How do teachers feel about schools being open in Sept?

[Meangallery]

So kid's education is to get priority, schools are to open in Sept and if infections rise the Government will close down everything else.

Will the Unions tolerate this? It feels like teachers will be on the frontline next year...

Yes at the moment its at the teacher / students discretion from September no PPE allowed. Sorry for any confusion x

Our local academy trust have said everyone back to school from September with very few changes on how it was prior to March. The letter to parents said they expect all parents to comply.

The changes they have said to expect are more hand washing, hand sanitisers to be used on entry and often. Some of the contact sports might not run. No after school activities. All desks to face the front. Not all hot meals with be available.

In fact very few changes.

Yes i had forgotten absence policys are to return to normal so if you don't send your kids in you could end up fined. Fear of covid is not an authorised reason to not send them in from September

@MoreListeningLessChatting

Our local academy trust have said everyone back to school from September with very few changes on how it was prior to March. The letter to parents said they expect all parents to comply.

The changes they have said to expect are more hand washing, hand sanitisers to be used on entry and often. Some of the contact sports might not run. No after school activities. All desks to face the front. Not all hot meals with be available.

In fact very few changes.

And I suspect that letter went out before cases have started rising again...it looks like Johnson's view that everything would be back to normal by Christmas was completely deluded - I mean, no surprise there!

All of us at my school are looking forward to it. Yes it will be difficult. Yes we are concerned for our health but will take the precautions we are allowed to (no masks but we will have class bubbles and plenty of soap). Yes things have been made more difficult because budget cuts mean we will be returning with fewer staff (fewer teachers, fewer TAs, fewer meal supervisors, fewer cleaners) and we will miss our colleagues who we haven’t been able to meet with and say goodbye to.....

BUT all of us, be that support staff or teaching staff, want to get on with the task of educating our children

Desperate to return and to as much normality as possible!

Primary school teachers across the country have already been in school for months. As it hasn't been possible everywhere or for all children, the public seem to forget this.

[quote allfalldown47]@RuthW there is no way I can wear ppe, the children in my class are 4, they are new to school, there will be tears and a far few will need help with the toilet initially.
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I understand that, but my dd teaches 15-18 year olds so that's a bit different.

I teach in an infant school. I cover PPA for all classes - so 9 classes across 10 classrooms, 270 children plus staff each week.

I believe schools need to return in some way and that we need in-person teaching happening. My school has been busy since March it's full bubbles and most staff in full time since Easter and throughout the Easter and May holidays too. I'm ready for a break from home learning as my time was to oversee it all and upload our daily tasks (non 5 a day plus some weekend and holiday stuff) amongst other jobs. I miss my colleagues and I definitely miss the children. Our children do need to be seeing their teachers and their friends, and being taught to read and do maths, etc. As well as the social side.

However, as someone who is clinically vulnerable (not shielded) then of course I'm also somewhat concerned for myself too.

My role means I will need to work with all of the bubbles - at least two bubbles each day. I will have no real protection and they'll be no social distancing in an infant school. Even if a child has symptoms we have to keep going. We only close a bubble IF it's confirmed and only if there's been close face to face contact.

And I may need to make difficult decisions about my own health - I have an autoimmune condition and my medication reduces my immunity further. I need to decide to go in and take the risk, or amend/stop the stronger of my medication which will lower my risk of Covid complications but increase my risk of the arthritis worsening and causing permanent damage to my joints longer term, and ultimately my mobility in older age.

So yes, for the children's sake we need to open but I also realise that for this to happen I have to place myself at increased risk.

I think if pubs, cinemas, restaurants etc are reopening then schools definitely should reopen and not even from an education perspective but just for the pupils mental health and social aspect. But I don’t know how logistically it will work - how can pupils learn much with a teacher just standing at the front of the room the whole time, how can they socially distance on buses, what if there’s a local lockdown would that include schools too.

Yes the letter went out mid July @Meangallery

It's a fluid situation, which makes it difficult to plan for parents/schools/employers.

I cannot imagine a nationwide lock down again for many reasons. Local lock downs yes. Given the emerging and increasing data on children not transmitting to adults in the same way adult to adult transmission works then teacher more likely to get from another adult than from several hundred children

Well I’m shitting myself, and so are most of my colleagues. Not sure why this is so different from what’s on here....

