How will large schools cope?

[oldbagface]

The school issue is worrying. Our school has approximately 1800 pupils. Inner city school in a deprived area. Huge percentage of pupils do not have English as a first language which may possibly hinder understanding of the plethora of new rules they will be expected to adhere to. Further, a high percentage of kids with learning disabilities, Ditto the same issue. Also, even if all kids were able to be compliant and carried out all expectations to the letter, who is going to clean the school throughout the day. Particularly high touch areas. It's not possible. I don't see how it will be safe.

Then if we go with the untested theory that kids don't spread it. In a school of our size there's a lot of adult staff members. Still plenty of opportunities to spread the virus.

Opinions please.

There is some evidence from Denmark that their R value has risen again to 0.9 since they have started to open some schools partially ( with lots of social distancing).

The government needs to get people back to work. I work in local government and they are chomping on the bit to get us back in (I’m not front line). To do that it needs schools open. That’s it really. They will adapt the rules to get schools open. The 2m rule would need dropping.

My son is year 10. I’m starting to feel really worried for him. My year 13 had his A levels cancelled and I can see my year 10s GCSEs being a disaster.

I think the Imperial model gives schools reopening (per normal; no social distancing) a R value of 0.3, i.e. if we are currently at 0.5, it would raise us to 0.8. If all children's temperatures were taken twice a day with one of those heat sensor guns, and track and trace was implemented, it might be possible to re-open all schools as normal, keep a very close eye on R, and lockdown again for a couple of weeks once R is getting too close to 1. Don't forget the government is still (secretly) following the herd immunity theory, and schools were key in that to act as a valve, switching on and off to keep the rate of infection below that which overwhelms the NHS, but still getting as many healthy people (including kids) to catch it....

We need to look at other countries and what they are doing and how it is working. We are not the only country with this problem.
One country is doing 4 days in work, ten days off. Etc.
Half days would be a silly idea as the morning children would be touching all surfaces possibly infecting each other, plus infecting the afternoon kids too from the surfaces!

Why do some posters think secondaries (y10/12) will be first? If the economy is prioritised then it will be primaries so parents can work.

Lunch - it's going to have to be sandwiches brought in (sandwich bags for FSM) canteens closed!

I don't want more bitesized style lessons as ny y9 sons are now staring at PCs for 5 hrs a day in an attempt to replicate school days. They'll have RSI and need glasses soon! They need a teacher.

But social distancing is impossible to do with a group of 5 year olds. They just don't understand and can't judge distances anyway. In any case, schools are only going to be able to take smaller groups at a time so even primary schools will not be working as usual for "childcare".

We find county gives advice for all schools to follow a one size fits all .

Yet my son's school I would say over 50%need hoists ,70% need help personal care .Then lot need lot of physical support for education ed hand over hand etc .Then there physio _-#speecj/OT sessions came deliever them from 6 foot.
Also many of the children can't cover mouth nose when sneeze

But county insists head follows there one size fits all

I also think they are aiming for herd using the kids. So parents and teachers and a few dc are colateral damage.

But teaching unions did ask for data of how many kids would die and teachers. And i presume they havent been told. But i suspect its a lot.
If they do drop the 2m then the gov intentions will be clear.
Im not sure all parents will send them. There must be lots of vulnerable parents and then shielding and pg or young baby.
The benefit in primary of a few odd hour just isnt there.
I dont think the uk should accept the dropping of the distance - it's the gov fault it's ended up like this im just nor sure why parents and teachers and everyone elseshould be risking their lives.

I don't really see how the gov says its getting better and the curve is flattening. From worldometers we have now climbed 4th from the top. The results were more in every case today compared to yesterday. I am really worried this is going to be a shitstorm loosening the lockdown.

This thread is really worrying. I know there are many, many reasons why schools need to reopen, but the thought of going back soon is terrifying- For me as a teacher and for my own children experiencing what schools will actually be like for the next few months.

Actually they were lower in new cases but I don't see them going down radically. Its also the weekend which is always bad for reporting of cases.

Agreed @Dakotafanny. Me too and for my children.

I am just so glad that actually in Scotland its not long until the summer holidays.

@DakotaFanny I agree. I have such mixed feelings about sending my kids in, they are missing out on so much with their education but also socially, I want them to be able to go back safely, but I too am terrified that it will not be possible, that the Government will just do a wishy washy 'we don't need to social distance in schools, just wash your hands'.
Both my DS are due to transition in Sept, one to College to do A levels and one to Senior school. I desperately want them to do their transition days and settle in well but I can't see how this will work. I could keep them at home with me but I don't know if that's right for them.🤷🏻‍♀️

I think we need to park the 2m ‘rule’ it wasn’t based on anything. For example it’s 1.5m in Germany

Thats all very well but earlier this month newspaper s were saying it should be more than 2m.
And for running behind someone or cycling

I'll be keeping my kids at home. I'm not having them go in for only six week's worth of fractured, chaotic and highly compromised learning so that they can become unwitting participants in this large medical experiment. Fuck that for a game of soldiers.

FourTeaFallOut I couldn’t agree more!

Four Tea Id also like to do that (Im vulnerable) but my daughter is desperate to see out the end of primary. I really dont know what we'd do.

If I am forced to go back as a teacher I will nonetheless keep my kids off because schools are a horrible mess of germs at the best of times. We haven't suddenly got lots of cleaners, soap, space, thermometers, PPE. It's still the same badly funded environment largely built for much smaller amounts of people than are now crammed in there. School buses are not magically bigger and cleaned between trips. Children are not suddenly able to understand social distancing. Older children still won't wash their hands and think it's funny to cough at the teacher. Who still won't have any ppe, or even a perspex screen like supermarkets.

Teachers and TA's have already died. Children are not always getting it mildly. In my school we have one in hospital with organ faliure from it. We should not be used as test subjects.

At the other end of the spectrum it’s going to be really hard for small schools too - most village primaries are in Victorian classrooms designed for 15 children. In my classroom several children have to get out of their seats in order to allow another to get to the door and go to the toilet. A 2m distance wouldn’t work, we’ve measured and can get 4 children per room.

It would be easier (I’m not saying safer) to just accept that distancing won’t work in schools.

On Newsnight there was mention of having to repeat a year. If schools can only reopen in a limited way does that seem a real possibility? How would it work for year 11 and 13? Just asking since there seem to be lots of people with knowledge of the school system on this thread.

If mine (y9) had to repeat a year would the Government pay their expensive travel costs of thousands per year?

Or for me to work another year part-time instead of going full time when they finish in 2 years?

Not to mention the hundreds in school uniforms!

They’ve already confirmed no summer school and no repeating

At end of day kids have still been it should have been taught in some way so shouldn’t be that far behind