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...

‘No funding for additional soap’This is SERIOUSLY being cited as a reason to keep schools closed? hmm

Again only on MN. Some of the reasons for not reopening schools are hilarious!

God, some people have so little idea about the dire funding for education. To reopen schools safely,we need money for the extra safety requirements! My school is on a shoestring budget, like most others. I get a small budget for stationery at the beginning of the year then when anything runs out we either go without or buy it ourselves. As it's not practical to teach a KS1 class without glue sticks or whiteboard pens, I buy them myself. Whole class sets. I know that as soon as the hand sanitiser runs out we will either not follow the guidelines or I will end up buying them myself. Although I am lucky to have a sink in my classroom, the length of time it takes for 30 kids to wash their hands properly means that hand sanitiser is a much better option.

However, any concerns I have about catching Covid are superceded by my concerns about teaching itself. I already spent two days at the start of the holiday trying to return my classroom to normal after it had been set up for a bubble but I didn't want to do too much in case the guidance changes. I hope it's finalised by the last week in August rather than left until the day before term starts by which time it's too late to do anything.

I teach year 2 so not only do I have to do the SATS as normal, I also now have to do a phonics screening check in the Autumn term. So much for the focus being on well-being.

I can't let them share practical resources, even though the entire maths mastery curriculum is based on the use of concrete materials. No way do I have enough equipment for them to each have their own.

I'm worried about how we will provide for local lockdowns. In my area, remote learning was very challenging due to a lack of access to technology and parental engagement. I tried video lessons but almost nobody watched them. My SLT seemed to think that putting up printables on the website was fine, but my families weren't engaging.

I also worry about having to take time off every time me or either of my primary-aged children ( who seem to go from October to March with permanent coughs/colds/sore throats) have symptoms and need a test. As usual my school will scrabble around to find TAs to cover as there is no money for supply and I will have to cobble together filler activities that they can teach.

I just want there to be robust, manageable plans in place for every eventuality, with funding and resources attached.

I'm worried that not enough planning is being done for what looks like a very strong possibility of a second wave in the autumn. We have Mr Johnson spouting nonsense about life getting back to normal by Christmas. Scientists on Sage saying schools cannot be closed, they must be prioritised - so are they honestly suggesting that teachers will be happy to stand in front of a class in the event of a second wave? Australia now believes they have a strain that is more lethanl to young people - but how on earth do we manage the number of coughs and colds that are completely normal - how often do you test? A child is tested for a cough on Monday - doesn't mean that cough is still Covid free on Wednesday but assumption it's the same cough? Is there any planning going on? My kids got very little support from the school during lockdown and I am worried next year is going to be an absolute shit show too - I'm one of the doomsters...but it all feels very head in the sand, fingers crossed and hoping for the best - but that's not very reassuring despite Johnson's insistence that we should all just think positively - but we know how well that went last year!

And schools need more bloody funding to cope with the extra costs not pretend PR funding. A proper increase in budgets - not including teacher's pay rises!

@MinnieMousse I noticed that the poster who picked up that line about not having enough soap, didn't comment on any of the other funding issues that schools have that had been listed. Also I bet parents would be up in arms if their children were coming home from school and saying they could only wash their hands with water as there was no soap or hand sanitiser.

The teachers' pay rises were initially announced in January so pre-Covid. Doubtless the government will use it as an excuse not to provide any more funding. Or maybe they will suggest we give up the pay rise so the money can be spent on soap!

Unfortunately they haven't provided enough funding to cover pay and pension rises

It's time teachers are doing the same as other key workers ie being out at work. They are keyworkers and many haven't been out to work during this pandemic.

A lot of the teachers I know actually WANT to be back, full time.

Teachers do want to be back, but they want to be safe (as well as the pupils)

My DM is a teacher and she wants to be back at work but not without safety measures. If the government continues to refuse safety measures similar to what other workers receive, she won’t return. She isn’t getting the pay rise - many teachers aren’t.

