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.

Don’t have a go at me. I couldn’t get away with this in my job why should my daughter’s teachers? Absolutely agree with previous poster. If she was getting decent feedback etc I’d be much happier but how can I not feel concerned? And talk about teacher bashing, there’s a lot of parent bashing going on.

If teachers were offering my kids more than Monday emails I wouldn't be so worried.

My DD's teachers have been specifically told to e-mail work out once a week and feedback a maximum once a week too.
Reason? The 236 'complaints' from parents claiming that their DC are overwhelmed with the amount of work being set.
One of the teachers at DD's school is my DSister - so a reliable source I think.

I couldn’t get away with this in my job why should my daughter’s teachers?

I'm sure your work would make allowances if you were unable to answer e-mails through illness bereavement or a complete f up of the communication system.
Phone and find out what's going on.

And talk about teacher bashing, there’s a lot of parent bashing going on.

Depends what they're saying really doesn't it?

Eachdub
What I don't understand is why anyone would gladly send their child back to school unnecessarily in the middle of a pandemic.
When all pupils are in attendance they are packed in. Social distancing is absolutely impossible.

Some of the posts on this thread from teachers! Ffs get a grip and stop being so passive aggressive and relentless.

I can't believe any head would tell teachers to only email once a week because kids/ parents complained. Since when did kids complaining change the way schooling works. Get the kids educated properly whilst they and you are at home or open the schools and teach them. We can't have this current limbo where neither side is doing anything constructive.

I can't believe any head would tell teachers to only email once a week because kids/ parents complained.

Believe it because that is exactly what my DSister's SLT has told them to do. For that reason.
My DD gets 2 lots of communication per subject per week.

Cleanmean
Because it is happening, I have been told to pull back because having curriculum posted daily is making parents anxious and worried, they have asked for it to be reduced. However if a parents wants more all they have to do is ask. But I have good relationships with my parents, we work hard together to find a way that works.

Ive actually decided to try to find resources to educate my child myself.

There’s stuff on Twinkl, which I subscribed to. I don’t think Bitesize is much good, she doesn’t like it either. Other stuff is a bit ad hoc. This week we baked, watched some stuff about resilience and learnt about evolution.

However, I have a mental health caseload in my NHS job, so I’ve got to balance the two. Ive decided my child is my priority.

I didn't like the online bite size so much but the daily lesson (one for primary and one secondary) on TV has been good so far.

We tried that but it was a bit shouty and bright!

She really liked one of the PSHE modules (about crime) but it was an eight part video series and they’d only uploaded five, so that was frustrating.

I do meanwhile have patients running amok, one was running naked through the local hospital while I was trying to find parts 7-8 of the BBC bite size crime thing.

Thing is the data certainly isnt clear about secondary schools..
Ok so you are happy for the teachers to go in in full respirators then problem solved!

I thinkbsomevpeople have troyble looking at the stats from anything but their own perspective.
How many teachers will be in the 60-68 category. Asthmatic or diabetic.
No other country has just sent the kids back!
I trust china/s korea etc much more than i do our idiot scientists. (Who are convinced face masks do nothing).

Once parliament sits in with no SD all of them crammed in then maybe schools should return.
In fact i suggest a few school trips to the HoP.

Would you ask a 70yo to stand in front of the class? Some people who arent shielding are at higher risk than elderly.

I’m coming round to the idea of keeping my daughter off indefinitely, however I will be educating her myself and doing practically nothing with my MH caseload at work.

Annual leave in August so only a few months to ‘wing it.’ It does feel slightly wrong knowing that there’s an uptick in MH needs (and knowing the individual patients and how risky they are in their communities), but my daughter will have to come first. It’s absolutely right to keep her off school really, I had just hoped to go properly to work and concentrate enough to look after my patients. It’s not possible to do both, so I opt to care for her, do a few bits I’m with my mental health patients, draw my salary, hope for the best.

I have a mental health caseload in my NHS job, so I’ve got to balance the two. Ive decided my child is my priority

Gosh, what about the people with mental health problems? You are being paid, why are they not your priority? Or is it only teachers who can’t prioritise their children or get sick themselves, or be sitting up at 3am trying to get a delivery slot, or getting prescriptions for elderly parents....

I’m just tired of trying really. It’s not possible to educate my child and run my caseload. So I’ll choose her.

(DH has a friend he was at university with. She’s a GP. She’s pretty much decided to just take parental leave for the foreseeable future. She has three kids so she’s probably entitled to a lot. It’s unpaid but she’s prepared for that).

