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.

Also, you can carry the virus without being infected, so take it home with you.

I’d hug a child if I saw one crying, not touch my face then come home and wash my hands.

Them sobbing in your face as they tell you what happened is more likely to infect you than touching them with your hands.

Aravis
Their capacity to pull off this schoooing/ general Covid response hasn’t just come out of nowhere, I’m imagining there’s a lot of factors, some of which might not seem immediately obvious.

Im in DK and my DD (5) has been back at kindergarten since the 20th April, and DS(11) will go back next week. But I think Aravis has it right here, there are a lot of things in DK that probably wont translate to many areas in the UK and while positivity is probably a virtue there are a few reasons why things have been easier here. Off the top of my head...

Most children dont have schoolbuses or use public transport to get to school, living within a cycling or walking distance is more common, and many walk or cycle alone from a younger age, so there doesn't seem to be the same school gate crush, and many places have been able to stagger entry times/alter entrance use to the site to help with social distancing

Afterschool on most sites is good already with high staff/pupil ratios

In general, there are lower numbers in classes/higher ratio of teachers, and schools estates seem much newer/lots of focus on good environment for kids. Which usually includes varied outdoor spaces for the school that can be repurposed. Also things like the social structure of sitting with teacher and class in canteens seems more normal than in the UK and probably makes supervision in these areas easier at the moment.

Space has still been a problem in some areas and school facilites have been set up using various closed public spaces eg musems, sports halls, even amusement parks to allow distancing, and a lot of outdoor stuff has been taken off premises eg using local forests and parks.

Most children are really well prepared for outdoor schooling here- The majority of primary and nursery kids will already have a variety of clothing that means they can be outdoors most of the day in any weather.
For our school the essential kit includes a variety of outdoor options which they choose from depending on the weather eg an all in one warm suit (Flyverdragt - flying suit ) Thermotøj (a warm layer jacket trousers combo) and a softshell waterproof trousers/jacket that can be worn alone or over the warm layer. These various things are available everywhere at a variety of prices, much more than I have ever seen in the UK, and are worn by pretty much all ages to early teens without fuss.
So the transition from indoors to outdoors for most of the day has gone easier with the children attending already being well equipped for any weather conditions and the school having storage and changing spaces for this.

The small groups has been funny, DD has been taking it very seriously but was a bit upset when her best friend returned to nursery and was put in a different group. But they have changed them a little over the weeks as not every child attends every day, and they all seem to have got used to the new norms

Lastly - there has been really good communication from government and local government and in my small personal experience from school detailing what is planned, what is to be expected and how things can change. They also seem willing to change their approach based on evidence and on public concerns without playing politics about it. Its not perfect, many people are not sending their children to school and there are various petitions/facebook campaigns detailing problems and worries - but there seems to be a very practical and open discussion about how to solve things.

It's a good job all the nhs workers, supermarket staff, refuse collectors etc who have all been working throughout this pandemic don’t have the same ‘it can’t be done attitudes’ that some teachers seem to have. They’ve got on with it, not gone to their union stamping their feet!

Supermarkets like Tesco can afford to make modifications like plastic screens. In March, schools didn't have enough loo roll. My kids go to schools where there aren't enough textbooks so each kid gets their own. The toilets get disgusting very quickly never mind the aftermath of people eating at break and lunch.

Where are schools supposed to find money for all of the necessities like cleaning costs, loo roll and hand gel never mind social distance markings and extra sinks? If the government were serious about schools returning safely there would at least be a fund for safety modifications and extra supplies.

From the ONS stats released yesterday. Education staff deaths 361, nurses 127 deaths, police 39 deaths, bus drivers 79 deaths https://twitter.com/karamballes/status/1259835507057532929?s=211*

That's very interesting.

Most of the PPE worn by staff with confirmed patients for non AGP procedures is woefully useless.

Prison officers carry on, police carry on, do you think these can socially distance?

Nurses and carers contine to care for people who they cannot socially distance from, some of the patients do not understand hygiene or social distancing from each other, some are aggressive, some require restraining, some smother their excrement up the wall and spit in staff faces (just as in prisons too)

We are all carrying on where I am and we are with confirmed positive patients, no we don't get gowns, no we don't get FFP3 masks and our existing protection has been withdrawn as useless.

Guess all nurses aren't turning in tomorrow.

It's a good job all the nhs workers, supermarket staff, refuse collectors etc who have all been working throughout this pandemic don’t have the same ‘it can’t be done attitudes’ that some teachers seem to have. They’ve got on with it, not gone to their union stamping their feet!

Well, I think it's disgusting that they aren't opening up to more shoppers at once. We don't need social distancing in supermarkets, there's no evidence they spread in those particular buildings, and I'm getting really fed up with standing in the rain waiting for my turn to shop now. 😜

@Barbie222 total deaths is not just deaths from Covid and is a woeful misinterpretation of the data. Almost as if it was misinterpreted on purpose.

The most at risk from Covid deaths are in security and transport, also carers are up there too. Not education staff.

OP I think you are either startlingly naive or you are actually trying to shit stir with this thread. It really, really isn't relevant to the UK. It might be nice if it was, but it really bloody isn't. LISTEN to the teachers who are talking to you - they are the ones who know the truth about the conditions they and your children are going to be faced with.

Why is everyone obsessed with sinks? Hand washing alone just won't be effective for reception kids when they spend most of their time licking and cuddling each other and put everything in their mouths

Its not being negative. We just don't have the same system here.

