Why only primary school going back?

[Mummypig2020]

Just that really, why do they only want to get primary school back?

It's absolutely pointless phasing the primary years back throughout summer 2. Really, what is the point? Children would be in for a matter of days!

And we're only going to be resocialising them. Not teaching them.

I've no objection to going back into school; I'd prefer that to teaching online! But I just can't see the point if they're not going to be in for any real length of time.

Count me in as another who cannot understand why Y6 needs to go back at all. They have literally nothing to do. When my son left primary school, his last half-term was one big party---leavers play, disco, school trip, even a day out at a music festival. Oh and one afternoon "transition" day at their new secondary school. The primary has had 7 years to get them ready for high school. I doubt 7 finalweeks of primary school will much in the way of "preparation."

I can't understand the argument that young children don't get ill with COVID.

They may not get as ill, but they are really unhygienic little buggers and when they all mix together at school and bring coronavirus home to their parents (and grandparents) those people will get ill.

My sister's family all had coronavirus which started with the 5 yr old at the end of March and went through them all, took 6 or 7 weeks before they were all well and that was a mild infection.

And what happens when we have a case, or suspected case, in the school? Do we shut the school and deep clean the whole building like we did when the first few cases popped up in Feb/March? Or do we all soldier on as it goes through the school population??

Seems a shitty thing to do to kids who are not taking exams, have no real urgency to be in school.

Staff will be in PPE, won’t that be scary for the children?

There will be non of the usual fun activities we have in the summer term - school trip, fun days, playing together, etc.

Surely this can’t work?

Many countries don't even start schooling for Reception and Year 1 aged children; they start at age 7.
That's true, but the children in many such countries are expected to start the school able to read, write and know basic maths. (Source - I am from one of these countries)

Many countries don't even start schooling for Reception and Year 1 aged children; they start at age 7.

I believe in most, if not all, these countries, most children attend nursery until 7, which is similar to our reception, they just don't call it "school".

Many countries don't even start schooling for Reception and Year 1 aged children; they start at age 7

Am also from one of these countries. By 7, my nieces and nephews all speak multiple languages, are usually playing an instrument or dancing, and know the basics of reading and writing.

Yes, there's a lot more play, but as a pp pointed out, that's exactly what the benefit it for sending in r and y1 kids. Many MN kids are at home painting rainbows and learning maths through baking, but many of the others I used to see before lockdown are apparently experiencing significant neglect due to parents mentally or financially unable to cope with the disruption to work, routine and family support. While others, even from more privileged families, are being stuck in front of the TV all day without friends, carers or siblings to interact with, while exhausted parents scramble to work.

If the numbers stay so high,then maybe the benefit to staying home is better but it's such an important time for development that I hope it can be done with acceptable levels of safety.

I wonder if one of the reasons for getting year 6 back is not so much transition, but an attempt, after several weeks of variable home education, to get them all as close to a year 7 baseline as possible. I think it would be hard to teach kids who’ve just moved up to secondary school - with all the associated differences (new subjects etc) - if some kids hadn’t looked at any school work for over 5 months.

the other who has basically finished primary school????

They haven’t “basically finished primary school”. They have missed loads including all their high school transition.

This obviously won’t apply to Scotland and I doubt ours will be back before August but I did wonder how it would work for children like mine with one going into first year at secondary and one starting in p1 having missed the last 8 odd weeks at nursery and no transition

My youngest is in p7, I wonder if an idea might be to delay all the starts so each year goes into previous year group for a couple of weeks which would at least mean nursery/p1 and p7/high school got some transition.

Once schools are back social distancing is dead and buried. It’s not going to be able to be done, it’s utter nonsense. My son’s high school has 1600 pupils. Even with only half the school in at a time it’s not possible. Social distancing is just not feasible to many aspects of our lives including schooling. That’s just how it is.

BBC "In most German states children under six years old do not have to wear masks."

