AIBU to expect other primary years to start in July?

[Mawbags]

I thought initially that my kids would be back by 15th June

But am rapidly coming to the conclusion that it will be more likely to be July....

1. I expect the numbers to start going up any day now as so many people started doing their own thing from VE Day onwards

1. I can foresee many teething problems with the whole school social distancing thing

1. So many schools are going to be struggling for space just once the initial cohort starts. Just where are these children supposed to go?!

The government yesterday admitted they haven’t planned that part out yet. All the time that the children need to be in groups of under 15 it is impossible for all years groups to return. A one class per year schools would need 14classrooms when they normally need 7. No school has got that much ‘spare’ space even if they used the library/hall/ staff room etc so it is simply not possible. If they say children can go in groups of 30 I’m not sure parents and teachers will be happy about that so soon

Unless the guidance changes for class sizes, there is no chance everyone will be back in full time. So either all years going back but part time. Or only some years going back full time.

My children’s school has smaller classrooms and the new class size is only 10. This doesn’t seem uncommon if you read the threads here. Do your maths and you will know the chances of other years going back. Don’t forget there are key worker classes too in addition to year R,1 and 6.

I just can’t see if happening, they’ll need to send out portakabin type structures to most schools before they can open properly

My children are developing a slight fear of school and they need to go back, I really don’t want it happening in September for them. Neither are in the current attending year groups

I can't see a situation where all kids are back full time before September. There's just not enough space or staff.

I think my school are planning for half the class to go on Monday and Tuesday, clean on Wednesday and the other half on Thursday and Friday. I have one in reception going next week So we will find out soon how it goes. I do understand yiur anxiety about it. All we can do is hope for the best and that some one solves the problem.

Unfortunately, the Government have set up expectations in parents minds that present a logistical nightmare for many schools. The guidance is vague and constantly changing, announcements are made to the public with no advanced warning for schools and are often completely unrealistic. Smaller classes require more staff, more space, extra cleaning and resources that many schools simply will not have. Especially as they're expected to continue their current keyworker provision and deliver remote learning for students who aren't in school as well.

There have been so many threads on here where posters are angry that their DC's school are only able to offer part time hours because they simply don't have enough space or staff to safely deliver what the government has promised. What do they expect them to do?

Out school can't even get R, year 1 or yesr 6 in because of numbers of key worker & vulnerable children in

The government openly admitted that they haven’t even thought about it. Boris also admitted that he didn’t know parents would need childcare when shops open on the 15th June.

My sons school doesn’t have room for three year groups to attend in small bubbles, I imagine many schools are in a similar situation.

For schools to reopen fully there needs to be no more small bubbles. It would need to be back to full classes, full time with normal staffing.

We are a 3 form intake infant school in an old Victorian school, with little flexibility regarding classroom use, no spare capacity and a concrete playground in a slope - so can't fit any more portacabins out there either, nor is it suitable for teaching outdoors.

From u June we have invited reception back, plus the KW/vulnerable children. To do this we need double the same we'd normally have.

We have 9 classrooms and 1 spare room, plus the hall - which also doubles up, as the dining room. Previously it was also used for assemblies, PE, etc too.

From the 8th we will have 6 'half' classes of reception, using 6 rooms plus 2 rooms for KW/vulnerable. Each will have two members of staff as part of the bubble, to allow for staff to take their breaks for lunch, toilet breaks, etc. This will be for 4.5 days a week. Friday afternoons will be for PPA and cleaning.

To invite the rest of key stage 1 back we will need 18 classrooms- so 8 more than we have. Ideally, so that staff can have a break at some point, we'd need a minimum of 18 staff too. Whilst we do have more TAs than many schools not every class normally has one FT and some of our teaching staff are themselves PT. we also have 7-9 staff who,are in either the clinically vulnerable group, or have dependants at home who are shielding - so they can't yet return.

Don't worry, the government will suddenly discover that any form of distancing/ bubbles in school are not required and we can all get back to normal. Convenient🤫

I'm working on the assumption, knowing the schools classroom facilities and staffing levels (and having actually read the guidance) - that the remaining year groups in at least DD2's school aren't getting back at all until September. Gutted for them, but as a child not coping at all well with lockdown, school are having her back as a vulnerable child.

I expect the Government to announce schools can take more children back.

I expect the unions and schools to not be able to due to the simple fact that they can't magic up twice the number of classrooms or staff.

The only other option would be part time, but by bringing back some years full time, that boat might already sailed. So schools need a better plan for September.

Meanwhile, the best thing they can do is to have a minimum standard for what learning resources a school should be providing or extending the existing provision through Bitesize/Oak (with resource packs that don't need to be printed, but can be picked (sold) up places like supermarkets

For schools to reopen fully there needs to be no more small bubbles. It would need to be back to full classes, full time with normal staffing.

This. You can’t have them all back and maintain the bubbles/distancing. It’s one or the other.

For us to bring all the current children back we will be using every available room in school and all the staff. That’s including teaching assistants.
Maybe now it becomes an issue that funding cuts have meant many teaching assistants jobs were lost so schools had the bare minimum of staff.
For us to have every child back it would have to be on a part time basis.

Lancashire announced last night that schools are not to open up yet, lots of councils have done this so I expect the whole timescale to be delayed. My DC school had a plan for some to return but that is now on hold

Our children have been so let down.

They’re probably ok to go back but if this isn’t handled properly we’ll have a traumatised cohort of children.

I think it will be traumatic anyway seeing all the changes

The government have realised that’s going to be impossible to have any more back, so have said that but is ‘under review’.

