School only having Reception/Foundation children back not Year 6

[Flippetydip]

Is anyone else's children's school doing this? I am having a call with the head today and want to be forearmed.

I have a year 6 child and a year 4 child and I really want my year 6 to have some sort of time in school before transferring to secondary in September. The school are offering the whole of foundation the option to come in and despite only 35 out of 60 parents in that year group being willing to send their children in and 50 out of 60 year 6s wanting to go in, they are keeping the spaces open "in case foundation parents change their minds".

AIBU to think there should be some better thinking around this and a better solution found?

My school is only opening for key workers Nursery, Reception and Y6, different kids on different days - they have said by key workers they mean with the new guidelines, people going back to work. So as I've lost my job I'm expected to educate 2 kids until god knows when on my own without a break until September.

@DominaShantotto I don't think anyone is dismissing the feelings of children. The situation is awful for most children regardless of which year they are in. The fact remains that the government have advised which year groups should go back initially. If Year 6 went back first then it would be unfair on the poor Reception children who will have lost almost half of their Reception year, the introduction to school life before more formal education begins. It's unfair on Year 4s and Year 2s who aren't in primary schools and are also transitioning to new schools this September. It's unfair on those studying for GCSEs and A levels. It's a crap situation all around and all children are being affected. Therefore, no one is dismissing children's feelings- they're simply stating that the government have advised that not all children can return in June and that more staff and space can't be conjured up from thin air. Everyone wants their kids back to school and normality but that's not the current reality.

You don't know whether this is the best solution possible with the resources and constraints available or not, and neither does mumsnet. If it is, then you can 'should' all you like but it won't make any other option possible.

I must say I don't think there's a great deal of point in Year 6 being back in anyway. They're not going to be able to do a proper transition nor say much of a goodbye really. I suppose they're better at social distancing than Year 2 would be.

To be honest I don’t really agree with any of the primary year groups going back just yet. I think it should be year 10 and year 12 first as they have important exams next year and they are able to understand the concept of social distancing which makes less work for their teachers. Younger children in reception and year 1 could be quite a challenge as many won’t be able to grasp social distancing and to be fair they have another 5/6 years left of their primary education and I’m sure teachers are capable of catching them up in that time. Year 10’s and 12’s however are at a critical stage of their education and whilst they are capable at this age of working from home, they often benefit more and learn more effectively being in the classroom.

My school r saying yes to y1 and y6. Anyways I've pulled my keyworker card and sending both reception child and y5 child bk Monday

Only keyworker/ vulnerable and Year 1 going back here. How the fuck they are going to open up to anymore children in September is beyond me if they are full already.

I was really surprised by the amount of children going back at dcs school. All the noise on social media has been about how they're not Guinea pigs, it's not safe etc. And, 90% of dds y6 class are going back.

@Daydreamermummy any idea how the school has come up with two mornings a week? What are they doing with the other 3 mornings and all the afternoons if they aren’t taking any other year groups?

What do you expect the head to say to you on the phone? The head is following government guidance-they are doing the right thing.

arethere I think you need to see if they do send them in after all when push comes to shove.

OP - to be blunt you’re going to have to search for the guidance. Speaking with our head yesterday there have been over 40 amendments to it in 1 week!!!! On top of that they have to take into account all the guidance the local authority has issued too. Our LA (in the South West and one of the ‘safer areas’) has said to governing bodies not to feel pressured to take all year groups in if there is not enough space. Also bear in mind that it’s the governing body that will have discussed and set the limits to the classrooms etc and set the priority order for children to attend for your school. Not the head alone.

Ours are having year 6 back and not R and 1.
Schools are deciding what they want to do.

The government are strict on their guidance, for example insisting on year six being in even when its an area where children change schools in year five and year eight. These children can get no real life transfer support due to the guidelines as they are not allowed to be in school.
A friend of mine has been flying his drone round inside the high school he works at making virtual school tours for the new year nine.

I understand it is frustrating but as the Head will tell you, they are just following the guidance. This includes leaving space for full year groups even if only some have expressed a desire to return straight away, as chances are more will want to join in a few weeks.

My school also can’t take y6. We have 7 classrooms & 7 teachers. 3 keyworker groups then splitting R & 1 in to half classes means we are full up. There’s nowhere else to put more children and no one else to teach them either.

Your headteacher has probably been working 60 hour weeks to follow the constantly changing advice, and now you want him/her to take 20 minutes they could spend figuring out how to social distance 5 year olds in explaining to you it wasn't their decision?

Our headteacher was in tears last week because she sent a letter inviting the year 6 children back, and dozens of parents wanted a personal invitation via phone and thought her tone was "too harsh". I typed the letter myself, and it said that children would need to wash their hands and stay in their isolated groups of 15 with staggered start and finish times PER GOVERNMENT GUIDANCE. You would've thought from the response she told them Father Christmas was dead.

Frankly, tell them your concerns but you're kind of the worst and acting from selfish fear.

Our School is only having Year 6 in to start, as they think that is the safest approach. If that works okay, they will increase to include Year 1, then EYFS - but it's unlikely that they will get much more than 2 days per fortnight in School.

@onemouseplace I wonder that too given our school is already full with keyworker children. Unless they increase the class sizes. Bottom line is, unless we go back to 30 children per class (and more in KS2) in September, then we aren't all going to back back.

I think the teachers are in a difficult position. They are trying to follow government policy (having reception and year 1 seems strange to me but not the teachers fault).

I think as the weeks pass this will be constantly monitored and hopefully thinks will gradually return to normal and more children will return.

think as the weeks pass this will be constantly monitored and hopefully thinks will gradually return to normal and more children will return

The DfE have said this part of schools returning is ‘under review’ and the LEA have told us that is unlikely to be possible.

Unless the class sizes are put back up to 30, I don’t believe most schools will be accepting any children from Y2-5 back this side of the summer holiday.

Ours is the same as yours op, by the time key worker children, vulnerable children and YR/Y1 are in, there just aren’t the staff or space to bring back y6. It’s a shit situation for everyone and there is no easy solution.

Also bear in mind that it’s the governing body that will have discussed and set the limits to the classrooms etc and set the priority order for children to attend for your school. Not the head alone.

I think I would feel better if it had been an open discussion, but the governors were told how it was going to work at 3.15pm on Friday afternoon an hour before the letter went out. I know this because DH is a governor (and a teacher but not at that school) - there was absolutely no discussion at all. I suspect that I'm cross due to the lack of communication as much as anything else. Most other schools in our local area are opening up to Year 6, I'm just surprised and disappointed that ours isn't.

I appreciate the replies (other than the snide ones).

The NGA have advised it is operational not strategic so technically doesn’t have to be approved by the Governing Body. However, they should be aware of the processes involved in making the decision and monitor the risk assessments. The Chair should also be in regular contact with the HT

www.nga.org.uk/News/NGA-News/May-2020/The-governing-board’s-role-in-the-safe-opening-of.aspx

It is not a governor decision, it is an operational one and therefore down to the Head. the Head will inform Governors but not discuss it with them.

Our school isn't taking any year groups back, they are up to capacity just by the increase in keyworker children.

It's an impossible situation.

I think lots of schools will be doing this. It's not just the 3year groups they've been asked to have back but extra key workers children to allow teachers to return. Very difficult to see most schools managing it with the guidelines issued.