What schools will look like

[whatthefuckishappening]

Has anyone had a confirmed outline of a plan from their school of what school will be like for reception if they go back in June? We expect to hear next week sometime. I'm undecided whether to send mine back or not (erring towards not, but then I'm on mat leave so currently don't have to factor work in).

Ours says the following

• lots of teachers shielding / clinically vulnerable so all year groups depleted and some have no teachers

• max class size of 6 (Victorian school, small rooms). Not to mix with any other groups. Rota for toilet, cleaning of which to be done by teachers.

• therefore 5 classrooms and teachers needed per class of 30. And there’s 3 classes in each year so 15 classrooms and teachers needed per year group.

• most kids won’t get their own teacher or classroom and will most likely get a teacher from a different year group

• don’t have enough classrooms for this plus key worker kids so each year can only go in for one day a week

• won’t have access to all usual equipment if it’s hard to clean and will have to stay in classroom most of day.

All sounds utterly pointless to me and not worth the faff for a day a week. There’s no way our school could offer full time places. It’s completely unrealistic. God knows what will happen in September.

Is DS’s school the only one that has 35 children per year? No one seems to have considered this. Where will the extra 5 children go?

@CoronaisComing some of our local Primaries have class sizes in excess of 30, will mean being split into 3 groups not 2. However, likely that not all parents will send their children in. Also many schools are splitting children into groups much smaller than 15.

This is what our school have said:

• your child may not be taught by their own class teacher

• your child’s class will be split and they may not be with their closest friends during the school day

• your child will work in the same room with the same adult (where possible) every time he/she is in school

• the room your child will work in may not be the one they were in before school closed

• lessons and learning will look different; children will be doing the same learning as children who are working from home

• there will be different start and end times to the “school day”

• school meals may continue to be distributed as currently, rather than during an official “lunch time” in school as we may not be able to accommodate this

• our staffing ratios could change due to illness which could impact on our ability to maintain provision

• your child may experience separation anxiety having to adjust to new routines again

• routines will be different; there will be new rules and expectations

• children will not be able to access and use all resources they are used to in school

• we will not be able to accommodate individual requests

• there may not be a breakfast club facility and will not be after-school clubs

Is DS’s school the only one that has 35 children per year? No one seems to have considered this. Where will the extra 5 children go?

If the year above has 5 extra people too they might combine them into a group of 10- maybe 5 oldest of 1 year and 5 youngest in year above so their maturity is similar.
If they are lucky with staff and space they might go for 3 groups of 12 but they might be hoping that 5 don't return before September

Depends on your school. For ours, business as usual, just without face to face lessons from specialist teachers (music etc). They can easily accommodate 15 per class (normal class size is 16-20) and still have a teacher and a TA per class

Depends on your school. For ours, business as usual

Even in a school with ample space and staffing, it's not going to be business as usual.

Yes but op asked about reception. Was just curious as most round here are fairly new build (well prob 70s) and single story. Ooh big Victorian one would be nice, ours is an estate school so no such finery.

Our infant school is an old Victorian school and parts of it are two story, a small section is 3.

It's really not 'nice' in terms of reopening planning. Smallish rooms, cramped corridors and no extra capacity in terms of rooms. The playground is a concrete hard on a slope. Two of our classrooms are in cabins on the playground in order to make room just for normal times, let alone on these new times.

Like prisons.

Tape marking out 2 metres for movement.

Children sitting at tables even in year R. Soft furnishings removed from classrooms as they are difficult to clean. No play doh, small toys, counters, games etc as too hard to clean.

Children placed in groups of up to 15 children, not necessarily with their friends from their class, their teacher or in a classroom that is familiar to them.

Lunchtime and snack time will look very different. Perhaps eating in classrooms, orstaggered lunches in the canteen.

Handwashing at the limited number of sinks in socially distanced queues as they come in to start the day, before snack time, after morning break, before lunch, as they come in from lunchtime, etc.

No group work, partner work, practical work.

Socially distant playtime = walking or running around the playground, not interacting, not sharing any equipment. Same applies to PE.

I'm a teacher. I would prefer my children not to experience this new 'school' for the sake of their mental health.

All the above is paraphrased from the gov.uk guidance for schools.

Also, one way systems around school for walking and taped off areas.

All in all, very unsettling and alien.

I can say with absolute certainty that the education the children will be getting under these conditions will not be high quality.

The anxiety, the lack of movement, the restriction of resources, the guidance not to sit near a child to help them. Many would be better off at home and the kids who really need to be at school for social reasons, because they are vulnerable eg risk of abuse, poverty etc are LESS likely to come in to school as it will be optional.

Anyone have any ideas what happens if a child has a 121?

Anyone have any ideas what happens if a child has a 121?

It totally depends on the staffing levels. All of our 1:1s are shielding.

Yeah mine will be too, but potentially that's only til end June

What happens when dozens of 4/5/6 year olds need to be peeled off their parents leg at the door because they haven’t been to school for months and they’re now expected to go in through a different door to a different classroom, with a different teacher? How will that be managed whilst staying 2m apart?

If I had a child on an EHCP especially one who needs lots of support, I would keep mine at home, if I could.

Gove said twice today the bubbles would be one adult (like a family as Jenny harries keeps saying) so no extra TA, even if s/he were available.

Not sure I know of any families of 16!

Gove said twice today the bubbles would be one adult

I haven't seen this update. I thought it was a minimum of one adult?

I have heard that said many times. Jenny Harries said it yesterday too.
I expect they realise a school doesn't have enough adults for two per classroom. Plus, adults pose the risk to other adults is their mantra.

I expect they realise a school doesn't have enough adults for two per classroom. Plus, adults pose the risk to other adults is their mantra.

So even if we have enough teachers / TAs to have more than one per class, the Gov don't advise us to do so?

Sorry for the barrage of questions, i'm just checking as currently we're working with 2 staff per 15 children, in order to accommodate toileting etc.

We have teacher and TA per group but only taking one class back to see how that goes and iron out any problems. Then we may take another class if it is safe. But that will be it. Don't forget the key workers children will still be in and they need supervision.

The government wants adults to stay apart essentially. That's not workable in schools really, especially for school with very young ones. But 1 to 1 will be a big issue at all ages.