The exit plan and schools.

[NeverGuessWho]

I know this whole thread will be hearsay, but I’m just interested in hearing people’s opinions of where schools are likely to fit in to the exit plan?

A friend thinks they will be opened early on, as this will free up more people to work, and hence enable furloughed workers to return to work. This will crucially save money.

IMHO, schools will be one of the last restrictions to be lifted. Once schools are opened, there will effectively be multiple mass gatherings in every town and city, all at the same time. Surely this will result in a surge of cases of the virus.

Unless of course, they pursue the antibodies/certified passport route?

What do people think?

[Travelban]

I don't think they will reopen schools until September.

I bet work is going to expect us to be back in full swing in July and August when the schools are either closed or on summer break..!!! I suspect a lot of people will be taking as much annual leave as possible in that case...

[Travelban]

Ps I am still working full time, by full swing I mean back in the office, travelling, etc

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I’m a teacher. Childcare for keyworkers is being discussed over the summer holidays.

Textbooks have been put online free for 90 days.

I’m as sick if this as everyone else. But schools are just so crowded all the time, there is just no space for social distancing in them.

[Stellamboscha]

Interestingly have just had word from my school about how they are intending to rejoin the timetable to be better adapted to these circs and the differing needs of Year groups, and most hearteningly planning with the expectation that at least some of the school will be operating bricks and mortar from after half term.

[midgebabe]

You can't manage herd immunity and avoid overwhelming the NHS. It would be too unstable, and the numbers of people who you could release into society at any one time would be tiny.

It would take tens of years to slowly release people into society and manage the infection rate!

You have to do what China and Austria have already done and squash it to close to zero and then keep it running at that rate by very careful border control, test and trace. Like we should have done in the first case. Like South Korea did from the outset.

[rjebgf]

I think schools should be one of the last things to re-open. Once that happens, there is absolutely no distancing or infection control going on. Thousands of families, even at just one single school, intermingling.

[JemimaPuddleCat]

Not sure about the rest of Scotland, but here secondary schools start their new academic year before the summer holidays - early in June I think - so it would be great for their education if they managed to get back then.

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

I agree with you rjebgf. I’m not sure the unions would want schools opening without some sort of safety measure in place

[Appuskidu]

I’m not sure the unions would want schools opening without some sort of safety measure in place

No, not would the teachers, government or parents.

[Xenia]

I think schools will not open until September sadly (or August if they go back in Scotland then) but workers may be allowed back before then slowly with distancing (we will not in my view have ant body tests soon enough to make that a requirement before you can return to work and go out so I do not think tests will play a big role other than in getting teachers and nurses back to work who may be isolating at home).

I hope we can end the rest o= the lock down on 1 May or the downside will be worse than the upside of still being locked down.

[VivaLeBeaver]

But with our half hearted lockdown it will take years to get cases to near zero. If we want to follow China we need to emulate their lockdown.

[midgebabe]

The infection rate was stated to be down 0.6 people per carrier, down from 2 or 3 before restrictions

Greater than 1 lead to the virus growing , less than 1 and it eventually dies out

So we do get to (near) zero, but it does take longer than if you got that number lower faster

[fortunatelynot]

As a school leader I have absolutely no idea when schools will reopen and how it will work. When schools DO reopen, the things that run through my mind are....
Will the return be staggered, if only so children can be taught in smaller groups in different classrooms?
How will the cleaning be managed in order to continually disinfect surfaces which children and staff will be touching?
How will staff who have to remain off be covered? We have three pregnant teachers, none of whom are due until December but they won’t be returning I’m sure.
How will the drop off and pick up happen?
How many parents will continue to choose to keep their children at home anyway?
How will the timetable be adapted? Ie, no contact sports, no cooking etc
How will playtime and lunchtime be safely managed?
Will we take temperatures regularly so we can send children home if needed?
If staff are regularly off, that is, have a cough and then have to be off for 14 days regardless of what it is, how will this be covered?
If a case is diagnosed within school, is that school then shut for a period?
With the likelihood that schools will only reopen for the school day and not wrap around care, how difficult will this still be for parents who need to work?

I’m not saying that these problems are insurmountable but an awful lot needs to be considered. Such a sad, difficult situation.

[cantkeepawayforever]

Fortunatelynot

Those are exactly the type of questions that, as a teacher, I wonder about too.

I am particularly wondering about the 14 day isolation if a member of staff has a new cough or temperature - or if one of their family do - and about how much of the school closes in response to an identified case (since in most schools, a single child would potentially come into contact with virtually every other in the course of a day).

We have no pregnant staff, but almost 50% are vulnerable, highly vulnerable or care for highly vulnerable relatives. How many of those can safely return?

[cantkeepawayforever]

So I WANT - desperately want - schools to return. I am just not sure about how that return can be managed in a way that is sustainable for more than a short period (as mingling will of course create further infections)

[Xenia]

fortunately, it may have to be a bit like my mother taught in the 1940s after the way - she had classes of about 40+ children and no teaching assistant for example.

[fortunatelynot]

cantkeepawayforever - I too can't wait for schools to return - there are so many children that I am worried about that are vulnerable and school is their only consistency.
Parents obviously want a 'date' when schools will return, but I wonder when that date comes if the school day will look very, very different with children going in different days and at different times.

xenia - actually there would be some children who could be taught that way but some children just would not then get their needs met.

We have a small group of children in school currently and the measures can be put in place successfully. I just wonder how it will work with hundreds of children in one building.

[Appuskidu]

fortunately, it may have to be a bit like my mother taught in the 1940s after the way - she had classes of about 40+ children and no teaching assistant for example.

Why fortunately?

[airedailleurs]

@refraction thanks for your post, can I ask the source of those graphs please? Thanks.

[Appuskidu]

FWIW, I could teach classes of 40 in the way that they were done in the 40s (I didn’t have teaching assistants when I trained in the 90s and don’t usually have them now as most of ours were made redundant last year) but things would have to be v different. Things like...

Differentiation
Levels and target setting
Marking
Expectations for the end of year
Observations
PMR
Assessment
SEN

Some teachers probably wouldn’t mind and would be able to cope (I’ve taught classes of 37) within living memory) but I expect the lessons and classes would look hugely different to how Ofsted and parents would like them to look!

[TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince]

Haha!! Classes of 40 and social distancing. Yeah right.😏

[fortunatelynot]

xenia said 'fortunately' in relation to my name.

It would be very unfortunate to have to teach that way.

[cantkeepawayforever]

One of my PGCE classes was 35, and I trained around a decade ago.

I routinely teach 32-33 - but with the expectations of marking, differentiation, and individualised work for SEN children that are now expected.

It is absolutely not compatible with social distancing, and there is of course the issue that if 1 child was diagnosed with COVID19, at least that class would have to quarantine for 14 days - and possibly the whole school. It would be very disrupted in terms of schooling.

[Appuskidu]

@fortunatelynot

that makes much more sense!

[refraction]

thanks for your post, can I ask the source of those graphs please? Thanks.


The times.