School secretary saying school might reopen on Monday

[SistemaAddict]

I received an email on Friday with the weekly news from school. The secretary writes a brief email and then attaches the news from the HT. She has said school might be open on Monday depending on what Boris says. Considering this was published the day before it seems premature to say the least:

A DfE spokesperson said:
Education Secretary Gavin Williamson has not set a date for schools reopening.
Schools will remain closed, except for children of critical workers and vulnerable children, until the scientific advice indicates it is the right time to re-open and the five tests set out by Government to beat this virus have been met.
We are also working closely with the sector as we consider how to reopen schools, nurseries and colleges and will ensure everyone has sufficient notice to plan and prepare."

dfemedia.blog.gov.uk/2020/05/07/school-reopening-covid19/

The media is bad enough and now the secretary is getting hopes or fears up (depending on your stance) and adding to the confusion. Does anyone really think that boris will say tomorrow that schools will be back the next day?? If schools are back then workplaces are going to want their staff back which will create a nightmare for childcare that will need to be sorted. People need some kind of notice, not just 12 hours ffs.

Schools need three weeks notice to open - lots needs to be done. It is not just running round with a cloth, sorting out the loos etc. They will need to flush through the water system to reduce the possibility of legionnaires ....

And don't forget, all those buckets need to be procured.

She was in the wrong to add that note without verifying but frankly with the PM sending out confusing and contradictory messages she isn't the only one confused.

I wouldn't shoot her for it, especially as you say she is normally a great member of staff but I'd expect a hastly amendment before Monday.

The school secretary gets to decide the content of letters home?

I think its becoming clear that HTs, staff/unions and even LAs are not prepared to have this rushed.

Even our LA is putting out quite strong communication to schools about how this will only be done when it's safe to do so. So whilst a week or so ago I thought we might be looking at June, now I'm back (in my mind) to the original September plan.

Wales and Scotland have been limited in what they can say because Boris is like it or not the leader.

Education (and health) is a devolved issue in Scotland and Wales.

Schools need three weeks notice to open

most schools here are still opened...

@fuckweasel yes it is but the overarching plan of Coronavirus will come from Westminister - as I said I would like to see an overall agreement as to when this should take place based on data and then each follows

Dds school have clearly said they do t know yet but then the ht there sends his emails direct, they don't come as an attachment with any chitchat from anyone else.

I'm a teacher and I'm not going back until I've had a haircut. I look like I have a tree on my head. And let's not talk about the grey.
If it's not safe to get a haircut then how can it be safe to put loads of people into hot steamy rooms. With teenagers who will find it funny to cough on me if I tell them off.

And I've already planned Monday's lessons on line. And we have no safety goggles as the NHS now has them all.
Nah, think I'll stay home for a bit longer yet. Because I kind of like living 😊

Quartz2208

Education is devolved in Scotland(and Wales I believe). We have always had a separate education system (pre devolution) too. Boris is not "the boss" in this situation.

For clarification, I am not a supporter of Indy or the SNP.

Yes the schools haven’t really shut as such but there is a huge difference between keeping 10 children safe, entertained and fed, and educating and feeding 500.

It's a state school and to clarify it's the secretary's view, not the HT
I don't understand how you know it is the secretary's view and not the HT. Yes, the e-mail has come from the secretary's account with the news from the HT attached but whose to say the HT didn't tell the secretary to write the statement in the e-mail.
Did the secretary write "In my opinion" or something like that?

I cannot for the life of me imagine the secretary deciding by herself to send a message to parents saying the school might be open depending on what Boris says. Or does she have form for this kind of thing? It's much more likely that the HT told her to write this as this issue came up after she had written the rest of the news (presumably in some kind of word processed newsletter as you used the word "attached").

If you're that bothered maybe you could e-mail the head directly and ask for clarification.

We have been told by our school that they will keep us informed, but can not promise the DC will be back before August, and even then they have zero idea how it will work yet if we are back. We are in Scotland and our particular area finish up last week of June for summer. Unless they cut/ditch the holidays, I am just going with the mid August date atm and see what each day brings us re news.

Fuck... who is and not whose!! Sorry.

I work with schools and find this really, really surprising.

@mumsneedwine very few people think of the teachers in this situation x

This came up on my Facebook - pretty accurate I think!

@Connie222 we had noticed, so thank you ! Every time it's all about how kids don't get it badly. Well I will and I'm in my 50s and a bit chubby so may not end well. Students won't stay apart however much we tell them too. Because that's what teens do.
But to be honest I am being real about the haircut. I'd scare the kids at the moment. Wish Teams has some kind of soft filter too as I look awful on it. At least on Monday I'll have a better tan to greet year 10 at 9am.

I'm amazed that the class WhatsApp group isn't full of questions and worry about this. Even the patents who are doctors at the start were 🤷🏼‍♀️ about the virus. One had cone back from northern Italy and didn't see any issue.

Our HT (indie) sent an email saying that preparations are going ahead in the expectation that the school will re-open 1June and that further details will follow. So schools need to be gearing up and getting plans in places so they can reopen as soon as the Gvt gives the green light. In our case realistically June 1is the only option as the summer terms ends on 30 June -any later would be ridiculous.

Way to go, school secretary. That should ensure a deluge of emails and phone calls to school on Monday morning. The woman is a thoughtless idiot! I should think the Head will be fuming.

The definitive statement about schools reopening:

Schools will reopen in the future. End.

Tbh the Head needs to get a grip of that newsletter. That's ridiculous if the secretary is allowed to just add random misinformation about important things

Wales and Scotland have been limited in what they can say because Boris is like it or not the leader.

Why do English people who know nothing about devolution spout shit like this?

Boris is not in charge of Education or Health in Scotland, Wales or NI

It will be up to Nicola Sturgeon, Mark Drakeford and Arlene Foster and their decisions when schools will reopen in the other 3 nations.

Could you have misread as I read that from Monday they were opening the schools fully for all staff to go in to prepare for the changes - so staff only ?

Beltane your head was foolish then.

Every teaching union has told Boris that the schools are not safe to open. EVERY union and the TUC.

What’s Boris going to do? Ignore it? How can he? When the majority of parents think the sane except on Mumsnet...