For those who want schools to go back..

[pfrench]

.. 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.

Only about 322 people under age 45 have caught CV. School can go safely back. A local village with small school just needs to keep a check on who is ill and keep them away from those who are not. These are risks worth taking just as you risk being knocked down by a car when you walk to school.

The only solution is full classes and teachers in biohazard suits and respirators. Clearly.

And note the poster wants to send her kids to school - she thinks nothing of exposing elderly sick people to covid 19 but we're supposed to trust her to make reliable assessments as to whether to send her kids to school where they could risk the health of staff and students and all of their families?

With only staff under 45?
(Remembering staff includes office, canteen and kitchen staff as well as teachers, loads are over that age.)

I was referring initially to the people complaining about their schools not providing much school work

Don't get too much into that one, this thread isn't about that! Plenty of others focused on it.

If we're thinking about schools as childcare, then without telling everyone how jolly important and high powered you are, does anyone have a preference for how best childcare would work.

Ie, is it better to have 2 full school days, or part time every day?

I had a career prior to teaching, and in that I know I'd have preferred two full school days. Much less disruptive.

Or cover all the playgrounds up and erect huge tents for outdoor spacing. Marquees on the school field.

Would work in our school.

Disclaimer (before somebody jumps on me) I know all schools don’t have an adjacent field.

Full days is better I’d say.

I’m jolly important you know.

Daffodil I'm picturing you sending your dc in days 1&2, and then sending them back again for days 3&4 with a cunning disguise on - wig and glasses maybe?

I know quite a few outdoor activities providers struggling at the moment

YES! I've wondered about them. Sports coaches who normally go into school too. Are any of them gearing themselves up to possibly run summer clubs. Because in all this talk of needing childcare, it's been a bit forgotten that 6 weeks of it will need to be found by end of July.

False beard, glasses, under biohazard suit and respirator.

All so I can linger at the school gate ‘chatting’

How do we decide who is entitled to childcare and who isn't?

Some parents may choose to move children to £10k a year private schools actually (particularly if the school has before and after school childcare from 8 to 6pm cover which my twins' school did) If parents are trying to preserve 2 full time professional jobs it may be worth looking at it as an option particularly if you just have one child and are not in London where fees may be more like £18k

I do wonder about outdoor space though. Seriously.

Its summer term - it’s warm. Lots of marquee companies currently losing money due to cancelled events. Why can’t we marry up the two.

With a brain like mine (and cunning disguise skills) I’m astonished that nobody has yet invited me to the front benches.

I work in a care home 3 staff have tested positive have all their colleagues been sent home to isolate! No way as there would be no staff to look after residents.

Hence why deaths are rising in care homes exponentially.

Just have certain years back part time from June. Lots of handwashing. Classes eat and play together at lunch so less mixing. See how that goes for 6 weeks.

Delatron - this is probably the only way to go. Hence why I wonder if year 6 is the suggestion - as further back in this thread suggests, they might be the most trustworthy to keep to new ways of working.

I don’t think Social distance can be done and I think a lot of us need to stop focusing on it so much. It’s simply not possible in some job roles.
However we could just continue in September and do the things such as not allowing parents in the office and classrooms to reduce the risk and encourage the children to wash their hands.
Social distance even if achieved in the class would start from the child leaves the house... and whilst possibly sitting on a busy public bus.... it’s like anxiety has over ruled some people’s logic

Its summer term - it’s warm. Lots of marquee companies currently losing money due to cancelled events. Why can’t we marry up the two.

I think this would be an idea if our summers weren’t so unpredictably wet. A bigger focus on outdoor learning maybe.

It would be useful to see some stats/evidence.

How many ‘working in school’ teachers have caught covid 19 in the last 2 months, and of those, how many have had contact with a child who tested covid positive.

Because there’s an assumption that children of key workers are more likely to catch it.

honeybadger, what would be your solution to that? It's an awful thought that staff are still having to work having being exposed but if they all go off sick then who will be caring for the elderly in the home? Go to stay with family?

I still think the marquee idea is sort of ok

How do we decide who is entitled to childcare and who isn't?

No idea. Maybe they check our recycling bins for number of empty booze bottles. The ones who have the most get childcare.

We've got to the bottom of the reason for schools going back anyway. It's childcare. So people should stop going on about education gaps. As this person says:

twitter.com/HannayJeremy/status/1258636613858590721?s=19

Let the kids go back into social groups, older ones especially. Don’t try teaching academic stuff. It’s impossible.

Supervision so they can socialise, yes. Trying to teach? No.

No teaching will be happening in a marquee. That is definitely only childcare.

I work in an inner city primary where for fire drills, with us all lined up in the outdoor space we have, we are only 1m from the building.

I’m not sure marquees would work for all the schools that had their playing fields sold off! I don’t think marquees would work quite so well on playgrounds

Yeah, abandon the teaching. Its totally unworkable, stressful for everyone.