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For those who want schools to go back..

999 replies

pfrench · 07/05/2020 12:08

.. tell us how you think it should work. Primary or secondary.

In your ideal world.

How would social distancing be adhered to?
How about drop off and pick up?
How would classrooms operate?
How about lunchtimes and breaktimes?
What about after school childcare provision?
What about staff who are sheidling?
What about children who are sheilding?
What about staff who have family members who are sheilding?
Should only some children go back? Who should they be and why?

So many education and school experts on here, it will be interesting to read your safe solutions.

OP posts:
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Sockbogies · 07/05/2020 17:49

One thing that really concerns me about a longer term lockdown is private schools seem to be carrying on teaching successfully online (because they can and the pupils have the facilities do this), whilst our state school children fall further and further behind. Week six and I am still waiting for our local school to do more than just post ideas on their website for things to do, nothing year specific at all. We've still had no contact or interaction with any teaching staff. Im doing what I can but in comparison to what others are doing it's woeful, not helped by my working from home at the same time. I'm at breaking point. If this carries on long term (say til September) then all education should stop. It is not fair and will increase the already big gap between the haves and the have-nots.

Worriedmummy1976 · 07/05/2020 17:52

Why should it be a race to the bottom Hmm Maybe all schools should be made to provide a proper online education.

Worriedmummy1976 · 07/05/2020 17:53

And if all education stopped I wouldn’t stop educating my child. I would do it with the help of websites and tv programmes. What a ridiculous idea.

namechangenumber2 · 07/05/2020 17:54

@Sockbogies , it's amazing the differences between schools isn't it. I have a friend with children in private school - they're having at least two video calls a day with their teacher. My DS is in year 6 at a state school, he's been given 2-3 hours a day worth of work - I think that's good. I can't believe you haven't heard anything?! Has there been a big take up of spaces of key worker/vulnerable children?

Whatsthis1515 · 07/05/2020 17:57

Why are only teachers this precious? What about people working in shops, petrol stations, takeaways and everything else that has remained open? They've managed ok?

It's bloody ridiculous. We will be living with this virus until there is a vaccine

And I am a teacher by the way and I'm mortified that my profession seem to think they are far more precious than everyone else. Most likely as we're backed up by bullish unions.

Oh and FYI, I am type 1 diabetic so considered vulnerable. I am desperate to get back to work to my class.

Delatron · 07/05/2020 17:58

Yep thoroughly pissed off with the differences between schools. Some having complete timetables of online lessons, others (ours) sending an A4 sheet and expecting us to get on with becoming full time teachers.

If the government keeps the schools closed beyond June they need to enforce some kind of regulation that schools provide more online learning/lessons or the discrepancy between children will grow.

Keepdistance · 07/05/2020 18:21

But most kids will have already achieved their end of year targets.
Just nor sure of the point of sending those back. Primary that is.
Y3 we have tt rockstars, mathletics. Ive got cgp books and books dd can read. We've done a little writing maybe 1hr. And i can see a big improvement.
Bbc bitesize is pretty good and oak academy looks good. We've had some stuff to printout from school.
With a more compliant child i could have got her so far ahead.

I can see teachers cant do 100% with masks but it's the e eryone wearing them so it's not so much in the environment. But i dont get this hand washing thing it's like people think that is enough! It wont save you if you are within 1-2m. I think thats where the uk have seriously misled. Hand washing with slow the spread as a population but wont help you completely avoid getting it if you are in close contact. Think of all the kids coughing/sneezing in 1small room.

Not everyone wants to take the same risks in life and that's generally ok. I dont fancy personally signing up for the army. I dont smoke but like a quarter do. I would be less worried if i didnt have young kids
And cheltenham and football matches managed to spread it very well despite being outside.

Keepdistance · 07/05/2020 18:25

I agree schools should be recording lessons as much as possible the security issues doesnt really fly.
Fundamentally though our education with each tescher going their own way doesnt work very well. Better to work from books. Even with havimg online systems we cannot go up to the bext year group stuff for maths which would help keep intetest.

