Scottish Govt saying PT home schooling is likely for the full school year

[YeahWhatevver]

Scottish Govt is saying that blended learning (part time in school, part time home schooling) is likely to be in place for the full academic year.

Honestly, if I'm trying to juggle work and teaching 2 primary kids this time next year I'm going to have a nervous breakdown.

Funnily enough, UK govt at pains to reassure people that it's safe to start shopping on Monday, if its safe enough to shop, how isn't it safe enough to open schools?

If something leads to an outbreak and people die or have long term health issues as a result, then it's not so clear cut is it

Why would it if people stand 2m (or even 1m) apart and refrain from licking their own hands!

Jesus Christ on a bike how fucking hard is it? If I was a head teacher I'd make it pretty damn clear that anyone not social distancing in my playground would need to immediately leave.

The gps having their dgcs with them for two days aren't at as much risk for that as they would be in the playground with 400 (or whatever school population is) adults

Three days. And presumably they'd be picking them up the other two days anyway? Also the grandparents could engage their brains and stand 2m away from others couldn't they?

Good thing nobody's saying that then?

That is literally exactly what's just been said.

Is it worth it? Well I suppose that depends how much you care about your child's education doesn't it.

Good thing nobody's saying that then?

You appear to be saying that working out drop-off and pickup could be a reason to not reopen schools? Sorry if I've misread you, it's been a stressful day all round.

When they pick them up on the other two days there will only be 30-50% of the normal cohort, so a similarly reduced number of adults. There is no perfect answer. I don't think waving goodbye to social distancing in schools before this is happening in shops, workplaces, parks etc is safe or sensible. Let's hope the rules for everyone change before too long.

Most of the SNPs support will come from those who have been at home on full pay but not working or those who were SAHPs already.

Either these parents had the time to devote to home schooling or didn't bother their arses.

While the rest of us who have to either go into work or WFH are struggling.

But the whole point is that there is no proactive thinking. No extra money being put in a pot to allow heads or council to be innovative with buying in barriers to separate playgrounds, or temporary classrooms, or rent the scout hall along the road on a thursday or re-hire someone who retired at Easter. The schools are pretty much being given no information and no guidance so it's hardly surprising that they're struggling.

Add in the issues such as schools in remote areas having children weekly boarding and it's impossible to come up with a coordinated approach for the whole of scotland.

But that's getting away from the core point which is that infection rates in Scotland are right down. Deaths per week of all causes is pretty much back to where you'd expect. No deaths of any children under 14 in Scotland. Huge capacity in testing and a very quick turnaround time. Test and trace up and running.

There is just NO reason for planning for part time school as the default position.

Just the next move in Sturgeon wrecking the Scottish economy.

Trust "literally" and "exactly" must mean different things to you, as I have not heard let's scrap education come out of the mouth of any politician/headteacher etc.

We all want the same things here - dc to be educated and everyone to be safe. The way you want this to happen will depend on how safe or otherwise you view schools to be.

so when workers lose their jobs at the end of furlough, if not before, or because they don't have childcare, it'll be Boris' fault.

that's why Nicola is proposing furlough extension up to 2 years and extending blended learning for a year.

She's playing a game here

I don't think waving goodbye to social distancing in schools before this is happening in shops, workplaces, parks etc is safe or sensible

I think it's entirely sensible to get rid of social distancing between young children. They are the ones who suffer the least with Corona.

They are also the ones who suffer the most from social distancing itself.

It's worth adults having to piss arse around social distancing if kids get an education, imo.

I agree Sock they need money to implement more imaginative changes, and if they don't have that they have to make plans within current restrictions. Swinney avoided the money question today didn't he?

We all want the same things here - dc to be educated and everyone to be safe

No. Anyone who wants 10hrs a week schooling does not want DC to be educated. One third educated perhaps.

Define safe? Schools have never been safe. They never will be safe. Schools don't get closed for other childhood diseases which kill children.

www.travellingtabby.com/scotland-coronavirus-tracker/

And before people start with - oh but that's because we've been in LOCKDOWN, that's the only reason we have fewer cases, another spike coming, second wave...

No. Because the numbers are very low and community transmission even lower. Anyone who has symptoms can get a test - not just patients, or keyworkers, or care home residents. If you're positive - and 98.3% of tests yesterday were negative - the test and trace system will contact your contacts to halt the spread further.

Our numbers are SO small that it's all manageable.

I pray this is just chatter and hearsay and that it’ll all be ok by the end of the year.

My daughter is due to start P1 this year and the main reason we lived from Surrey to my home in Scotland is education.

Between the Currivulum for Excellence and this I’m regretting that now.

Nicola can plan furlough extension till the cows come home. Won't happen because it's a UK government scheme and she doesn't have the money to pay for one of her own.

I'll be voting SNP. I'm somewhere in the middle of the school stuff, and I very definitely do not see any reason to stay tied to that absolute shambles in Westminster.

I think they have to consider long-term plans, and even if it is what they plan for, it doesn’t mean that’s exactly what will happen.

@nextslideplease she’s asking for furlough for 2 years?!? I missed that. What a brass neck!

I live in Scotland work for an English company, I’ve been told there is no chance of furlough beyond the end of June. I can’t wfh. Neither can DH, grandparents are not an option for us, so basically, I won’t have a job end of June because they will just get someone in who doesn’t have kids.

Employers to be “flexible and sympathetic” according to Nicola? Well my English employers have been neither.

I teach SEN there is no way my children will understand social distancing, they need help with most aspects of personal care and using PPE will upset them. I’ve set out the tables and their individual work boxes as I’ve been told to for August though. My children and their families need the routine of 5 days of school.

Grandparents are not an option for a lot of people they never were for us.

@sweetkitty for many children their 5 days at school is the only sanctuary they have.

No one will convince me that all these vulnerable children have been in hubs all this time.

A large number of them will now just disappear down a rabbit hole of neglect and abuse and the authorities will struggle to keep tabs on them or get them back into any meaningful routine.

This is especially pertinent in Scotland where huge numbers of children live in deprivation.

It's not 10 hours in secondary- it's 15. 3/5ths is better than many thought it might be. For S5/6 pupils this means 3 hours of each subject at school and 2 hours at home. My son is sitting 5 Highers, of course we are concerned but the school have been excellent at home learning so imagine the blended will be just as good.

Do you not think that women will be the ones to be made redundant so they can be sahm's. Conservatives have usually gone for this, they don't like women working.

@nothingcomestonothing I hope they are prepared to lose a ton of nurses/female drs etc as well then unless plans are out in place for nhs workers etc to access care.