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?

www.change.org/BacktoSchoolNow

Please sign!

Muffey

The funniest thing about those that have these backwards views is that they are the same ones that claim schools aren't forward thinking.

@Teateaandmoretea

Really time you stopped digging before you look even more foolish.

At least the other petition had nearly 5000 signatures.

Lad is that your petition?

It’s not very good.

The 'solution' to your petition is to
scrap all safety measures, fling the doors open and shove kids in. Ironic that you use the word safeguarding when you're proposing none.

@FrippEnos ain't that the truth.

I'm talking to the poster. I can't see how everything is expected to be back to normal by September! I'm a mother of 2, and until the death rate is 0, there is no way I am sending my children back to school.

I also provided an NEU email from March 31st further back in the thread. It again shows early cooperation and a will to be flexible (especially as it is talking about volunteering in the Easter holidays which teachers are not paid for).

Copying it again in case tea missed it.

"NEU does strongly urge teachers to volunteer if you can, both at their school and with XXX (local council). Previous teachers have fought and won the rights we are now benefiting from i.e. full pay not counted as sickness if you have an infectious or contagious disease. Our Sisters and Brothers who are key workers need us if they are to feed and keep us all safe."

Tabeymumz
How do we know it will be safe eventually? There is no vaccine and there might never be.
Anyone can be a carrier but so what? I don't see NHS staff, carers and retail staff refusing to work.
Children have not been treated well. I assume that is a piss take. Teachers setting work on line and refusing to mark it or give feedback isn't educating them. You honestly think children taking important exams next year are being treated well. No they are loosing out. Some of them will be okay but most will do badly because they've missed a huge chunk of schooling. Some have had hardly any work and working alone isn't like having support. That's before you even think about mental health.
And as we can according to you go for at least 3 months without school we might as well just keep them at home forever

There are so many issues with this. Whether we like it or not the population has grown and that includes the vast numbers of children. The numbers some years have meant a number of schools have had to take double the intake. They are bursting at the seams already! Where you think extra room and staffing will come from (and paid for by...?) I have no idea. As usual there are lots of experts, please help us out OP

Look, I don't think this is all great for children. I am sure most teachers do not. That is why the NEU union has a plan for what needs to happen to ensure safety and catch up and looking after mental health.

I think it is quite right to be angry but for anger to be helpful, it needs to be directed in the right place - in this case, the government. Without their planning, funding and decision-making, schools and teachers are stuck.

@formerbabe

Wow... so grandparents can die just as long as you get your childcare? Nice

I don't need childcare...I'm a,sahm. Wow, imagine how quickly society can change like this and parents are seen as unreasonable for wanting their kids to go to school...truly bizarre

Wasn’t replying to you formerbabe but do you think it’s ok for people, even old people, to die so kids can go to school? Everybody wants kids back in school, I am desperate to get my class back in, but we simply can’t do it. And, sorry, yes ... for many on here, although they will talk about vulnerable children, disadvantaged children, mental health etc what they really want is childcare.

I am shocked by the number of people who seemingly would prefer to shut down schools full stop. Our children’s present and future are safeguarded by having them back at school learning, socialising. Thankfully many Scottish parents on one of the other threads see sense and slate Nicola Sturgeon for keeping schools closed.

I can't see how everything is expected to be back to normal by September! I'm a mother of 2, and until the death rate is 0, there is no way I am sending my children back to school.

There are many many parents who feel this way. What was the uptake for school places on 1st June? Half? Less than half? I speak to 60 parents a week on the phone and so I have an insight into how the public are feeling about this and I can tell you that there is fear and uncertainty among most (I said earlier only 1/10 have chosen to send them in) parents want some confidence and while there are some who want to send them back, many many many will just not comply unless they have some confidence on proposals set out by the government. So you can shout for schools to reopen fully with no social distancing or safety measures because they're convenient but you should know that there are many who are also fighting for schools to go back, but in safest way possible. Surely that should be the shared aim for us all?

@JimmyGrimble

I think vulnerable or very elderly people should shield if they wish. Do I think removing children from school to slightly prolong the lives of people aged 85+ is proportionate? No I don't.

Thousands of elderly people die from flu every year, yes there's a vaccine but it doesn't cover all strains and deaths still happen.

I perhaps see death slightly differently to many on here. I don't understand the desire to prolong life at all costs. Nor do I see the deaths of very elderly people as a preventable tragedy but more a fact of life.

I am shocked by the number of people who seemingly would prefer to shut down schools full stop.

I'm shocked too, where are these posts? because I must've missed them. Can you point them out so we can be shocked together?

I'm a mother of 2, and until the death rate is 0, there is no way I am sending my children back to school

Until the death rate from road traffic accidents is 0, I won't put myself or my dc in a car. Sound sensible?

*I think vulnerable or very elderly people should shield if they wish. Do I think removing children from school to slightly prolong the lives of people aged 85+ is proportionate? No I don't.

Thousands of elderly people die from flu every year, yes there's a vaccine but it doesn't cover all strains and deaths still happen.*

While this is true, it's ugly that this is your attitude and ever more sad that you would write it down as an argument.

I said it on another thread, but I believe we are being groomed to view free, full time education as the exception rather than the rule.

Already parents are being called entitled or just after free childcare for wanting their children to go to school.

It's terrifying.

Thankfully many Scottish parents on one of the other threads see sense and slate Nicola Sturgeon for keeping schools closed.

This just smacks of you're damned if you do and damned if you don't. Clearly opinion is hugely split on what is a contentious issue. Kids are definitely suffering but there are still so many unknowns with this virus to let our guard down yet.

but the unions haven’t always been positive in this

@Teateaandmoretea, the function of a union is to protect their members' interests, not to assist the employer in the delivery of a service. That's what their members pay them for, if the teaching unions were in business of delivering education, the LEA or DfE would be paying them instead.

The way I see it, would you send your child to school if the class had chicken pox? Swine flu? Impetigo? No. I'm a nurse. Don't argue.

Also, unions haven't told teachers not to mark work, as stated upthread - we can't bloody mark because the Dfe guidance says there must not be any shared resources/equipment. Unions have clarified the obvious point that this means no marking.

I am shocked by the number of people who seemingly would prefer to shut down schools full stop.

What? Are you reading a different thread to the rest of us?