NotABeliever · 07/05/2020 18:26

I don't see the point of putting in place complicated staggered attendance and timetables, etc. It's just impossible to enforce social distance in schools of all types and with children of any age. The virus will spread if someone is contagious whether they're sitting 1 or 2 metres apart from other children. No point in putting expensive measures into place.

I think attendance should be elective if schools reopen before a vaccine is found and schools should support those parents who don't want to send their kids back by offering online support along the same lines of what's currently being offered. Other than that, I believe schools should reopen fully on 1/6.

pfrench · 07/05/2020 18:55

Oh that's a shame, it's turned into a school bashing thread again.

People need to accept that schools will have made decisions on closure learning based on the best for the whole community of children and families. It's not fair, but schools were given 2 days to sort it out, no extra funding, and at the point of closure, no guidance on how to deal with any of it. At that point staff were off, children were off (in my big inner city primary we had 30% of children in school on that last day) - many staff who should have been home as vulnerable or even shielding, were not in order to get to the line. Since then there have been lots of suggestions for home learning given by the DfE, none of it is 100% right for any given school. Schools cant physically provide, or afford, packs of stuff to go home for all children, and they cant afford to provide the technology, wifi or data for all the children who haven't got it. Staff themselves live in shared houses, so cant film lessons in the bedrooms for safeguarding reasons. There cant ever be a situation where you're on a phone call or zoom call, on your own with a child. By providing anything online, you're adding to the unfair advantage for some/not others issue.

Teachers are being paid 100% of salary by the gov. If they were furloughed, they'd have less stress and less insult being thrown at them from people like you guys, and would have been given 80% of their salaries by the government. All teachers are still working, I guarantee that all the teachers in my school are working more than 20% of their hours. They aren't costing 'you' any money, and a big % of them aren't sleeping at night with stress. Lots have children and partners who also need to work at home. My partner gets up at 5am and works until 12.30 while I do childcare, then I set up my lessons in the afternoon and record them after 5 (when partner definitely wont be getting work calls, and child is on TV time). I work until 9 most nights making sure my lessons only need a pencil and a piece of paper. A tiny % are being a bit lazy, but that's for their SLT to worry about, not you. Those SLT will probably have been up literally all night some nights trying to get the free school meals vouchers sorted out, because the gov have screwed that up, they are also in school more often than not providing safeguarding cover, making phone calls to parents, etc.

In terms of engagement with home learning, 50% of private secondary schools is the highest %. My school is hovering around 10%. I still do the lessons, because if 1 child enjoys it and does the work, then I've succeeded for the day. Lots and lots of children are missing out, loads will have to be relearned. Remember thought, the time we've been off is 5 weeks - still less than the school summer holidays. Anyone who has ever taken their child out of school for a holiday or a day out, has no moral high ground hereby the way.

Schools need to go back. Teachers do NOT want to do what they are being asked to do right now. It's not what we trained to do. I for one am hating it, and am wondering whether I can cope with the next 2 years in the classroom working around this virus. Day after day on here, the toxic anti teacher stuff is rife. Be annoyed at your furloughed colleagues or whatever, they are the ones in the best position right now in amongst all this shit. Apart from maybe hedge funders, they seem to be ok.

OP posts:
Pomegranatepompom · 07/05/2020 18:58

@Delatron that’s exactly the same for our school. An A4 sheet, no interaction at all. They have 4-7 children in per day, I checked as we are both key workers but decided we would not send them to protect them and others.

There’s such a lot of inconsistency.
My friend is working 1 day a week only and can’t wait to get back. She’s a really lovely enthusiastic teacher. She’s also answering queries and providing extra work to those who wish.

Pomegranatepompom · 07/05/2020 18:59

@pfrench I’ve not read the whole thread yet but the opening post was a bit goady.

pfrench · 07/05/2020 19:00

Feel free to scroll on by then.

