Schools Reopening?

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When do you honestly think it will happen? And when do you want it to happen?!

Mine are enjoying home school so far and happy to work but they miss their friends. I dont think 20 weeks off in one block is good for anyone, kids or parents.
It would be great to get them back for a month before the summer hols. Fingers crossed.

Another teacher joining the speculation here! I don't think we'll be back before the 12 weeks shielding period is up due to the significant number of school staff that affects, especially in the primary sector (fewer male teachers so less pregnancy but higher numbers of support staff).

If we return before the summer holiday (late June), I wouldn't be surprised if Y10 and Y12 are prioritised along with extended transition for the current Y6s e.g. they move up to their secondary school, essentially have it run as a 2/3 week taster/summer school, have baseline testing etc. done because although the end of KS2 tests have been cancelled, I expect the government will want their data for when they're in Y11. It will also help level the playing field a bit and reduce anxiety over the summer break. Having the Y6, Y10 and Y12 in school would go some way to mitigating the disadvantage of being at home for over a term (especially for those who haven't been able to access the work set for whatever reason) and would allow schools and Ofqual to get a measure of how next year's GCSE and A-level assessments need to be adjusted. There's the added advantage of those year groups being unlikely to mix much across the age groups which slightly reduces the transmission pool, maybe. The Y10s in particular are a vulnerable group because the social isolation has coincided with a time many of them are becoming so much more independent whether that's by earning money, travelling to festivals, managing their own time etc. On top of this they've heard the constant messages of how important GCSEs are... and seen the rug well and truly pulled from under their Y11 friends. A lot of work is going to need to be done to rebuild their trust and to reduce their anxiety about their futures having been ruined. Y12 is in a similar position but they do at least have their statutory assessments under their belts already.

I think the Y6s (of whom I have one of my own) will be expected to accept that the end of primary rituals have been missed. Residentials won't be able to be re-booked, productions etc. take a lot of work and when schools reopen, parents are likely to struggle more than ever to get random hours off to watch a performance. Plus being cramped together in a school hall is unlikely to be encouraged. It's probably better for them to have a really well supported transition to Y7 now, to have the opportunity to get to know their new school, staff and peers in a less busy school so they can hit the ground running in September (by which time they will have been able to buy uniforms!).
I'm sure primary schools will be imaginative in their handling of transition for other year groups e.g. Reception stay with their current teacher, in the current classroom and have a sort of Reception/Y1 year from September whilst the new Reception intake might go into the Y1 classroom because they won't have known any different.

So, I think mid-late June at the earliest but with priority year groups across secondary schools and maybe part-time attendance for primary pupils depending upon each area's infection rate.

IF the antibody test is rolled out from next week, that would be great- I would happily go back into school if it turned out I had had it and was immune, and look after key workers children or start reopening school.

However, a few weeks ago, when the government admitted this was more widespread in the population than testing showed, they used a calculation of death rate at 1%, so multiply current deaths by 100. That would mean 140800 cases in the UK (some of which will currently be infectious). I know there are some people saying that millions of us have already had it, but the science does not support this at all. That's not very many people going back to work or school.

If the death rate is higher than 1%, then that number goes down.

FWIW, I don't believe schools were shut due to the risk to children. I think it was a combination of schools not being able to run with the number of staff present, and children being vectors to carry the illness back home to their parents.

We're also currently doing extended opening to care for the children of key workers (open 8-5 for those children). If schools start reopening as normal, I don't think teachers will be as happy doing that.

If you have no wish to return then maybe look for another job, but please stop with the negativity. Have you considered the impact of a very long lockdown on the children? I am only hearing your own needs on this thread.

I cannot return, as I am in a vulnerable category.

Nor can a very significant number of my colleagues.

I am working, full time, every day, to provide online learning and support to my pupils, for whom I stayed in school until physical closure, against medical advice.

NOTHING would please me more than to go back to school tomorrow. I miss it terribly, and worry more than you can know about some of the children. However, it needs to be at least moderately physically safe for everyone to be able to do so - and then medically safe for vulnerable staff after a suitable time lag.

*Older teachers may have the choice whether to still teach, those with serious medical vulnerabilities of course

If those people were still at home, we would be unable to safely open the school. That’s why so many schools were closing anyway before the closure announcement was made.*

This was the issue. If anyone like I, with chronic asthma but not being shielded or those with diabetes or any pregnant women, were told to remain wfh, this would be a serious issue for schools staffing wise.

Schools were closing before the official announcement before of the list of vulnerable people.

This is a big issue that the government have to navigate.

Psychologically, going back knowing you are vulnerable and could catch it is very challenging. I want to return, most definitely.

The anti body test will help but not solve the issue.

sansa You could address most of the problems you listed with a much smaller timetable and/or a three day rolling week. Large comprehensives teach up to 45 children in city areas, so this would be have to be done en masse if need be. Maybe even larger. It may not be perfect but it would be a start on the road to recovery.

Extra funding might be needed to offer extended supply teachers, we may have to be very flexible about how the school operates, but I would expect every effort to be made to open every school in the country as soon as possible. We are running a skeleton staff now, most companies are,

I would be very surprised if we were in the same position the other side of the peak. At some point infections will level off, and people will be fit and recovered (in the main)

Children are back in school in China, and have been for a while, even in the epicentre. It is hard to imagine why it would be so bad in the UK as to ensure our schools were closed for the double the length of time of China!! It makes no sense. So I am expecting May/June, and this seems reasonable to me.

Where are all these vulnerable teachers? My children go to three separate schools. Between them I knew of three teachers who were self-isolating because someone in their home had a cold. Not because they were vulnerable.

