So the school guidance is out...

[Norecallpup]

Sorry if this has already been done. I could cry, I really could. Absolutely nothing. Just wash your hands, wipe down surfaces and encourage kids to cough into tissues! I don’t know why I’m shocked. Our government are a bunch of twats!

@Pootle40 it says something about contacting LEA and finding solutions like going to other schools.

It's so difficult isn't it. Life isn't going to be the same for any of us anymore and finding the way through this is extremely difficult. All normal practice will change. In hospitals we've kind of gone through the process and have come out the other side and are a bit more settled in the new ways of working (and no, not always with PPE!). I really feel for the teachers finding a way to make this work, but I have confidence in you and think you will do it magnificently.

Just reading the other thread asking who'll send their kids in and it's almost 50/50 i think. So it's unlikely there'll be a full compliment of kids going in by the looks of things.

I've read about half of that and it sounds next to impossible. Our primary has one way in and out and is at the end of a narrow cul de sac. How on earth can they stagger children's lunches and breaks especially once they all are back in? And something about a pudding peak times on public transport. How does that work with school hours? Madness.

@Laiste I wonder if as soon as some go back, others will get fomo and more and more will return.

I don’t understand this obsession with masks! Masks work to protect others from the mask wearer. They do not protect the person wearing the mask very effectively at all.

Masks would only be useful if everyone wears one (which is why they have been recommended for adults in public transport etc). They would only work in schools if all the children wore them too which is clearly not practical.

Children would accept seeing masks if explained to them properly. Adults are scared too of getting the virus from an asymptomatic child and as was reiterated in the briefing tonight, we simply don't know how prevelant that is.
Guidelines now are wear a facemask in an enclosed area like an office and turn your back on colleagues to minimise risk-except in schools.
Schools abroad have children, teachers and staff in masks as well as behind plastic screens.
Germany's R rate is back up, some parts of China are on lockdown again.
Schools are doing their best in an ever changing situation, my Head is trying to protect us as far as possible but staff need to feel that their government considers them non expendable.

Maybe London.

Although the seemingly very basic precautions are a bit alarming (for those who were hoping for more drastic measures to distance the children from the staff and each other) i for one am glad they're not trying to mislead the parents with completely unachievable promises. This is the reason for the small groups kept the same day after day. They're going to hug and fiddle with each others hair and have snotty hands and have little fights. Need cuddles if they fall over. Help with buttons and zips ect. (and that's just the teachers )

It would be totally impossible to keep the children separate so it's better to accept they're going to mingle like mad and admit it.

I think even if children develop symptoms, the parents will send them in regardless, rather than having to put the whole family in isolation again. It happens time and time again, when children are sick in the night, and parents send them in anyway, and the child then throws up at school, and says they were told not to mention being sick in the night, as mum/dad need to work! By which time they've passed it onto their classmates and/or us!

Boris said that all Primary school children are to go back for a month before the summer holidays. I interpret this as year R, 1 and 6 on 1st June, all other year groups by the 22nd June then! So the 15 in a classroom willl only be for the first three weeks because by the 22nd classes will be back to 30 because all children will be in! There are no spare classrooms in schools.

This is worse than I expected. I don’t know if I can do this, I’m seriously contemplating leaving my job. Hopefully the unions will have our backs on this.

If I was over 50 I would be worried. If under I wouldn’t be so much. It’s all bulllshit this anyway. The R rate will spike again and we will all be back to square one by the end of June. I wouldn’t be surprised if schools don’t open at all. 3 weeks is a long time currently.

how will it be any different come september though when everyone is back in school

It sounds like the usual rubbish, where instead of saying we don't know or look we can't suitably reduce the risk but you need to open they produce waffly guidelines which can't be adhered to and will then blame schools for any isssues that arise. We just heard Chris Witty and the other man say we don't know how infectious kids are there is some early suggestions it's less but not evidence. Basically primary schools in England are going to be rushed open, filled with frontline worker kids initially to trial classes of 15 to see what happens.

I don’t understand what people expected though? What’s your suggestion? No school for anyone until a vaccine? It’s an absolute shit show at the moment for everyone but we have to try to return to some sort of normality don’t we?

Personally I believe R will spike before 1st of June. But I wouldn't blame a single teacher for not going back to this shit show.

I think nurseries will be worse for sending in kids who have symptoms. It's hard to stomach keeping them off for two weeks when you're paying £70/a day for the privilege and also unable to work yourself.

They seem to be managing to get back children to school in other countries in Europe so why would it be impossible in UK? are English 5 year olds really radically different to 5 year olds in France Austria Denmark Sweden or Germany?
while they may not be in formal school until 6 or 7 they are in kindergarten or nurseries etc which operate very similar to YR

Masks might stop the constant nose picking. 😁

I understand your scared, but what would be your ideal scenario? If you were prime minister what would you do regarding education?

Surely children will see other people wearing masks as will become much normal in the next few weeks, so can't see why they would find it strange a teacher is wearing them too. but kids aren't meant to be out more than necessary. We see barely any one on our walk to the field and we wouldn't wear masks as its so quiet. He doesn't come to the shops with me. He doesn't watch the news. Where do you think we're all taking our 4 yos to see people covered in masks?

It sounds quite like what Denmark have done, in terms of smaller classes and more cleaning, and they have been back now for 3 weeks with no uptick in infections, so that is encouraging at least. They have also encouraged as much outdoor learning as possible, one entrance and another exit and not sharing food.

I'm so keen for mine to go back because she is a child who thrives in the school environment (my older ones would have been fine pottering round at home for as long as you like).

However - with the phased return starting from the beginning of June, realistically how many days is she going to get at school before the summer holls?

We've done 7 weeks. By the time June comes it will be 10 weeks (ish) then have ... what? ... 4/5 weeks of going in part time before the usual 6 off. (and don't get me wrong i wouldn't suggest cancelling the summer holls break)

Is it worth the hassle? Doing all this for this short time? Will it make the 6 week holls harder having had a taste of school life again?

Classes are to be kept in clusters of 15 . If one person tests positive, the whole class self isolates for a fortnight.

Let's not kid ourselves : the masks thing is because the unions asked how the government would provide PPE. They can't provide enough to careworkers and the NHS so they have 'proved' that teachers and children etc don't need PPE , even though they are plainly in enclosed paces indoors for a considerable. length of time. This ahs been coming for a while.

Well we are clearly all going to be less safe by about mid-June whether we have any connection with a school or not, as infection rates are bound to rocket with these mad proposals which basically amount to "Split the classes in half and send them back". Schools can't stop parents sending their children in with Covid-19 symptoms. The government needs to step in and make that a criminal offence.

I’d just feel safer going to work in an office with a load of adults who know how to follow rules. Maybe time for a change of career for me!

patricia there was an uptick in Denmark.