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AIBU?

Share your dilemmas and get honest opinions from other Mumsnetters.

Original poster

To think this school's plan won't work

484 replies

Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 16:39

I work in a secondary school ( not as a teacher) and we have been kept up to date by email and zoom staff meetings.

There has been a lot of talk of when we will re-open and what will happen as like most schools it was very stressful closing the school and not being prepared so they are trying to put plans in place and keep one step ahead.

Due to a lot of parents in the area wanting the school to re-open and for life to go back to 'normal' they think the government might re-open schools sooner rather than later maybe before May half term, so the school has put in place an outline of what will happen:

  • School will re-open but will continue sticking to the guidelines of social distancing - as this is not possible in a school with full capacity students will be split into halves or thirds to ensure they are spaced far enough away from each other. This means that the kids will only be in 1/2 days a week.
  • Due to adults spreading the virus more than children (it seems) they don't think all staff should be in each day. So will be depending on parents to do a rota system - so one qualified member of staff to 2 parents to supervise.

Does anybody else think the school would be better to remain closed if this is the case?
It seems they won't be learning much and the risk of getting the virus will still be high.

I do get that this is the best plan they have come up with to keep everyone happy. My DD is missing her friends and wouldn't mind going back to school a couple of days a week and I guess it will be easier for parents to get back to work but I would rather wait until June/July at the earliest as surely the NHS is still overwhelmed.

What do you guys think?
AIBU - thinking this isn't a good plan

OP posts:
Umnoway · 01/05/2020 16:39

Schools won’t return this month, it isn’t going to happen so this is totally pointless.

Appuskidu · 01/05/2020 16:41

It’s irrelevant that a group of parents want this to happen-it won’t. Schools reopening won’t look anything like normal. The head needs to tell them to bog off.

edwinbear · 01/05/2020 16:41

They're going to ask parents to come in and help? I think parents will be much less enthusiastic about sending kids back if they know they will need to be on a supervision rota to assist, and that's before the issues with DBS checks.

StoorieHoose · 01/05/2020 16:44

Parents supervising high school classes? Never in a million years will that happen

Dreamersandwishers · 01/05/2020 16:45

That seems unworkable but for me the bigger point is that secondary school pupils are not all ‘children’ in a physiological sense. I get that young children have so far proven unlikely to pass on the disease, but why would a 16 or 17 year old student be less likely to be affected or a spreader than a 16 or 17 year old apprentice?
I think, like Norway, the youngest may go back first, but secondary seems a long way off.

Lovetoridemybicycle · 01/05/2020 16:45

Most parents probably want kids to go back so they can work. They are not going to want to supervise at school. Do you usually get lots of parent volunteers or do most parents have jobs?

vanillandhoney · 01/05/2020 16:49

That will never happen.

TheLastSaola · 01/05/2020 16:50

Don't think there's much point in planning until more details of the opening are announced.

But why couldn't all teachers be in at the same time? You might have to close the staff room and communal departmental offices - but teachers should be able to avoid each other by sticking to class rooms fairly easily. Duties outside of the outside of the classroom shouldn't require teachers being close to each other either.

It will be a frustrating adjustment, but no more so than millions of non teachers have had to adjust to in the past couple of months.

BogRollBOGOF · 01/05/2020 16:52

Split year groups may be viable, but parents supervising? Good grief, being a trained secondary teacher on supply is hard enough in front of a new audience.

Too few in a class is not always easier on behaviour management depending on the balance of personalities. A biddable class usually has a core of quietly obliging pupils that don't engage with the more distracted members and if you don't have that, it gets very difficult to damp down certain personalities.

AppleKatie · 01/05/2020 16:53

Batshit.

  1. Why are random parent volunteers a safer option than staff? (Clue they aren’t).
  1. It won’t be up to individual schools when they go back/which year groups etc it’ll be a national decision.
  1. It is vanishingly unlikely to happen before June at the very very earliest.
BogRollBOGOF · 01/05/2020 16:53

There's not really much point in infecting parents instead of teachers either Confused

ChloeDecker · 01/05/2020 16:57

- Due to adults spreading the virus more than children (it seems) they don't think all staff should be in each day. So will be depending on parents to do a rota system - so one qualified member of staff to 2 parents to supervise.

You might want to let the SLT in your school know about this:

In the paper, published in the British journal The Lancet Infectious Diseases, the researchers said: 'Notably, the rate of infection in children younger than 10 years (7.4 per cent) was similar to the population average (6.6 per cent).
There was no significant association between the probability of infection and age of the index case.'
This meant that children were as likely as adults to both catch the virus and to spread it.
The researchers added: 'Analyses of how cases are detected, and use of data on individuals exposed but not infected, indicate that infection rates in young children are not lower than the population average (even if rates of clinical disease are).'

Piggywaspushed · 01/05/2020 16:58

Recent surveys show about 11% actually want life back to 'normal' and that only 9% of parents want school reopening,; no idea why your area would be different.

Original poster
Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 16:59

The reason they are discussing it now to try and keep one step ahead - when they shut it was really quick and there was not good enough plans in place.

The reason not all staff will be in is because 1. there are a lot of people shielding or live with people shielding, older, pregnant etc. 2. if the available staff all come in and get ill then the school will have to re-close as there will be no-one available. (you can't have just parents due to DBS checks)

No the school is in a disadvantaged area so not many parents volunteer or supervise - that's why we were laughing at the prospect of them coming in but they said it's the best plan they have so far.

OP posts:
Original poster
Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 17:01

They are saying if the government re-open schools which they think will be sooner rather than later.

@ChloeDecker - there would still be distancing put in place - but I agree and I don't think they should re-open yet at all but I'm trying to stay neutral as I'm not an expert.

OP posts:
Letseatgrandma · 01/05/2020 17:02

they said it's the best plan they have so far.

They= who??

TheOtherSideOfTheMountain · 01/05/2020 17:02

I don't even understand how split yeargroups, which is being widely suggested, will work. How can anybody work if their kids are in and out all over the place? But employers will think there's no issue. In reality it will make things far harder

dogcatwolf · 01/05/2020 17:04

What?! School where I are definitely shut for the year and are starting to talk about not opening until maybe October or even January. And we have a lot less cases than the UK.

Original poster
Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 17:04

I have said my area as I can't speak for other areas and what plans they have in place. We are a disadvantaged area which may be why this school is thinking they will re-open before less disadvantaged schools. Like I assume primarys will re-open before secondary schools.

Like I said this isn't set in stone it is just a plan that the school has come up with ready in case the government or LA decide to re-open them again. They have said if we have any ideas to let them know but I wouldn't know what I would do.

OP posts:
Heartlake · 01/05/2020 17:05

Good grief parents supervising?! No thanks! I'd rather be at home juggling just my own kids and work. I'll be working anyway!

Original poster
Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 17:05

@Letseatgrandma - the school. The head gave the meeting but it would have been spoken about by various people.

OP posts:
KatnissMellark · 01/05/2020 17:07

Why is it better to have parents in than teachers? I don't understand the logic...

Original poster
Poppi89 · 01/05/2020 17:08

@dogcatwolf - we've definitely not been told that. The meeting was to say that the school will still be closed to non-keyworkers on monday. We have the same meeting every friday and I feel like it can change any week. Most schools I have spoken to think they will go back after May half term still.

OP posts:
Gawdsake2020 · 01/05/2020 17:09

I’d rather just have the kids home and safe than the faff of that. I very much doubt they’ll be open anytime soon, doesn’t matter what the parents demand!

Letseatgrandma · 01/05/2020 17:09

Like I assume primarys will re-open before secondary schools

Assumption is the mother of all cock ups!