To think the idea that schools won’t be back full time by September is an absolute disgrace?

[LovingLivingInLockdown]

The government and teaching unions need to pull their fingers out. There should be no excuses.

The effects of 6 months out of school is going to be damaging enough, both educationally and mentally for hundreds of thousands of children. Not to mention the unnoticed abuse and neglect.

Teachers should be wearing PPE with spit screens if they are vulnerable and this should be being organised now. Temporary classrooms should be being built in playgrounds and school fields. Random testing routines in all schools should be being devised as well as guidelines regarding children’s contact with others outside of school and home. Whatever it takes, it must be done.

Our society expects parents to work while their DC are at school and if they want to get the economy moving again, schools being back by September should be non negotiable surely?

[LEELULUMPKIN]

And how do you suppose SEN schools should "pull their fingers out?" OP? My DS 15 needs help with feeding and personal care, what is your solution there?

Don't get me wrong, I am desperate for him to return as much as anyone but not by putting his amazing teachers and TA's at risk.

[Sunnydays123456]

Totally agree op

[Duckfinger]

@LavenderLilacTree

No. What would be a disgrace would be endangering people's lives and safety due to COVID.
The schools should go back when it's safe. Death is. Death OP and just because someone is older or has underlying health conditions doesn't mean it's ok if they die.
The children will catch up on their education. Mental health can be treated and finances can recover. You cannot undo or recover from death.

Life is never safe. If you are waiting for 100% safe you will be waiting a long time.
You could catch any one of thousands of infections.
You could slip getting out of the shower and bang your head and be gone.
You could walk out of your driveway and get hit by a car.
Life is never safe. It would be a miserable existence indeed if we never did anything for fear of an early death.

[Witchend]

Teachers should be wearing PPE with spit screens if they are vulnerable and this should be being organised now. Temporary classrooms should be being built in playgrounds and school fields. Random testing routines in all schools should be being devised as well as guidelines regarding children’s contact with others outside of school and home

I think that could be far more traumatic for a good number of children. The test isn't exactly pleasant (ds who has a fairly good tolerance of medical procedures vomited afterwards). And having the teachers in PPE would be scary for younger ones.

They're also not going to be able to insist that everyone goes back because some children will have to continue shielding, and I'll put bets that a fair number of children with chaotic home lives will be among those who are kept at home.

[MrsProfessor]

Victorian buildings aren't stopping independent schools from re-opening. It seems to me that every excuse in the book is being wheeled out to prevent state schools from re-opening. It is an absolute disgrace.

[matchboxtwentyunwell]

@LavenderLilacTree so over 50% of those who’ve died have been over 85. Only 350 under 45. You think we should surrender our children’s education and wellbeing to keep people alive another couple of years?

So talk to me about the 49.5% or so between 45 and 85 who have died. I imagine many of them had more than 'a couple of years' to live were it not for covid.

[SinisterBumFacedCat]

Life is never safe. It would be a miserable existence indeed if we never did anything for fear of an early death

If keeping my child off school prevents someone’s needless and horrible death then I’m in. Sending my DS to school didn’t give a teacher cancer, or a dinner lady dementia. But spreading a deadly virus to vulnerable staff, students and their relatives? It’s unnecessary and right now believe it or not we are still in lockdown.

[MadameMeursault]

Build temporary classrooms? Ok I guess that’s just about possible by September. But who are going to be the teachers in these classrooms? Should we get the existing teachers and clone them? FFS OP

[kateandme]

you do know kids(besides abuse and neglected)are off school for much longer and for many varied reasons.for illnesses or other reasons.and what they are ALAWAYS told is they will catch up.e.g when kids are off for cancer for years!they are always told their health is more important they will catch up and be fine, and they can do so much with their education when they get back.dont lose hope ,dont think they will be behind.that hope carries them through some treatments.and here we are thinking kids wont be allright after these months?think what your projecting...

[flumposie]

The unions have not prevented anything. Schools that were able to reopen to more children have. The mess is partly to do with the lack of funding for schools and schools that are bursting at the seams. I'm still waiting for an English suite to appear that was mentioned at an interview in 2002! I've taught English A level classes in cramped music rooms and science labs. The other alternative was the sports hall. This is what happens when classes of 30 plus have to be halved etc. Blame the government.

[Sally872]

Sept is a while away. Either we will be much further forward and won't be a problem to open with social distancing/hand washing.

Or we will be further back into another lockdown if so they won't be back.

I am hopeful they will be back, if not it is because it is not safe.

[LaurieFairyCake]

MrsProfessor

Yes, the independent primary I work in can do it - small school, plenty of money/space to put portacabins in the grounds - large school hall/drama room, very few BAME students/teachers.

