Aibu? Returning to school

[Holymolymackerel]

For background:

My dd8 is going back to school on Monday. Me and dh have decided this because she is struggling emotionally, she is slightly behind educationally, she is struggling being with ds who has sen and will remain at home and because dh is going back to his keywork after being furloughed, it will only be me with 2 children, one has sen as mentioned.

Am I right to be miffed that my dd will have a teaching assistant in the mornings and a play worker/ dinner lady in the afternoons?

I didn't expect her to have her teacher that she has had since September and knew there would be a change around but didn't expect to have no teachers at all.

Thanks

The point is that keyworker childcare - which is what you are sending your daughter in for - is just that: childcare. It has always been billed as such. The adults present are essentially 'parent equivalents' to support home learning set by the child's actual teacher for a portion of the day, and to entertain / keep your child safe for the remainder of the time. It was made very, very clear when the schools first closed for all but keyworker / vulnerable children that NO teaching was to be done.

Separately from that, some year groups (N, R, 1 and 6) are now being phased back into school, and this CAN be for 'proper schooling', or at least as much education as is possible under the conditions imposed.

This does not affect keyworker childcare, which is still available, and is still childcare, except that if there is not enough space / staff for both, the keyworker childcare has to take priority.

Therefore, your child's school's staffing arrangements are, in fact, exactly what is to be expected and what the government envisaged - that those year groups part of the 'phased return to in-school schooling' get teachers (or a TA IF no teaching staff are available), while childcare is staffed by remaining staff and remote / online teaching is provided for those year groups not yet allowed back into school for ion-0school schooling.

It may not be what you want or naively expected, but it is entirely in line with all guidelines, and in fact apart from the 2 different adults per day seems to me to be perfect given the different roles now required in school.

YABU

when parents are saying they are very reluctant to send their children back to school, they are being called "dementors" or "hysterical".

It's more that there's nothing like "going back to normal" and it's not necessarily better for the children at all. Even being split from your best friends is very hard on a small child.

The idea is that TA will be "supervised" by a teacher, but they can't swap. So there you go. You were not very realistic to expect any different.

YANBU for not being impressed with the situation - but please remember that schools and their staff are no more impressed than you. It’s a logistical nightmare. The government has ‘reopened’ schools for childcare, it’s that simple and they should just be honest about that so that parents know what can be expected. It has fuck all to do with getting children back into education.

Teaching assistant will be quite capable of delivering the work; depending on what level they are they often deliver whole lessons to small groups and are qualified to do so.

Teacher will be over seeing the planning of the work. I'd also bet a teacher is in charge of a more challenging group of kids so I'd take it as a compliment.

It's not about work though; for a good few weeks it will be about new routines, coping well and with fun, and the children's well being. As well as basic childcare.

Prosper, no - for keyworker childcare, the TA does not have to be supervised by a teacher. It's fine for TAs to run the childcare.

It's only in those years returning to school in the re-opening phase (N, r, 1 and 6) that the guidance talks about bubbles being led by teachers or TAs supervised by teachers - bexcause it is only in those thwat the children are returning to the school for educational rather than childcare purposes.

The OP is surprised that school-based keyworker childcare is not being led by a teacher. There has never been an expectation tghat it would be - yes, in many schools, teachers have been on that rota, but with teachers being allocated to returning year groups, I think it is more and more likely that the childcare groups will be TA or other school adult led.

Mine are going back into keyworker/vulnerable provision next week. I'm under no illusions they're going to be "taught" as such - it's going to be busy work, mental wellbeing work and play, with some supervision of the home learning activities the other kids are doing.

They're going back because they're suffering badly with a lack of social interaction - which they will be getting.

I know the staffing for one bubble has been decided and purely by luck it's fallen as the current teacher (which is seriously lucky but I'd have been happy with any of the teachers or TAs in the school to be fair) and I'm not sure - think the other one is still on a rota of different staff so could vary widely.

It was made very clear to us about what school would and wouldn't be offering though.

Note again - the OP's child is joining long-running keyworker childcare. Not returning to school. So comments about TAs leading lessons etc aren't relevant - there aren't any lessons - just the learning from home that others from the same year group will be doing with their parents, and childcare.

Well, this was bound to happen when people were shouting for kids to go back and not listening to teachers who tried very hard to explain that 'going back' was not going to be possible in any meaningful way

You have been fortunate to get childcare to help you out. Your DD isn't 'entitled' to be in school, but they're taking her to help you out. You're being incredibly ungrateful.