The testing - if it works - will hopefully stop all the self-isolating malarkey. I find it hard to believe a significant number of teachers are vulnerable, ie have underlying health conditions. Some of course, but not enough to make reopening schools problematic.

If those people were still at home, we would be unable to safely open the school. That’s why so many schools were closing anyway before the closure announcement was made.

Exactly this. Less than 50%of teaching staff,and TAs, all but 1 of other staff (cleaners, receptionist etc). All 1:1 TAs, so those with the most difficult behaviour unsupported.

The funny thing is that if we did return, with 50% staffing, everyone would ask what the point of sending their children back to school was, because they weren't having proper lessons...

Before they shut the schools, there was the directive to socially distance for 12 weeks if you were vulnerable.

It will be extremely challenging to open before the 12 weeks is up.

In the normal course of events, health conditions that make it impossible for you to do your job would be grounds for dismissal. Obviously we all hope this is short term but we couldn't have a long term situation where numerous workers were on paid leave but unable to work.

We're also currently doing extended opening to care for the children of key workers (open 8-5 for those children). If schools start reopening as normal, I don't think teachers will be as happy doing that.

No, I agree. The provision will stop if schools are back to business as normal.

We don’t normally run a breakfast/afterschool club but teachers are for kw during this Current situation. Teachers won’t be able to run breakfast clubs and teach.

Will grandparents then be immediately fine to have children for childcare again?

I find it hard to believe a significant number of teachers are vulnerable, ie have underlying health conditions. Some of course, but not enough to make reopening schools problematic.

You may personally struggle to understand this but it’s certainly the case in my school.

September - if lucky

@cornishdreams1 I have never seen a school which regularly teaches students in groups of 45, except for PE. If this was happening regularly, it would be a national scandal. I trained in some inner city schools, and never saw this happening. I known people who teach in London, and this doesn't happen there, either.

I could not teach my subject (science) safely to a group of 45 students (the actual advice is groups of no more than 26 for practical work, I believe, although of course this is ignored).

45 students crammed into a small classroom is also a transmission risk- they may not get very ill (although some secondary age students will) but they can take it home to their families and make their parents ill.

I am not saying it can't be done- but it would just be a holding facility for children if you are talking about class sizes that large, and who does that actually benefit? In primary it may benefit parents as there will be some childcare, but I would argue this doesn't benefit children in any way, and actually puts them at risk.

If we are talking about schools going back as childcare, then to me the priority is actually opening from the youngest age groups up with whatever teachers are available- secondary or primary. This is fine if it's what the country needs to run, but then let's be honest about it.

FWIW I care deeply about my students, but my first concern is that we minimize the number of students who lose family members due to this AND the number of students who die (for the 11-19 age group, this number is not 0 from the Chinese data).

cant We can use many more supply teachers, and in combination with larger class sizes on a revised staggered timetable of course it could be done.

Many teachers will already have had the coronavirus, or they may catch it between now and June, so regardless of previous health issues will be safe to return to work.

I am in no rush to be hasty, but 12 weeks of closure seems more than adequate to me, and is in line with other countries that have already experienced this that are now fully reopen.
You may not be able to see how it will work from your own point of view, but it is eleven weeks away and much will change!

I am sure your head will be working on a plan to ensure that children are back in school as soon as possible. Children will suffer some pretty serious consequences to further extensions, so any reasons for further closure would have to be very compelling.

All asthmatics....vulnerable and advised to work from home if can. Backed by union advice. We have 5 of them.
All pregnant people. We have 2.
All with compromised immune systems. We have a dept with Crohn's.

There are lots of us.

Obviously we all hope this is short term but we couldn't have a long term situation where numerous workers were on paid leave but unable to work.

So you are suggesting that all those on 12 week isolation, or who are over 70 but continue to work, should be made redundant, alongside all those who are pregnant?

Obviously once a vaccine has been rolled out, or herd immunity is established, or the current Government guidelines have been changed, I will be able to work normally - which is what I want to be able to do now, as my health makes absolutely no difference to my ability to do my job from day to day.

In fact if my school re-opens, I probably will return to work regardless, because yes, i do regard my pupils' education as more important than my increased risk of death if i catch this virus (which is why i taught through to the end).

It depends how the vulnerable are defined. The officially shielded (those with a letter) is a relatively small group but the original list of those who needed to take extra case included diabetics, heart conditions, asthma, obesity, people taking steroid medication. A huge part of any workforce.

And pregnancy.

Prior to the closure I know supply staff had been contacted to cover vulnerable staff. It wasn't going to be smooth though.

Our setting is potentially more challenging due to Sen but also we are keener than most to take more pupils back in after Easter.

It will be basic schooling lite though.

the original list of those who needed to take extra case included diabetics, heart conditions, asthma, obesity, people taking steroid medication. A huge part of any workforce. And pregnancy.

This is the key problem.

No I'm not suggesting that at all cantkeepaway, I'm suggesting that the guidance will have to change. There is already no "requirement" that these people aren't in work, it is only advice. Surely you can see that they can't be allowed to stay at home forever?

Psychologically, to be told it's now not an issue when you know it is, it's very hard to go back into a work place you fear is going to badly affect you.

Many teachers will already have had the coronavirus, or they may catch it between now and June, so regardless of previous health issues will be safe to return to work.

Actually, I don't think this is true, as it is the whole point of lockdown. Going from lockdown with a single family, and minimal trips out, to a classroom mixed with 32 other families and an overall school with hundreds more, is a dramatically increased risk.

This is why i think schools will reopen n late June / early July, to deliberately infect as many people as possible and create a new peak, then close for the summer holiday for as many as possible to recover, then back again in September with more herd immunity.