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?

[AlwaysCheddar]

But when you’ve got teachers who are going nothing to educate kids, why should we not be annoyed. Sending out printed worksheets takes minutes. It’s lazy. I agree not all schools are like this but some are. Why are private schools teaching online all day every day when some state schools, all secondary, doing nothing. Zero face to face, zero calls.

[GalesThisMorning]

@Spinakker

I think for the families who want to send their children to school they should be able to and teachers who don't want to teach replaced with people who can. I do understand people who need to shield etc but for healthy families willing to take a risk for their child's education there should be an option.

What do you mean by teachers who don't want to teach? Not those who need to stay out of the classroom due to health risks I presume? I do agree with you that any teacher who no longer wants to teach should leave the profession. I think many do, every year.

I think as long as returning to school is seen as 'taking a risk' it won't happen in the way we want and expect schools to run. I hope we can get the numbers of infection low enough, coupled with effective track and trace systems, to open schools for everyone. Otherwise we need to be very careful to define the risk. It is unlikely to be a risk to our children. But is it a risk to the community at large? And if so do we have the right to take that risk?

We can get the infection levels down. Other countries have. That's where we should be focusing our energy rather than trying to persuade people that there is an acceptable level of risk (which means an acceptable number of deaths).

[Changerlenom]

Regarding the last few weeks of this current term, apparently government guidelines have quietly changed for primary aged pupils. A week ago schools were encouraged to bring back pupils from other year groups (in addition to R, 1, 6) if it could be done safely. My child’s school has adequate space and staff to accommodate children from school years 2-5 and had made full preparations to do that with risk assessments approved by insurers. In the last couple of days the Department for Education have stated that only Reception, year 1 and 6, plus key worker and vulnerable children are permitted back at school, so many of our children remain at home needlessly while school leadership are frustrated that their hard work has been wasted.

[Newjez]

[quote nosnugglesforyou]@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?[/quote]
So, @nosnugglesforyou, what percentage of our people over 85 are you happy to kill just so our kids don't miss out on a bit of education, (which they will easily catch up on)

[Newjez]

@starrynight19

So what does a finger pulled out look like exactly ??

I'm worried that if Dominic pulls his finger out of Boris, Boris will deflate.

[Tipsylizard]

I fear the unintended consequence will be with us for generations : BBC News - Coronavirus: Child psychologists highlight mental health risks of lockdown
www.bbc.co.uk/news/health-53037702

[Alanna1]

I think parents should start fundraising. For many schools the issue is also lack of teachers for bubbles of 15. And lack of IT/dongles.

[feelingfragile]

The idea of retired teachers isn't a bad one actually. In the health sector, retired and previously registered nurses were asked to rejoin the register and did in droves. Nearly qualified HCPs were given temporary registration in order to support the work force.

This is part of the recovery plan and actually it sounds like something like that would be helpful. Obviously there's still the challenge of space but maybe some sort of system where not everyone is in at the same time. From what I hear, people are saying that they need twice the space in order to teach safely. So maybe the kids do half a day at school and half at home, in the home half day the teaching is supported online by those returning or new to practice?

The cleaning which needs to be done between shifts and the transport to and from in a socially distant way can be done by all the goady fuckers who are so desperate for their kids to go back to school and think they're superior. I'm sure they won't mind, given that they're so desperate for their kids to go back to school. It'll keep them busy so they can have something to distract them from their nasty thoughts.

[JacobReesMogadishu]

I agree. I work in a university and we won’t be back in sept/Oct. been told jan 2021 at the earliest for face to face stuff.

Schools need to be sorting out mobile classrooms now.....well the govt do as they will have to pay for it? Who will staff the classroom? TAs? Random dbs checked people they can employ to “babysit” and the kids do work set by a teacher. Maybe the qualified teacher swaps with the TA on alternate days so each classroom gets the qualified teacher every other day? I know it sounds awful but what else is there to do? I suspect the distance will have been dropped to 1m by Sept but that still won’t be enough to fit all kids in most classrooms.

[feelingfragile]

Oh and obviously the government will need to come up with the funds to pay the extra staff. Unless the GFs are happy to pay for that. I assume they'll do the cleaning and transport for free while all the teachers go to the pub

[pigeon999]

Just relax op it is going to be fine.

The 2m rule is just about to be dropped (look at headlines today) and when it is schools and restaurants etc will find it far easier to operate.