@tempnamechange98765

It's time teachers are doing the same as other key workers ie being out at work. They are keyworkers and many haven't been out to work during this pandemic.

A lot of the teachers I know actually WANT to be back, full time.

Oh give over. 'Most' teachers HAVE been back to work fulltime despite what the media would have you believe.

I know I was back FT at the beginning of June. Before that I was working from home providing online learning and going into school on a rota providing care for keyworker children (many of whom were children of teachers who were also, yknow, at work).

Personally, I desperately want to be back to 'normal' in Sept with my whole class.

Unfortunately, this will also put me, my family, my colleagues and the children & their families at increased risk. With next to no real protection as the infection rates are on the increase again.

Sticking fingers in ears and hoping for the best will sadly not keep everyone safe...

@tempnamechange98765 Everyone who could work at home was told to. This wasn't any teacher's decision. It wasn't even down to schools. The government have only just said employers should start thinking about who needs to be back.

Since my place of work is closed until next month, it isn't time (today) for me to do anything like other key workers.

In any case, since my job role is different form just about all other key workers, I won't be doing the 'same' job.

As industries reopened (pubs and hairdressers etc) and as we learned more and policy changed (e.g.face coverings in shops and libraries), more people going back to work became the focus.

But this wasn't allowed to happen without covid secure premises, to include reduced capacity, distancing, mitigations in the form of 1m + something additional.

None of this is yet set up for schools. So teachers rightly expect some of it to be considered and implemented to make the return as safe as possible.

It's nothing to do with the media, like most I'm sure I know LOADS of teachers, and other than the odd one who's done shifts in a hub, most have not been working full time from home. One described it as akin to having won the lottery. Another (secondary) said she prefers it as she doesn't have to deal with teenagers - the work is set and if they don't do it, that's on them.

I'm not blaming teachers for not being back at work - the closures were out of all our control. But when they reopen for all years in September, it's time for teachers to be back full time.

As I said and from skimming this thread, teachers WANT to be back in their classrooms teaching.

But when they reopen for all years in September, it's time for teachers to be back full time

Even if there is little to no protection for them and the children they teach??

I could imagine me saying some of those things, as I do try to accentuate the positive in talking to friends about lockdown rather than having a moan fest, but I, dh and his colleagues and my colleagues, have been working our normal hours (until the holidays). The difference being they were flexible ones so we could look after the dc and then do more work right into the evenings. It wasn't easier than being in work, but it was a lot better than catching coronavirus.

That was to tempnamechange.
I'm wondering too why "most" people know "loads" of teachers, and hear in depth accounts of their job in lockdown?

I'm a primary school teacher and I really want schools to open and as normal as possible for the sake of the children. I'm also worried about COVID-19, so I'm really torn. I think what worries me most is how badly the government is handling the whole
situation.

like most I'm sure I know LOADS of teachers, and other than the odd one who's done shifts in a hub, most have not been working full time from home.

I know loads of teachers, too. I am one and so are my colleagues and also most of my friends and family. Every single one that I know - which is clearly more teachers than you are acquainted with - has been working well over full time hours from home.

I literally do not know a single teacher who has done less than the 32.5 hour week they are paid for. Most have continued to do the roughly 50 hours we usually do.

Only on MN do I hear about the imaginary teachers everybody knows who don't work many hours and have an easy life.

It's a bit like me saying I know loads of doctors - and most of them spend all day playing golf.

I’m a teacher (secondary). My school set up a rota, as did many others. I was in school two days a week from the start of lockdown until we broke up for summer, including over Easter and May half term, supervising vulnerable and key worker children. Tbh those were my easiest days of the week - not many children, easy to SD them, time to get work done. The rest of the time I was WFH and I hated it. Endless Teams meetings, hours on the phone to social workers (I have safeguarding responsibilities), chasing up kids who hadn’t submitted work or hadn’t been in contact. Trying to fit it in round taking care of my own DCs meant I was generally on my laptop at 6am. Being able to wear casual clothes and sit in the garden wasn’t really compensation. But I did play it down to friends, because I was acutely aware that I was still employed and earning my full time wage and a lot of them weren’t. Teachers are very aware that as soon as we dare to have a whinge, we get eyerolls because obviously we only work 9-3 and we get all those holidays, and I’m sure non-teachers think that we’ve been on a jolly since the end of March as what do teachers do apart from be in the classroom with children?! So those of you saying that your teacher friends haven’t been moaning at you, do bear in mind they might’ve been trying to be tactful!

