To wonder what school will look like in September?

[Blockofsunondesk]

I keep reading that school will be radically different in September - but if all children are going back how can it be? Surely social distancing won’t work with whole school groups in? Or will it be PT do people think? Or FT but returning to lockdown in the case of a (likely?) autumn second wave?

Of course I realise nobody knows anything for sure - just wondering what the realistic possibilities are.

I'm optimistic. (Because that's how I like to live). So, I think by September we'll have decided we have to carry on living, and that this isn't as bad as we initially thought. There'll be hand washing etc but generally life will be as normal as possible for most. I'm also optimistic that by September there'll be about 50% of people who've had it and will be immune.

I’m also optimistic (and a teacher who’s keen to get back). Hygiene practices are changed for the long term now. The risk to most children, teens (and most of their parents) will hopefully remain low. Classroom set ups should be different, with desks spaced as far as is possible and pupils all facing the same way. Drama and sport might be affected for longer. Teachers will remain at the front of class, not move around, lean over to look at work etc.

I think, we'll have everybody back but we'll isolate classes so no assemblies, staggered playtimes, staggered pick up and drop off times and wrap around care may suffer. Hygiene will be a high priority and they'll spend their first term having lots of "wash your hands" and "don't touch one another" lessons. Also outdoor education whatever the weather will become very popular so stock up on waterproofs now!

Staggering breaks etc will be harder in secondaries as we change teachers each lesson. We’ll have to stagger lunchtime, I think, but will need to make sure teachers actually get one!

I'm keeping optimistic that by September the figures will have dropped substantially, and schools will have made it quite clear that social distancing DOESN'T work with kids, so a return to school for the new academic year will be relatively "normal". I'm hoping so anyway, as DD is due to go back in June but we've chosen to keep her home, as I don't like the idea of her going into the weird environment with the extra measures school are suggesting right now. I will happily keep her home until she can return to some normality, so I'm staying hopeful that by September, she can return and enjoy school again.

I think that there will be no choice but to return to "almost" normal.
I would perhaps expect staggered drop off between 8.30 and 9am and again after school perhaps with plenty of hand washing.
They cannot really go part time without further screwing the economy to the point of total collapse.
If my kids were only attending part time, one of us would have to give up work to cover childcare and homeschooling. If this has to happen in every family, thats alot of families claiming benefits and alot of empty job vacancies to fill.

They cannot really go part time without further screwing the economy to the point of total collapse

You have a good point here. Especially for primary school. A part time rota could work in secondary schools though, where the kids are old enough to take care of themselves for a few hours a day.
Not sure how you disinfect the classrooms twice a day in between different groups of kids.

They cannot really go part time without further screwing the economy to the point of total collapse. Exactly, how many people's works will not allow them to be furloughed or wfh indefinitely or even till aug 2021 (which is what I've seen on another thread which I hope is bollocks) which is apparently when SNP are suggesting the 'blended learning' may go on till!

How would the secondary kids get to school?
Buses won’t be packed - 2M rule
They aren’t going to send a load of buses for a few kids

How would the secondary kids get to school

Wear masks? It won’t work well because they are teenagers but they can’t stay at home for another year.

I think buses are the main issue at my school. Rural, reliant on buses to get most of the kids to school (some can and do walk from the local village, some do get dropped off by parents but the vast majority get the bus). I think the rest of the day could be managed - kids stay in one classroom and teachers move, packed lunches, staggered breaks in set places (e.g. classes on the same break don't mix - one lot on the field, one lot on the tennis courts etc.) to space them out. It wouldn't be perfect and social distancing would not be adhered to correctly at all but it would go some way to minimise the general mixing in school. It's the buses though. Unless enough parents are furloughed or WFH and can leave their desks to do drop off and pick up, then I just don't see how we can get them all in. And if we say that school buses can run then we are immediately on the back foot with the rest of the plans and the day will be one long battle ("Why can't I spend break with Jack in the other class? I sit next to him on the bus!"). I'm not sure how that can be overcome.

Some work places did the measures at first but they have since gone out the window. Some couldn’t or really do them in the first place. A lot of people are back at work now and are seeing this.

To read the measures schools are trying to implement just look silly in comparison. I can say if they go the way of other settings it will last about 2 weeks before normality is resumed. Although whether some teachers will accept this is another matter. I can sadly see it leading to more conflict and disapproval of the teaching profession.

If you go to work all day where there’s only a cursory nod to washing your hands more often and then send your child off to an anxiety ridden sterile pod? It’s not going to wash is it but I don’t know how you would fix it.

In other countries they apparently are already seeing a trend away from public transport, more people buying cars and using these even in cities. I’m guessing more parents might decide to do this and drop their children off for school-not ideal, but might have to be done in the short term. Most children where I live walk or cycle by secondary age so depends a lot on individual catchment areas.

kids stay in one classroom and teachers move

This wont work in secondary though because children don't remain with the same class all day unless we are going to start teaching children irrrelevant of their ability.

Kids can’t stay completely in one room. You wouldn’t be able to deliver exam courses for the three sciences, art, DT, IT etc.

I think primary school will adjust relatively easily compared to secondarys. We need a clear plan and guidelines for secondary because it's not going to be as simple as spacing out desks and staggering breaks. My kids have 5-6 periods per day, all with different children and teacheremember Tne primary school bubbles just won't work in high school.

Might need to be school specific buses for a while, not them using public buses.

Maybe those primaries housed in cramped converted houses or village halls can now start to be replaced with purpose built schools...?

My (KS2) classroom originally housed c15 children in Victorian times. Now if one of my 31 children in the middle or back of the room need the loo, most of the others have to move to let them out. It’s like Tetris fitting 15 individual desks in with a small gap between each!

This wont work in secondary though because children don't remain with the same class all day unless we are going to start teaching children irrrelevant of their ability

There is no perfect solution to this. You could stream the kids. It will mean some kids who would be in set 1 for maths but set 3 for English will be lumped into just one set for everything.

annebronte has an excellent point about kids missing out on science practicals, computer labs, design tech etc. It’s a million miles away from ideal but I can’t see how you distance the kids when they have to change classroom 5 times a day.

All options are a bit shit.

I really think we have to accept that physical distancing will be limited in secondary schools and rely on hand washing/ sanitising once an hour. If track and trace is up and running, that’ll have to do.

Anne no we don't have to accept that at all.

rely on hand washing/ sanitising once an hour

We don't have the facilities for this to happen for the 1200 students at my secondary for this to happen

My friend child, in Denmark is 8 and has been back to school for 3 weeks or so. They were supposed to have a bubble of six friends, and stay in that group away from everyone else. It lasted about 3 days before everyone realised it was ridiculously difficult to enforce, and everyone just mingled in together.

DC's secondary school has said they will do one week in school, one week remote learning. This is ok(ish) for KS3 where most lessons are taught within the class group, but not sure how it will work in options years. Virtually every child who attends the school lives within 3 miles of it, so there isn't a public transport issue here either. So I suspect there will be an element of schools tailoring what they offer based on local knowledge.

Haven't most schools donated all their protective gear to hospitals? So they may not be able to do much in the way of science practicals anyway!

The one exam course that will be a huge headache is Drama (and Performing arts). How are you meant to do group work when you all have to be 2 metres apart at all times?