Plan for children starting school in September

[Probablygreen]

Just wondering whether any Reception class teachers have been told a plan for children who are due to start school in September (COVID permitting).
My little boy is due to start and I know teachers usually do home visits, nursery visits and children have visits to the school. Do you think any of these will go ahead and, if not, how do you think information will be gathered about the children and how will they be eased into school life?
Before anyone jumps on me, I know this is all pure speculation and we need to wait for a plan, I just wondered if any schools had any semblance of a plan at the moment.

No one has a plan because, unless we know what’s happening, creating a plan for a fictional situation is a complete waste of time.

Not a teacher but you should wait and see- it's far too early to guess. I suspect that individual schools will pick their own solution to this problem.

Schools in Europe have returned but on a part-time basis so I wouldn't be surprised if the UK ended up doing similar.

In our area there is a staggered start to reception in September anyway. I think they will try to get schools back before the summer holidays if at all possible so hone visits etc may be fitted it.

Yes thank you for your wise words 🙄
I’m fairly sure I said I know it’s speculation but wondered if schools had started to plan for the eventuality that these things won’t be able to happen.

Thanks @PickUpAPickUpAPenguin and @RedHelenB

Theres no way you can social distance in lower primary school/infant school. Kids need hugs etc..

I’ve got one due to start reception. I would imagine the school haven’t really got a scooby what they will be doing yet, I expect to hear something in the last half term of the year!

There’s no need to be rude to @PotteringAlong, who is entirely correct. Many schools will not be making plans yet, as it would be a waste of time to create these plans (which would have to be VERY intricate, this is not a kind of 20 minute meeting, whack down a few bullet points kind of thing) before we receive more information from the DfE and the unions.

I am hoping that if kids don't go back until September, that for a term (until Christmas holidays or for half a term until October half term at the very least), they can all go back to their previous year group. I think this is especially important for current reception age children where going into year 1 will be a huge jump and for current year 6 kids to finish their year properly. I think they will need some familiarity after such a long time away from school. Current children in nurseries and preschool would also go back to their previous groups. The new academic year could then start properly in January or October for one year only. This would also enable proper transition and settling in days for all new children.

I'm an early years teacher. We have been advised to consider several things, including Zoom home visits, lots of information getting emailed out or posted instead of welcome meetings. When we do the admissions visits we will have a part of the school kept separate, air a tables the correct distance apart, and clean all the chairs and tables in between each family. I haven't started actually planning any of this yet as we have a little bit of time and we don't know what is going to be announced by government in the next few weeks, but we will be doing everything we possibly can to settle in the new families.

Our school (in the SE) sent us a holding letter saying they hoped to run settling in sessions in September (rather than June) and to start the kids by the end of September. They said they hoped to have more info in June.

They never used to have all these pre visits. It's got out of hand in some cases. The children will be fine. Information can be collected by email and phone call. Just more work for the teachers in September.

Literally our school haven't even started planning transition yet for any year groups. They need official guidance.

My DD only had one pre visit and it all worked well. Sometimes less is more

I also genuinely wouldn't be surprised if the new starters are the very last to go back at October half term to allow all the existing kids to settle back in. It's a huge upheaval.

I know our school have said in their ideal if it's September they would all stay where they are for a a few weeks to settle back in and transition properly. They could do transition for new starters then too. It won't resemble any sort of normal transition

I have already started emailing our feeder nurseries and pre schools to arrange telephone meetings to exchange information. I will phone parents who have provided extra information or settings have provided extra information such as SEN or SS involvement. Teachers will phone parents to introduce ourselves. I’m in two minds whether home visits are worth it anyway so happy if they disappear.

Our nursery asks the school leavers to leave by 31 August so am sincerely hoping we don't have six weeks childcare to bridge until then.

Schools aren’t making plans because they have no idea what will happen.

I work in reception. We don’t know what will happen, as others have said, but we have made some tentative plans, we’ve filmed a welcome video for new starters introducing all staff, showing each area, running through the daily timetable etc. We are also planning phone calls instead of home visits. That’s about all we can do until we know more.

@Dinosforall for many local schools you would be anyway. They do all sorts of bonkers arrangements up until October half term at the best of times.

I’m a governor at a Junior school and I know that our head has already started Zoom transition meetings with the feeder Infant school heads for the current year 2 children. I would imagine Réception staff are doing the same with nurseries.

Social distancing in schools is a real headache; for instance, our corridors are not even 2 metres wide. Our head is anxious that whatever guidance comes out tomorrow, it is very clear and concise.

It is too soon to be making plans until we have a better idea what is happening. Home visits will be unlikely but there are ways round that. Children really don't need lots of transition visits - they'll adapt. As to staying in their existing year group if they go back in September, that's a waste of time. What about classes where the teacher is leaving in the summer term? The next teacher will understand that the children will need to catch up and teachers will communicate with one another to share information, including information from nursery for the new children. There's a lot of different things to think about and the new intake is just one of them.

My DDs in year 1 now but she never had a home visit, and missed 2 of the 3 transition days as I was working and she was at Nursery and nursery wouldn’t take her to them.

She settled in just fine, few tears during the first term but otherwise fine.

I wouldn’t worry too much. I did feel the transition day we attended was more for the parents than the children.

Of course, no one has any idea yet how or when were going to receive new reception starters, but I’d be surprised if home and nursery visits went ahead this side of summer. Those things take a lot of teacher time away from current reception children, who will need their teacher to be in class with them if they only have a few weeks in school before the summer holiday. Tbh, I don’t think children will be missing out on something that matters a great deal if teacher visits don’t happen, as long as the children get a chance to visit the school.

I agree with a PP poster that if schools don’t go back at all until September, I’d like to see primary school children have the first couple of weeks with their class for this school year so that they can finish their year properly and have a nice happy return.

I am hoping that if kids don't go back until September, that for a term (until Christmas holidays or for half a term until October half term at the very least), they can all go back to their previous year group*
Nobody can be certain what is going to happen, but as a teacher I'd be 99.9% certain this won't happen. If schools don't return until Septemver, children will just join their new year group. Everyone will be in the same boat, everybody will adapt.

Sorry but that idea about going back to the previous year group.has been suggested here (just on radio) and I think it's nuts. My class will be finished their curriculum for the year by the school holidays. It's only to benefit the leavers and will seriously upset the new intake. I cant see any purpose to it. We are a small school so classes are combined every year depending on intake this would mean that all.classes would be moved around mid year to facilitate the amount of teachers we have..plus new infants will be out of any form of instruction for nearly 8 months.
Op we have obviously cancelled school visits (we know we are not back till September) and are currently making booklets of pictures for the children and will do zoom calls over the summer.
The children know Me anyway as my daughter is in their preschool.class.