Our LEA have told us not to even think about it-We are using all available teachers in all available classrooms so unless they scrap social distancing altogether, the other year groups won’t be back until September unless the government can magic up double the classrooms and double the teachers by July. I can’t imagine all the y2-5 parents will want their child being with a strange teacher in a strange building much though.

Many schools are having bubbles smaller than 15 as they physically can’t social distance more children in the classrooms. Our local schools are having bubbles of about 7 children. Also many schools can’t offer places for some or even all of the eligible Year groups as now full with critical worker and vulnerable children. Certainly wouldn’t be able to get all the other Year groups back.

Maybe Summer school with volunteers is going to have to be a thing.

Our school can only accommodate year 6 and year 1 under the current guidance.
There is no chance of whole schools going back unless the guidance changes.

The gov have planned for reduced class sizes which may be fine when only three year groups go back, they’ll only need six teachers and perhaps six TA’s in. They don’t have the space or staff to reduce every single year group so the only way it would work is to send children in shifts which they have said they don’t want to do.

The death toll hasn’t really declined, it was still fairly high yesterday. There’s no way I’d send mine back to school any time soon.

Of course it will change, the government will discover there is absolutely no need for any distancing in schools, children don't transmit and teachers are miraculously immune to covid😂

I don't see any point in children going back to school in July. I'm in Scotland where we would normally break for summer at the end of June, so that would be like my DC going back now. Utterly pointless for 4 weeks of learning.

We've already been told it will be part time learning in August when we return anyway, and that could be long term. I'm not terribly happy about that, as I feel the DC will miss out on a lot of learning, but if it is necessary, we will just have to deal with it.

What is the point of going back in July???

@lemonbreeland the schools will be doing a mixture is learning at home and school based. I saw a report on a meeting last night let me copy it for you.

Not sure how legitimate this is:

Good evening everyone. I've not long finished a meeting with other parents from primary schools around Glasgow. The meeting was held by The Glasgow Parents Group and consisted of a Q&A session with Executive Director of Education, Maureen McKenna. Unsurprisingly the topic for discussion was about Glasgow’s schools going back. The following were the main points to come out of the meeting:

Please note: The following are general answers, there will be some primary schools who, because of their class size or building construction, or any other potential reason, will not be able to comply with the plans that were outlined today and those schools will work towards their own plans. At the moment headteachers of all schools are investigating how to implement these plans into their own school, this includes our own.

I have put no personal opinion in this post. It is written from the Director of Education answers to the questions from our group.

Returning to School.

· School will start again, for pupils, as planned, on the 13th August. (in service 11th and 12th)

· Classes will be split into two groups. The first group will attend school on Monday and Tuesday and the second group will attend on Thursday and Friday. On Wednesday the school will be cleaned.

· Social distancing will be applied in the classroom such as desks being a certain distance apart.

· On the days when your child isn’t in school they will do home learning.

· On the days when your child isn’t in school there will be childcare places around Glasgow but these will be extremely limited. Sports centres may be used. No teaching will take place, these centres will solely be for childcare and will be operational for school times only.

· For those who receive childcare there will be no cost.

· Every effort will be made to make sure that siblings in the same school will be part of the same group so that they attend school on the same days.

· Every effort will be made to make sure that families/carers who have children in primary and high school will attend school on the same days.

· Primary One’s will start in August as expected, not January as rumoured previously.

Health and wellbeing.

· It is important that schools are still seen as welcoming so teachers will try and keep things as normal as possible.

· Psychological help has been given to teachers.

· Psychological help will be given to children when they return to school. Schools in Sweden did this and the children did not require it.

· PPE will not be generally worn by teachers or children.

· Handwashing will take place regularly throughout the day (at least 6 times per day).

· Hand sanitiser / washing stations are being installed at every school.

· Any child showing symptoms will be moved to a specified area and parents called. Test results to confirm any cases should be received within 24 hours.

· A strong emphasis was placed on the belief that children did not get severe symptoms, if at all, and that studies showed that children did not spread the disease as much as previously thought. It was noted that only one child has shown any symptoms at hub schools since march and that test was negative.

· First aid will be administrated as it was before the outbreak.

Teaching.

· Teachers will cater for all pupils abilities. The phrase blended learning was used to describe how they will be able to teach children of different abilities.

· Classes may be put together to deal with shortage of teachers. This will depend on space.

· Emphasis was placed on making sure no child was left behind or being disadvantaged.

· Ipad rollout will be quicker than planned but priority will be given to high schools.

· Home learning packs will be sent home for completion on the days when the child is at home.

· It is unlikely that there will be direct teacher support for pupils when they are working from home as the teachers will be teaching the other group who are in school. (this may be possible if a ‘high risk teacher’ cannot be at school – they could provide support from their home)

· Children who are deemed ‘high risk’ and cannot attend school will do schoolwork at home and schools will come up with individual plans for them.

· It is intended that the curriculum will continue as normal.

Other.

· There will be no penalties for children or parents who decide not to send their child to school although they will not receive any extra learning on top of what is received by those children who do attend as teachers will be busy teaching those in school and pupils who cannot attend due to being deemed high risk.

· There is no extra funding for schools from the government. All extra funds have been sourced from project funds such as rebuilding / school attainment funds.

· No definitive answer was provided about clubs etc but the general hope was that after a couple of weeks these may start running again.

· Playtimes / lunchtimes will be staggered and the playground will have designated areas for groups of children.

· Retired teachers will be asked to come back but this is unlikely to attract many teachers as many retired teachers fall into the high risk categories.

The parent group will meet shortly and discuss what was said in today's meeting. We will keep you updated.

Thank you

Stephen Harvey (Rory’s dad P4)