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.

Biscuits has a bit of a crush on Paul Dix, obviously. Love will overcome all!

Biscuit0110

And back with the digs.

But I will leave you with this. (in the hope that you are going)

If I took "Dettol" into the school with me to wipe down everything at least one child would be seriously adversely affected.

@Biscuit0110 Thanks for those links,

We have been told that we are two weeks behind other countries in terms of infection but we are opening up schools at about the same time as other countries who are opening schools are doing.

• Germany is having a 2 metre rule in schools. Will we? I doubt it.
• Poland will no longer ban pre schools from opening but has no plans yet to reopen schools
• France has said schools will reopen very gradually, that there is no way there will be full classes, and that sending children back is voluntary. Unlike the UK schools have been fully closed all this time. It sounds like they may only open schools up to the level our schools have been operating at the whole time.

• Greece will reopen schools for some years. They have had a very strict lock down.
• Switzerland is planning to reopen schools.

And schools in Scotland are not going back this term. Even though there are less cases and deaths in Scotland.
The government want children in England to get infected and spread it. That is the plan.

I worry that this is going to be hugely stressful for many children in my class.

If we don’t find out when schools are going back soon it’s going to be a real rush to get everything sorted.

And as said above young children are filthy in generally. If you sit in front of a class of reception age children you will see nose picking, shoe licking, hands down pants, jumper chewing, licking themselves, licking their friends, licking furniture.

I struggle to get my kids to flush the toilet never mind wash their hands properly.
And I have met so many kids over the years that spit at you when they talk excitedly.
Kids are not mini adults as some here seem to think.

Cantory where are you getting your info about Scotland from? Nothing definite had been announced here either.

I am bored of this thread, and I am very thankful that I work with an inspirational, highly motivated team having read this thread, that will be glad to give this a go in June, whatever the problems we face

Bless.

Oh, and that should be bored "with" or "by".

My view: the government is planning for a second peak of infection in July /August (i.e. school summer holidays). It wants the second peak to occur in the summer, because that will mean that more people will have had the virus when the annual 'flu season starts in the autumn, so the NHS won't be overwhelmed any more than it usually is in 'flu season (assuming that having had Covid means that you have some immunity, which of course we don't know). What's the easiest way to ensure another peak? Reopen schools, even if not fully open. Bingo.

It's all about not letting us see that the NHS can't cope, under the guise of "protecting" it. It's what our government's strategy has always been about, right from the moment we first heard the word "coronavirus" in January. Hide the fact that the NHS is underfunded, understaffed and cannot meet the demands placed upon it.

So, going back to the OP - I don't think the government actually gives a shit about whether it's possible to socially distance in schools or not. (We all know it's not possible). School children and school staff will just be collateral damage in the government's strategy of protecting the NHS - or, at least, being seen to be protecting it.

I really hope I'm proved wrong over the next few months.

*The government will throw money at schools to get them open

That is by far the funniest thing I have read on MN in a long long time*.

Find that hard to believe. I think you're probably trying to belittle me because you don't understand and don't want to understand where I'm coming from. Standard MN deflection.

@misstressi My relatives in Scotland have said they have been told schools will not reopen before the summer. Maybe it is just their area, or maybe it is widely known, no idea?

As a teacher in Scotland I do not know. It seems very unlikely, but it has not been definitively ruled out.

MrsS I sadly think you're right.

Even though there are less cases and deaths in Scotland.
Has it occurred to you that Scotland has a much smaller population and therefore deaths?

Have you compared on a population size?
Scottish schools are also due to stop for summer at the end on June, is it worth going back for a few short weeks?

No social distancing in place in schools here in Aus when they reopened this week. It's absolutely impossible to achieve. Adults doing Drop offs and pick ups are highly policed re distancing but once your child is in the doors, it's just not practical

Never was a poster so appropriately named

Lots of emotive hyperbole but seemingly no understanding of the reality of schools, curriculum, science or common sense.

I read where you are coming from redtick. Excuse my cynicism but if the government find a magic pot to spend on schools, they will take it form elsewhere in the schools' budgets. they have form.

Australia has a really low death rate doesn't it? Maybe we should wait until our rate is as low as there's to go back.

No social distancing in place in schools here in Aus when they reopened this week. It's absolutely impossible to achieve. Adults doing Drop offs and pick ups are highly policed re distancing but once your child is in the doors, it's just not practical

Or are you just not trying hard enough! Issue all children with a back pack and get them to hover. You just aren’t trying hard enough.

I know the school I work at are worried that the government won't issue guidance and will just leave it up to heads to decide how to implement.

When it happens I envisage it will be splitting the classes, (logistically the school will need to have siblings in at the same time, so a bugger to implement. And parents will want it to tie in with their work if PT etc, etc) or only having certain year groups back for a while. Possibly outdoor lessons too.

I'd like to go back, safely, I'm sick of trying to homeschool my DC , and my eldest is really struggling with the prospect of possibly not going back at all (Yr 6).

Earliest I can imagine though would be June.
The government first have to decide what will happen (if not passing the buck!) and then give schools an appropriate amount of time to be able to implement the changes.

All those suggesting outside learning clearly don't live in Scotland we will have our thermals back on in September .

We would fit one (reduced) class socially distanced on our playground-it’s tiny. We have lots of classes!

There is also no shade, so no use if it’s too sunny, cold or wet.

Very very few countries actually have schools back in as normal throughout the whole country.

Not all schools in these often quoted countries are actually offering full time education for all across their countries. Many schools in China are not yet back. Most European countries are not fully back. Many are part time and restricted numbers.

My classroom just about fits in 15 table for 2 kids on each table, where the table is 1m wide. They are pushed together in rows and the rows are not 1m apart as there's not enough room for that. They have just about enough room to pull out and sit on their chair easily and still get out if their neighbour is there.

I have a tiny bit of room where a few of the tables could be a little bit apart from each other, but if I brought rows more and more forward, the front row would be on my lap!

So I'd have to space out my tables widthwise AND still struggle to keep them 1m away from the row behind. So even with 1m distance I'd struggle to fit 15 kids in.

I'm not sure all 15 would come in, but in the last few days before we shut, the parallel class was down to 11 children from 28 as parents were keeping their children off. And yet my class was all in, which reflects the pattern I'd expect to see when we reopen.

For every child who will be happy to come back to school and see friends, there will be at least one other who is unimpressed that they have to come to school when other yeargroups don't.

For every child who will be happy to come back to school and see friends, there will be at least one other who is unimpressed that they have to come to school when other yeargroups don't

Definitely-that could cause problems. Especially if siblings aren’t in!

I can imagine tears at the door and having to peel bawling, distraught children off a parent. Can you do that whilst socially distancing?!