When this started one of our classes went from 30 to 8 in a few days. One reason was because a few went down with a dry cough so parents kept the child off, very sensibly. One child had diabetes, two or three are asthmatic. Some children were pulled out of school because a member of the family was vulnerable and one had recovered from leukaemia. The others had parents who felt more comfortable with the child being kept home.
Now, assuming the same rules apply when lockdown ends, what happens if teachers have children who have asthma, diabetes etc? I'm assuming the child has to stay home. In which case the teacher stays home. So that's a teacher down. Because the child can't stay home alone and can't come into school because they are vulnerable.
Teachers don't keep an emergency supply of teachers, they can't just be conjured up. Supply teachers would be in the same predicament if they have children. As would TAs and other teaching helpers.
I can imagine there are a fair few teachers in that position - childhood asthma is real issue in some cities for example. Add to that diabetic or asthmatic teachers, those who are in remission from cancers or who are shielding those who are and you're missing a bit of the workforce. Even losing three or four teachers would mean a doubling up of classes in some primary schools. How does that work with social distancing?
And how does opening part time or just for one or two particular years help parents return to work? If you have two kids - one in year 2 and one in year 4 both going in for part of the week you, as a parent, can't return to work unless it's the same part of the week. Quite apart from those who have secondary and primary children. If you had a year 6 going to school and a year 7 in a different school, not allowed in because you're not a key worker, what exactly do you do?
And if they did open to your children for limited days, you'd only be able to do the two or three days the kids are in school unless you were a key worker and could get a place in a hub for your kids. So employers will have to be patient - and I can't see that happening with some employers to be honest.
Personally I can see a few more groups added to the key workers list so that schools can manage to provide the same care as they do at the moment with hubs. Then a few more schools becoming hubs and opening up to accommodate more key workers children with teachers on a rota as they are at the moment. That would allow social distancing and eliminate the issue of 'year 7 kids in school, year 8 kids at home and parents torn between the two'.
The rest of the kids staying at home. Because if places like cinemas and restaurants are likely to be the last to open, in theory, the children of those people don't need to be at school as the parents are home. Then the schools could manage and key workers gradually increasing as more sectors open up. As now, all the kids would be doing the same work, just in different places (school or home), via the internet.
I can't see any other way of doing it. 70% of our local secondary school are bussed in and you can't do social distancing on a double decker. I can imagine bus drivers refusing to take school buses, rammed with kids like they are at the moment, but they too don't have spare buses waiting in the wings to double up. If you can't get the kids to school, the school can't teach.