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.

more sitting at desks, less sitting on the carpet all together. (primary)

Primary: staggered breaks, different areas of playground allocated to different year groups. eg: childrens primary school had an infant and junior playground. infants take turns to go out, junior yard split into two with access from each door.

different arrangements for going into school. spread out the classes more, parents not on the playground. chjildren go striaght into wash their hands and then sit at a table.

Maybe different drop off times? or extended drop off. Also with pick up.

no parent assemblies

Secondary:

arrivals and drop offs would really need to be staggered. different year groups released at different times. Can't see how it would work though.

Who will teach though, even if we go back to classes of 30? We have 10 staff members (teachers and TAs) either shielding or with a child who is shielding (fairly large primary). We can't always get supply when one is off so where will we find 10? Other local schools are in a similar situation, and it's a particular problem for the smaller ones.

I think we wIll either all go back but with certain rules remaining such as greater emphasis on hand washing with mobile stations being supplied, no assemblies, staggered breaks and mandatory masks on all buses...

Or, we all adopt what Scotland are doing which is part time schooling (blended learning) until there is a vaccine apparently but I think in reality that will cause so many problems for everyone that it will quickly revert to the first option!

I agree with @Hoppit it's the staffing that is the major issue. Lots of staff shielding to begin with, we havn't been able to employ enough teachers for the past 4 years as it is and have relied on supply. Without some sort of bubbles, as soon as a child is diagnosed with covid, that might be up to 10 teachers who have been in contact and need to self isolate for 2 weeks, that's probably enough to close the school.

It's not that it's lots more risky than other workplaces it's that there is large amounts of people mixing.

Perhaps KS3 will be streamed and in class bubbles and ks4 & ks5 will be doing much more home learning alongside smaller tutorials.
I'm glad I don't have to organise it!

I think we will just have to crack on and accept that social distancing in schools will not work. How do we want life to be? If people do not want to accept it then they can make their own arrangement vis a vis having their child at home/ not working or whatever. Reality is everyone knows it won’t work but children deserve an education and to be allowed to socialise properly. It’s is very very low to MOST people.

I also find it astonishing that so many teachers are actually shielding in the true sense of the government letter sense. In my entire workplace there is not a single person having to shield in the true sense of the advice.

I really really feel for the teachers trying to organise this. It’s so far away from anything they trained for.

DS primary is going back part time. 2days per week. I think this will probably continue for the next year. As a family we are really starting to consider our lives as both working FT won’t enable this. Childcare - even if available will cost too much for 3full days per week. I suspect one or both of us are going to have to go part time at least in the short term and adjust our living accordingly.

I think it will be pretty much back to normal by September without assemblies and as many lunch time clubs/after school activities. Flexible drop offs and pick ups so parents aren't hanging around waiting.

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.

I can very much foresee this happening in the UK too..... And especially come July when I guess the government will relax social distancing measures further to get the tourism sector moving. I’m not sure we’ll still be adhering to the 2m rule then.

This is a very interesting debate OP. Our secondary school buses kids in from all over the city on school services. The kids are packed in, many are stood up. So even getting to school is a challenge

It seems like it will either be PT (with massive economic consequences) or FT (with potentially huge health consequences, but let’s hope not). FT doesn’t seem to allow for much social distancing, especially in secondary schools.

I also find it astonishing that so many teachers are actually shielding in the true sense of the government letter sense. In my entire workplace there is not a single person having to shield in the true sense of the advice

Our large primary doesn’t have any shielding members of staff. One ‘vulnerable’ who was due to retire at the end of this year anyway so won’t be returning to the classroom, and one member of support staff who lives with a vulnerable child so won’t be expected to return initially. Otherwise all are ok and are looking forward to getting back. I’ve also been surprised to hear of schools with half their staff in the shielding groups.
Someone above mentioned buses won’t be able to be full due to the 2m rule. Firstly, I don’t think there will be a 2m rule by September (it’s 1m in a lot of countries anyway), and also is the 2m rule being enforced on public transport at the moment?

I work in a massive urban high school. I really want to get back in but I just can’t see how it will be safe. I’m not particularly worried about my own health but it will spread so easily in narrow corridors, 2 x 2 toilet blocks for 1400 kids etc. Lots of challenging kids at the best of times who don’t follow instructions. It’s going to be tricky!!

Also community transmission is currently very very low, with the majority of transmission taking place in hospitals and care homes. By September this will hopefully be even lower, and with track and trace in place the plan is that outbreaks will be contained.
We won’t be in the same situation in 3 months as we are now. Look at how much has changed in the past 3 months!

If I'm honest thinking about it makes me quite sad. All my kids are in high school and when I think back to my school years I absolutely loved it. I know the main aim of the school is getting an education and rightly so but it was so much more for me. Lovely memories of righting the world at lunch time, continuous flirty exchanges with the boys and cementing friendships that have continued for the past 30 years. I cant help thinking the schools for everyone with become a bit too mechanical and soulless, I know it has to be done to keep everyone safe I just wonder what the long term effects on our young people will be.

Will back up what I said with I hope this is all very short term! I know 6 months isn't much kn the grand scheme of things but must feel like a lifetime to a 15 year old