That's for going in shops, taxis, public transport, stations, bus stops etc

• in Germany everyone aged 6+ must wear a mask / face covering for these

Schools here start at age 6

Schools allow children and staff to wear masks if they choose, but it's not mandatory in my area at least

I'm not worried at all about my year six going to secondary school without all the transition fuss. He'll be fine, just like we all were when we were jettisoned out of primary school without any drama.

Not all children will be fine. Mine is autistic and requires an enhanced transition. Yet again I expect children with special needs just to be chucked under the bus though.

Boris said those who can't work from home, but have work to do, should all go out to work

Does that mean their kids of all primary ages will be able to attend school, like essential workers' kids ?

Otherwise, a lot of parents won't be able to go out to work, as he wants.

Local TV (in Germany) showed young teens going into school

Each was told - by a staff member at 1.5 m distance (that's always been our SD):

• Wash your hands now
• Only 1 person in the toilets at a time, all day
• Keep SD all day from other pupils and staff

Hygeine among kids here has always seemed v good - they must all be taught it at an early age

They showed big classrooms, each with only 10 kids, well spaced out
Wide corridors too
It looked fine, organised to give loads of space

@Babamamananarama the problem is that none of the kids or family members have been able to access testing so they don't get counted in the stats.

If you look at the new and improved testing criteria rolled out over the last few weeks most people are still not eligible for testing so they just have suspected CV.

When you take into consideration that most kids have been taken out of school, socially distanced and unable to access testing unless admitted to hospital, is it any wonder the stats show a low rate of children getting CV?

I truly believe comprehensive testing would change those stats drastically, I believe that many adults and children have had CV but not to the 'blue lips' stage and as such are not reflected in the official daily counts.

@bluewavescrashing I totally agree. Potentially more damaging, psychologically, to the younger years to be made to distance from peers and teachers. They need close contact with teaching staff to feel safe and secure. How can that happen with distancing? Not possible without significant distress IMO.

Are there really that many shielded teachers? I’d have thought that if you were severely immunocompromised then you wouldn’t be safe to be teaching in a primary school regardless of the current pandemic? I guess some people with very specific problems like pregnant women with heart complaints might be OK to teach in normal circumstances, but how can people at the sharp end of chemo or recent organ recipients be OK to be in the Petri dish that is your average primary classroom?

Vulnerable teachers with common conditions like diabetes or severe asthma which are manageable under normal circumstances are more of an issue I imagine - it’s an HR nightmare.

On that dashboard 12940 cases to i think 6th may. That is a lot in 1 week.

I agree you have to assume at least as many caught it in each age group so if so many 80yo died obviously at least the same number of kids caught it.
Even if the kids couldnt catch it (they can) as a minimum they can have it on their hands moving it about the room. And when goig home again on hands and clothes. They dont even need to be able to transmit it.

We need to be able to buy the antibody tests
As we might find people who are vulnerable are already immune. So a lot less stress for them. And really many teachers.
If 5% of pop have had it and may be up to 10% in london.
Altgough have to say maybe they dont want us to know as then if al l the teachwes in most schools had had it and pupils we would see more risk

Probably because that's what other European countries have done seem to be sending the younger ones in

@Whenwillthisbeover why year 11 and 13 both have finished there school years as such with exams being teacher assessed

@abucketofshells a vaccine isn't guaranteed though , what if there is never one . We may have to live with this virus for several years no one knows
Obviously you can de register and homeschool just as many do

@tickertyboo but we don't have the highest death rate why di people still spirit this we have highest in numbers but not per capita when you take population into account
The numbers are not good I agree but currently we are not the worse
Also lots of European countries are sending primary age back and it's still an if , not a guarantee
We will have to start getting back to things at some point

Does anyone know if there has been high transmissions within schools that are open for key worker children ?
I'm guessing many have little ones in whose parents work in hospitals and care homes etc , would be interesting to see any data on wether lots of teachers who have worked in school or children have been ill