By the time we get to the end of August/early September there will be virtually no covid cases anyway. There will be no reason to keep schools closed. This is a short term reprieve admittedly, if we look at the modelling, but we will be back in the autumn.

[Kokeshi123]

what percentage of our people over 85 are you happy to kill just so our kids don't miss out on a bit of education, (which they will easily catch up on)

Serious question but would you be OK with shifting all school holidays to be held in flu season (every year, not just this year)?

So, cancelling summer vacation and other long breaks like spring break and having a long winter vacation during flu season every year.

There is actually no question that this would prolong the lives of many elderly by a year or two. I actually saw someone on Twitter proposing that we do just this every year as standard, to reduce flu deaths among the elderly.

Of course, it would mean either that neither kids nor teachers would be able to take holidays during the sunny months of the year when it's pleasant to take trips and have barbecues and go camping and so on, and we'd instead be taking our "holiday" when it's cold, damp, miserable with few hours of daylight.

If you wouldn't be OK with this, you also need to tell us how many elderly people you are currently happy to kill so that we can all enjoy having holidays during the warm and pleasant parts of the year.

[lurch3r]

The one positive for all this is that after lockdown the teacher recruitment and retention crisis will clearly be solved within the year. The secret has finally been exposed that primary teaching is piss-easy, overpaid and mostly holidays. I expect hoards of other professionals to down tools and sign up for PGCE pronto. Then, if there's another situation like this, you guys can just join us in our gardens drinking Pimm's and going for lovely walks.

[loulouljh]

Of course they should be make. It is a national disgrace and embarrassment. Although as suggested above if doing work sheets at home constitutes an education then I am even more scathing of teachers now than before! Of course there are good teachers who go the extra mile though....

Two children have died. Two. Of course that a tragedy but sadly children die every day. That's a sad fact of life.

[Angiefernackerpan]

I'm a TA in a state primary. Even during school closure I and all my colleagues were working from home (cpd courses, planning etc) and going in to school on a rota to look after keyworker DC.

Now we have nursery, reception, Y1 and Y6 back. There is no ppe, we had to all bring in bottles so every bubble could have disinfectant and hand sanitiser. We all donated pillow cases to make into wet bags to wash cleaning cloths.

Half my day is spent cleaning the classroom and toilets (at least 3 times), disinfecting equipment such as Ipads/laptops. I am happy to do it, we are all pitching in.

I am so fed up with ignorant people banging on about school staff being lazy bastards or making things difficult or refusing to "open schools" (we've never been fully shut!).

We can't magic up extra rooms or extra staff.

[Ethelfleda]

Haven’t RTFT but I do agree, OP.

Infection rates are not ‘still so high’
Estimates are one 1:1700
Come September, they’ll be virtually zero.
I think if we see no discernible ‘spike in cases’ after all the protests and primary children returning... coupled with the 2m rule being scrapped - there will be no excuse for keeping schools closed for that long.

Let me stress that this is only my opinion though, and I am not an expert

[UncomfortableSilence]

There isn't the money to do all that.

We even had to provide the school.with empty pump soap dispensers so they had enough for everyone.

I work in school finance, every school is able to claim back, up to a set amount, any additional outlay they have incurred due to COVID. So all the hand sanitiser, wipes, tissues, aprons, hand soap and pumps, non contact thermometers, additional outdoor hand wash basins and much more I have ordered we will get back. Schools must utilise this money, speak to your Business/Finance manager they must be aware.

[pigeon999]

angie When they remove the 2m rule this should solve the problem. Yes everything will still need to be clean, but that should be the case in any environment, we all have extra cleaning to do now regardless of profession.

[Kokeshi123]

(I agree with others upthread---COVID19 cases will probably have declined a lot by September. Probably. It's hard to make predictions with this virus!)

[TabbyMumz]

I dont want my kids back at school till it's much safer. I dont understand why so many parents seem to want to put their kids at risk.

[AlwaysCheddar]

But where’s the risk??

[Livelovebehappy]

Parents are also driving this reluctance to return their DCs to school. I’ve heard so many saying they want to keep DCs at home. Currently it’s a deadlock situation with union, teachers and parents.

[TabbyMumz]

Why on earth do you want to send your kids back? Round me if people see a group of kids out, it's all over fb, saying how bad the parents are, but on the flip side, people want them in school, mixing with hundreds?

[TabbyMumz]

Arent you worried they might catch covid?