tough for all children not to be in school but these 2 year groups are going to face the biggest impact to their future the longer this goes on. Unless they cancel next year's GCSEs and A levels too. Or halve the curriculum.

[Slazengerbag]

I can’t see how it’s going to happen, even for years 10 and 12. Of students go in for 1 day a week or staggered they will need to socially isolate. To do that more staff will have to be in as a class of 30 will be split up in to say groups of 10 so it will need 3 teachers per class in different rooms.

If that happens then teachers aren’t available to do online learning so the students would actually get less of an education than they are getting now.

[disconnecteddrifter]

Maybe a subject a day? We are going in and having 10 students a class atm. This could work for year 10 and certainly A level. We still set, mark and answer queries but I am only in 3 days a week atm

[TokyoSushi]

I can't see how it's going to work really either, I have primary aged DC (I can't begin to imagine what you'd do at secondary!) and the simplest thing I can think of is split the classes in half, so 15ish kids in at any one time, half come in the morning, and half in the afternoon. I can't really figure out how you'd do drop off and pick up though as our School is pretty big, 3 form entry about 600 pupils so there are masses of parents each day, even if it was just one parent per child, and half a class, that's still loads, and what about those with babies and younger siblings who need to come with the parent?!

I can't even see how it's going to be much better in September the rate things are going. What a complete and utter nightmare...

[Queentea67]

Surely all staff and children need to be tested first don’t they?

[Letseatgrandma]

Surely all staff and children need to be tested first don’t they?

But they could all be tested on the Monday and be negative but then the teacher catches it at the supermarket Monday night and brings it into school on Tuesday...

[Nicedayforawedding]

Will the younger children have playtime? I just can’t see how they can socially distance at the age of five or six?

[OhCrumbsWhereNow]

Splitting classes in half would be a nightmare though...

• what happens with families with multiple children in different year groups?
• what happens to children of parents who work, or whose parents are essential key workers?

Also likely that attendance would be very patchy with parents opting out of sending them.

[GreenTulips]

What about teachers who have kids?

What if their kids do staggered days and the teacher is on different days?

What about assemblies sports lunch times breaks? Shared pencils and equipment?

No point social distancing if they all use the same rubber!

What about kids who need extra physical help? Kids who are violent those who chose to spit or bite?

Zero tolerance?

Then run of the mill injuries, scrapped knees for example?

There won’t be any visitors, usual churches polices etc

Then there’s the social services play workers etc

Supply teachers moving schools is another issue.

My friend currently works in two schools, would that continue?

If smaller classes would TAs be less valued than they are now?

There’s far too many questions

I have both year 10 and year 12 kids, the provision has been ok, they are managing, how well? No idea! But the work has been set, teachers are available, that doesn’t mean they are learning as they should.

I can’t help much with some topics, I’m not a science teacher, I have no idea on the learning objectives or outcomes needed.

They need a big rethink rather than one cap fits all approach.

[RubyViolet]

If a child coughs consistently in class do the teachers remove that child and send the child home? Does the school send the whole class home ? Does the Teacher go home ?
Who deep cleans the classroom ?
I just can’t see how this will work.

[TokyoSushi]

It's going to be a long, long time isn't it?!

[Keepdistance]

My 4yo still has a cough from early march.
some adults continue to test positive for months.

Kids present differently often asymptomatic maybe 50% with fever.
I do think temp checks twice a day on kids. Tbh thag would be good generally.

[DamnYankee]

Our state's public schools will not reopen until August. Our school district is losing a ton of money and our superintendent is trying to prepare parents, staff, and teachers for substantial cuts.

I'm wondering if many older or vulnerable teachers might think the risk involved in keeping their jobs might making teaching not worth it. I love my job too much to away. Wondering if some SAH parents might be frightened enough to homeschool (or find they love it!).

I can't imagine how social distancing might work here. There might be a shortened school week with an online learning component, as that seems to be working fairly well. Field trips, science fairs, after-school sporting events, etc. may not happen for a while. They might try taking children's temps before they come in...

Here in the US, some people attend year-round schools. Some number of weeks on, two weeks off. It would take some getting used to, but it would get everyone out of the building long enough for a deep clean...

Somebody at school is going to get it. My question is, what's their plan when someone does?

[greenlynx]

Springhere, thank you, it’s very interesting article.
I think some of these measures are doable but some are absolutely impossible e.g. schools in Denmark are using big buildings for basically limited amount of children. Of course we could do half day for one group and then half - day for another but it will be a huge hassle: cleaning in between, how parents will plan pick up and drop off, longer days for teachers. Also some pupils will stay in isolation for health reasons so teachers will need to do something for them as well. What secondary schools will do with practical stuff: food technology, science experiments? What about children with EHCP who have one to one support at lessons? It means several TAs per day at secondary and usually at least 2 at primary.
Also some children might find these new measures and restrictions quite upsetting. It might be very difficult even for older one (secondary age) to be under pressure to keep distance constantly.

[cantory]

I can't see how this would work either and I think children being told to physically stay away from their friends will be very stressful and upsetting for them.
I think I will keep my kids off for 3 weeks after schools open to see whether deaths increase and how the schools are actually managing.

[Bowbeller]

There’s no easy answer. In fact there’s no answer at all.
Mornings and afternoons wouldn’t m work due to the cleaning required.
Staffing is still going to be a nightmare with vulnerable staff off and those with coughs presumably having to self isolate for 2 weeks.
Impossibility of social distancing with young kids, SEN kids
Completely different ways of working -sharing equipment, partner talk, group work, PE just aren’t going to work-the whole teaching and learning style will have to change
I just can’t see them being back in school in any ‘normal’ way until there’s a vaccine

[CaptainMerica]

For secondary, I think they would need to split the class in half and be week on, week off due to timetable complications. Kids stay in their registration classroom and the teachers move between them. During the week they are in, they are set their homework for the next week. Travel to school might be a problem though.

Primary - might be better to do 2 days per week, with a day in the middle for cleaning, and swapping sets of crayons/toys/etc. And for the teacher to set online work.

Nurseries- no idea.

I think that would be best.

[reefedsail]

What will happen is that schools will be directed to open 'with appropriate social distancing measures' in place. Zero guidance will be given as to how this should be done and decisions will be left to individual schools.

Cue 8000 threads per day on MN.....
It's ridiculous that my child is in every other week.
It's ridiculous that my child is doing half days.
It's ridiculous that my KS2 child is in Mon/ Wed but my KS1 child is in Tue/Thur.
It's ridiculous that my DSs teacher says she can't send work home now, she only has 10 children in per day.

[SleepymummyZzz]

Exactly this! Just as when schools “closed” but actually didn’t as us Teachers are all still in with key worker and vulnerable children. In my school social distancing is not happening even with a handful of children, it’s impossible in primary. The government will expect us to ensure social distancing happens with very little notice, no financial or practical support and when we fail, and infections rates go up as they inevitably will, it will be our fault.

[GreenTulips]

For secondary, I think they would need to split the class in half and be week on, week off due to timetable complications. Kids stay in their registration classroom and the teachers move between them

Don’t think you understand how secondary schools work. The younger ones are split into groups for maths and English, science etc so the teacher can’t ‘move between’

The GCSE student have completely different lessons/subjects and again streamed.

9 classes of 30 kids will need to mix.

PE is one GSCE for some, how would the changing rooms work? It’s normally a squash.