A quick poll - year 6 returning to school

[Lougle]

I have to decide whether to send DD3 back to school on June 1st. I am a SAHM, so I don't 'need' to send her back for work purposes.

The school has told us the measures they'll be taking, and the general message is "We'll be here for your children, but they aren't going to get any more teaching than the children who stay at home."

So Google Classroom set work. Groups of 8 kept 2m apart. Eat lunch in Classroom. Don't mix with other groups.

YABU - don't send her in. YANBU - send her in.

[EvilPea]

Dd will get her teacher, full time in a tiny group
I know Because I spoke to the school and had a long chat before we came to that decision

[Time2change2]

My Y6 is bored whitless at home. She loves school and misses it terribly. School hardly sends enough work back for the week to fill 2 hours let alone a week. If there is any chance of sending her in, in whatever capacity- she’s going in!

[JellyBellies]

All the people saying that you won't send you children back because it will be too different, what do you think is going to change by September?

This is our new reality, this is how it's going to be. Shouldn't we start getting the children used to it?

[ineedaholidaynow]

How big is your school @EvilPea? Is it state?

[cardibach]

@CandleNoBra they won’t be able to do transition stuff though. The things which make Y7 a shock (I’m a secondary teacher) are to do with organising yourself to move around the building and having lots of teachers. We don’t know what Y7 will look like next year and those aspects are likely to be massiveLy reduced, so going in now won’t really help with that.

[Lougle]

@theluckiest I was hoping to hear from some teachers. No hard hat required here - I'm an infant school governor.

@JellyBellies you make a good point, but DD3 won't be at this school in September. She'll be set Secondary school. So there is no benefit to her of learning a 'new system' in junior school as such, because she'll be learning a new system from September anyway. It's purely continuity/closure that would benefit her. But she's not going to get to do any of 'rite of passage year 6 activities' that would normally have happened. It was only in February that her class teacher was telling her all about the year 6 production and that she knew DD3 was going to love it - it's gone.

[UtterlyPerfectCartoonGiraffe]

JellyBellies I keep hearing people say this but I’m not sure I agree. Think about how much we knew about this illness in February. Not enough, by a long shot. Some scientists were predicting we’d have, at most, 4000 deaths. We didn’t even know what symptoms to expect.

Now 3 months later, we know so much more. Treatments are starting to be found, various “non typical” symptoms are recognised, systems are being put in place in all kinds of workplaces and public places. 3 months on from now, in September, we’re likely to have even more understanding and even more viable treatments. The government may even have a functioning testing and contact tracing system. That all makes a huge difference between now and September to my mind.

[JellyBellies]

I get what you all are saying. My DS1 is year 6 too. Its not just about learning the routines, it's about getting back into the rhythm of going to school. The longer we keep children off the harder it will be for them to go back.

I understand they we will know more about the disease. But we cannot remove the risk of people mixing with other people. We cannot keep our lives on pause for ever. There isn't enough money to allow that to happen. So we have to start somewhere.

[Ifartglitterybaubles]

My son is year 6 and I won't be sending him back, same for my yr 1 son too.

[UtterlyPerfectCartoonGiraffe]

JellyBellies I agree with both your points a lot of kids will really need the routine , some kids will be happier at home. And keeping everything on pause is impossible. However, in my own case, dh works from home anyway, I will be working part time out of the house, or working from home (at my workplace’s request) in June so it will cost the economy literally nothing for ds to stay home.

I know we’re really fortunate to be in that position though, and absolutely don’t judge any parents who send their kids in. If Dh and I had to go to work, I would send him in.

[EvilPea]

@ineedaholidaynow
It’s a two form entry juniors, state school. Last count, they were have 6 in.

[JellyBellies]

I also think it gives school some room to trial various options and see what works. If they can do this now we will be more prepared for September.

[user1471505494]

In our area we have a three tier school system with yr 4 transitioning to middle school and yr 8 transitioning to upper school. Guess what it is only year 6 who are going ack to school to keep things even. What about our transitioning children are they not important

[ineedaholidaynow]

That’s handy @EvilPea. I think quite a few schools will find social distancing might be easier than they think as many parents will vote with their feet

[Twigletmama]

Our school are dividing them into two groups of 15 and each group will do 2 consecutive days in their usual classroom with their usual teacher. Wednesday will be used for a deep clean. They have said that there is no obligation to send them in but the level of work being sent home will be vastly reduced. The teachers will not have time to be sending home so much home learning and teach a class, so you may find yourself on your own with the home schooling, if you choose to not send them in.

[bigchris]

Can I ask teachers a question

I'm not bothered about the teaching , curriculum etc but do you think they'll be able to do stuff like play rounders ? The stuff we all did in the last few weeks of primary? Just have fun and be with their peers?

[spanieleyes]

No rounders or football for us, in fact no team games. But we will do lots of athletics where the children can compete against each other and hopefully have fun!

[BakewellTarts]

Our Year 6 DD will go back when / if the school opens for her year group. She is missing her friends. Her yeargroup at school is so small, under 15, so even if all go back they will be in one bubble (and I think 20-25% of her peers won't). She needs some sort of closure to her primary years even if it's different to normal. I can't imagine sernding her to the next school without it. I think the impact on mental health is being hugely underestimated.

[ineedaholidaynow]

I don’t think ball games where you have to catch a ball will be allowed as they are not meant to share resources, so can’t touch a ball with your hands that someone else has.

[FourTeaFallOut]

I am shielding so I don't have the standard risk assessment. My y6 ds won't be going back but, even if I weren't shielding, I wouldn't be sending him in to play guinea pig to the mess of social distancing restrictions expected in June.

[SE13Mummy]

Teacher here, with teacher DH. DD2 is in Y6 and won't be going on 1st June. There is no educational advantage to her returning to primary school to sit at a single table all day, possibly be supervised by someone who isn't a teacher and have very restrictive socialising opportunities that won't involve any of the sport or music activities she's missing. Far better for her to continue learning at home, developing her independence by designing her own timetable, having two qualified, experienced teachers available to teach her, zoom music lessons during the school day and recording projects set by ensembles she's in, the opportunity to take herself off for a cycle ride or to chat with friends and cousins online/on the phone.

Also, once I'm back at school (primary SEN), my family may be at an increased risk of transmission so it makes sense to avoid exposing DD2's peers and school staff to that too.

[modgepodge]

My private school is going back same as the states. There’s lots of ‘but Eton aren’t going back til September’ comments on other threads, but they key difference is they are a boarding school. To my knowledge private day schools are returning same as the states.

[Pleasenodont]

‘They aren’t going to get anymore teaching than they will at home’, why would anyone bother then?

[pellesco]

My Y6 DS won't be going back. His 2 best friends won't be there (one has a parent who has recently had chemo, the other is living miles away with his grandparents as both parents are doctors working on the frontline), and it just won't be the same. Sat at a table on your own, 50% chance it won't be your teacher teaching you, lunch in the class - at your own table, no team sports, just mixing with your bubble (he and his 2BFs play with some kids in the other class ). None of the fun things they had planned (residential, school production, sports day, leavers assembly). He's promised he'll work at home every day (he's pretty good at knuckling down)

[Redlocks28]

They aren’t going to get anymore teaching than they will at home’, why would anyone bother then?

Free childcare, I expect.