Scottish school return 11 Aug

[TheGlaikitRambler]

How do those in Scotland feel about the plan for Scottish schools to return on 11th Aug part-time only?

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-scotland-52745643

Not with bare ankles! It was the first big wind of the winter that day, absolutely perishing.

CountFosco To be honest, best weather in Scotland is now! I’ve got a cracking tan.

@IKEA888 that's a Scottish state school? Or private? If you don't mind me asking.
I've just finished for the night having done more self taught google classroom experimentation for next week's work. But not doing that many hours apparently.

Feels ok - but I do think certain groups will still need extra support- there's a petition re this if folk want to add their voice t.co/8ZPAF1auLI?amp=1

My grandchildren, whose single-parent father works full-time, have been getting less than an hour of schooling a day for eight weeks. When they go back to school part time, they still won't be able to do anything at home, so they will only be getting half a week's work. They won't be the only ones, either.

They are already worried about the amount of work they have missed.
Children like them will feel terribly frustrated, demoralised and demotivated, running to catch up, and falling even more behind. Then there will be children who have had to deal with a Covid-related bereavement, too.

Teachers are going to need every ounce of their considerable expertise to deal with anxious children and classes in which some will be streets ahead, while others will simply not have progressed at all.

But - as I keep telling myself, most children will be able to make up, eventually, for lost time. Also, we are going to have to be as positive as possible when we speak about going back to school in front of them.

If we are going back to school a week early it would be good to get two weeks holiday in October instead of one week. By October we might actually be able to go somewhere with the holiday.

Some areas like us get 2 weeks in October already so not sure when we'd get our week back.

I keep reading that in Phase 1 "teachers will return to schools in June". What does this mean? I presume it's to plan for what will happen in August but we can't be in school planning and running our online classrooms

thanks for the petition link, seems obvious this is going to increase the attainment gap unless extra measures are taken.

@RaraRachael - I wondered that. Also, why are we going in? After we’ve moved the desks around a wee bit (no toys or soft furnishings in a secondary English classroom) what are we actually going to be doing? I think it’s a bit of a PR exercise, but I agree it will impact on pupils if I’m in school being given other tasks, because I won’t be sitting at my laptop running lessons as I have been for the past two months.

There doesn't appear to be any information on which groups are going to be starting, or if it's going to be all classes but split in half, or whatever.
We had to fill in a survey for our school, asking which groups we thought should should return first and asking for suggestions on what the return should look like etc. It is supposedly going to be send to our LA, but had some questions that were very specific to our school.

We have a new acting HT who has been here 5 minutes and is changing EVERYTHING so I don't trust her as far as I could throw her

RaraRachael

My thoughts on the groups that should attend first those with surnames beginning A-M week one, N-Z week two. Anything else will cause arguments.

Gives parents of two children (assuming they have the same name) a chance to get to work even part time.

I assume the teachers will give plenty of homework for the weeks in between.

BlackBear the options we were given were along the lines of -

ASN children
New P1s
Outgoing P7s
Vulnerable children
Family groups etc

@blackbear19 I agree. That would be best in terms of giving people a chance to work. A couple of hours here and there and perhaps not siblings there at once isn't much use.

Schools in my area are due to go back on August 19th. This year I have the last two weeks of the summer holidays booked off as annual leave, which I’m not allowed to cancel, and I have a booked uk holiday which I’m hoping to be able to go on that week.

I’ll be really annoyed if our school starts a week early as all the other holidays I have booked off work this year I’ve spent, or will be spending in the house under lockdown.

@Linnet we have a holiday planned for after the 11th too. It won't even be an option for me to keep the kids off as I work in school. I suppose it is what it is and it's an unprecedented situation but it is a shame for my DC who's big easter trip was cancelled.

I would be massively surprised if pre-booked and paid holidays are not honoured, both for staff and students.

For students there's no issue to take them out anyway, for staff I'm not sure they'll allow it when they've paid us to stay at home for nearly 4 months. Mine isn't booked anyway as it was using a house of a relative in a holiday type area while it was vacant.

I'm ok with it. We are both very lucky that our employers are so good and allow us to set our own hours so we can work opposite hours to each other from home to allow for childcare.

I'm interested to find out what the hours etc will be.

Paid us to stay at home?! Maybe that’s what you’ve been doing, but I certainly haven’t. I’ve been on timetable, doing development work, doing the work an SQA marker would usually be paid to do, having departmental and working group meetings... Basically my job, without the fun bits or the bits that make me feel like I’m actually doing it well. I’m glad you won’t be losing out, but if someone had to cancel an expensive holiday, not because of a pandemic, but because the government decided that the holiday dates which have been fixed for several years should be changed, they should just suck it up?

Wow, if I'd realised it was meant to be a holiday, I would have organised my days somewhat differently! Sounds like you've been skiving a bit, @midnightstar66

Sorry I'll re word. They have paid myself and my colleagues to stay at home and I feel I'd be taking the piss not going back. I'm sorry you're angry but that is the case for me!

Lucky Scotland. It's a long way to September here and even that won't probably be full time.

Also, I'd like to know how I've been 'skiving' I've not been required to do anything so my OU course and skills network course has been entirely voluntary along with home schooling my own 2 primary age dc. My employers don't think I'm skiving so I'm not sure you are placed to do so!

I have emailed my MSP today following the phases set out for Scotland yesterday as I have got myself in a right state about how things are going to work out, at this moment the phases state likely to be kids going in half a week and home the rest, or possibly some year groups attending one week and more another week. I have kids if differing ages, work in community nursing already on flexible working with a DH who works away a lot (unlikely to change) how will this work?

It's a week early for us which isnt an issue , what will be an issue is DH is a key worker & I am due back at college end of August, so if i have face to face classes but DC arent at school those days I am not sure what we will do, along with if no after school club/spaces in the club🤷‍♀️.