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.

@Secretlifeofme

That sounds intimidating and no fun for kids at all. I won't be sending my 5 year old in wearing a mask etc. She wouldn't do it. How can they enjoy the day like that?

*Now, when the schools reopen, it means everything else can reopen too. Absolutely no justification to impose any restrictions any more.

No it doesn't mean that at all. Anyone suggesting this doesn't understand risk versus benefit involving complex economical and societal factors.*

This.

Why are some people so pathetically black and white. It obviously doesn't mean that (top paragraph). It means you chose the risk that has the most benefit.

Can I just point out, there is NO social distancing in hospital either. But people need hospitals. And children need to be educated. That doesn't mean by opening both gives everyone the green card to go a lick other people in newly opened restaurants and suggesting everyone can just 'do what they like now' makes you sound like a total knob.

If it's about getting people back to work, there aren't many people who work 9 - 2.45 around school hours.

Maybe not normally but a huge number of people are probably going to continue working from home for months, if at all possible, to reduce transmission in the office and public transport. At least this way they can work properly from 9 to 3.

For anyone who is interested,

I'm very interested - thanks for your post.

Interesting - some children are going to find school in those sort of circumstances quite distressing.

We've all assumed lots of PSHE, well being, mental health work on return, obviously.

I'd like my DD to go back to primary school part time. Grouped in half-class groups of 16, one week at school, then one week off doing home learning. Attendance ONLY Mon to Thurs from 9am to 5pm, no breakfast or after school clubs operating. On Fri the school is cleaned ready for next week (apart from key workers kids who have use of, say, the school hall).

Outdoor break should be staggered, children should eat a packed lunch at their desks. Breaktime staggered and to be taken outdoors, mixing permitted only within the class group. For breaks and sport there could be organised activities such as yoga or martial arts or jogging holding a rope taut with 3m markings on it.

Key worker children have to be kept in an entirely separate group, not mixing with the lower risk children. Suggest they could occupy the school hall and use the front entrance to the school to avoid mixing with the other children.

That doesn't mean by opening both gives everyone the green card to go a lick other people in newly opened restaurants and suggesting everyone can just 'do what they like now' makes you sound like a total knob.

Yep. The government might get away with this by people choosing to continue socially distancing for a long time. Wasn't it something like only 60% of a population need to follow the rules for socially distancing to 'work' as a mitigation measure. If only 40% of people are dickheads, which let's face it, they probably are, then that's still OK in terms of infection peaks etc.

I'm watching for ideas as so far:
I've measured my classroom and I can fit 3 children in with a 2m rule!
I'm open to ideas for how to fit in more! I have suggested we open Sat and Sunday but not sure how other staff will take that so long as people get 2 days off I don't see an issue?
We have no land for a portakabin as our playground is about 4m wide.
We also have 2 teachers shielding so only 1 teacher to teach the whole school.
We have no kitchen so no way of staggering lunches as the food is unable to be kept warm.
We also can't stagger lunches due to staffing - our head teacher serves to the children in her lunch break as massive cuts made us cut serving staff.

Give schools budget for bank/supply teachers (I’m sure there are plenty of low risk younger teachers available)

I haven't read the full thread yet, but I couldn't let this comment pass without addressing it.

There aren't- or there aren't enough. Before all of this happened, we were in a teacher shortage in this country already. Many former teachers had moved to jobs outside of education. The only people doing supply in my local area are those who want to do supply- sometimes older or with caring responsibilities- and many of them don't want full time work.

Before schools closed, our school- like every other one in the local area- was trying to get in supply staff to cover the gaps. There weren't enough available then, and I very much doubt there will be enough available now.

Schools just have to be an exception to 'social distancing' -can't understand why anyone thinks otherwise. 'Social distance' where is reasonable is better than and some places where it can't work just have to accept that.
As to shielding teachers /they can't expect to should beyond the 12 weeks that was required to avoid pressure on the NHS. So either they go back to work or they resign and find a job they can work from home.
I saw today that a union had delivered a petition (!) to the Gvt demanding that schools not be opened until it is 'safe' What a woolly muddled request that is! For whom? They appear not to have noticed that for the most deprived children they never shut! But far too risky to contemplate for middle class kids.

