My sons primary school have measured their classrooms...

[DonLewis]

And if social distancing is how schools will be able to open, they can fit 9 children in per classroom.

Reception is 3 form entry and totally open plan.

It's a virtually brand new building, so not like the school I went to, a tiny voctorain thing with portacabins in the playground as dinner huts.

So, how does this work? Most classes have 32+kids in them.

Our school is a Comprehensive in a rural area. Over half our children come to school on buses, including mini buses.

It's an old 1950's building. Tight corridors and an Assembly hall too small for the school. We have a 2 weekly timetable.

If they go back social distancing will be impossible.

My eldest dc is in Y10 and I'd dearly love her to go back, but I think if they do - they go back properly.

here pre-school is almost exclusively free play. apart from story time and crafts.

They have 90 reception kids in one room usually? Surely that’s completely unworkable?
Massive open plan rooms, with more than one teacher and lots of TAs, I guess.
Personally, having worked in a nursery where we had the toddlers and preschool all in one big hall (so about 50 1.5-4.5 year olds), I'm not a fan!

DS1 (summer born boy) is due to start reception in September. At least for bew reception starters whatever they end up doing (eg, hald days, attempts at social distancing) they'll have never known any different.

The only way I can see it working in the majority of schools is a reduced cohort and a part time tinetable. I e mailed our Head with regards to planning for this. We are working at home and have the time to plan for a 'new normal', he said we can't second guess the govt plans.

Now would be a perfect time for schools to install more sinks, hand washing bays, provide temporary pre fab classrooms to schools that need them. Organise rolling lunch/break times. Re think/staff the timetable.

Schools can adapt, somehow, they need time and money to get sorted though.

They also need to centralise thoughts on temperature checks, mask wearing and use of screens.

*new

I think they'll wait and see what happens in other countries and how they do it (isn't that what we've done this entire pandemic)!

They may issue plans BUT I think we won't really know for at least another 3 weeks - if other country's infection rates start going up because of the re-opening of schools then we will probably reverse!

The only way I can see it working in the majority of schools is a reduced cohort and a part time tinetable

Or if the science shows children have limited impact and limited ability to spread it.

I expect that the inability for school children, especially younger ones, to socially distance will be written into the modelling that will inform any decisions on easing restrictions. Much in the same way that a proportion of the general population would not comply with lockdown rules was written into the modelling which informed the decisions on those measures.

Or if the science shows children have limited impact and limited ability to spread it.

which science doesn't atm. because until now almost all data from children is from lockdown.
we know that children can have the virus without symptoms but it's not known yet if that relates to them being able to spread it.

I’m sure I read that Japan has a cluster of cases around an elementary school.

They’ll probably have children in part time and keep them just with their own group of 10-15 - but not actually physically distance them within that group.

our dc school will have an exclusion zone around the entrance. no parents (or other adults) are allowed within 50m of the school gate.

which science doesn't atm. because until now almost all data from children is from lockdown

Well that’s not really true is it? Countries like Sweden stayed open, other countries are already back, children of families who have had it and their impacts can be assessed.

Plenty of people are still going to work every day. The data is global.

@Chosennone believe me, just "installing prefab" units is really not that simple. I had a school last year where we had to take 7 classrooms out of use at short notice. We managed to get 2 extra units on site within a week, and another 2 took another month to organise, and that was with no toilets in, so no foul sewer connection required, only electric and a water supply. There are not thousands of units just sitting around waiting to be deployed.

The same goes for "just install extra sinks" - where are they going exactly? Where is the water supply coming from? How do we get rid of the waste?

Those are not easy and quick solutions when you have to do just one school, let alone lots. In the school above we were lucky that we had half term to get the first two units in and the school had enough hall/ancilliary space to accomodate the other classes. The vast majority of schools do not have this.

I wonder if they will 'bubble' secondary school children, they stay in their form room and the teachers move. It would reduce cross contamination but would be a bugger to teach a science lesson in a history classroom.

no parents (or other adults) are allowed within 50m of the school gate.

How can the youngest children be dismissed safely?

What about the children that cry leaving their parents?

festival washing facilities are not needed for festival atm. surely they could utilise those in schools.

Is it just me who finds it disturbing that those running educational establishments don’t have the sense they were born with

Of course theyve got sense, theyve been asked to see if social distancing will work

Just saying ‘no it wont’ will not be accepted so they have to measure and calculate numbers and come up with solutions

They all know it wont Work

For those asking about the science behind the 2m rule, there's an interesting article on the bbc website.

Guidelines vary from 1 country to another and the WHO is different again. Time also seems to make a difference. One scientist said that spending 2 seconds 1 metre apart is as dangerous as spending 1 minute 2 metres apart.

The current guidelines are also based on the assumption that the virus is only carried by droplets of moisture. Some researchers think it might also be carried in aerosols in which case it could travel further.

BBC News - Social distancing and coronavirus: The science behind the two-metre rule
www.bbc.co.uk/news/science-environment-52522460

In the documents I’ve seen around reopening from our school (I’m Chair of Governors) it does just state that social distancing is unworkable. Because it is. Coming up with ways to do it is impossible, as there aren’t any.
The documents state that reopening will therefore have to be based on no social distancing and understanding the risks that poses.

@HPandTheNeverEndingBedtime wouldn't work for KS4 where they're all in different options or for subjects where they're set.

My grandson is in Year 6 at a small rural school. There are 15 in each year group but mixed age classes so 30 ish in a room. If year 6 go back it will be easy to spread them between two adjoining classrooms but I worry about the teachers who will need to be protected from infection. Children can be asymptomatic but still be carriers.

driving

Yep same with our local school

Oh and a friends school

I think it was Boris, certainly someone at the daily briefing, has already recognised that SDing 4 and 5 year olds is virtually impossible.

Not ideal but I concluded kids under 3, the only way is to line them up in a row of baby jails, sorry playpens.