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?

Anyway one good thing to come out of this nasty teacher bashing thread is that I've sent a message to my secondary school saying how can we help and support them during this difficult time. I may not have done that if it hadn't been for the arseholes on this thread. So thank you.

That's a lovely thing to do. It will mean a lot to your school & teachers.

Just seen numbers for today. 31 deaths due to Covid in England. 3 in wales.

Please tell me WHY are we keeping schools only partially open?!!

All deaths sad. But we are crushing kids education for the sake of low numbers of deaths which may have happened anyway. The long term impact of lockdown will make Covid deaths seem a drop in the ocean.....

@pigeon999 can I ask why you are angry with teachers and not aiming your anger at the government?

Please tell me WHY are we keeping schools only partially open?!!

Ask Boris.

But consider this:

Why are numbers now so low?
What would happen if social distancing was suddenly removed?

I’m really struggling to understand it. I’ve read the whole thread but I’m still finding it difficult.

The risks of Covid are low to anyone healthy of working age.

They are incredibly low to children.

The scientific evidence (that the teaching unions lobbied to have released) concluded that reopening schools was not without risk, but it was low risk.

Loss of six months’ education comes with its own risks. To all of us - these are the workforce of tomorrow after all.

No one has a right to a life entirely free from risk anyway. Other people such as firefighters, doctors and nurses, supermarket workers, care workers and police have obviously had to continue working. They’ve simply had to accept a certain level of risk to continue doing their jobs, because their jobs are vital. But education is vital too. It’s a human right. Why is education a vital service when the teaching unions are lobbying for pay rises, but not when GERMS?

@Kokeshi123

Interesting idea about having a holy holiday on the winter rather than the summer - though will never happen of course.

I am desperately hoping schools go back in September as my DD has no place (moved from abroad just before lockdown) and would be absurd to start school in a virtual learning situation. I have found it impossible anyway to get information n provision in local school do even if they have places have no way of comparing them.

I'm convinced however that Boris will scrap the 2m rule long before September -am betting actually will be in the next week or so, and if people are freely mingling in pubs etc this summer there would be no reason not to just go back to school as normal.

No one has a right to a life entirely free from risk anyway. Other people such as firefighters, doctors and nurses, supermarket workers, care workers and police have obviously had to continue working. They’ve simply had to accept a certain level of risk to continue doing their jobs, because their jobs are vital. But education is vital too. It’s a human right. Why is education a vital service when the teaching unions are lobbying for pay rises, but not when GERMS?

Teachers are working. No union I am aware is campaigning not to work. The only people not working in school are those shielding.

We have been told to work in bubbles of 15 and we usually teach in classes of 30. Those constraints come from the government and drive how many children can come back in.

I totally reject the idea that teachers and unions are trying not to work. For example, I have copied below the current guidance from my union (the NEU) about what should happen next. Nothing in it says that teachers should not work!

If people really want to make a difference, they should lobby the government to accept and fund the NEU's recommendations and to announce it early enough for schools to properly plan.

NEU ten-point plan for children and young people

1. Disadvantaged children and young people and their families must be a key priority. They must not become casualties of COVID.

1. Free school meals must continue to be provided over the summer holidays so that disadvantaged children do not go hungry. Holiday hunger was real pre COVID – it will be worse this summer.

1. Local authorities must be funded to make a summer holiday local offer to children and young people. Local authorities should coordinate the planning of summer holiday clubs, particularly in areas of deprivation, so that children and young people have a safe place to go to and positive activities to engage and interest them, and build their confidence for a successful return to school in September. Places for those on Free School Meals should be fully funded by Government.

4. Public buildings, such as libraries and sports halls, civic centres and religious buildings should be used to expand the space available to schools so that social distancing can be achieved, with greater numbers of pupils being educated in non-school settings, if not in schools.

1. Qualified teachers who have left the profession should be encouraged to return to teaching. They will be needed as class sizes will be smaller. This will help all children who have gone through a traumatic time during the crisis, and in particular disadvantaged children who will benefit greatly from lower pupil/teacher ratios.

6.. GCSE and A levels must be changed to provide a fair assessment of young people’s attainment. They cannot be expected to cover all the current syllabus because they have had less teaching time. This could involve a combination of teacher assessment and slimmed down exams, with more choice of questions. Whatever the decisions made, teachers, pupils and their parents need to know that the emergency measures adopted for GCSE and A level exams in 2020 will not be repeated in 2021. Government will need to reassure all those involved that this will be a fair process that will not disadvantage young people and their futures. Primary SATs should not take place because they are mainly a school accountability measure and will not be comparable to previous or subsequent years.

