Disappointed secondary schools are reopening

[wovengrass]

I'm hoping for a sensible exchange of ideas on this.
I understand the importance of children missing out on learning, but I can't help but feel that a full reopening of all secondary schools in the UK at the same time is madness.
I strongly feel that it would have been better to spend time/money on making home learning a realistic and standardised solution, as well as putting plans in place for the children that need further support. That way if any future outbreaks happen we aren't just hoping for the best and blindly following this idea that "schools must be the last place to close no matter what."

I also can't get my head around the logistics, locally. The local secondary that my nephew attends (there are several large ones near to me) has over 1000 students, many rely on public transport to get there. With reduced space on transport due to social distancing, I wonder how children will actually all make it to school on time? Many schools are also not allowing children who are late to enter, to avoid the crossing of year group bubbles.

Throw also into the mix that many adult will be relying on the same transport to return to work. I'm genuinely wondering how on earth it is realistic?

I think primary and nursery schools are a different thing entirely, and obviously childcare is a factor then also. But putting 1000 teenagers/young adults + teacher staff into a building with no masks and no country-wide home learning plan if things go wrong, seems absolutely nuts to me.

Just wondering what others think about this?

I really hope they can go back and stay back but there does need to be a plan B. Hopefully pubs etc will close before secondary schools have to.

Scottish schools are opening first.
Where I live there is a case rate of 3 per 100,000.
It doesn't justify keeping schools closed.

My DD's learning and MH might never recover from he lockdown. The sooner she has direct access to her teachers the better.

It’s the lack of a Plan B that is concerning

Completely agree with you OP. It’s a recipe for disaster.

@TeenPlusTwenties I totally get that, but do you not wonder what will happen if another outbreak occurs and there is no back up plan for learning at home for all children, across the UK? Then your child will miss even more teaching time. (No being difficult, just genuinely wondering)

Both of mine are high school age (one 6 form and one going into year 10), I think it’s important they are back, neither of mine are learning from home, both have ASD, both have struggled with not being at school and both are looking forward to being back. Of course we are all worried about what may happen and future closures but I feel they need to be back in education, not all kids can learn at home.

So home school your children then. I do not understand this need that some have to not only decide what is best for their children, but for all other children.

Kids have bourne the brunt of this god awful situation so far. They 100% should be in school from September onwards. If that makes people uncomfortable then the option to home school has always been there and should be used.

God no. My dd is desperate to go back. She worked so hard the first year of year 7 to get from the bottom class in maths and we fear she’s fell back down.

Haven’t 2 schools already closed in Scotland due to COVID and some in Berlin and they have only just opened. I assume people have brought the virus into the school rather than catching it there but I assume they have probably spread it now without social distancing.

I completely agree with you op.

The government doesn’t want to get the blame for not reopening schools. So they will reopen them even though they are aware of the issues, schools will end up closing again, and the government can shrug and blame the school or the LEA for the decision to close.

YABU. It’s disproportionate to keep schools shut.

And “home learning” isn’t really a thing for most children. And parents need to work.

Schools are essential, like medical care and grocery shops.

YABU.

How many children at school do you have op ?

@Glamazoni

The government doesn’t want to get the blame for not reopening schools. So they will reopen them even though they are aware of the issues, schools will end up closing again, and the government can shrug and blame the school or the LEA for the decision to close.

Yep! They e already released this guidance!

Schools are opening nationally. My concern is it's going to bring a national divide.

My area has had 2 cases in 2 weeks. Population of 120k. Currently risks are low.

They have a chance of staying low atm as on the whole it appears the guidance is being followed re masks and SD etc.

It's not just the opening that's a concern but I do have concerns about the plan to ensure equality of education for all when there's no equality of Covid distribution in the U.K.

@WouldBeGood That is exactly my point. The focus should have been put on adapting home learning to make it standardised across England, not just every school or local council scrambling to put things in place in the event of a need to close again.

I find it baffling that we have adapted the way in which we access different services during lockdown, even non-essential things, yet we haven't really made any solid plans to adapt the way that children access a vital service, which means that again they might end up missing out.

Take your child out and homeschool them. I for one am happy schools are back.
Life has to go on, we have stood still long enough. We really need to learn to live with it, like we do with every thing else.

Older teens are approaching adult patterns of the disease.

They don't need childcare, but if they are sent home because they are confirmed close contacts or their bubble has burst, then there is a reasonable chance they could also have contracted it, which Prius the whole household in isolation if they become symptomatic. That is likely to be disruptive.

I don't have a better solution than to try it, with best hygiene possible (and possibly masks).

What about working parents? How is it supposed to work for them?

@SexTrainGlue I suppose that also brings the question of how will that bubble learn for 10 days, while they isolate from home.

YABU to want to fuck over the next generation- if there’s another outbreak close everything and anything else but not schools. Socially,
Mentally as well as from an education perspective children need school. The virus will not disappear, kids can’t stay off inevitably. Home educating maybe mildly possible for a 6 yr old, are you equipped to teach gcse Spanish? Sociology? IT coding?

I desperately want them to be open but not in this way.

I’m concerned that they will just end up shut again by November which is the last thing anyone wants.

People keep saying the children have missed out on teaching, they're not learning at home Certain groups of children are more disadvantaged than others etc

However, I see localised lockdowns being MORE disadvantageous than a national closure of schools. At least when kids were 'all in the same boat' (Suspended curriculum at least) Things were more even

Sure it was far from perfect, but this is surely just going to cause greater problem than an
Organised term of 'off site learning' for all (or Rota at least)

I am worried it feels like full steam ahead for the autumn. We don't yet have a huge amount of data about how this might pan out.
There's an awful anxious part of me that won't want to get close to my dc's once they're back at school . If I get poorly I can't parent my challenging 11yr old and my teen would be at risk.

@OnlyFoolsnMothers Please read my posts carefully. This is NOT about closing schools and parents being left to blindly teach their different aged children A-level maths and GCSE physics, it's the opposite. I'm saying that it is concerning that the government have no put effort into finding a way to ensure that children can be taught from home, and exploring ways to overcome the safeguarding issues that surround doing that. Without a standardised way of learning from home being in place, it puts already disadvantaged children further behind.
Plus, putting plans in place for children who need extra support.