Yeah, when teachers try and balance things, we’re just workshy lazy good for nothings who are utter shit at our jobs? Just sack us because there are plenty more new teachers waiting in the wings....oh, wait...

Risking your lives? What is your actual chance of dying? Do you consider it risking your life every time you get in a car?

Depends on our age and health status as to just how likely we may be to die. Every time,e I get in a car, I have a seatbelt and safety features like ABS and airbags. I am also trained and in control of things such as speed and whilst I can’t control idiots around me, I can drive defensively and use my experience to keep me as safe as possible. I can also take out insurance to cover injury. However, when as a teacher I try to put on even a seatbelt, I am accused of being work shy and told the likelihood of an accident is minimal therefore there is no need to take precautions.

@Howaboutanewname I wish I could ‘like’ posts on here because your last two are spot on.

Moreover, the general public is prepared to put their children in the car with me without seatbelts knowing very little about my driving experience and my state of mind. It is beyond bonkers.

I work in an infants school 3 to 7 year olds. We have had six children in a day. Just recently this has gone up to 14 children a day. With six children a day or has been nearly impossible to socially distance them. Children of this age group are naturally drawn to each other. Reminding them to stay away from each other is time consuming and they dont understand why we are asking them to stay away from each other. I am all for children
being back on school that's where they need to be, but only when it is safe for them and the grown ups teaching them.

What makes teachers so special

Exactly.

A 32 page thread on teachers and their safety concerns, but when there was a thread about retail workers it only lasted 2 pages, yet they're obviously more at risk. No one gave a damn about them and their thread, but then they aren't constantly complaining all the time I suppose

Teachers. You're not the only ones exposed to the general public, including children. At least you're not stuck in a supermarket 8 hours a day

@flaxmeadow just because some people have it worse, doesn't mean teachers can't voice their concerns or make their concerns less valid

just because some people have it worse, doesn't mean teachers can't voice their concerns or make their concerns less valid

But the concerns are exaggerations. Teachers teach children, those children have parents who understand the risks and would isolate a child at home if they thought there was a chance they could pass the virus onto an elderly or vulnerable relative, or within the school and the parent would explain this to the school staff. Teachers know what they're dealing with

In a supermarket you don't have a clue who you're serving and you're probably in some cases serving or encountering a lot more people in one hour than a teacher would encounter in a whole day, in the whole school. Supermarkets are more crowded as well

Yet there they are, day in day out, tough as old boots, working in supermarkets, keeping the country going and without much compliant. Hats off to them I say

But the concerns are exaggerations. No, they aren't.

Teachers teach children, those children have parents who understand the risks and would isolate a child at home if they thought there was a chance they could pass the virus onto an elderly or vulnerable relative, or within the school and the parent would explain this to the school staff

Parents don't necessarily understand the risks. They might, they might not.

Teachers know what they're dealing with

No idea what you mean by this. Care to elaborate?

Supermarkets are more crowded as well

No they're not, 1200 people in all at the same time for 7 hours?

Parents don't necessarily understand the risks. They might, they might not

Why might not?

No idea what you mean by this. Care to elaborate

Teachers know the children. They meet the parents and discuss school with them. They are part off a local community.

Someone who works in a supermarket is bombarded with unknown people from all over the place. We don't even know a person's name, never mind have time to stop ask if someone might be feeling ill.

No they're not, 1200 people in all at the same time for 7 hours?

But they're not in a huge warehouse type building with tens of thousands of people passing through everyday. 1200 is an exceptionally large school and will be for older children. The children being discussed as most in need of school ATM are primary age

Many suggestions have been made on this thread about how a school could run in the present situation, but why is it that whenever these new ways of schooling are put forward, all many teachers seem to do is reply "no no no". So defeatist, and I might add, so bossy.

So quick to put the parents down as not being able to understand what's going on. Quick to say that young children don't as well, when they do. That they are incapable of social distance or adapting, but they can. Say it would affect a child's mental health to not play out with their friends at break time. Well what the heck do they think children are going through ATM without school!

As for the ones saying schools are not a childcare service. Maybe they should read up on the history of why compulsory education was brought in in the first place, especially in our extensive working class areas. My grandfather went to a school that fed, clothed, even bathed children before they even thought about sitting them at a desk and educating them. While his mother worked in local mill and his father was fighting a war in the trenches of France. This was why his school was built in the first place

Teachers. This is a crisis. Children need you. Society needs you. Use your imaginations. Think outside the box