Are we expecting schools to be open as normal by September?

[Concerned7777]

So many threads on here about whether to send dc back in June or not....totally not the reason for the post I dont care your thoughts either way about June .
But what about September, many saying they're keeping dc off til September but are we expecting everything to be open and normal as it was before? Do we think all classes will return in September full time?

Schools are having to implement changes to open in June with many saying the changes aren't possible or not safe. Some saying it may be child care only not education, part time only and not even able to accommodate the priority nursery reception yr1 and yr6 classes at this time with the current guidelines. If we cant accommodate them now how can they accommodate the whole school a few months later. I doubt the virus will be eradicated by then although the R rate will be lower there is still going to be risk even then.
It never occurred to me until today that a September full school open may not be possible or safe? Am I the only one who thought this or am I late to the party?

I know this is a thread about schools but noticed the comments about uni. My son will be going into his second year but roughly doing 1/3 of this year from home and I have heard a suggestion it will be Jan earliest they will go back for this year coming. I feel so sorry for them they are getting themselves into £10000 debt each year on the course payment alone and if another third of this coming year is learning from home it is very unfair. I believe open uni courses cost about 5000-6000 a year and really that’s what our kids are doing but expected to pay through the nose for it. I haven’t started on accommodation costs yet!

Why do you think you are the only one who's worried? Everyone is worried. But it's impossible to know how it's going to be in Sept.
For me, unless they are in the significant year that could decide their future, few months off school won't matter so much for children's future so much. So, I just think it's pointless to think until nearer the time, when we have more info about current circumstances at that time.

In my experience all the teachers I know can’t wait to get back into class and see their kids.

But we want it to be as safe as it possibly can be.

Some of the restrictions and plans for schools right now are going to take time to organise.

Why aren’t we taking it slowly like all the other countries who seem to be doing it well.

A class at a time. Ppe if staff want it. Extra investment in cleaners to maintain good hygiene. Extra hand washing stations or sinks placed around schools. It can be done but not with 50% of a school returning in two weeks and then 100% two weeks later.

Teachers don’t feel this is achievable and are being vilified for saying so. The hate for school staff right now is unbelievable. They have worked right through this pandemic. I don’t see any other occupation getting the constant criticism and negativity.

I don’t understand this ‘teachers don’t want to go back’ message. Yes, some teachers are concerned. Unions are concerned. Is that ALL teachers? No, it’s just the portion of the profession that the media is focussing on right now.

I do not know a single primary teacher, myself included, who is not willing to pitch in and help. This half term we are going in daily to deep clean and reorganise classrooms to get things ready. Unless they relax the rules on grandparent childcare, my 17mo will be coming with me.

I’m happy to teach without gloves, or behind screens like in supermarkets etc. I don’t want to distance myself from children who need me. I’m not EYFS trained but my year group is not in so I’m likely to be directed there, that’s fine - I’ll be looking after four year olds in the day and filming teaching videos for KS2 in the evening. Not an issue, it’s not dissimilar to a standard working day anyway. I work these kinds of hours because teaching is a vocation for me.

But, let’s not pretend that this is for an educational benefit. In this situation, with children housed in halls and staff rooms and on the floor in libraries, led by TAs and office staff because of a lack of teachers, we will be childcare and supervising learning rather than quality teaching. That’s fine, that’s what’s needed and that’s why EYFS and Year 1 have been chosen to go back first. But please don’t use the educational benefit card as another stick to beat teachers. At least not all of us.

I bloody hope so. There’s nearly 4 months to sort it. Antibody testing needs to be rolled out pronto, wrist band wearing as in Contagion, and face mask wearing needs to mandatory, even little DC will get used to it. Random spot tests on DC who don’t have antibodies?

There’s going to be a lot of very disaffected children with long term social and mental health issues if it’s left any later, not to mention having to get used to being in a classroom again. Lots of behaviour issues and child abuse/neglect effects too with parents taking their frustrations out on DC or leaving them alone while they have to go to work.

This 2020 not 1918. It needs to be figured out somehow.

Our head has already said there is a possibility the school won't be open until October. Although I was planning not to send them back until September i fear what will happen if they can't go back by October. Will we have another year of children not being able to do GCSEs? Or will they just be disadvantaged?

rosebel Interesting. Do you know why? I think social distancing needs to be phased out. I don't see that it is sustainable.

Has anyone read the new ‘preparing for the wider opening of schools’ document on DoE website?

If I’ve understood it correctly it says spaces should be offered on a full time basis and that schools should not use a part time rota basis for classes, surely most schools will struggle with this, where do they imagine the classroom space for double the amount of classes will come from?

@brakethree

‘I don't doubt there are many teachers working hard however it all seems very random and unorganised. The inconsistency of the education system is being massively exposed and the current situation cannot go on for an extended period’

Teachers are not in charge of the education system. The DFE are. Education professionals have been arguing for years against the de-standardisation of the education system - we now have a situation where there is no truly ‘national’ curriculum. NC2014 is woolly, unclear and has led to a situation where schools are being judged by OFSTED on their ability to design their own curriculum, which can be entirely different from the school in the next village along. This is what has led to inconsistency.

