I have duly completed the questionnaire like many I assume as accurately and as realistic as possible.
However I must reiterate my child’s English CE primary school is best described as technically fulfilling and executing the national UK government English state sector primary schools guidelines to the absolute minimum! Arguably as it is technically and factually correct - the school has, as instructed, remained open throughout the past months (including Easter “school holidays”) for the 3-5 vulnerable socially disadvantaged and other critical key workers families. The school has since June (mid not the original start of the month as publicly reported) accepted the return of limited numbers of Year 1 and Year 6 but not Reception children. The attendance has risen from the original 3-5 during emergency in school Covid childcare to now possibly less than a half of these Year 1 and Year 6 bubbles again not for regular schooling education but instead to essentially do home schooling but within class room bubbles with childcare supervision rather than teaching! The school will from next week (before end of term) invite other classes to return literally for a few hours so that as it can claim to have technically reopened to all pupils. A vast majority have not set foot inside school since March 2020! The school has been lacking in terms of communication and is best accurately described as out of sight out of mind! The online links initially provided for home schooling were not fit for purpose and then defaulted to the hastily created national Oak Academy. Teachers have made little effort to be available for support as everything including basic telephone call requests have to be emailed to the school! This has basically been a shambles and car crash of epic proportions full of mismanagement with reluctance of teachers to teach who apparently are not on furlough so presumably been paid to stay at home but not working from home!
One recognised this reality and so make time, resources and "war effort" for enforced alternative arrangements to properly jump on a massive learning curve to educate child myself and not be dependent on an unreliable school! My child’s school has essentially been super reluctant to do anything. As far as I am aware there are apparently very few reported Covid cases within the school community but thankfully no fatalities. The main Covid secure element was to rightfully ban shared public transportation for all staff and requesting that families who live across the city do the same preferably (as can’t enforce instructions on non staff visitors). Some of the school community who have gamed the entry system live way out of borough many miles away and their daily commute (yes even for a little four year old nursery child) is by busy shared rush hour TfL public transportation as they customary pass by countless local schools in their neighbourhoods!
I suspect the mix of the school senior management hiding behind teachers unions support and playing within marginal legal guidelines loop holes (national, local government and education authorities) plus its reluctance to provide schooling (home or otherwise) is possibly the main influential factor at play for this complete mess and prolonged pause on school teaching and child education!
Verbose rant over and thanks for reading/listening! And to any teachers out there I am sure you are very conscientious as would be lovely and ideal for my school!