Schools

[Carrotcakeforbreakfast]

I know this has been done 1000 times but my search function isn't working.

With the extended lockdown and daily numbers, when do you think the schools are likely to go back.
I believe lockdown won't end anytime soon but just wondering if anyone thinks schools opening will have changed?

Forgot to say... Head aster has confirmed no opening before September.

I have no reason to disbelieve this as his partner works in dept education policy.

Personally I feel the fact that the BBC starts 14 wk programme of lessons next week is telling

The BBC aren’t privy to information that others aren’t.

@snog I don’t know what to think about this, none of this is fair, everyone seems to be impacted some how I’m a very undesirable way. DH is NHS and covering currently two jobs without complaint. Bank holidays and leave cancelled. No extra money. Risk of bringing the virus home. But at least he has a job. That’s the way we view it. We are in a crisis and there’s an expectation of flexibility and rising to the occasion.

@Lelivre

Is your DH’s leave cancelled full stop or can he get it back again at a later date?

Is he being paid for hours worked? Or is he working for free?

THE SUMMER HOLIDAY IS NOT ‘LEAVE’ TO BE CANCELLED. IT TIME WE ARE NOT CONTRACTED TO WORK AND TIME THAT COULD NOT BE GIVEN BACK AT A LATER DATE.

So stop ‘expecting’.

I hope he will at least get the bank holidays later. But leave cannot be put off too much or they will need to extend the leave period by two years for staff to take their leave without causing problems. They are taking it week by week to be honest, day by day even.

I don’t have any teachers in the family so I don’t like to comment on what I think they should or should not do but for him, these are extraordinary times and he is willing to do what is required within reason professionally.

With our school the head chose to cut the holiday more than in half. The kids got one week off and he launched the learning platform Sunday night. This actually annoyed me as the kids were not due back until the Wednesday and Monday is a BH ok husband was at work but it was sunny and I didn’t like being given this ‘assignment’ especially at late notice and without any consultation. Where his staff fit into that I have no idea.

Mary Bousted - NEU - We asked whether the government’s modelling would be based on concrete plans to establish regular testing of children and staff, the availability of appropriate PPE and enhanced levels of cleaning in schools – all of which schools are experiencing severe difficulties with.

And on Radio 4, Professor Niall Fergusson was clear and realistic. Asked whether schools could re-open as a first step out of lockdown, Professor Ferguson replied that any such consideration “really requires a single minded emphasis in government, and the health system, of scaling up testing and putting in place the ability to track down cases in the community and contact tracing”. This is because, he went on to warn, “if we relax measures too much then we’ll see a resurgence of transmission. If we want to re-open schools, let people get back to work, then we need to keep transmission down in another manner.”

Common sense at last!

@DBML Hospital and other key workers are working over time and having leave cancelled - I'm not sure why teachers should be a special case if we need them to help get the country through this.

Individuals as you say are free to resign if they are not prepared to help as required by the government.

I think what is really shit is that key workers (nhs staff, care workers, supermarket staff, delivery drivers, teachers and others) have been asked to step up having been underpaid, undervalued, under resourced and over stretched for so long before this. Shame on us as a country for treating these people so poorly in the past.

I thought that reliable testing and lasting immunity was still in question.

If so then for how long is everyone in the school system ‘on hold’ for that to come into some sort of steady state. How long can they without jeopardising their education for one thing.

I expect this is discussed on those other threads but...To what extent will children increase the spread beyond school staff and their own families if shielding and other protective measures persist. Yes it leaves staff and parents more vulnerable than they are now and I can’t say I am keen on additional exposure, but we are are already exposed as are all the key workers and their children and entire household and they have to accept that risk (or at least try not to think about it) and get on with their obligations.

In DH case NHS staff who couldn’t be spared on their usual bank holiday were paid. The question of other holidays/leave is unknown I expect short breaks will be taken as and when they can be accommodated during the crisis.

