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.

@QueenBlueberries

Completely agree with Daisy. The PM promised All pupils will be back to school full time in September. Look at the mess that will make. It will help no one. Not the kids, and not the parents who will be called to stay at home every few weeks. Which employer will put up with that?

Agree, I've read often on here that the only people who want schools to close are those suggesting full return.

If a bubble isolates then do the households of each bubble member have to isolate as well or not? What about if the infected pupil has travelled by a dedicated school bus? Do the other pupils travelling by that bus isolate as well?

@EmilyDickinson

If a bubble isolates then do the households of each bubble member have to isolate as well or not? What about if the infected pupil has travelled by a dedicated school bus? Do the other pupils travelling by that bus isolate as well?

Only its a Wednesday and the sun is being a cloud

if

behind sorry everyone it's evidently got to me.

That's the thing - while people of course need to get back to work, it'd surely be easier for the government to say, in advance, that because of the numbers of cases and the dangers, children would only be able to go back part-time at first (eg 2.5 days a week for each 1/2 of the school) and the rest of the week would have to be working from home unless their parents were key workers. It would have been unpopular, but at least it would have been sustainable, something that could be worked around by all employers who could, or by parents sharing childcare with another family in a bubble.

Instead we're going to have indefinite periods of bubbles closing, cases rising, more infections and uncertainty - how can you plan anything at all in these kind of conditions? It's too early to open schools up fully. If there had been a building programme of extra classrooms or huts, a huge re-employment programme of ex-teachers, as so many leave after a short time, then we could have opened more safely.

I've been worried sick about exactly this for weeks now, but even I was hoping that there would be more of a plan than this in place.

I feel really sorry for school staff. Presumably at all times they are going to have to have online lessons fully planned alongside face to face ones so that they can carry on the curriculum seamlessly online in the event of some or all of their pupils being out of school.

I also feel incredibly sorry for children in years 11 and 13. Not only have they missed large chunks of education since March, they live with the uncertainty that they might be sent home again indefinitely if someone in their year group gets infected, or indeed they might have to self isolate at any time if people in their families show symptoms. So they face going into vital exams having spent months less in the classrooms than would normally be viewed as essential.

I wonder what the plan is for next year's exams for schools that have had to send the relevant school years home? Are we going to be back relying on teacher assessments/

I'm signed up for the education related updates and had 10 emails since 2pm today.
They've had months to sort this out so there's really no excuse.

@duffeldaisy they have now brought in tier 2 which does bring in rota and remote provision for Secondary schools

It’s crazy to have had the push to get people working from offices rather than home this week too. If anything they should have said to everyone to work from home if possible and cut down on socialising in the two weeks before schools go back to try and reduce community transmission as much as possible and limit the number of asymptomatic children walking into classrooms.

I think it's totally right that whole bubbles are sent home with a case within it, but what I can't understand is why the bubbles are going to be so big. Whole year groups!!

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@duffeldaisy they have now brought in tier 2 which does bring in rota and remote provision for Secondary schools[/quote]
Oh thanks, that's good to hear. Our school hasn't mentioned it yet as one of their plans, but here's hoping it will be brought in. Don't get me wrong, I really would prefer full-time school, and am going to have to reduce my hours to cope with all this anyway, but I'd rather they had less, but regular and safer time in the classroom, than this chaos.

It was only announced a couple of hours ago @duffeldaisy as part of the new guidance

www.gov.uk/government/publications/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions/how-schools-can-plan-for-tier-2-local-restrictions

I think it's totally right that whole bubbles are sent home with a case within it, but what I can't understand is why the bubbles are going to be so big. Whole year groups!!

It’s because from age 14 in secondary schools the pupils take options and even before that they are likely to be streamed for some subjects or take different language options. This means that as pupils progress up the school they are more and more likely to be mixed with other classes rather than remaining in the same form group for all lessons

different options I mean

I can see the need for year group bubbles in yr 10 and 11 and I guess in sixth form if they are all mingling in the same common room but for younger children I think they should bubble in tutor groups/ sets even if it is not ideal if previously in one set for maths and a different for English.

A bit dubious to see that if they have to bring in tier 4, that AP and special schools aren't to close.
Someone mentioned the figures on a previous thread and I can't remember (30% maybe?) are clinically vulnerable. But either way, the children attending these schools are some of the most vulnerable children in society, why are they excluded from this bit of the guidance?

One of mine is in single entry school but the bubble is three year groups rather than one class.

@Shitfuckoh I would have thought though that there would be a high chance that many staff would have to be off with self isolating etc that those schools would have to close due to lack of staff, a bit like the special school in Scotland that had to close.

"If a case is confirmed, local public health officials will work with the school to take appropriate measures, including asking all members of a pupil's bubble to isolate for 14 days and access remote education." We've been told for weeks this will happen in our school tbh. I'm confused though that it only takes about secondary schools doing the roots thing is infection levels rise, what about primary?

There needs to guidance to employers as well.

What about food supplies? No online deliveries ... etc

No one can have a constant two week supply in just incase of a lock down let alone a bubble closure

But either way, the children attending these schools are some of the most vulnerable children in society, why are they excluded from this bit of the guidance?

Because whilst they (as a group) are more vulnerable to COVID, they are also (as a group) more vulnerable for other reasons and more in need of the structure and routine of school.

I suspect the size of the bubbles is also to do with separate lunch sittings, school entrances/arrival times, zones of the school and outside spaces for each bubble. If you are truly keeping each bubble completely separate (at least as far as the children are concerned) it becomes more and more difficult the more bubbles you have

[quote ineedaholidaynow]@Shitfuckoh I would have thought though that there would be a high chance that many staff would have to be off with self isolating etc that those schools would have to close due to lack of staff, a bit like the special school in Scotland that had to close.[/quote]
Ah yes, that's most likely. Yes the one in Dundee was up to 38 cases last time I knew - did include 'community cases' which I think probably means parents/carers/escorts.

@TW2013

That's exactly what they're doing at my DDs secondary school. She will be in a bubble with here tutor groups so if anything happens if impacts 30 kids not 300.

I don't know why everyone is so surprised by the news today - we've known for ages that bubbles will be sent home if there's a positive test result 🤷‍♀️