Dh's state secondary - nope. Entirely different community, 1500 pupils, hugely overcrowded, large BAME community as I said

[EnlightenedOwl]

Everyone should be back to normal ...now

[OverTheRainbowLiesOz]

Victorian buildings aren't stopping independent schools from re-opening. It seems to me that every excuse in the book is being wheeled out to prevent state schools from re-opening. It is an absolute disgrace.

Each school is different but generally private schools have much smaller class sizes and much more space. It is the government's social distancing rule which is stopping schools reopening - unless there is a magic fairy wand which can magic up new buildings and teachers.

[wanderings]

Here's what I am guessing is going on: I suspect it's likely they will be back in September, come what may, but the government are not going to tell us that. They're keeping tabs on the public mood: at the moment they're still listening to the crowd who are baying "we're all going to die, I won't send my children back until Boris can guarantee their immortality". (Because the government are monitoring our mood, this is why I think we should be letting them know we are angry about so many restrictions still being in place, especially schools, instead of meekly doing as we're told.)

The Government are most likely hinting they might not be back in September to keep us on our toes, and also in case they need to say "we told you so". If they haven't done so already by then (and I really hope this happens long before then), they'll probably scrap social distancing just in time for September, whatever the "science" might be; they don't want to be dealing with the backlash of schools not being back.

I'm sure it was just a token gesture to say they'd reopen fully in June, so they can say later "we tried to open them in June, but were stymied by the unions" - both the government and the unions knew this was impossible with social distancing, so both sides are playing for time until the end of this term.

[wasgoingmadinthecountry]

I'm in a small school (over 50 and asthmatic but in on the rota,no moaning).

We have 3 classrooms, 3 teachers. Mixed year groups. Kids just won't fit. Where should we put them and who should we get to look after them? We have absolutely zilch extra cash.

All fabulous ideas gratefully received because we really do believe the children should be back at school.

[flumposie]

@MrsProfessor independent schools have classes of around 15. State schools have double that on average. That's the difference.

[NameChange84]

Yawn.

Here we go again .

[Homemadeandfromscratch]

Temporary classrooms should be being built in playgrounds and school fields.

😂 yes, let's! Why don't we?
Any more ridiculous idea OP?

[SallyLovesCheese]

@MrsProfessor

Victorian buildings aren't stopping independent schools from re-opening. It seems to me that every excuse in the book is being wheeled out to prevent state schools from re-opening. It is an absolute disgrace.

You know independent schools have smaller classes and more money for technology, extra staff etc.? And that the state schools are crowded and poorly funded/equipped?

Or do you think that all state schools are swimming in extra cash and space that we're hiding from the general public so we don't have to go back to work?

[Drag0nflye]

How do you expect schools to quadruple their available space and quadruple the number of teachers and source PPE when there’s barely enough money in most state schools for heating or spare pencils? Where do you expect the money to come from?! A massive Tombola?! Unions don’t fund schools, governments do.

[winewolfhowls]

Victorian era schools probably have bigger classrooms, all the new builds have either shoebox classrooms at secondary or those open plan atrium spaces with terrible acoustics. Neither useful learning areas for social distancing.

I don't think people realise firstly how underfunded schools are, like cant pay for coloured pencils poor, and secondly the poor behaviour of many kids who couldn't be trusted to social distance.

[bendmeoverbackwards]

@wasgoingmadinthecountry divide them into 3 groups and each group attends school on a rota basis. Each group can be further split between the 3 classrooms to observe social distancing rules. Each child will only be in school for a few days a week but that's heaps better than nothing at all.

[AllTheWhoresOfMalta]

The large state primary I’m a governor at has 32 “spaces” (not classrooms, but literally any space) that can be taught in. But they have four forms of entry over seven years and 60 kids in the nursery. That’s over 900 kids. To teach them in bubbles of no more than 15 they need 60 separate spaces in which to teach them (and 60 teachers when there are only about 40). The school is also in deficit. This is far from unusual (in fact, not a single primary in our London borough isn’t in deficit budget this year). So what do you suggest we do? Ask parents to bring in any tents they might have and pitch those on the (very small) field and staff the tents with volunteers (who’ll pay for their own DBS check)?

It’s not the schools and teachers that don’t want to be open, it’s the social distancing rules that mean they can’t!

And as for the poster above saying her neighbour the primary school teacher was clearly fucking loving this because she’s always out in her garden with music on... I’m a teacher, I’m always in my garden with the radio on too, but I’m not sunbathing as seems to be the implication. In fact, generally I’m on my laptop doing online work and when I’m not it’s to bloody well sooth my shredded nerves from being so bloody anxious about my work, my kids and the bloody state of this government.

[cathcath2]

The schools are not accepting more students back because there is simply not the space to socially distance if all are in. Our school can accommodate just under half if the 2m rule stays. And yes, before anyone asks, that is including using the hall (and any other space they can stick pupils)!