Sorry to be pedantic (but I’m tired - blame the toddler) but schools are not closed. They are operating under a restricted intake and teachers are working from home.

@Snog

It’s really frustrating when people don’t bother to read what I even highlighted in caps lock for you.

Other workers leave is NOT cancelled...it’s delayed. You cannot do this for a teacher without interrupting the school year.

Other workers are being paid overtime. Teachers would have to be paid too and where would this come from? More debt for the tax payer to pay back?

@snog I think everyone's flexibility has a limit, and mine comes when I'm asked to work for free for 6 weeks, during time when many teachers take on paid work of another kind.

Do you understand how teachers are paid? We don't have leave that you can cancel. It is 195 days salary.

As I said, I'm prepared to consider working for some of the holidays, if I am paid for it. Not all of it, because I want to give my own children a break, and not any of it without pay.

From where I’m standing our school is/was interrupted and then term time rescheduled. Without explanation also.

I have no idea how the teachers feel about that.

@Lelivre the Easter holidays didn't happen for teachers. They were directed to work. I'm not aware of any professional body that opposed that, although not many teachers are being paid for this overtime at Easter. That was two weeks, but the times were unprecedented.

If schools are open all summer to care for key workers children, and there is a rota to go in and support, that's one thing. If schools are opening to all children - ie the full cohort, as in regular term time - for the whole six weeks - without paying teachers - that's another thing. That appears to be what many posters want. I don't think that scenario is reasonable and I've repeatedly gone into why.

Hospital and other key workers are working over time and having leave cancelled - I'm not sure why teachers should be a special case if we need them to help get the country through this.

Yet again - lots of teachers ARE working longer hours than normal, or at the very least the same. Lots gave up at least part of their Easter holidays and that is likely for May too. If we are still in lock down it is likely over the summer, at least on a voluntary PT basis.

Just because we are not always in school it doesn't mean we aren't working.

In fact because of the way a lot of the home working apps work it means notifications come through at all hours, so you're never really away from it. So yeah - working still, including 'out of hours.'

And don't forget - if schools are open that means support staff too, not just teachers. Most support staff - TAs, admin, office staff etc are on 39 week contracts, so definitely working over and above their normal hours.

So, in what way are teachers expecting to be a special case exactly?

If you ignore the fact school staff are still working, have been over their unpaid Easter holiday, if you ask this of staff over the summer. They don’t have leave they can take back, you are asking them to work for free again for 6 weeks with no such thing as overtime. People are also forgetting, the children. Children who have not had an Easter holiday, who could be looking at no break from schooling until October at the earliest. Children, not adults, children. How unfair is that? Anyone who works with children will know what that means. Short of there being a ‘temporary blip’ the start of the next academic year will be a total write off, you’ll have exhausted children who are sick of the sight of school and staff. That will cause problems, because tired children learn nothing. The staff and most importantly the children NEED a break, the idea that schools can run from February to October with out down time is ludicrous, it really is. You cannot tell teaching staff to take their leave ‘another time’ without causing massive issues with staffing.

Does anyone know how the BBC lessons are going to work? Is there a link or information somewhere?

Keep an eye on BBC Teach, they will post their lessons / resources from the 20th. www.bbc.co.uk/teach

I asked two friends today when they thought we'd all go back earlier They both immediately said after half term, one is a TA, the other a teacher..

OP, even if your search function isn't working, just use Google. You can easily find the umpteen threads on this by Googling.

It'sasectet

Very good point. Those wanting schools back and summer cancelled certainly have not thought of the key workers Children’s mental health. Not a jot!

Don't forget that if a school opens it also needs site, cleaning, catering and admin staff to be available and paid, not just teachers.

I'm suggesting not that we cancel the summer holidays but that we reduce it to 2 weeks which I feel is a decent break for teachers and students alike. Also suggesting that teachers would be paid because that would still be of overall benefit to the economy as it enables so many others to go back to work.

I understand that many teachers wouldn't welcome this but think it is something we could consider as a country given that we are in dire straits indeed.