Did anyone else see the really positive news about primary schools reopening on BBC this morning? at 9am

[bigbananafeet12]

They were asking advice from a lovely primary school teacher in Denmark on how the'd approached it. She was so positive and encouraging it gave me hope for our dc for the first time in ages. Worth a watch if you can.

[Mumof1andacat]

As an 80s/90s child a few portakabins on a school site was pretty standard so could some be bought on school sites now to cope

[Drivingdownthe101]

Oh I believe you FourPlasticRings, it will be the same at our school no doubt. I am chair of governors at our school and our head has produced some pretty comprehensive plans for how to get students back as safely as possible. Luckily we don’t have any shielding teachers and only one in the vulnerable category who is due to retire at the end of this year anyway so won’t be back in.
It does seem weird however that so many people on here and on other forums, and indeed in a nationwide survey are saying that they won’t send their children back, but that schools are planning for full attendance.

[BreconBeBuggered]

It's great to learn from positive examples. It really is. But I can honestly say that putting in a dozen new sinks (where?) at the same time as every other school in the county wants to install new sinks, is not a minor undertaking. Our school has been looking into cabins as an option for extra learning space for a while, and we're still holding out for an affordable option. Our budget is considerably healthier than most.
With the Nightingales example in mind, for many places it might honestly be easier to build new albeit temporary structures than to tinker about with older buildings with limited space and flexibility. School improvements are generally very, very costly.

[pfrench]

also the multiple threads on here where the vast majority of parents are saying they won’t send their children back

Here is skewed towards sahms and part time workers - hence all the time people have had for daily slagging off teachers. It's not representative.

[Cam77]

@Onceuponatimethen
“I think realism is important in dealing with a pandemic. Realism is not the same as negativity.
Blind optimism is what got us locked down too late and coming out with the highest death rate in Europe.
Denmark has had a fraction of our deaths and I’m afraid I don’t think they are a valid comparison.”

Many people are living in fantasy land I’m afraid. We are about 10th in terms of cases per head of population. And every single country above of us has carried out more tests (per head of population). So actually we are probably a fair bit higher than 10th in the world in terms of cases per head. (Figures worldometer).
I would actually call ideas to open Primary Schools in June ludicrous. But I wouldn’t put it past this government as its entire response has been ludicrous and I still strongly suspect them of entertaining thoughts in the direction of herd “immunity” (except for those who die in the process) rather than suppression.

[FourPlasticRings]

Right so we can build multiple Hospitals but can’t sort out a few portacabins for schools.

Logistics, my dear. We have fewer than ten nightingale hospitals. We have over 24,000 schools in England alone. Each needing several portakabins- from where? That's a massive order, does stock already exist to fill it? To give you some idea, my teeny tiny classroom, squeezed in to deal with the massive increase in demand for school places over the last decade or so, has an average temperature of 24-29 degrees when the sun is shining. It is stifling and I've been promised air conditioning. For three years in a row. My faith in school building works and contractors is at an all time low.

If it's done centrally, paid for by the government directly instead of expecting it to come out of our shoestring budgets, it might have a prayer of getting done this academic year. But I doubt it.

[Onceuponatimethen]

Take a look in staff room. They are teachers and TAs not sahm or pt. They don’t all seem to think returning is a great idea...

[Oakmaiden]

Right so we can build multiple Hospitals but can’t sort out a few portacabins for schools.

The government provided extra money to build the new hospitals. There has been no promise of extra money for schools, to help them implement a new way of working. Budgets are already stretched to breaking- how are individual schools supposed to magic up new portacabins?

Most years won’t be back until the end of June.

Yes, you are right - when it is just years R, 1 and 6 it is probably manageable, although that will mean the year 2, 3, 4, 5 teachers will probably be teaching the children who are in school, so don't expect anything at all for the other children. Unless you think teachers should spend a day working in school and then all night sorting out things for the other classes? Also, even with classes of 10 you won't get R children to effectively social distance. And expecting all resources to be washed before a different group of children use them is pretty much impossible.

I mean already people are so short sighted. Oh we have larger class sizes than 15 so this won’t possibly work. Loads of solutions to that problem that we’ve all addressed on here. Part time, alternate days, 2.5 days a week etc etc etc.

Yes, this would work - but it is not what is being expected, is it? Indications are that children are expected back in full time, so their parents' can work. Half days will be a waste of time.

[FrippEnos]

Do the posters on here singing the praises of the Danish system not realise that this is what the teachers are asking for?