No masks, 2000 people, bubbles of 300. All lessons change every hour. GCSE and A level. Little ventilation.

Why wouldn’t l be scared?

I’m looking forward to going back properly with a class, but I have been teaching keyworker and vulnerable children throughout the lockdown. I feel like my school is as well prepared as can be with timetable changes, furniture set out in rows and pupils having their own equipment including outdoor play equipment . I think primary schools are better off for hand washing as lots have a sink within the class. We have also had hand sanitiser units in each class since the swine flu outbreak.Although I am an older teacher who is overweight, I feel as confident as I can be in this situation. I just hope they don’t make us wear a mask as I think it would make teaching more tricky.

I feel as confident as I can be in this situation. I just hope they don’t make us wear a mask as I think it would make teaching more tricky. But don't you feel it should be voluntary - for secondary at least - to allow people - teachers and kids to protect themselves as they wish?

I’ve also been teaching through lockdown. Doesn’t make me any less scared.

WHY are they all facing the front, so they can breathe their germs all over us?

To be honest, trying to plan, resource, film videos for and feedback on online learning with a non-napping under two year old at home and a self employed DP was so bloody impossible that I am no longer allowing myself the option to have an opinion on full opening.

Luckily the parents in our school (village primary, smallish community) were pretty chilled about Zoom sessions being interrupted by MAMA POO/SNACK/OUT/DRINK, though I don’t know how long they would tolerate this for...

Also, our teachers spent the first week of the holidays frantically moving furniture in and out of rooms in order to make forward-facing rows work in our tiny Victorian rooms. It was like playing the world’s hardest game of Tetris. I can’t see a joyous response to a U turn by the government on that particular issue!

DH (secondary school) teacher is desperate to go back, to the extent that I think he's being a bit harsh/dismissive of some of his colleagues who are concerned - they're mostly older than him, and I think he forgets that while undoubtedly some of them are overestimating their risk, it is higher than his.

This thread is bafflingly different to every other thread I've read on this topic on MN, btw - until now I wondered if DH and the majority of his colleagues were very, very unusual in being pretty unconcerned about going back.

I think a lot of people who want to go back is because it is so much harder doing remote learning and because they’re worried about their pupils rather than they want to go back because they think they’re not at risk. I have spoke to people who don’t want to go back but the alternative is worse.

I go back in 10 days, SEN school no hope of any social distancing my children just wont understand will either be scared of masks or will rip them off my face so much of their communication is recognising facial expressions and people. They also mouth and lick things constantly as a sensory need.

Really want normality back.

Shit scared about the reality. The teaching in 6 rooms, staffroom limited to 10 people, only 2 loo cubicles open for 60+ female staff. Lessons all different durations and locations to fit around breaks and lunches..... With kids safety in mind but i get to see 180 kids across 6 rooms a day with windows that are limited to 3" openings. No masks. Rooms aren't big enough to have a 2m teaching zone in many cases.

I want to teach like it was. Not this. I really hope it's temporary in a good way!

Can't wait to get back. Although teaching a practical subject is going to be fun. Still easier than teaching it remotely.

meangallery I have no problem with teachers choosing to wear a mask if they wish, especially in secondary school. It’s a personal thing. I would find it difficult to teach with a mask on (especially phonics).

Honestly I’m pretty concerned about the reality of 1500 students and 100 staff moving around a building, our BAME students and our safety given some of the data coming out of countries that have reopened secondary schools. But looking forward to seeing my colleagues and the kids, especially my sixth formers who I taught last year and know well.

It will be nice to see the kids face to face again and get closer to some normality

I have concerns for some colleagues. There are a mix of ages at school but quite a few of my colleagues are 50 plus and a few TA's are in their 60.

I have concerns that we will not be able to stay open all term and it might be disruptive.

I know a previous poster commented that other people have worked throughout but so have teachers and up to now the precautions in place have been consistent with other workplaces. I don t think the new guidelines mitigate risk in any meaningful way given that neither ppe or SD is compulsory in most situations.

I think the guidance looks increasingly out of step with other workplaces especially as the transmission by people not socially distancing has now been shown to be driving new cases.
How does that fit with 30 plus teenagers in the same room for hours at a time especially as social distancing will be impossible to maintain.

I think that lots of teachers will be off for weeks at a time and some longer and some may die. Boris et all will then simply say they regret every death

We will know whether the guidance is effective in october I expect.