Key worker kids mixing

[Scottishgirl85]

My YR daughter's class is being split into 2 groups of 15, group 1 will attend school Mon/Tues and group 2 will attend Thurs/Fri. The key worker children (3 of which are in my daughter's class) that have been attending since the start will attend both sessions. So surely this means it is not a bubble of 15 kids, it's a bubble of about 50 kids across the week ie 30 in daughter's class and about 20 key worker's children? The school sent some very depressing class photos for us to show our kids, with the classroom completely gutted and replaced with individual desks spaced 2m apart. It just seems they're picking and choosing which rules to follow. In my mind it would be better to let the full class of 30 return together full-time, rather than the bubble of 50?! Am I missing something?

[Canadianpancake]

The bubbles shouldn't be mixing at all. If the key worker children need to be in every day but there class bubble is only in 2 days, then they should be in the key worker bubble and have no contact with their class bubble.

[whatnow40]

Our school have said key work kids have to remain in their key worker bubble for 5 days OR return 2 days, but cannot move between the groups. Seems sensible. But when you factor in key worker kids in their bubble, while siblings go back to their class bubble, it all falls apart anyway. I don't think there is a prefect bubble due to siblings and parents interacting.

[Letseatgrandma]

Key Worker children should be in a separate consistent bubble.

[user135844794]

Well, your negative attitude is unhelpful. Children can have a wonderful experience without all the junk cluttering up their classrooms - your overly emotive description of the safety measures is unnecessary.

[Scottishgirl85]

@Canadianpancake exactly what I thought, but this isn't what is being done. Can someone point me to the exact guidance on this please?

[Lovingmylife]

Hmmm our keyworker kids are with non key worker kids. There are am and pm bubbles and some key worker kids are in the am and pm bubbles.

[Scottishgirl85]

@user135844794 the photos are depressing, and my 4 year old asked why she wasn't going to her old classroom (she didn't recognize the room at all). FWIW I don't agree with the social distancing measures for her class, they will all be using the same toilet (one ensuite in the class) so sitting 2m apart will really not avoid transmission and instead will cause unnecessary damage to well being. But I understand other's opinions differ to mine.

[CallmeAngelina]

Everyone keen to get their kids back to school seems to me to be blithely ignoring the toilet issue. If you have a BBQ at home, and one of your guests comes indoors to use the loo, it has been said that the whole area should be thoroughly sanitised.
Yet dozens and dozens of children will be using the same few toilets throughout the day with minimal cleaning, if any at all.

[Canadianpancake]

@CallmeAngelina which is exactly why the teaching and support staff in my school have been told it has to be cleaned after every use.

[hayfeverhellish]

The toilet thing is strange....I've worked in a hospital throughout covid and there has been no extra toilet cleaning but now it seems to be a big issue and I'm wondering why it was never considered at the beginning of all this.

[ineedaholidaynow]

Children in different bubbles shouldn't be mixing

[lucieee]

My school is doing the same as @Canadianpancake - key worker kids go back with their class or stay in key worker bubble, not both.
FYI if you're concerned about social distancing, don't send your kids in if you have a choice. I've been in a school for 10 weeks and there is zero social distancing going on, it's just impossible. We've spaced the tables out but the second my back's turned, they're leaning across chatting to each other or 'helping' with each other's drawings!

[Subordinateclause]

I'm an infant teacher and I now have to clean the classroom toilet.

[CallmeAngelina]

@Canadianpancake: Cleaned after every use? By whom?

[littleducks]

We have keyworker bubbles (5 days a week). And classes split into bubbles which don't attend on Wednesday as school is cleaned then.

It does seem like bubble idea is pointless in this. Our school looks nice, there are fences seperating areas outside which have been decorated in bunting. I saw a mural of a bubble with photo of that groups children's faces in up today in class window and they were only in school yesterday. The carpet teaching area with designated spaces is gone wfh designated desk spots instead but it has been done nicely.

[JoeExoticsEyebrowRing]

In both the school I work in, and my kids school, the key worker kids are in a separate group. There are enough Year 1 key worker kids at my children's school for them to have their own bubble, and then the key worker kids from other year groups are together as well.

I also think you are approaching the classroom thing quite negatively. I bigged up to my kids that it's nice they get a whole desk all to themselves and they also get a 'resource pack' of their own pens, pencils that they were quite excited about too! My kids have had a great time at school and the school has been fantastic and positive as well. Kids are very resilient and if the adults are positive and make the best of it then the kids will be happy. Talking about 'depressing' photos isn't going to help matters.

[ScrapThatThen]

Toilets at work don't get cleaned more - but of course you wash hands. Same on the hospital ward I visit - probably cleaned more, but not each time.

[Canadianpancake]

@CallmeAngelina by the ta.

[Saladmakesmesad]

Bubbles don't exist - how do people not realise that? Every person in the bubble has parents who can be in different offices and on public transport. Potentially siblings in other schools/other imaginary bubbles. Families who are at BBQs and beaches and IKEA. Teachers who are also doing all of the above, and who also have children who also may be in different schools and imaginary 'bubbles'.

Send your kids back if you think it's safe for them to mix with other kids. Don't send them back if you are relying on the imaginary bubble concept to protect them as part of that though.

[Astabarista]

It doesn’t sound good but the bubbles idea is flawed once you take siblings into account anyway. If our two went back to their separate classes, they’d still mix at home and many of their friends have siblings in all the other years.

[motherrunner]

My son is in Yr 1 but as I’m a teacher I have selected him to be in the key worker bubble at his school. This means he can access out of hours care and been in 5 days a week, the other classes can only be there 3 days a week with no out of hours care.

He is in a bubble with his sister and 4 others. There are other key worker bubbles too. None of the bubbles mix and they are in their own classroom with a staggered break time and lunchtime.

I was wary at first but they had their first day yesterday and absolutely loved it. Neither of my children are in a bubble with their classmates but the children all got on well together, did a little work and played. A lot!

[motherrunner]

I can. It change my mind now about their bubbles so couldn’t say I wanted DS to be in his Yr 1 bubbles. My children are now in their keyworker bubble to the end of term.

[motherrunner]

*I can’t

[Kazzyhoward]

The toilet thing is strange....I've worked in a hospital throughout covid and there has been no extra toilet cleaning but now it seems to be a big issue and I'm wondering why it was never considered at the beginning of all this.

Surely hospital toilets should have always been regularly cleaned, long before covid. If they aren't, it's no wonder the likes of norovirus rampage through wards so quickly. Perhaps people assumed basic cleanliness/hygiene was already happening?

[Teawiththat]

I bigged up to my kids that it's nice they get a whole desk all to themselves and they also get a 'resource pack' of their own pens, pencils that they were quite excited about too!

I would have been very excited about this too at that age, especially the resource pack!