[Delatron]

The plan is to control the spread and not overwhelm the NHS. Not to stop everyone from getting the virus. The vulnerable will need to shield and the rest of us will need to learn to live with this virus and that includes opening schools. June/September whenever really. There still won’t be a vaccine.

Anyway. Thanks OP for attempting a lovely positive thread. It actually made a nice change (for a while at least!).

[BertNErnie]

87% of parents might have said they won't be sending their child in but once they see Tommy and Sally skipping down the road and hear their mum saying how wonderful it is to see them back at school, I guarantee schools will have double the amount of pupils after that.

What then?

I vote for portacabins and toilets in the playing fields of schools and extra teachers to staff them. Oh, wait....playing fields were sold off and we have a national shortage of teachers as it is...

Back to the drawing board!

[VerticalHorizon]

England has double the population density of Denmark, I would expect that's reflected in our schools and building footprint too...

[BelleSausage]

I would love the Danish model to be used. But that isn’t what the government is doing.

No masks
No larger sites used
No social distancing in classrooms
‘All in’ full time asap.

It is the least like the Danish model that it could be.

[BertNErnie]

Part time schooling looks to be the way forward. I just hope employers are accommodating when parents tell them their child is only back at school twice a week.

[ChibiTotoro]

I'm grateful for a positive post for a change and to me it makes sense to have children going back in the summer months when they can spend more time having lessons outside.
My children are doing fairly well at home. They have engaged with their school work, we have a garden for them to play in, equipment etc and they have each other to play with, but what they desperately miss is their friends. There may be restrictions on how or even if they are allowed to play, but I still think it will be hugely beneficial for them to be around their peers.
It's optional for parents to send their children back in June, some will some won't, but it's grating to constantly hear 'it won't work because of', I don't want my child to be a lab rats' etc. You do you.

[VerticalHorizon]

The closest we'll get to the Danish is a pastry from Greggs.

[AlexTheLittleCat]

I’m sure there are bigger issues than classroom numbers but common sense says to me, that if class sizes are 15 instead of 30, then that means ALL pupils could attend 2.5 days a week, no?

I'm wondering if they might have them in 2 days a week, so they can clean everything thoroughly before the next bubble of children come in?

I'm not sure when schools will reopen, but I'm hoping we can get everything in place to reduce R, such as test/trace/isolate, using face masks where necessary (I remember reading that the German city of Jena used face masks and had no new cases, can't remember where), social distancing, enough PPE for health care staff and care home staff to reduce transmission in hospitals, care homes and into the community.

[Drivingdownthe101]

Well I guess at the moment they’re having to be accommodating of them not being in at all and no other childcare available so 2 days a week will be a bonus.

[Delatron]

They will be most likely going back in June. Surely it’s beneficial to discuss how this might work rather than just shoot down every idea.

I don’t they’ve decided whether it will be full time or part time? And I do think even 2.5 days a week could help some parents get some work done!!

If 87% don’t send them back where is your problem?

[Whitestick]

My sons primary school are so negative. Honestly every message from them is how impossible the task will be. It’s sent me into quite a depression about it.
Sorry it's their messages that have made you depressed, not the fact that children and staff are being asked to go back into a dangerous situation?

[museumum]

The danish school hired one the sinks in the playground. There have to be thousands and thousands of portable toilets and sinks not in use across the uk due to all the cancelled festivals and large-scale events.
I loved the idea of a “play group” of five kids to mix with. Of course it doesn’t eliminate risk but it does reduce it.
For those saying 1 june is too early I don’t disagree but at some point our R will reach a level that we’ll have to try these measures. We Just can’t stay at home until the disease is eradicated.

[BertNErnie]

Schools will already be planning for the return of pupils. I think a model such as the danish one wound her wonderful but we don't have the same population etc so it's not realistic at this point in time. We can't plan for 87% non attendance as there are so many variables in areas and communities so we have to plan for the large majority and go from there.

I do fear that despite our best efforts to make it safe for pupils and staff, part time schooling will be met with outrage by a large number of parents and carers.

I thank those of you in advance who are saying they would be happy with anything really.

[VerticalHorizon]

If 87% don’t send them back where is your problem?

Probably wouldn't be a problem then, but you have to plan for most of them showing up... because if they did, and you're not actually capable of handling it... you'll have carnage on your hands.

[BertNErnie]

Would be*

[Orangeblossom78]

Our primary are already good at things like forest school, have an outdoor classroom area and do things such as have play scheme staff in doing outdoor activities weekly to give the teachers PPA time.

I can see them taking on board these ideas. cautiously perhaps, but yes. Problem might be numbers, 400 in total 60 a year group. So it might depend how may they have in