I really want to go back to work. I hated lockdown. But I don’t want to be the only profession not SD, using PPE or having safer working conditions in place, and at the moment, schools are standing out for all the wrong reasons. Do read the official guidance for schools, think of what children are like in reality and ask yourself how safe it’s really going to be.

It's time teachers are doing the same as other key workers ie being out at work. They are keyworkers and many haven't been out to work during this pandemic.

Almost every teacher and TA (and support staff) at my school have been at school full time (and more inc holidays) since Easter - many before that, with full bubbles, as well as monitoring their class home learning. Those that weren't was because they are vulnerable, myself included, and we were working full time hours (and more inc holidays) from home focusing on the home learning.

My DH is a key worker (solicitor who specialises in wills and probate, as well as other stuff) and worked FT from home alongside me. We id the same hours usually, though I worked at least one weekend day on top. He has only recently returned to his Covid-secure office part time - as they are only allowing 50% of the work force in at any one time. The office is still closed to clients - they have to be seen virtually, via telephone or in person, outdoors ideally and with masks or visors.

There is a huge difference between what is considered Covid secure for DH's solicitors offices and practises than what is considered Covid-secure in a school.

As a clinically vulnerable teacher I remain concerned for my own health, whilst still wanting to be there in person - just safely.

@tempnamechange98765 Your LOADS of teacher friends have had very different experiences of lockdown that the many teachers I know personally and who I work with.

Most teachers and TAs I know have worked full time, pretty much from the start.
Our LEA didn't have hubs. My school was full from key worker and vulnerable children, pretty much straight away - we are very close to some large teaching hospitals, including one which was involved in testing and was a covid hub from the start, which contributed a lot to that.

And i have included TAs in my group, not just teachers. Pretty much all working FT hours throughout. Most working more than their contracted hours - and for TAs there has been a lot of unpaid hours worked too (as TAs are paid hourly normally it is easy to calculate this.)

Because teachers is a high population profession, maybe?

I'm in Wales, schools didn't open until the very end of June, and then only for 3 weeks.

schools didn't open until the very end of June

Were schools not open for key workers and vulnerable children in Wales?

I'm in England and ours never closed for those children. We didn't have any hub in our area and our school was staffed by our own teachers and TAs. We were so full from KW and vulnerable children we were unable to take in any additional year groups when they were allowed. Therefore most staff were in school with bubbles FT from Easter time. The few not in were working FT from home, as vulnerable themselves.

In that case @tempnamechange98765, surely you would see that your experience and that of the many teachers you know will be completely different than those of teachers in England? Seeing as they opened more widely at totally different times?

My school opened further on June 1st. Because of SD and limited numbers of 15 in each 'bubble', all staff (apart from the 3 v vulnerable) were required in on a fulltime basis. And still required to provide online learning for the children still at home. My working hours were considerably more than 'normal' FT.

The only person I know who had that 'winning the lottery' feeling was my DH who was furloughed back in March and wasn't allowed to work.

Most teachers I know (also quite a considerable number) were working their backsides off whether based at home or in school. Admittedly, I don't know any Welsh teachers but I'd imagine they weren't all parked up in the garden with a cocktail for months...

(And @Aragog, I suspect that you and I work in very similar schools - we are near a major teaching hospital too and many of our keyworker kids have parents working there.'Waves madly')

Actually, this has raised a very important point...to my colleagues in Scotland, how do you feel about going back in the next few weeks?? Not September at all!!!