Our children have the right to an education.

[NameChange738676756]

So many posts about whether schools will be safe when they reopen but I’m not seeing this point made. Lots of discussion around the childcare that schools provide and the importance on children socially.

My 11 year old has lost all interest and I can’t get him to do anything significant. We’ve had one zoom social with his teacher and classmates. So pretty much zero learning going on.

We know children are less susceptible and there is some discussion around whether they’re transmitting less. The children of key workers (i.e. the ones more likely to catch and spread it) have been at school the whole time and as far as I know there haven’t been massive outbreaks in schools.

So I think I just want to loudly shout: our children have the right to an education.

Your child, educate them. If you are concerned then do something about it. It's not the time for blaming schools or teachers.
However I do think it is the time for them to reconsider the excessive pressure on attendance

My god I am trying!
Fumbling around the endless websites trying to piece together the actual curriculum first and the sort of thing they should be achieving at DC age.
Then within the bounds of my DC who hates learning trying to eek out a little every day. Its taken me a month with working as well - to find our groove and keep DC at least in some way plugged into learning !

And I am simultaneously working too as is DH. But we do it and manage it - mainly me.

What I would have appreciated is more guidance, perhaps to be furnished with the year aims and goals, what they covered , what they need to cover now and specific work sheets? NOt me wading through thousands on Twinkle wondering which one to use?

Specific topics and help.

Also some feedback about any weaker areas for my DD would have been very helpful because shes massively struggling.

I was talking to my DD this morning, she is a Maths teacher and Head of Dept. She was saying things I hadn’t even considered.
Who cleans every pen, pencil, exercise book and calculator between lessons? Do you give each kid a disinfectant wipe and trust them to do it?
How have they got time to clean photocopiers etc. after every use?
She works in a very deprived area and most kids don’t even bring their own pens, they had a local business donate laptops and internet dongles so the worst affected kids could do schoolwork at home.
Less than 30% of kids are engaging with online lessons for English and Maths but she is snowed under with work plus looking after 9 month old DGS.
All of you saying kids should be back in school asap have NO idea of the complicated logistics involved.

@frantic banana 10 days notice ? Where do you get that from it was announced Sunday it is a lot more than 10 days notice
It's 3 weeks notice as they said they would give

How are some schools/ teachers able to avoid setting any work?

Fuck knows, but lots are getting away with doing nothing. Setting a few worksheets, or directing children to sites like StudyLadder or SumDog where the website marks the work rather than the teacher having to. No online classes. No teaching of new concepts. Just trite statements about "keep up your reading and remember to log into Sum Dog and practise your times tables".

We are lucky in that we have enough devices in this house for each member of the family all to be logged on at the same time on a laptop. Lots don't. If you've got three kids and two adults all sharing one tablet, it's not hard to see how the "log onto Sum Dog and practise your maths" isn't going to work. Plus schools are not enforcing work, or checking up on who does it.

It is a total free for all. No coordination whatsoever, each school is doing their own thing. Some are undeniably doing it well and kids are getting an education. This is the exception rather than the rule.

Also agree that unions are all about throwing up barriers, criticising, banning this or that, bleating on about "safe" whatever they mean by that. They NEVER make suggestions or do anything proactive.

the reality is that real poverty is not something that most people in this country are acquainted with. Those who are tend to be the ones who are still working whatever the risk to health.Unfortunately if we all stay off til September or beyond, it's going to become a horrific reality for many

Teachers, particularly those in deprived areas, are well aware of what poverty looks like. We are also educated people who have a basic understanding of economics and recognise that recession is far from ideal and that there will be many more families struggling as a result.

But what we are asking for is for someone to consider what it means to go back when the death rate is higher than it was when schools closed, without PPE in schools, and when it really isn't clear whether or not children do transmit this disease. What you are systematically failing to acknowledge is that aside from fears for our own health, we don't see how R is going to be kept at a low rate given how things are at the moment. At the moment, all schools are going to do is contribute to a second wave and potentially another lockdown because if children transmit even just a little bit, they will be taking it home to their families which will mean more and more unnecessary deaths, including child deaths and including teacher deaths but also including more medical profession deaths etc. etc. etc. Where do we draw a line? Are deaths now better than deaths later? Do children fare better in poverty with the loss of a parent or just poverty? Do you think children will grow up saying 'well, I had 2 of my teachers die and I lost a parent and may well have been responsible for the death of my grandparent bringing the virus home from school but at least I didn't live in quite as much poverty as I could have' when they reach the age of 45 and look back?

The whole world is going to struggle with this virus for many years. It is hard to see how we wont' all be affected one way or another. You think death now is preferable to death later. Some of us think differently. I am not sure how either of us could ever be right.

@SnackSizeRaisin totally agree

The 2meters is not law and is pretty much made up
Not even pretty much -it is entirely made up!
The big excuse about 'social distancing won't work in schools' is a straw man - ignite the attempted diversion.
Lots of places cannot be socially distanced. The virus wax in this country long before schools closed and despite a few scares pupils and teachers either did not catch it or if they did was too mild to register.
Endless obstacles /social distancing:PPE - ridiculous negativity and whining - what an appalling example to children.

Some teachers are doing their bit.

I think it's pretty clear from any interaction you have with parents of school age children that many are not. Even teachers on this thread have said they're working a lot less than full time because parents aren't asking for more worksheets. Yet no apparent thought as to how they could use that extra (paid) time.

