Has anyone else received notice that their child’s nursery is opening?

[Ethelfleda]

Received an email from DS’ nursery last week. Exact wording:

“The nursery will be reopening on the 11th of May for children who's parents are Key Workers/ Critical Workers and for those parents who are still working and have not been furloughed”

I haven’t responded and am resigned to wait and see what is announced tomorrow. Both DH and I are WFH but just about managing.
Has anyone else received similar?

herc I commend the schools that are really running with the planning stages, they are not doing so to waste time, they must be fairly confident that it will be needed. For larger schools the extra planning time will be necessary.

I agree that schools (and indeed, any other business/institution) that is trying to plan ahead without a firm date for re-opening aren’t wasting time. They will re-open at some point and who knows how much notice they will receive. Better to be prepared.

It's really not necessary now though. Planning for 10 different opening strategies is a waste of time. Spending 5 hours doing a job that will need that much time when we have all the information is pointless. Use your time wisely to gather information so when Boris makes his announcement you can make a plan that goes with the law.

You could have spent 5 hours planning and none of your ideas be useful.

Usually I'm all for being proactive. In this case proactivity gets you nowhere.

herc If you need sinks put in, if you require tents for extra classroom space, if you need to put measures in for capacity, need to ensure the staffing levels are there and have a full list of shielding etc. You are going to need longer than a few weeks!

I think most schools are looking at the practicalities, this will not be a waste of time, because it will need to be done regardless of the date of return.

Do you not want to go back Herc and the thought of it is making you feel quite down? You sound very low on energy and motivation.

My nursery contacted a few weeks ago to advise they would not be opening before the 18th May and only when it is advised that they can. They wanted to understand the requirement of places should they open in May.

I have responded to say we will return when from June onwards should this be allowed. However I am thinking this is unlikely. I just don't know how it can be safe.

No I'm fine about going back. I just think there's no point planning for 10 different potential opening strategies. Wait til you have information.

This doesn't mean you don't do anything. Yes think about where you'd put sinks, yes see how many students you can fit in a room. But don't redesign timetables or re organise office space until you actually know. You are just wasting peoples time.

We won't have classrooms in tents, that is a hill I will refuse to teach on!!

Whose not who's op

herc out of interest what is wrong with teaching outside or under a covering for the summer term? It might offer some solutions to capacity issues, and would surely be better than no teaching at all.

Noise transfer

Rain

No ICT/equipment

Unsecure overnight so all resources need to be moved inside

@biscuit0110 I know it has been unseasonably good weather, but I think assuming that it won't rain until the summer holidays is a little complacent! I love outdoor lessons, but there needs to be an indoor bailout if the weather turns, and this would then mean social distance is broken (which it will be anyway, because social distancing is not possible in primary schools). Plus, working in London, outdoor space is a lot smaller than it would need to be...

It may not be needed in your school anyway, I was just interested. I am hoping we will introduce more forest school, and seeing children learning outside would be a huge benefit to younger children.

I happen to think this is an opportunity to improve the lives of children, that we should think creatively.
Ask the parents to get involved, building new classrooms in the trees even, forest schools will take half a day to set up, dens etc are easy to do. Younger children do not require lots of equipment, they only need the basics. Compost loos and other options could be installed. We should make the most of the time of year.

Accepted that options will be limited in London and city schools. I am sure the HT will look at all options. Country schools could be very creative with their solutions though.

Haven’t many settings been open throughout?

If we can manage to build a whole hospital in nine days I think we could use the same innovation and lateral thinking for schools.

Yes all of our schools are open, but only partially.

Yes I'm sure my secondary students would love a forest school

Give me strength.

@MollyButton love your logic re child and plant nurseries! (Especially impressive since your username shows you come from the only place in the U.K. with no coronavirus, ha ha).

Does anyone watch The Last Leg? Josh Widdecombe, who has young kids commented “let’s face it, with all these announcements and media coverage the only word we are listening out for is “nursery”, the rest is all just noise!”

I do feel a bit like that. To answer the OP, our preschool has not said it has any plans to re-open yet.

How has this turned into a schools thread when the OP was about nurseries?! FFS.

hercs you do sound a bit jaded by life!

Nurseries and schools are pretty much the same thing.

The news this morning is pointing to a big backtrack on opening too much yet-7pm will be interesting.

I imagine the reference to forest schools relates to the assumption that most believe that nurseries/primary schools will open first owing to the fact that any parents with small children may need to get back to work.

You can read another paper and will read that the announcement yesterday indicates SOME schools opening appu

Fucking hell. Yesterday we had buckets; today we have tents and compost loos.
Give me strength.

They really aren't. Totally different settings. Virtually all nurseries are privately run. Issues about specific childcare needs and play are much more central to nursery. Lots of nurseries (sounds like OP's is one) completely closed to all comers, including keyworkers and this (spelling debates aside)was the direction of travel of this thread. OP's DC is not at school.

You just want to start the schools debate wherever you go biscuit.

We don't know is the real answer, but in ten hours time we WILL know! Thank the good Lord. The uncertainty will end. I am happy either way to be honest, but I would just like to plan for my dc, and for my work commitments (ie there will be no working without school) so along with the rest of the country we all need to know the exit plan - so we can finally have some clarity.