OP posts:
drinksonthelawn · 07/05/2020 19:06

If they ban parents in the playground they'll only congregate outside the gates anyway.

Kitcat122 · 07/05/2020 19:19

I have had covid I work in a school. It is not a nice illness I still cannot breath properly and have terrible chest pains 8 weeks on. I think alot of you would have different views if you or a loved one had definitely had it.

RigaBalsam · 07/05/2020 19:23

I agree schools should be recording lessons as much as possible the security issues doesnt really fly.

What do you mean?

Pomegranatepompom · 07/05/2020 19:24

Many of my colleagues have had covid (nhs)
the general feeling is we want schools back soon fir all the reason that have been said many times on these types of threads - September will be no different to June logically.

CallmeAngelina · 07/05/2020 19:31

Daffodil101: "Go damn Yankee. I support you."
What, you mean like your teacher-bashing thread that was deleted this morning?

CallmeAngelina · 07/05/2020 19:31

I agree schools should be recording lessons as much as possible the security issues doesnt really fly.

You what? Explain!

Delatron · 07/05/2020 19:42

I don’t understand why, if there are safeguarding and security issues, some schools are still doing online lessons? Zoom, Microsoft Teams? Children sat all day with headphones on, being taught (while parents work!!). Yet I’m having to wrestle with a 10 and an 11 year old trying to teach how to multiply fractions..

nellodee · 07/05/2020 19:46

Why are teachers so precious? We're not. I look at what care assistants do, I used to be one, and I think, my fucking christ, those people have it so bad. But should the argument be, "Anyone who doesn't have it as bad as a care assistant, with no PPE and on minimum wage has no right to offer any opinion"?

No, of course not. The solution is to make sure care homes are being taken care of properly, with testing, proper PPE, proper release practises from hospitals, better pay and working conditions.

Do I think it's acceptable that people swear at shop assistants and that they have no PPE?

No, I think they should have screens, regular wash breaks, plenty of hand sanitiser, etc.

Do I think it's okay that nurses are expected to care for people without full PPE?

No, I think they should have everything they need. I think we should move heaven and earth to get it for them.

Do I think it's okay teachers are crammed into rooms with no PPE and kids who have no idea of social distancing?

No, I think they should have PPE and vastly reduced class sizes.

Sockbogies · 07/05/2020 19:52

@namechangenumber2 nope, absolutely nothing. I have been shocked at the total silence, I understand the need to balance expecting too much from parents, but you’d have expected at least one contact in six weeks? All I’ve seen is their website updated with BBC bitesize and a few URLs. Which I wouldn’t mind if there was some consistency and the same attitude from all schools. And as for the poster that said it was a ridiculous idea, and shouldn’t be a race to the bottom - no, clearly not. But some children are being left behind (I am able to do what I can with my children but there will be many who just won’t do anything). The disadvantage for some years is going to be huge and these children have done nothing wrong. So yes, stop learning for now. Let parents do a bit if they choose. But stop those with the gold plated education being able to race ahead.

TheEmojiFormerlyKnownAsPrince · 07/05/2020 20:01

Whatsthis, teachers aren’t being precious, their conditions aren’t like any other jobs.

I teach secondary in a practical subject. About 9 or 10 different pieces of equipment needed for each child aside from normal stationery. And then folders, resources etc.

5x25 kids per day. How much cross contamination is going on there? In a lesson? In a day? In a week? Union advice is no sharing equipment.🤷🏼‍♀️

Spitting, punching each other, laughing in each other’s faces.

I’ve been in today with keyworker students. They try to do social distancing but can’t

TheDrsDocMartens · 07/05/2020 20:05

Childcare is going to have to expand if other places go back to work. I think that as that happens more children go back to school. Increasing gradually. As classes become class groups and there’s staff they might teach more than do child care.
Then 6/10/12 go back (to education rather than child care).

TheDrsDocMartens · 07/05/2020 20:06

Older ones may wear masks but no chance in primary.

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