Like it or not, teachers act as role models, and this can't do attitude is not helpful. No one is being asked to face certain death. Maybe teachrs should use their current spare time to actually educate themselves about the reasons for lockdown and the risks of returning to school. All this hysteria about how children and teachers will die is complete hyperbole. Healthy people have no more to fear than from crossing the road.

Laurie has it occoured to you your sons teacher may also have been up til 2am every night doing the same thing to ensure continuity of teaching when they return?

Or does work not count unless its emailed to you for inspection?

it is a lot more than 10 days notice

Not when you take half term out. Bizarre though as people keep pointing out schools will be open through half term anyway. Always make the 'facts' fit the story.

has it occoured to you your sons teacher may also have been up til 2am every night doing the same thing to ensure continuity of teaching when they return?

God I actually snorted at this.

Given that the work she’s actually setting would take her, max, half an hour a week, christ knows what she’s spending the other 30+ of her contracted hours doing, much less staying up till 2am.

The thing is, this is not defensible. I’m astonished that people are trying.

So if all teachers were given masks,flimsy plastic aprons and gloves would you go back to work?
This is what NHS workers wear if they are withing 2 meters of a confirmed Covid patient.Over 2 meters nothing.
So you will be working with lots of non Covid children who have mostly been no further than their garden for much longer than 14 days and are symptom free .
Perhaps the unions should be asking for masks?
I don't think that social distancing children will make much difference though.

Ten working days’ notice. It’s half term shortly. Plus new guidance is still being released.

@Reluctantbettlynch

Your child, educate them.

So all teacher training, qualifications counts for nothing? And all single parents should quit and go on benefits/all dual-earner families should have a SAHP to manage home education? Problem is, the implications of this statement require a complete financial/social re-orientation of our society which, like it or not, is based on outsourcing education to schools and specialists...

Parents "parent" (part of which job description involves assisting their children and providing a home environment which facilitates learning). Teachers "teach" (which includes delivering the national curriculum and preparing children for national exams and tests). While parents should support learning, they should not be expected to "teach". It is not their role.

There's always going to be a second wave and peak!

The question is do you want that in summer, when demands on the health service are pretty low, or closer to winter when the chance of the NHS becoming overwhelmed is far higher.

I know which I prefer.

I would have thought that in this time where key workers such as delivery drivers, supermarket workers etc are now 'valued' teachers would want to do their bit.

I think this argument that one group of people are working so another group of people should be working misses the point. The more people mix, the more chance there is that the virus spreads - that is why we have been told to stay at home for weeks.

The government has set a target date of 1st June but haven't put in place any of the tracking, tracing, testing or isolating systems that they claim will enable them to control the virus and progress to the next stage.

Why are teachers raising concerns when delivery drivers and supermarket workers aren't? I suspect the reason is that these groups tend not to be in unions.

Laurie is it any of your business, really?

How many hours is she actively in school looking after key workers children?

How many hours is she in school preparing her room to return?

Do you expect teachers to email you timesheets and explanations of what they are doing?

Fumbling around the endless websites trying to piece together the actual curriculum first and the sort of thing they should be achieving at DC age.

To a certain extent, there is an argument you should have a rough idea of this anyway. Thats technically what school reports and parents evenings are about and feedback between teachers and parents.

Thats a wider issue for the long term that perhaps should be addressed.

If all teachers were delivering to this level, the public sentiment would be very different

I disagree. There has been thread after thread of complaints about teachers - too much work, not enough work, phoning home - how dare they, not phoning home, responding to emails, not responding to emails, send links to worksheets that need printing, not sending any worksheets but sending video clips to watch...

I work in a private school and our provision is a normal timetable online. It is not as good as I am personally able to manage in a classroom but yes, better than nothing. And we still have complaints, chasing children for work, not chasing children for work, not allowing for the fact that the household only has one laptop, why has the internet gone down (yep! that's our fault as well)....

Teachers are no longer respected in society and that is something that has been happening long before lockdown and covid.

PineappleDanish

You see I would have been extremely grateful to have been given some work sheets

we have not even been given that

is it any of your business, really?

Erm, yes. She’s paid a very decent salary to educate my child.

In the private sector, this level of ball dropping just wouldn’t be acceptable. I don’t know why we’re supposed to put up with it from schools.

Do you expect teachers to email you timesheets and explanations of what they are doing?

I expect them to devote a significant part of their contracted hours to educating my child. I’m staggered that you think this is somehow unreasonable.

So if all teachers were given masks,flimsy plastic aprons and gloves would you go back to work?
This is what NHS workers wear if they are withing 2 meters of a confirmed Covid patient.Over 2 meters nothing.

The concern is that by sending children back to school NHS workers will be dealing with even more Covid patients.

All this hysteria about how children and teachers will die is complete hyperbole. Healthy people have no more to fear than from crossing the road

FFS. How many times?

a) Not all children are healthy
b) Not all adults in school are healthy
c) Not all adults in school are under 45
d) Previously healthy children who pick up the virus in school and take it home to their parents and anyone else living with them
e) R will increase as a result
f) The further R increases, the more likely we are to need another lockdown

Is it that hard to get your head round?

To a certain extent, there is an argument you should have a rough idea of this anyway. Thats technically what school reports and parents evenings are about and feedback between teachers and parents

How when cut off mid term? With a dc in intervention groups and taken out?

How? Without a clear piece of paper - this is what we are doing, this is what we are getting to and this is what we are going to do?

Would that have been so hard? I have not even been given the worksheet that other posters are moaning about.

Children and teachers and all staff at school have the right to be safe where they work.

I have the right to not put my family at risk.