There is no extra space in schools.
Class sizes are much bigger. My class has 32.
Out door learning wont work all the time because of the temperamental weather.
What about the sharing of resources. Not just pencils but counters, blocks or any type of concrete material.
Tables are made up for pairs of children in the school I work in.
Corridors are narrow.
The whole emphasis on teaching is collaboration.
There are not enough teachers. Where are the rest coming from?
What about children with underlying conditions? How are there needs met.
The time frame that the English Government are suggesting is ridiculous and will result in chaos and nothing organsised properly. We are talking about just around 2wks time.

The infrastructure with schools is completely different here. Installing a few sinks and cutting classes in half isn't going to cut it.

I am a teacher and sorry but its not realistic here.

OP I think you are either startlingly naive or you are actually trying to shit stir with this thread. It really, really isn't relevant to the UK. It might be nice if it was, but it really bloody isn't. LISTEN to the teachers who are talking to you - they are the ones who know the truth about the conditions they and your children are going to be faced with.

This

And what about behavioural issues? How do teachers handle children that don't comply for various reasons.
What if a child needs help? How does a teacher assist without getting too close.
How are jotters marked?
The list is endless. OP you are completely naïve.

For all those saying about other professions well although there is little evidence children are affected, they still can be. Do we stil know all the effects of the virus? No!

Those stats are incorrect? Or I am reading the information wrong?

The published data is here:

www.ons.gov.uk/file?uri=%2fpeoplepopulationandcommunity%2fhealthandsocialcare%2fcausesofdeath%2fdatasets%2fcoronaviruscovid19relateddeathsbyoccupationenglandandwales%2fcurrent/covid19byoccupationreferencetablesfinal10052020145723.xlsx

Table 8 suggests around 40 deaths. 40 too many most definitely but not over 300.

A few months ago we didn't know ANYTHING about Kawasaki disease. Now we have found out it just affects a few. That is now. What happens if children receive a high viral load at school? We have no idea the implications. We didn't think the virus would affect us the way it has done. Situations can evolve.
The point is, we need to make sure that children are safe at school. We need to ensure that the staff are also protected.

bigbananafeet12 < Funny user name, BTW!
This is good news! Pleased to see creativity and innovation in action!
I have been watching other countries' plans to reopen schools with great interest
Kids are very resilient.
My hill to die on is making children wear masks. Otherwise, I'm preparing to be flexible.
I'm in education, so I'm anxious to be part of the solution, and not a dissenter who refuses to think outside the box and keeps slowing things down by being rigid or completely sucking the joy out of anything.
Down with wailing and gnashing of teeth! I'll take every morsel of hope or drop of sunshine I can get!
Thanks for posting!

Yeah, the social bubbles are a great idea until one child kicks off that they don't want to be in that group!

Supermarkets like Tesco can afford to make modifications like plastic screens
My friend is a teacher in Switzerland she is teaching behind plexi glass.

@AldiAisleOfCrap how does she help the kids if they are stuck?

I missed 21 play workers/teaching assistants/nursery workers/ school secretaries

They haven't made it easy to check by industry.

What if a child refuses to behave?

My friend is a teacher in Switzerland she is teaching behind plexi glass.

Doesn't matter. Won't happen here. And it couldn't happen with primary kids anyway. They often need something physically pointing out on their own book.

@bigbananafeet12 I agree it was lovely to see it working in Denmark, and as many have said teachers would be happy with that, the problem is in this country the reality may look very different, as our schools are so different. The average number of pupils in a class compared to the number of staff is a huge difference between the 2 schools and that will have an impact on how it works. But I am sure there are SLT across the country trying to figure out what they can do.

I am a school governor for a number of Primary schools, I would be very disappointed if my schools are just throwing up their hands and saying we can't do this. And indeed I know they are not doing this because I know they have been thinking about how to reopen the schools ever since schools 'closed'. However, as a governor I am also concerned about the safety and well being not only of the pupils but also of the staff. We can't just go back as normal.

Most Primary schools assumed Y6 or possibly Y5 would be the classes initially coming back. I can't believe many schools thought it would be YR and Y1, and if schools like mine have pre-schools attached, the little ones as young as 2 coming back. So much more planning is now required.

Primary schools have also been given the impression that all children in their schools should have at least a month in school before the end of term. This is what is stated in the guidance, but no further details have been given in respect of that statement, so they currently have no idea what that actually means and how it is going to work.

Schools found out at exactly the same time as everyone else which classes and the potential date when they would be returning. They were then given no further guidance until the end of play on Monday, by which time I assume HTs had been inundated with queries from parents and staff how this was going to be done. To me that is wrong, that information should have been sent immediately to schools as soon as his speech ended on Sunday.

Secondary schools are still trying to work out what his wishy washy statement of face to face contact for Y10s and Y12s actually means.

If the Government want schools to cooperate then they need to give more guidance and on a timely basis. And unfortunately it will probably need more money throwing at it. Temporary portacabins are not cheap and very few schools will have money left in their budgets to hire them or anything else that is needed. They will also take up precious space on playgrounds where children are meant to be spending as much time as possible.

Teachers just want to get back in the classroom to see their pupils and to teach, but it has to be safe for everyone.

In that BBC item this morning, not only did they interview the English and Danish teachers, they also interviewed a virologist who seemed to glibly say that small children were germ monsters and that they could spread the virus in the same way they spread things like norovirus. This point did not seem to be picked up by anyone in that segment, and seems to fly in the face of all the other advice out there at present. I want to know more about that and I am sure both teachers and parents do too.

@neveradullmoment99 the children stand behind the glass at her desk and she explains it to them one to one .

@FourPlasticRings the children can bring their books up to the desk. I know it won’t happen here , you are right.