To think this school's plan won't work

[Poppi89]

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

The logic is apparently because the amount of shielding teachers and staff means there is a lot of staff missing already, if those still able to go in get sick then the school would have to re-close. If staff are on a rota there is less chance they will get sick but there will still be enough adult supervision to have the school open. As you have to have a certain ratio of pupils/adults.There would still need to have a member of staff there to supervise the parents for safety so it would never be just parents.

Honestly, much as I would like it to be otherwise, I think UK schools really need to just wait until at least September to go back. We will know much more, both about the virus in general and about school management, it will be much safer, we'll have seen what has happened elsewhere. I think even early June is just too soon.

Parents being in doesn't make any sense.

Having only 1/2 or 1/3 of pupils in at one time seems likely though and I think will be the case whether schools go back in June or September.

@Letseatgrandma - yes I agree but logically those pupils who are older and do not need childcare will be the last to go in (apart from year 10/11) just like those with complex SEND needs are still going in to my school as they need more supervision but yes that is just me assuming. I can't think that the government would say - everything goes back to normal on Monday and no-one social distances etc.

Our school (private) will open physically as soon as the government says it can, I don't think the affluence of an area has anything to do with it. The school is doing full schedule of online learning at the moment but it's not as good as being there in person.
I expect they will phase in by year group. It makes no sense for kids to only go in one or two days a week, even less to expect parents to come supervise (one reason people want schools to reopen is so they can get back to work).
And what about key worker children? Our school has at least 40 kids attending all through Easter break. Perhaps for your school a split schedule? Have the years go in say 8-12 then the other half 12.30-5.30. Better than nothing, but that doesn't help for young kids if parents have other commitments.

@Echobelly - I agree. I think end of June/July should be the absolute earliest but I would prefer September not only for me and my family but for the NHS.

This school thinks that too but they had no plans in place for when the school closed so they are trying to get things in place now ready so they are more prepared.

If the schools reopen, parents will be back at their own jobs not as volunteers in schools.

I would welcome any return to school at all, even one day a week would be better than nothing.

I have a 13 year old currently home alone for a full time working week as I have to work. It's impossible for me to social distance at work yet I still have to go as my workplace is open and I can't work from home. I am not an essential worker.

My child has been offered a place at school but does not want to go unless schools are reopened so his friends will be there. I am concerned for their mental health at home all day every day. Children need to be with their peers, it's not good for them to be isolated for so long.

I assume schools don't have a choice about being open until Government give the go ahead and the guidance on how that will happen will also be told to the schools.

I am sure if they do open this term it won't be business as usual. Social distancing will be required, so only limited children can come in at a time. Getting parents to take place of staff, can't see that happening.

The split school thing confuses me. My kids school is currently delivering pretty much the whole curriculum using Google Classroom and Meet / Teams. If they only allowed half the school in at a time they could only teach half the school at a time so it slows down the learning process for everyone. I think they'd be better off continuing with remote learning.

I do understand though, that not all schools are able to offer remote learning so in those cases it would work.

As for parent helpers. I can't see that happening in a month of Sundays.

@Letseatgrandma-yes I agree but logically those pupils who are older and do not need childcare will be the last to go in (apart from year 10/11

Primary schools won’t be returning next month in a way that will let people suddenly get back to work. You might get two days a week per child or mornings only-it’s going to be a clusterfuck (I say that as a senior member of staff!).

Year 11 won’t be going back at all-not quite sure where you’ve got that idea from.

In the week before schools were closed my SLT worked non-stop on different strategies in the event of closure; these were revised after closures announced, again once key-workers numbers established and weekly based on the current situation.

I have NO doubt that they are doing the same with regard to returning to school (big secondary) over miryad potential scenarios, but without any idea of dates let alone a plan from the Government, nothing can be announced even to the rest of the staff. Everything is purely speculation and wishful thinking at this point.

No point getting parent helpers instead of teachers - supply is hard enough with qualified, experienced staff so to drop a parent in at the deep end would be almost negligent.

Let the school be led by the government before jumping to any conclusions.

I think they'd be better off continuing with remote learning

I completely agree.

If schools don't go back till September or January, parents can't go to work. The economy will be wrecked. The government can't keep paying lots of people's wages until then, so real poverty will be vast.
I know not all workers are parents, but enough to make a difference.

So getting schools and childcare back needs to be a first step to getting out of lockdown.

Not that I think it will be soon, but I do think it will be first when we do start to return to normal.

@Letseatgrandma - when I say year 10/11 I mean the ones who are year 10 now going into year 11 in september as they are studying for their GCSE's so will probably be seen as higher priority than KS3 - apart from those who need childcare.

logically those pupils who are older and do not need childcare will be the last to go in (apart from year 10/11)
I hope not . My child is year 9. They don't need childcare, but they need to not be alone for over 40 hours a week. This is a child who was latch keyed at 9 and home alone on inset days at 10, being home alone is nothing new. It's the day after day now. I was lucky to catch the virus and get two weeks off of work on full pay at the beginning of lockdown, but now we are not coping.

Unions will be up in arms at some pps suggestion of kids and therefore teachers/staff being in class until 5.30!!!

Ditto for the suggestion of working through the summer holidays. Not going to happen.

Timetabling in any school is a nightmare under normal circumstances. Redoing a partial timetable for close to 2000 kids in secondary schools on a part-time basis is nigh-on impossible. Insane. However kids go back to school, and they will, eventually, it will involve an incredible amount of work behind the scenes.

@Stronger76 - no one is jumping to conclusions. This was what was being discussed in today's meeting as the staff were working ridiculous hours when the school was initially closed and had so much stress as they had nothing in place so they are trying to keep one step ahead.

It was only the last week before we closed that the pregnant, elderly and shielding members went off work as before that there was no guidlines to say that they were at risk. So things change every day.

How will they possibly do all the checks they need to do for safeguarding in large enough numbers fast enough?

This plan will not work. I'm not sure if that means I should click YABU or YANBU but it just won't.

The schools won’t be going back as normal.

However it’s done-loads of parents will be really pissed off.

Partners will not be coming in as volunteers to get schools open. DBS checks??

@HappyLemonSadLemon - the split thing is the only way to re-open the school AND have social distancing. Most classrooms are at full capacity so to get the correct space between them they would need less pupils in each day. That's why in my OP I said they won't be learning much as I agree with you that it would probably be better that they just do it at home. But then you have parents saying their child does nothing at home so maybe 1 or 2 days would be better than nothing.

I work for a college and they are banging on about us being open on 1st June so staff need to come in two weeks before (even support staff like marketing, HR and finance) and it will be ok because everyone will socially distance. It’s making me so stressed out. I think it’s way too early. I have a primary aged child and if his school was open 1st June I would not send him back. YANBU and the schools plan is nuts

I'd love it to be June, but I think by then any solution will be so weird, disruptive and potentially risky that it'll be more trouble than it's worth!

I personally think that if anyone is going back in first, it will be Year 10s, spread out amongst available staff.