Agreed, you can reopen schools without reopening everything. Loads of things are still closed in Berlin even with schools reopening (bars, clubs, sports and concerts, swimming pools, cinemas, any large events) and we still have restrictions on meeting other people outside the house, distancing in parks, etc.

@pennypopsicle @pfrench Only years 10 and up have gone back. Years 5-9 are going back on 18th, supposedly under the same restrictions but we can't see how that will work tbh. No suggestion yet of younger years going back

The person who said children sit spaced out and stay in their seats without moving. Added to the people who suggested no break time. You obviously have never spent a day in a classroom with children.

Kokeshi123 : My reasoning for mentioning it is that I keep hearing talk about how important it is for Year 6s to get back for this “transitioning” ,
I teach year 6 so I’m well aware that frankly keeping them calm and focussed in the last term is the main objective as the primary school isn’t where the “transitioning” activities happen.

@ArlenesWoodburningStove no, just that was what they were working FBtowards.

But your namesake (!!) did say from the start that once schools closed it would be September before they opened.

No it doesn't mean that at all. Anyone suggesting this doesn't understand risk versus benefit involving complex economical and societal factors.

No I don’t. Nor do most people. Thats kind of the point. Also, opening schools sends a message that hundreds of people mixing isn’t a high risk. And people will then choose other activities that they feel the risk (now perceived low) is outweighed by the benefit to them.

Maybe the staff who are shielding could work from home, remote teaching the children who are shielding?

I don’t know what the answer is.

Kids need to go back, teachers say they’re at risk, they need protecting.

Can we put the teachers behind a Perspex screen and have other staff wearing biohazard suits and full on masks? It would protect teachers.

Can we have the same protection for all staff who can’t realistically stay 2 metres away? Opticians, dentists etc.

(I think you’ve got a good point, pfrench)

Temp check getting on the school bus, cannot sit next to anyone on the bus, Temp check on arrival at school, hand in declaration that you have had no symptoms since you left school the previous day, enter school at strict intervals, classroom desks now single units and spaced at least 1m apart, timetable changed to allow 2 further temp checks in the day, wear masks all day except to eat and drink, no talking if mask is off to eat, lunch eaten at individual tables, provision of isolation rooms at school if anyone records a high temp, no ties or blazers or garments that cannot be laundered every day, classroom desks disinfected in between each use, lockers out of use as that’s where people cluster

Are teachers wearing masks?

I saw today that a union had delivered a petition (!) to the Gvt demanding that schools not be opened until it is 'safe' What a woolly muddled request that is!

Stupid petition. I didn't sign it. Who wants all children to go back to school if it's definitely NOT safe? Haha.

Also, opening schools sends a message that hundreds of people mixing isn’t a high risk.

Yep - refer to my point about reduced infection needing only a certain % of people to adhere to social distancing. You'll always have people doing what they want and ignoring suggestions for their safety.

Maybe the staff who are shielding could work from home, remote teaching the children who are shielding?

That too - some hardcore training needing in this area, particularly in primary where uptake of this has been lower than in secondary.

@Fedup21 yes, everyone in the school has to wear one at all times

How will children see their teacher’s face or read their lips if they rely on that?

I think a clear visor would work?

Whoever up there said there is no point in discussing this - there is!

It's highly likely that there will be some woolly guidance from DfE, within which each school will have to find its own way forward. We've discussed this as SLT at my school, in the same way we were discussing options for closure weeks before we were given the 2 days notice. We've got some ideas.

There are a number of teachers on here reading different ideas. No harm in that. It's also interesting to see parent opinion (if they are being polite), since it's VERY hard to ask parents in a survey or whatever from school - we have to be careful not to raise anxiety levels and so on, as well as avoid raising expectations/planting ideas. that we might not be able to follow through on.

How many people does an optician work with each day? Or a dentist?
I have no idea what those professions are planning re returning, would be interesting to see.

I think the government will leave it to individual schools to decide with a certain social distancing criteria they have to fulfil.

So every school will be run and open differently to the next one and lots of people will be unhappy. But it won't be the government's fault. Just those work shy teachers