Secondary Teachers, what do you think about going back to school for the last term with social distancing?

[sunshineanddaffodils]

My year 8 and year 10 dc are in the best possible situation at this point. Both have their own computer, space to work, pretty good home learning from school and both are cooperating. However, I am so worried about the impact being off school until September will have on them socially, on their mental well-being let alone the academic side of things. When I think about dc who are less fortunate than mine I feel so anxious and concerned. I’d be so happy to see some sort of phased return to school as soon as possible really. Looking at the stats I’m not concerned about the health any of the dc or staff at the school although obviously wouldn’t expect anyone in the vulnerable categories or dc of the vulnerable to be expected to return (there’s only one teacher at at their school who is shielding because he’s diabetic). I think school should reopen and the vulnerable remain isolated so the virus cannot be passed on to them if dc fo pick it up at school.

🌷🌹🌷

Sigh. September it is then. Shame furlough runs out in June

@imhotep3 why September? If schools can’t go back in any form until there is a vaccine/effective treatment (which some people on this thread seem to say is the case as they won’t be able to social distance) then we are looking at September 2021 for opening.

No point in sighing here, we’re not the ones making decisions. If your furlough runs out and schools are still shut then take it up with your elected representative.

Why September indeed? What will be any different? So why not sooner...thanks noblegiraffe, will do, along with 5 million other people

nicky2512

I think a lot of it will depend on when the schools in your country break up.

I think that it is unlikely that Scotland's schools will go back before the Autumn term due to them breaking up earlier than those in England.

I am not sure when Northern Ireland's schools break up so couldn't say.

@Birdsong20 thank you. Just had a look and revisionworld and it looks really useful x

I don't think schools can shut till a vaccine is found in which case September or June? What's the difference?

I thought we are locked down to ease the pressure on the NHS rather than stop us all catching it!

I work in a sixth form I'd go back in June... I think maybe only certain years in certain days or similar in school but I know we are risking children's safety and mental health to leave it too long.

Imhotep,

Good for children to eat though, isn't it? Bloody money, who needs it?

As I have said before, possibly on this very thread:

NO country which has had an infection or death rate anything like ours is returning to a model of schooling that would allow parents to work full time, relying on school as their daytime childcare.

ALL have part time / part class / staggered schooling.

A class size of 10, for example, would mean that I would have to run 4 sessions to teach all of my class, and a quarter of a week's school is not useful for working parents. A strict cap of 15 would mean each child would get a third of a week's school. A child with COVID within the class would mean 14 days of quarantine for all.

It will have to be a little bit here, a little bit there - a few hours of socially-distanced schooling to allow a tiny bit of flexible working, and structures around furlough and wfh and benefits that allow this. Then a little bit more schooling allowing a few more hours of work.

Even that will require significant testing - so any teacher with a cough or temperature within their family can be tested and be back within a couple of days (if negative) and only off for a prolonged period if positive. it will require a bank of supply staff to cover positive / shielding teachers.

It will, above all, require numbers of cases in the country to be REALLY small, to reduce the probability of a case within the school to such a level that any school / class will remain open for more than a few days at fortnightly intervals.

FrippEnos
That’s fair enough. I had forgotten that we all broke up at different times. NI is end of June.

It's not that I don't get it, really, it's just that I don't think there will be any structures put into place or allowances made. The 3 months furlough/mortgage holidays etc. are the allowances being made. I don't think 'occasional school' allowing a tiny bit of work is going to cut it with any employer. I think furlough/all this help will end, soon, and if you can't feasibly go back to work then it's universal credit for you.

I don't think 'occasional school' allowing a tiny bit of work is going to cut it with any employer.

But if that is all the Government allow, by law, by putting conditions on how schools should operate when coming out of lockdown, then unfortunately, that is what employers will have to accept.

As i have said before, I am willing to risk my life (as a vulnerable, but not a shielded, teacher) to go back into school as long as children go back IF someone who knows about schools has put together a single, national, clear and fully funded and resourced risk management plan.

I am much less prepared to go back into a workplace that is deliberately made more unsafe because of the inflexibility of employers.

The employers don't have to accept it. They can just sack those who don't work and recruit from the 1m new university credit claimants many of whom don't have children.

There is no point arguing about what can’t or won’t work. We can’t home school until a vaccine or cure is found.

Schools need to go back in some form. Get creative, get planning.

Schools need to go back in some form. Get creative, get planning

As has been pointed out repeatedly, we don’t know what we are planning for. The govt will mandate what happens and we will have to - creatively and in all likelihood quickly - fit in with that.

They can just sack those who don't work and recruit from the 1m new university credit claimants many of whom don't have children.

For teaching?

Could be made redundant at the end of furlough anyway I suppose. No worries about school then [wails pointlessly about literally everything going on at the moment]

It's all the fucking baking I can't stand

We cannot guarantee that anywhere is safe. Ever!!! This is madness. the children need to go back. Yes they are being provided with work to do at home but they are not being taught! Education is not being provided from home...that's just nonsense.

Both my husband and I are not able to teach the children as we are working. They are not engaged at all.

We cannot wait for the perfect moment for them to return. It won't ever happen,

Still,

I think what will happen for primary is very similar to what is happening where schools are re-opening in other countries - class sizes will be capped at either 10 or, more likely 15.

Children will attend one third to one half of the time, and school staff will work full time to deliver identical lessons to both sets.

Many classes will be supervised by TAs covering for teachers who are shielding or carers for shielded workers.

The new BBC / Oak Academy services will have to be used to fill the rest of the time as teachers will be unable to continue to deliver full time home learning while they teach those children in school. Lessons in school for primary will be only English and Maths, with home learning being focused on other subjects.

Children will bring packed lunches, and will eat in their classrooms.

Arrivals, playtimes and departures will be staggered. I think transport to school will not be possible by bus etc due to timing and distancing issues, so parents will be responsible for getting their children to school.

The school will be closed every time there is a confirmed case of COVID, with the class being quarantined for 14 days, and the whole school being closed for enough time to allow deep cleaning.

It won't be work-friendly.

@everylife totally agree. I'm a very overweight mid 40s teacher. I am petrified of going back.

You are right Xenia, there are plenty of people who don't need their employer to show 'flexibility' of any sort. Who'll be the employer's best bet?

Well, I could plan to have 6 children a day per class, one day a week from end June.
But what I plan is neither here nor there because the decision doesn't fall to a teacher or a Head Teacher or even a local authority. It will be a government decision as to what the return looks like and , until they decide , all the planning in the world is bloody pointless!

(Oh, and it is likely that individual classes will be closed quite frequently, if a teacher shows symptoms and cannot be covered, until the teacher has been tested. If negative, the class can return. If positive, the class is closed for quarantine as above)

Get creative, get planning.

That is, as others have said, up to the government. If they give schools the structure, and a likely timeline, for when schools can reopen and what the rules will be, we can plan locally. until then, we can drive ourselves mad with planning for a wholly imaginary set of scenarios, rather than focusing at what we are doing - delivering an adequate home learning experience, full time, for every child in our class, every week.

Get creative, get planning
Ok. My plan is that schools have a giant zoom staff meeting and we all choose our favourite 10 children and make up classes based on that.
(Or maybe we should let our favourite ten stay at home, depending how you look at it).
At the end of a month, we vote again.