There is a real point in saying September might be better.
I think we need to get the R value really low across the country, which we can do if we keep a fairly strict lockdown for another 4 weeks or so. The government also need to get a really rigour test and trace system working well.
With both of these, actual numbers of cases should drop faster and become lower.
With a much lower number of cases, a low R value and a sound test and trace working well ( all of which should be possible by September) it should be then possible to open schools with less restrictions, although not back to normal.
I think this pathway is also more beneficial to our economy than risking lifting rules too early and then having to lock down again because R has gone over 1

@MrsWhites. It's the classroom space I don't understand. Our village "infant" school has three classrooms, three teachers and three teaching assistants for three year groups. There is one small hall used for assemblies, lunches etc.. In June, two of the three year groups is meant to go back. I wouldn't like to be working out those logistics.

This evening’s government guidance specifically states there should be no rotas. Classes divided in half, in an appropriate sized space, with a member of staff. Prioritise Nursery, Reception, Y1 and Y6 in that order.

Once double the space is allocated to half the year groups, with any additional space set aside for key workers / vulnerable children in Y2345, there will be no space or staff for years 2 to 5 and no available staff to set online learning.

Which is pretty depressing as I have a lovely class this year and I will be gutted not to see them or even be able to keep our current level of online contact going before September.

@Whaddyathinkofthis I do have one teacher friend who is saying this. Apologies, I was thinking from your earlier post that I highlighted you meant in general people were not wanting schools to be open. TBH I don't know that many teachers, but I get the impression - not just from here, but the media that many teachers are really hesitant about going in.

I'm glad to be proved wrong though. I can feel less guilty about forcing teachers to work as I want my children to go in as soon as they can.

We can’t socially distance forever, people are getting so caught up in the hysteria that they aren’t thinking sensibly about the long term

One argument against waiting for September is that if returning to school leads to a second wave of infections then much better to get this out of the way in the summer rather than in October at the start of the flu season. If that is part of the reasoning then I just wish the Government would be honest about it.

@pontypridd please stop.

Educating pubs are due to open in July.

Do you honestly believe that R will be low then?

They can't really delay them opening much longer as the economy needs to get going again.

I suspect with this virus there will be more transmission in a pub than there would be in a school (assuming staff can distance from each other)

As someone who works in a school let me be clear, there will not be social distancing in schools. Forget what u see happening in other countries.

Hadenough

No I don’t think he’s laying it on thick. He’s concerned for the safety of his staff and students. He’s giving parents the heads up on what the school environment is going to look like so that parents can make an informed choice. He is also concerned about his student’s education now and into the new academic year.

Is repeating the academic year the way to go? I don’t know but I think we (the country) should have a conversation about what our children’s education is going to look like over the next year.

@ritatherockfairy exactly, our school is a small village primary. It has nursery and then one classroom per year group, plus one tiny room for a library and one small hall so overall 7 classrooms. In June they expect them to house 6 classes of YR, 1 and 6 plus key worker children. Not to mention staffing levels, that will pretty much take them to capacity, plus teachers will need to set work for those classes still at home.

Then there is still lunchtimes and break times to manage!

ponty that's unfortunate for your children. I hope you've discussed it with the schools. Whilst I wod like a return to school soon I can only commend our school and all the staff in what they have achieved under such difficult circumstances.

are we expecting everything to be open and normal as it was before?

No. The universities are already announcing that they won't be returning to face-to-face teaching in most circumstances come September. Their estates can't handle the volumes of students as well as practice the effective social distancing we've already been told is necessary.

There's already panic about what they are going to be doing about courses requiring work-experience placements, and there are certain degree courses that require an on-site environment for their studies more than others. As far as the schools are concerned the teachers' unions are already onto this, so whatever the government's grand plans are they may find themselves with a shortage of staff to execute these. I fear we are not going to be seeing 'normality' again for some time yet.

What about those parents who have no option but to return to their workplace? I don't know, and do feel for all those people. This must be an incredibly worrying time for them. The whole thing is an utter mess.

*Why are teachers on full pay and doing nothing?

All teachers are working, or can't you read?

I blame the teachers. :o

So, schools in England look like they're going to re-open more widely from June, and yet STILL people are slagging off teachers here for being lazy shysters, even though the decision is nothing to do with us, but the Government. And I don't see anyone slating Scottish/Welsh/N.Irish teachers, who are off now until the end of the summer.
Is it only English teachers who are skivers?
Whilst I'm missing my class and colleagues terribly, I admit I do have reservations about going back, I'm not going to lie, and I'd feel a LITTLE bit better about the Government blithely telling us it's all fine if they weren't staying away from the House of Commons themselves. If there's no need to socially distance in schools, then come on, lead by example and fill up the chambers with hordes of people.