Schools Reopening?

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

Schools here are preparing to open after the Easter holidays but are expecting it to be delayed until at least May. They will reopen ASAP, people do need to get back to normal. It's a balanced risk approach and kids at home means childcare headaches

Teachers will have to suck it up like the rest of us.

Not even 9am and already a shitty teacher bashing comment.

Before all this kicked off, there was a rumour at school that it had been discussed opening for the half term break at the end of May if lots of school had been missed, so I wouldn't be surprised if they try to start school in August. I'm part of a union, and it asks staff to be flexible over their working hours (ie work different ones to normal) so I can see the same for the summer holidays.

September

Teachers aren’t paid for holidays but we have our salary split into twelve equal parts to make living our lives easier

Supply teacher here. I do t get any income till schools go reopen so nothing for 6 months at least!

Most teachers aren't working full time atm. I can see the summer holiday being shortened or changed to allow some sort of phased return. It does seem madness to send everyone back at once.

Some teachers won't like it (I'm a deputy in school) but we'll still be in a better position than almost all other groups have been through this crisis, still on full pay and relatively low risk of exposure. By then hopefully some (most already have imo) will have realised how lucky the are and do what needs doing.

For those suggesting we cancel the summer holidays:
teachers plan for the follow academic year in the summer term and summer holidays.
Next year will require even more planning so I imagine most teachers will already have to do plenty of extra work through the summer holidays to prepare for 20/21. If we were expected to be in school teaching over the summer when would we do all this extra work?

I'm preschool and am currently working on our reports on the basis that I'm not going to see them before they go to big school. If, by some miracle we go back after June half term I just want to spend it with the children making it a fun half term without trying to write reports.

@JustOneSquareofDarkChocolate annual leave is different. Teachers have a different type of salary which spreads their salary based on the fact they don’t work over summer. It cannot be cancelled the way a doctors or nurses can be. And if the summer holiday is cancelled it will likely take teachers below the government threshold for holiday days in a year which would be illegal.

So no summer holidays won’t be cancelled.

The government could try to unilaterally cancel teachers contractual agreement but the unions would just make them go on strike.

Also much business and commerce is based on children having summer holidays. The government would think about what would happen to amusement parks, holiday parks, cinemas and shopping centres if they cancel summer holidays.

It will not happen.

As soon as humanly possible, I hope.

June is no good, as the boarding school holidays start in June. April, please!

@PeepeeDarling That would involve another massive chunk of cash though, and rightly or wrongly the unions would go nuts.

Regarding the learning time missed, if speculation regarding a second peak is correct then potentially they could be off again Dec/Jan time. Will they return to normal exams for GCSE in 2021? It's so woolly atm.

I think it depends on where you are and when the summer holidays are, I don't think you are able to lump the whole of the UK in together on this.

Where I am, they are not meant to be break up till the end of July, so if schools were to open in June, then yes my school would probably reopen, those schools which break up in June, would it really be worth it to send kids back for 2-3 weeks?

I am a secondary teacher and would like to think we will go back in June (after the May half term) based on the news articles about lockdown and other measures going on until then.

That way, we could have half a term to resettle children, do transition with our new Y7 pupils and get some work done -particularly with Y10 and Y12 before they enter Y11 and Y13.

We are planning for September as we want to be prepared for worst case scenario.

I am delivering online lessons to my Y12s and can keep track of that fairly easily as it's a small group. Most are coping ok but I know of at least one who is struggling I am also doing similar for the whole of Y10 (I hold a leadership position) but it's harder to track simply because of the number in the year group. My worry is that although some will be working at home successfully, there will be many who aren't due to lack of resources/struggling to access the material academically/lack of parental support.

Truth is, no one really knows.

Ugh, as a SAHM (so don’t need kids to be in school) I would be really annoyed to lose the summer holidays - assuming normal life has resumed. Those are for going to the beach & seeing relatives! Yes, we are off school now but we can’t do any of the summer holiday activities. So going from lockdown to school with no normal holidays would be disappointing for me. But I know I’m in a relatively easy position!

They could regig it? So go back June July and August and Sept. Then maybe close again in autumn to stop pressure on NHS. Then back to school Jan.

I wouldn't be surprised if we go back before the summer holidays & school continues for a bit in the summer as we will likely see another peak & closure at the end of the year. I don't think anyone can say that won't happen because of 'X', we are not in normal times.

*Am wondering if the summer term will be cancelled?

What do you mean?

September and even possibly October. I would imagine if this happened they might re structure the academic year to squeeze in more teaching

Teacher. I’m really hoping to reopen after half term. The year 6s will get their transition and we will have that closure on primary. I’m going mad already too, missing work.
But I think it will be later, sadly.

April, please!

It's April 1st tomorrow. I don't think there's any possibility of schools opening again in the next 4 weeks.

My best guess is September.

But I think maybe September for secondary and June for some Primary. Opening some primary schools, maybe in areas with low infections, would enable parents to go back to work and for the government to see whether partial reopening works. Then they could continue phasing in during June/July.

I would like them to go back for a couple of weeks June/July time. I think it would help them to finish the school year in school especially those at transition points like Yr 6.

Whether it will happy is another matter.

What about teachers with holidays etc booked for August? If the situation is such that schools could open, I’d have thought holidays (U.K.) would be allowed again.

There is already a thread on this.

@JosephineKarlsson it’s not about teachers sucking it up. They are working right now. Either at home or going to school to take care of keyworkers children.

How is the government going to pay them through the holiday and give them back their holiday entitlement next year.

If the government do cancel summer holidays the gov would have to take 6 weeks off the school terms next year to compensate teachers holidays.