1. Plans must be made for blended learning – pupils learning at school and at home – from September and into the next academic year, with all pupils having both face-to-face contact and remote learning when this is safe. These plans will be needed in case of a second spike or a rise in a local R rate. This must be resourced by government and teachers supported to develop blended learning as has happened in Scotland.

1. Children and young people living in poverty and low- income homes must be given the resources they need to learn at home, including access to books and creative resources, as well as technology. 700 thousand children live in homes without internet access. This must be provided by government so that these children are able to access on-line learning. Free laptops must be provided for children who do not have them so that they are able to access online learning at home.

1. We know childhood poverty and inequality limits life chances and is a significant factor in school achievement. We must not lose a generation because the pandemic makes even more children poor. This requires a ‘can do’ mentality – around unemployment, training and benefits as well as direct support to schools.

10. A national plan for children’s wellbeing should be resourced and launched to support children who suffered trauma in the pandemic and students’ well-being must be placed at the centre of how we adapt education to meet the needs of children and young people.

neu.org.uk/press-releases/coronavirus-national-education-recovery-plan^

I dont really understand people being angry etc. Worried yes, wanting to get back, yes, but much as I hate the word unprecedented it's where we are. This is a pandemic! Nobody is doing any of this to inconvenience people, they're doing it to keep people safe. And we can say chances are low etc, but the only way we find out someone's not safe is 1 person ending up in hospital, and that could be anyone. The underlying thing is a load of rubbish anyway, most people only find out they've an underlying health issue when it seriously affects them, tons of us could have illnesses we'll never know about until they're ticking it off on a death cert and people are discounting us as being important

@doubledecker - every single one of those points sounds sensible and well thought out to me. Not a single one of them sounds like a Union not wanting teachers to work. The complete opposite. Now to get the government to fund it...

This thread is full of hysterical Helen Lovejoy's.

I dont really understand people being angry

I’m angry because in all of this children are not being prioritised by government. Largely because they don’t vote.

Re the unions they have calmed down now, a few weeks ago they were completely out of order and weren’t helping the situation.

This thread is full of hysterical Helen Lovejoy's.

Oh do jog on, people have the right to opinions and to advocate for their children/ staff safety.

Schools were quick to close imo and will be slow to open

At DD's school the children just stopped coming. In the week before lock down Dd went in on the Monday to only half the class being there, by the Wednesday there were only six children in her class. I took her out at that point as I was scared she'd be the only one still going by the Friday. I see a lot of complaining about schools closing on MN but they just did as they were told and they were running out of kids to actually teach!

My friend's DD's secondary has been given a date to return - first week of September. Nothing from DD's school as yet...

Four weeks till end of academic year. Hopefully that will help focus things for September.

I’m angry because in all of this children are not being prioritised by government. Largely because they don’t vote.

it's funny, people only focus on teachers and parents, not so much on the kids... As if closing the schools was merely a convenience for the teachers.

You have completely misunderstood my comment. I am talking generally about the lockdown, not just about schools.

@nosnugglesforyou do we live either side of the same teacher?
The one next to me has been trotting between her home and her fellas the whole time. Securing cheap deals for herself by using the excuse that it's for the children of key workers (talks loudly on the phone outside). Then acts like miss prim. 🤔🙄
I'm well aware that there are some awesome teachers out there too though. Fortunate that my dcs school has an extremely dedicated head.

The one next to me has been trotting between her home and her fellas the whole time. Securing cheap deals for herself by using the excuse that it's for the children of key workers (talks loudly on the phone outside). Then acts like miss prim

Fascinating. Exactly what has this teacher been getting “cheap deals” on?

I’m fascinated too... what have I been missing out on?!?

@Italiandreams

I’m fascinated too... what have I been missing out on?!?

Nothing because it didn't happen.

Jackanory, Jackanory, Jackanory.

My bet is on Paperchase.

Milton, hopefully

I agree twinklelittlestar1, all the people blithely declaring that we should abandon social distancing in schools seem quite happy to play Russian roulette with the lives and the health of others. Everyone is entitled to a safe working environment. Of course you cannot eliminate all risk but it is madness to not take sensible precautions when you can.

Just seen numbers for today. 31 deaths due to Covid in England. 3 in wales

Weekend figures are always low, because the admin staff who process the bulk of the notifications aren't at work. That's why the 7-day rolling average is a better indicator of how quickly the infection rate is falling.

A lot of the weekend deaths won't appear in the figures till Tuesday.

2m is still the safest way

www.theguardian.com/science/2020/jun/14/scientists-report-flaws-in-who-study-on-two-metre-distancing?CMP=fb_gu&utm_medium=Social&utm_source=Facebook&fbclid=IwAR1aXo47ZYTM7ottTQwqVk-TPjuq51RZPa3T89n7aRORtvnumP-djUD6jMo#Echobox=1592148689