To be shocked at yet another last minute gov announcement.

[wantmorenow]

New guidance for schools just announced on a Friday night before schools return. Breathtaking incompetence.

Of course you're being unreasonable: have you been walking through this pandemic with your eyes and ears sewn shut?

This government haven't got it right once and have lied throughout.

Shocked? No.
Surprised? No.
Amused? No.
Disgusted? Every damn day.

What part of 'ongoing/new information will change the policy' don't you understand?

@Isthisadaggerisee

Hard to tell if the government are just incompetent or doing all of this on purpose as part of some master plan...

I've been saying for weeks it's part of a bigger plan.

I also think the guidance being released when it was was punishment.

Because they've had to provide what they've set a hatred campaign at unions for requesting.

Therefore - they'll make HT suffer by ruining BH weekend.

I note none of them missed their holidays during this!

What plan could it be, herd immunity?

I don't understand them. If (God forbid) children die because of this all in, all the time policy, there will be outrage and the Tories slide further in the polls all of the time. Why not try to make it safer and more sustainable? Why not try to preempt the inevitable massive issues only to fail miserably at damage control afterwards?

@Beebityboo

What plan could it be, herd immunity?

I don't understand them. If (God forbid) children die because of this all in, all the time policy, there will be outrage and the Tories slide further in the polls all of the time. Why not try to make it safer and more sustainable? Why not try to preempt the inevitable massive issues only to fail miserably at damage control afterwards?

I think plan is to do with education.

When Gove was in education and ripping up the system Cummings was his Spad.

And we know he likes to divide and conquer.

So whilst he's pulling Boris strings and with their current campaign against teachers and unions and deliberately refusing funding for Covid related stuff.

I'm suspicious and cynical!

I ticked YABU because frankly I can't understand how anyone can be surprised at the depth of this government's incompetence, backtracking and last minute decision making!

Dsis is a teacher, back in early June she told me they'd had well over 100 pieces of guidance (obvs some contradictory 🙄) so I'm not surprised in the slightest. They should leave the decisions on how to play it down to each individual setting, or at least to academy trust levels rather than trying to do blanket one size fits all and it actually fitting no one. Imo.

I'm fed up of constant posturing from different sides. Headteachers and unions have had plenty of time to forward a policy to the government. Why haven't they done this? I'm fed up of the constant rifts. It seems that the government had to think of everything ( and no, I didn't vote for Boris, but I'm fed up of well paid management whining, make your own policy and forward it to the government, we have to work together!)

@urkidding

I'm fed up of constant posturing from different sides. Headteachers and unions have had plenty of time to forward a policy to the government. Why haven't they done this? I'm fed up of the constant rifts. It seems that the government had to think of everything ( and no, I didn't vote for Boris, but I'm fed up of well paid management whining, make your own policy and forward it to the government, we have to work together!)

They did.

They originally wrote about 1st June openings.

Governments response to was about unions were trying to block opening.

Government eventually (last minute!) wrote guidance and hence why we had smaller opening.

They write to government 10th June about plan B

Government response was to say they were blocking schools blah blah.

Schools made plans to open. They continued to make plans under original guidance. They continued to ask for plan B if schools closed because old guidance still stated no rotas.

Government continued to shout about unions blocking schools.

Then decided they would actually publish that guidance Friday evening.

You have to remember unions and head teachers don't have a say - Dfe has control over what schools do

Not just Big Gav who has no idea what he is doing. Certainly had no idea that he should be around for results days not off on his holidays whilst his mutant algorithm was creating chaos

According to the dates published in the newspapers he was on holiday for Scotland's mutant algorithm (4th August), not for results days in England.

They should leave the decisions on how to play it down to each individual setting, or at least to academy trust levels rather than trying to do blanket one size fits all and it actually fitting no one.

2nd July -

^"UK government lays out plan for full return to school in September.
All pupils in England to attend but teachers told to prepare remote learning in case of Covid-19 outbreaks"^ ...

"Schools will also need to draw up plans in which entire year groups or individuals could self-isolate and learn remotely in case of fresh outbreaks of Covid-19"...