Not to mention rude - just assuming the TA/Dinnerladies taking leading roles cannot help her.

The school is having to prioritise the years R/1/6 education wise and even then, they won't all have qualified teachers.

People need to get a reality grip on what schools are going to be like. Definitely now & quite feasibly in September if people don't stay home when they can and social distance when they do go out. All the people doing as they please are just going to make everything like this harder & harder to achieve.

Worzel, the guidance is for staggered entry times, individual desks, no toys or shared resources, no mixing of bubbles (so no assembly or mixing at playtime), lots of hand washing.

Schools will have 2m markers everywhere, hand sanitiser and cleaning equipment for the teachers to clean well-used surfaces throughout the day.

Beyond that, schools are interpreting and making their own arrangements - doors propped open, cupboard doors removed, displays removed for easier deep cleaning, lots of outdoor time, packed lunches in classrooms.

We are teaching the returning year groups but keyworker children will be childcare only as not enough teachers and unfair on children at home.

We have chosen not to wear masks but are not allowed within touching distance of the children. Heartbreaking really.

I think school staff have been saying this would happen for months!

There aren’t enough teachers going back for every group to have one. My sister’s school is covering groups with admin staff.

We are teaching the returning year groups but keyworker children will be childcare only

As they always have been.

Thank you. I have clearly been naive and a bit stupid when following the government. I am grateful for the place. I think our school have been wonderful throughout the pandemic.

I got my knickers in a twist because as I said that dd is a little behind age related expectations and I feel I've made a mess of home schooling plus I'm worrying about dh going back to work and coping with ds.

I am hoping it will help her emotions and give her some routine.

Time will tell whether it is the right decision.

Thank you all

@rawlikesushi

Worzel, the guidance is for staggered entry times, individual desks, no toys or shared resources, no mixing of bubbles (so no assembly or mixing at playtime), lots of hand washing.

Schools will have 2m markers everywhere, hand sanitiser and cleaning equipment for the teachers to clean well-used surfaces throughout the day.

Beyond that, schools are interpreting and making their own arrangements - doors propped open, cupboard doors removed, displays removed for easier deep cleaning, lots of outdoor time, packed lunches in classrooms.

We are teaching the returning year groups but keyworker children will be childcare only as not enough teachers and unfair on children at home.

We have chosen not to wear masks but are not allowed within touching distance of the children. Heartbreaking really.

@rawlikesushi thanks so much for taking the time to write that. It’s a real eye opener and it sounds as though it will be different on so many levels for the children. Visually it sounds as though without displays etc the schools may seem less cheery and welcoming. In addition only being able to play with a small group is a little sad and the teacher having to keep away. I’m assuming they can play with the children and not socially distance within an actual bubble? Or does the bubble itself have to operate on a socially distant basis ?

Why can there not be displays up on the wall? How would bright and cheerful wall coverings be an infection risk?

@worzel my school (as in me) wrote a guide for parents on how it will all work, the routines and what it will look like, as well as what we expect from parents.

We have used the word 'best endeavours' will be made to maintain social distancing.

I genuinely don't understand the displays thing. We are keeping ours up, though obviously resources designed to be handled that might normally be stored in more interactive elements of displays (pockets of words or prompts or stories to read, for example) will not be available in the same way.

We have taken ours down in corridors so the walls can be cleaned more easily as children will be passing through. Displays in classrooms can stay as long as they are not interactive ones.

Walls cleaned?????
I'd settle just for the toilets!

We have two cleaners for a school with 9 classrooms so not over staffed. But both are ex military and incredibly efficient😀

"I’m assuming they can play with the children and not socially distance within an actual bubble?"

They will be 2m apart 'as far as possible'.
Certainly within the school. We will have to be more relaxed on the playground I suspect.

I’ve heard a few parents say they’d love to have the assemblies and end of junior school awards ceremonies take place and have parents allowed to attend. To be honest it doesn’t sound like even with social distancing that this could happen.

worzel our letter to parents (as of last Thursday) said all children will be expected to remain 2m apart. I’m an EYFS teacher and do not overjoyed about how inappropriate it will be for our little ones.

*so not do

our letter to parents (as of last Thursday) said all children will be expected to remain 2m apart.
seriously? our school explicitly said that within the bubble the 2 meters don’t apply (and that it wouldn’t be good for the children as well)

My DD's school have said to nursery and Reception that they do not expect children to socially distance within their bubbles. They accept that is not realistic. They are aiming for bubbles to be under 10. There will be two bubbles in a room but kept separate.