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

Secondary kids wont be bk til a vaccine. However they will only vaccinate elderly and those at risk. Just like with flu.

If I had a comp child cant see why so desperate to send them bk they can do it at home. Get the primary aged infants in. I have a 5 yr old whom I am trying to learn to read and write whilst working ful time my 10 yr old is fine

Yet again schools show how ridiculously out of touch with the rest of the world they are
Or, yet again a goady/ignorant (delete as appropriate) mumsnetter extrapolates a negative comment about all schools from the unworkable solution allegedly proposed by one Headteacher.

@Poppi89 it might you never know but it just makes sense. And I did read this the other day but like you said different things are being said all the time so I think we just need to see what happens it the coming weeks and months

Please RTFT before asking the same questions.

It definitely appears that some people are getting annoyed on this thread in case they need to volunteer themselves - which is quite sad actually. Not volunteering in animal sanctuaries, to do a beach clean, litter picking, etc would be fair enough but not refusing to volunteer with your own kid's school is a bit unfair.

I don't want to volunteer either - but if the government says it's better for kids' mental health for them to go in then, of course, I would do anything I can to help. I am assuming you would still be paid by your employer the same as those who cannot work are now.

It is very clear the latest research shows kids spread as much as adults, they just have in the main a mild course of illness. I feel so sorry for teaching staff feeling pressurised into returning to work. This is a once in a 100 year pandemic. They do not know enough about this virus yet, there may well be long term sequale for "recovered". My kids won't go back until science has had a chance to catch up!!

I understand that there are other adults available when there aren’t enough teachers to go around. They are called supply teachers and might be glad of a job right now.

@Poppi89

Many of the staff will not be able to come in due to shielding.

Do you realise that the shielding group is proportionally very small? Why has your school got such a large number of them?

@Healthyandhappy - Germany's pupils are going back and some schools in this country are 'planning' to go back in June - which may be before a vaccine - I can see a lot of parents refusing to send their DCs in though.

most of the school staff are also parents and a lot including myself are single parents. My DD will have to go in to her school ( a different one) on the days I am working, so someone will need to supervise her so I can supervise someone else kids - it seems ridiculous but then if the kids are at home full -time the parents can't go into work at all whereas if they are in 2 days the parents can work 1 and a half days and then supervise in the school the other half day/day

Why is it silly that you would be doing your job that you are paid to do, whilst your own dc is at school? I don't really understand your point here.

Are you saying that parents should reduce their hours (and therefore pay) to volunteer at your school so you and your colleagues can sit at home on full pay?

What a strange idea.

Perhaps I should stay at home to protect myself and my patients can be looked after by their own families

@Oaktree55 - I feel the same. The argument is that the economy is suffering - I would say if loads of people will get ill then it is going to suffer any way but I don't know enough about that to be sure.

@PrivateD00r - My point is that by 1 staff at my school (A) going in to work means their DC will be going in to school (B) so their parent can go to work and so more staff will need to go in to school (B) to supervise those kids, but then that staff members kids will also need to go into their schools (C) meaning more staff will need to supervise them at this school.

If teachers and staff didn't have DCs then the solution would be a lot easier but as they do their DCs need to go somewhere too.

I agree that this solution is not a good one however I have yet to see a solution that could work. Anyone genuinely got an idea? I hate being so negative but all I can see are problem .

Due to adults spreading the virus more than children (it seems) they don't think all staff should be in each day.

I've seen no credible evidence that this is the case for teens. Even the evidence that under 10s don't spread much is uncertain.

Regardless the idea of having parents in is daft. If/when we go back I'd hope we'll do one year group per day. Anything more will not permit social distancing.

We have not been given a specific date but it was initially being planned for after May half term which I think would be around June 1st.

A lot of schools are thinking this is the earliest possible date. I can't see lockdown ending at the next review but perhaps the one after.

It's worth noting that all the countries with slower spread shut schools earlier than we did.

I'm waiting with interest to see what the plan is. I teach in a secondary school. I will need my daughter to be in her primary school every day so that I could teach my students. I was discussing with colleagues how primary schools could in effect be full with the children of secondary school teachers meaning there is no space for any other children

@Poppi89

Why does your school have such a large number of shielding staff? How many staff does your school have in total?

I’ll just put this here.

National Education Union bulletin today
neu.org.uk/coronavirus-what-we-say-

Yes of course the economy will be decimated by this but with up to 20% requiring hospitalisation they have no choice but to continue lock down until numbers are low enough to track and trace. Truth is we locked down far too late and now are paying the price. Went down the wrong path originally. 10 years we might just economically be coming out of this in time for our kids to be ok!

@JemimaPuddleCat - we had loads of staff off the last 2 weeks so that classes had to be doubled up. I do not know why there is a high proportion of shielding people ( I wouldn't like to ask what's wrong with them) although we do have quite a few older or pregnant staff.

Although I wouldn't have said it was a high proportion compared to the rest of the country as I know quite a few people who are needing to shield for various reasons. But I've never actually looked at the statistics and when they said it it was just - "due to the amount of staff needing to shield" so it wasn't said in shock or anything.

@Poppi89 I understand what you mean.

@Oaktree55 - I 100% agree and most people who I've spoken to who worked at schools was hoping they would close sooner and I agree the lockdown was way too late.

Oh fgs, EVERY SCHOOL was pretty much caught on the hop when closures happened as we learned for definite about it on the 6 o'clock news like everyone else.
This is a crazy idea. Why are you letting parental pressure/opinions drive the planning you make? And anyway, it's up to the Government and we schools will do as we're told. Besides, they said today that there would be three weeks' notice of openings in order to prepare.

I don’t see how 1st June is possible.

It would mean rewriting the entire timetable for my massive secondary, if we have to do social distancing.

The normal timetable takes for ever and a day at the best of times!

I just can't wait to be back in my tiny classroom with 33 kids and no face mask, gloves and hand gel. I am so lucky to be on full pay. I am so happy that children are just spreading the disease and are unlikely to die from it. This is hugely comforting to me as a 55 year old with 3 elderly relatives who I am helping to shield by doing their shopping.

@TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince - can you re-post that thread please as it's not working for me

that is why I took my kids out a week early and they won't be returning until this virus is properly understood both for their own sakes and the teaching staff which I feel a moral obligation to protect as best I can!