This is all a shambles isn’t it?

[noblegiraffe]

I mean, I know everyone is busy with the global pandemic and everything, but it’s not like we don’t have a whole department of education who could have been tasked with issuing clear guidance about what is going on.

Why announce that exams are cancelled and not have the info about what will replace them for another two days? Couldn’t the announcements at least have been made at the same time?

The ‘schools aren’t closing’ proclamations that led to many schools being lax in their preparations for when they inevitably closed.

The keyworker thing. Dear god. Don’t land that on schools on the last day they are open.

Lack of coordination of the keyworker thing. Some schools are doing it alone, some are coordinating in MATs. If only we had LAs to manage on a local level.

No guidance about how to manage the schools that are open. Some opening to all staff, some doing a rota, some pointing out that the rota should have two weeks off between shifts to infection spot.

No guidance about the expectations of teachers setting work for kids. Some teachers are being expected to be online giving live lessons. Some are having to respond to email queries during ‘lesson time’. Some are having to mark work. Some are just uploading a list of tasks.

Why is the DfE so crap and basically passing its job of sorting this all out to individual schools?

I mean, I know the answer but still...

[Tebolla]

It is bloody awful and totally mismanaged. Identifying the vulnerable children as well is an issue as there will be loads that aren’t on a register so will be facing months of hell locked in with god knows what to face. Its also devastating for those due to sit exams - what a waste the time spent must feel like.

[cansu]

What is absolutely obvious is that the key worker list should have been ready when the announcement to close was made or even better given to schools in advance so that they could make the decisions earlier on who would and would not get places. It also should have been done in order of priority so that schools could make the decision to prioritize front line medical staff before say someone who works in IT etc etc.
We now have and will undoubtedly have more parents angry that they didn't get a place as the govt have led them all to believe that if they are on the list they will get a place. Ver shambolic

[Piggywaspushed]

We need Nicola Sturgeon.

[Cohle]

I agree. It had been obvious for weeks that school closures were coming. The fact that so many key decisions had yet to be made or communicated to schools in advance is laughable.

[Cohle]

I agree cansu. The approach the Scottish government has taken of having three tiers of key workers seems sensible.

[OxanaVorontsova]

It really is. This government isn't handling any aspect of the pandemic well, Boris is utterly out of his depth

[noblegiraffe]

What I really don’t understand is that we’ve known for years that a pandemic is overdue. We were told that planning had been done. We’ve had warning shots in the form of swine flu, SARS etc.

So why were things like school closures not planned for? Why were lists of key workers not ready to go?

Why is all this blatantly being made up as we go along?

[Piggywaspushed]

I thought it would be OK at my local primary but my Facebook thread is full of SAHMs discussing how they want little Nigel at school for dome normally and is Breakfast Club still on and what about After School Club...?

[Piggywaspushed]

Sorry should say some normality

[Piggywaspushed]

Check your emails NASUWT advice come through.