Schools reopening strategy

[Branster]

I can’t see this in recent threads

So reopening some schools is on the agenda?
Telegraph article tomorrow
21:57 update on here

www.theguardian.com/world/live/2020/may/02/coronavirus-live-news-dr-fauci-blocked-from-testifying-on-us-response?page=with:block-5eaddcf88f082b32fdd6c330#block-5eaddcf88f082b32fdd6c330

Mangled grammar does not diverge

One of the mums told me this is what has been discussed at our school. This is Wales. We have not SATS. I'm guessing year 6 due to transition, as they're going to high school.

I think it's going to be a kit of a devolved issue, so England, Scotland and Wales could be different.

Probably but no one knows.

What has been discussed at your school is as much guesswork as anywhere else!

Cat my employers (education) are the same. I could wfh enitrely (and used to wfh 1-2 days pwk before) but because others can't, we must all go back.

Some good points here:

If they go back too early, more fatalities
People don't seem to be aware of our position on the Worldometer table (Italy and Spain not back in school til Autumn)
What has changed? Pre lockdown schools were awash with C19 illness. Nothing's changed

I work with schools. I have two year 9s who need to go back, who have started GCSE coursework (one has a GCSE early, next year) but, we are in a highly infected part of the UK, massive inner city comprehensives.

It won't work. We are running before we can walk.

Do you really trust that the Govt has our best interests at heart?
It fucked up royally and we are mere cannon fodder.

Cat my employers (education) are the same. I could wfh entirely (and used to wfh 1-2 days pwk before) but because others can't, we must all go back. The government could give a much stronger message on this, but they really don't seem to want to (there was a thread yesterday about a pregnant woman who could easily do her job from home but employer were telling her to come in)

Absolutely Piggy
My husband's large employer in Birmingham city centre (massive open plan offices) only allowed wfh when the Govt explicitly announced it, even though staff could have easily wfh before then.

Fewer than one in five of the British public believe the time is right to consider reopening schools, restaurants, pubs and stadiums. The findings, in a new poll for the Observer, suggest Boris Johnson will struggle to convince people to return their lives to normal if he tries to ease the lockdown soon.
The poll by Opinium, taken between Wednesday and Friday last week, found 17% of people think the conditions have been met to consider reopening schools, against 67% who say they have not been, and that they should stay closed

I think most people asked now would say that but these plans would be for in a months time so it depends what question was actually asked?

I don't want my son going back tomorrow but I do think he should go back in 4 weeks as long as the 5 tests are met.

Totally agree middleager and piggy

Principals line is “we are all key workers” (no I am not) so the WFH guidance doesn’t apply

Just makes me so worried and angry that they seem willing to take unnecessary risks

This is really stressing me out. Mine are primary and pre school age and the thought of them and their little classmates social distancing at school is laughable. I don't want my kids (or anyone's) being used as canon fodder in a lockdown easing experiment.

Money/job situation is a worry, but until we get a vaccine the solution is rethinking how we work, not sending are kids into the firing line with our eyes shut and fingers crossed.

Why would it make sense for year 6 to go back? They'll be the last surely?

Do you think if primary schools go back, childcare settings will reopen? The theory that they'll reopen first appears to be on the basis that under 13s aren't affected badly.

While my (year 10) DC could do with getting back into school - I don’t much fancy the thought of them travelling on the bus everyday.
And I just can’t imagine a socially distant queue for that bus, or how they can spread out on the bus.

With regards to Italian schools not going back til September, Italian schools always close at the beginning of June. That is a very different prospect to mid July as we have in the UK.

Kiri the schools I work with are looking at primary schools first. I think this is deemed 'easier" and, more cynically, in line with the idea that primary school parents can then go back to work.

But, they are only scenario planning a phased return - the steer has to come from the Govt.
Can the five criteria be met? Can the R rate stay below one if children go back?

But as a parent, I wish we would just wait. It's too early with so many unknowns, given our grave figures.

Yep all the countries listed such as Spain all close in June anyway. So we are not diverging from the science. My school wouldn’t break up until 23rd July.

They could go back, maybe part time or staggered for a good 6 weeks, we keep an eye on the R rate but they then get to close them again for the 6 week holidays. This will bring any increase back under control.
Makes sense.

Thing is the government does leak information to gauge public opinion/soften the public to the idea, so you never know whether there’s some truth to these stories or not!!

Year sixes are about to transition into secondary schools, so I think for them it would mostly be a case of doing that and taking their placement tests to see which classes they'll be in.

My kids' dad is shielding, so if they go back to school then it could be a long time before they can see him.

Is year 6 the same as primary 7 in Scotland?

If so, yes it makes sense they are first to go back. Surely they need induction for going to a new school.

Some areas have transition at year 4 and 8....

No one knows.
The press are just speculating.
If you want to speculate then do, but please don't believe what you read in the press.
The briefings make it very clear that they need to see a lot more information and data from the scientists before they can work out when they will release any restrictions and what those restrictions are.

The fact is that on Thursday, Boris will tell people what some of those restrictions might be and when they might (just might) be able to happen. They won't happen all at once, they will be lifted one by one, very slowly, assessed over weeks.

Schools don't know, the Chair of our huge Trust, which oversees a lot of High schools and Primary schools told us on Friday that she doesn't know, and we should all ignore anything we read or hear from the media.

What we do know is that they are still unclear about whether students (especially younger ones) spread the disease. They are looking at social behaviour and how students will behave before and after school, how they will get to school as well as what happens in the school. They are, as Jenny Harries said yesterday, looking at a lot of issues arising out of softening restrictions, and this will take weeks and months.

I am aware Italy etc break up in June. Despite what many think about our long holiday, the UK has the shortest holidays in Europe and , in fact, most countries.

The induction thing doesn't hold water with me . They aren't suddenly going to have full on, fun induction days for year 6s/8s with hundreds of children being bussed off to new school for a couple of days! There won't be all the usual fun stuff either like parties and awards and trips.

Kids off for six months is just horrific, many parents don’t home school and so many are vulnerable, in addition the economy need to get moving and at least primary needs to go back to allow that.

What about the poor year 11 students.
A lot of them have no idea at all of what school or college they will actually be attending in September.
A lot don’t know what A levels to start studying at home because they don’t know if they will get the GCSE grade to study that subject.

It’s like they will be left till last anyway and thrown to the wolves.

bluntness do you have any stats at on what % of the workforce have primary age children??

And, come on, it's not horrific.

they don’t know if they will get the GCSE grade to study that subject

How is that different from normal??

Year 11 don't normally start studying for A Level subjects at home !