"While the DfE has released substantial guidance of its expectations of schools, it said there cannot be a "one-sized fits all" approach and added that leaders should tailor their responses to the specific needs of each school, college or nursery"...

www.ft.com/content/74600603-7fa3-4238-bf2d-680682dfdf39

I'm still surprised that some teachers on here were not aware that schools were expected to prepare remote learning for September.

@Clavinova schools have made plan Bs ages ago. Why did it take so long for the Government to do theirs?

I’m loving the fact that Clav has had to spend ages trying to find out when that guidance was issued because the DfE don’t track changes.

I’m still waiting for an explanation for why the local MAT didn’t get their
full quota of laptops requested under the ‘ambitious’ Government scheme. I’m assuming she is struggling to find a document she can cut and paste from.

I know why they didn’t, ineed, it’s because the DfE assumed schools were lying about how many laptops they needed. True story.

Well if we go into Tier 2 mode they will see an increase in vulnerable children in school as that will include all students who have no access to laptops

@UsernameNotValid

This is what's happening here in Scotland and now we're told that children won't be tested unless they are showing more than one symptom.

3 weeks in and there were 5 kids in my child's class today because some of them had a playdate over the weekend and 7 of them have come down with "a cold" 🙄

There was another group last week at a neighbouring school too. Parents aren't being informed unless a child is actually diagnosed.

17500 children were tested in a week with only 50 positive. So it likely is just a cold - mine have had the cold too with no reason to get a test.

I’m loving the fact that Clav has had to spend ages trying to find out when that guidance was issued because the DfE don’t track changes.

I went out for most of the day/evening yesterday!

I’m still waiting for an explanation for why the local MAT didn’t get their
full quota of laptops requested under the ‘ambitious’ Government scheme.

Didn't your link say that the government had given out over 230,000 laptops/devices - that is ambitious.

Clavinova schools have made plan Bs ages ago. Why did it take so long for the Government to do theirs?

In that case, some teachers on here have been napping since 2nd July and missed it.

Clav the stuff about rotas and tiers of lockdowns - the Plan B - is new

Maybe they needed to be more ambitious then. And why haven’t they admitted to the public that there are many schools that have not received them. And I was just putting ‘ambitious’ in my post because you keep quoting at me so I thought I would save you the bother. One less word for you to copy

@Clavinova

*I’m still waiting for an explanation for why the local MAT didn’t get their full quota of laptops requested under the ‘ambitious’ Government scheme.*

Didn't your link say that the government had given out over 230,000 laptops/devices - that is ambitious.

But not the full quota needed.

How do you decide which pupils get them from the ones that need them?

Have you yet found a link about why they didn't deliver all the laptops required?

"We hope that we won’t have to implement the guidance set out today because the local lockdown measures we have introduced so far are working. Changes to school attendance will only ever be an absolute last resort."

"However, it is important that both government and schools prepare for a worst case scenario, so this framework represents the sensible contingency planning any responsible government would put in place."

"The updated CONTAIN guidance sets out four tiers of restrictions for education settings, for use as an absolute last resort in areas subject to local restrictions."

"The government asked schools in July to ensure they were able to provide high quality remote education that mirrors in-school education, in case any pupils were required to self-isolate or local restrictions were needed.These plans should extend to rotas if ever required."

www.gov.uk/government/news/all-possible-measures-to-be-taken-before-schools-and-colleges-close

Anyone ever think Clav is Gav.

Is this how you respond to friends when they ask you questions @Clavinova, just quote them lots of facts and figures? Do you ever have an original thought?

ineedaholidaynow
I thought I would help you out - apparently some teachers missed the guidance published on 2nd July.

itsgettingweird
why they didn't deliver all the laptops required?

They explained that the laptops were manufactured overseas (I've already posted this) - factory output and supply chains were disrupted during the pandemic. I think you posted that your MAT needed laptops across all year groups (from early years?) but not all year groups are included in the scheme.

apparently some teachers missed the guidance published on 2nd July.

If you think I missed it...no.