What will be the 'new normal' for schools?

[Springhere]

I know it could be a long while before schools reopen, but it's inevitable that things will be far from normal when they do. What do you think the major changes will be?

www.tes.com/news/coronanvirus-reopened-schools-show-new-normal

IDK. A big part of me wonders if this extraordinary situation min just be the motivation to completely rejig such an antiquated organisation. Maybe many more children should be learning in an alternative fashion, based at home with the support of online teaching. Or home ed altogether, the world is moving on and schools haven't kept up.

'Might' not 'min'

Maybe many more children should be learning in an alternative fashion, based at home with the support of online teaching. Or home ed altogether

Supervised by who, though? Are we just going to tell half of all working parents "sorry, you can't have a job any more, good luck paying your bills"?

I agree that schools will be given little to no advice on how to implement social distancing, which will put a huge burden of responsibility on them. I also worry that we could lose a significant number of teaching staff who feel that the risk is just too great for them and their families.

My youngest is due to start Reception in September. I really don't see how EYFS children can be taught in a socially distanced way. Even if they were taught in tiny groups they learn through play and distancing would be too stressful for them. It's interesting to hear about more outdoors activities in Denmark. I like the idea of that but it wouldn't work in the winter months.

It really is an impossible situation. Schools obviously can't stay closed until a vaccine is closed although I think a small proportion of parents may decide to home school until then.

My youngest is due to start Reception in September. I really don't see how EYFS children can be taught in a socially distanced way. Even if they were taught in tiny groups they learn through play and distancing would be too stressful for them. It's interesting to hear about more outdoors activities in Denmark. I like the idea of that but it wouldn't work in the winter months.

It would also require a large number of adults and a substantial amount of outside space which most schools can’t afford/unfortunately don’t have :(

Realistically kids are not going to be able to keep 2m apart. It's just not going to happen. I say just restart schools as n normal and just encourage frequent handwashing, no coughing etc. I thought that schools were not thought to be great transmitters of covid? At some point we just need to get on with living. Pfizer are saying a vaccine should be ready by the Autumn. I used to work for them and if they say it....it is pretty certain to happen.

I can't imagine how it would work at drop off/pick up. The pavement outside my DDs primary school is packed as are the grounds at pick up time. Even if only 10 per class were in with 3 drop off times that would still be 100 DC being dropped off at one time (5 form entry). Perhaps YR and Y1 wouldn't come in as socially distancing would be very difficult with all the child-led play they do. The older ones would cope better. Maybe coming in for a week every 3rd week and then be given work to get on with at home. Specialist classes would not happen I suppose to keep them with 1 teacher in 1 classroom so no music, French, PE, swimming or instrument tuition. They could all eat a packed lunch in their classroom (provided for the FSM DC). It would certainly be very different. I onow the first thing my DD would want to do would be show her teacher the exercise book with the work she's done at home. But I suppose he wouldn't be able to get close enough to look.

Could they all be given 2 1metre rulers to hold?

Pfizer are saying a vaccine should be ready by the Autumn.

Ooh, that's good news!

@Asuitablecat can you imagine giving primary school children swords. I mean two meter rulers. They would all be bashing each other deliberately.

I really hope they go back to normal with sone kind of arrangement found for staff who are vulnerable. I simply can’t take the threat of of repeated closures. If this becomes a thing I will simply take my children out if school and hire a teacher. I can’t afford to deal with this at this point in my career and while at the moment this isn’t really having a negative effect on my children it eventually will.

I do think temp checks twice a day on kids. Tbh thag would be good generally.

The last school I worked at didn't have one single thermometer. Not even a science one.

peppy and I dread to think what yr11 would be doing with them.

**It would also require a large number of adults and a substantial amount of outside space which most schools can’t afford/unfortunately don’t have

Very true. Indoor space is at such a premium in most schools too.

They are likely to have years 9,10 & 12 back first as they are close to exams followed by kids at primary schools whose parents both work/single parents.

I can see it being y6/10 and 12

Last week, Geoff Barton, leader of the ASCL head teachers' union suggested that Years 6, 10 and 12 might go back first, with 1 June the earliest realistic date.

People keep saying years 10 and 12! What about year 6! These children are probably going through the biggest move of their school career with no transition. My son has ADHD And ASD and the thogggt of him going to secondary school with no transition is causing me sleepless nights.

Why is there such a focus on year 6 as well? Sats are not happening and I can’t live in the only place in the country where year 4 is the last year of primary and then middle school is years 5-7. So here we have transition years in year 4 and 7.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52469939

No date for reopening but it will be phased.

Is it not possible for the older dc to stay at home and the teacher teach on an online platform so that the whole class can see?
So like a uni lecture style and then have a web chat for any questions? I'm talking year 10+ though. Perhaps a temporary internet fob that works 9-4 could be arranged for dc without internet as well as spare computers. I for one have several laptops that could be donated as well for this cause, I'm quite sure that could be achieved across the country, especially if companies were involved as well.

I have a young dd. She is apparently useless at social distancing. I literally have to hold her hand if anyone comes near us. Her usual method of greeting friends is running up to them and hugging them.
I miss it all so very much but no way she could go back to school and social distance despite being year 2.

Not sure who's going to be teaching my yr10 and 12 if primary kids don't go back. In fact, sending high school kids back first won't solve the childcare problem.

@DaisylovesDonald you must live near me, I think there are only 5 middle schools in the country that are year 5-7! There are others that end in year 8, but I think middle schools are so unusual most people aren’t aware that year 6 isn’t the last year of school everywhere. You are right though, it shouldn’t be a blanket year 6 everywhere but down to local transition years (I have a year 4 who will be starting middle school)

Year 6 only have a few weeks left before secondary. Much of that is taken up with end of years events usually

Wooden my primary age DC's school is doing that kind of thing, with microsoft teams. They have a main class page and then assignments, and photo them and hand in. Thought others were doing the same.

I’m a teacher. When relatives or friends on FB ask, I say ‘It’ll be fine’.
But in truth it’s going to pose a number of really big problems and be a complete pain in the ass.

For instance teachers who have children in a year group who are not invited into school.

Members of staff who require shielding.

In high school, teachers are subject specialists...but will likely be spending much of the time covering lessons, so I doubt pupils are going to get the same quality of teaching they’ve been having?

If all staff are in school, is anyone monitoring home learning and sending tasks home? Are children who are not invited into school going to be in a worse position than they are now, whilst the other children begin learning again?

Some of our high school classes have closer to 40 children in them. We’d need to reduce to 3 classes not 2. Would we have enough specialised staff?

If pupils had to stay in one room to avoid cross contamination and teachers move around, how do they teach their own subjects? For instance how would a teacher teach technology or PE from a maths room? Or music from the science lab?

Or is everyone going to focus on literacy and numeracy, which is not going to play to every teachers strengths at high school level.

There are so many issues that are going to arise, I honestly don’t know how we will do it. I feel sad for the children, including my own who is year 10.