European schools - how's it going?

[waltzingparrot]

If you're in Europe and your DCs have gone back to school, how are you feeling about it all?

Which country are you in and what have your schools done to get kids back in. How much teaching time are they actually getting, because they must be spending a lot of time being organised into queues. If you're a teacher, are the kids social distancing properly?

DS is year 10, so the most important year to get back in UK imo. His school has put out a questionnaire to see if we are intending to send our kids in. I'd be interested to know how it is European schools can handle it but UK doesn't feel it can be done safely.

It is a bit off to frame your question in terms of European schools. In Europe there are many countries at different stages of the lockdown and within those countries schools have different rules.

We are in France. Our school is closed while they are trying to figure out how government social distancing and hygiene requirements are implemented. The school will open for just 3 out of 8 years and for just two days a week per child in those years. So hardly handling it, more like trying out things with a view to finding a better solution for September.

My friend's DCs in Germany are back but only for a couple of days a week and all children, including the youngest ones, are wearing masks all day long.

International school in Switzerland. No queues, we drive up, drop our children and staff walk them into class. There is more distance than usual and only 50% of the school in at once but it's not a constantly policed 1m distance. Some masks worn by kids but at my children's primary school, not by teachers, at secondary, different organisation, teachers all wearing masks. Children scheduled at school every second day. On the off days they join the class google meet for secondary and have some set work for primary. Only compulsory school aged children permitted to go back so years 11 - 13 not back yet.

Booboostwo 🤔 Thank you for answering and sorry if I offended but I wanted to compare what European schools are doing broadly, so I had to frame my question in terms of pan Europe.

The UK press aren't really highlighting what the rest of the world are doing re schooling, but please join in wherever you are.

I think it's good to share and discuss what others are doing. We can all learn from it.

When/if Year 10 return, it will be for “some face to face time” to support their ongoing learning. It is not likely to be taught lessons and it is unlikely to involve a lot of queuing because there are unlikely to be many students in at a time.

In the U.K. we don’t think it can be managed because our death rate is through the roof, the science doesn’t support that it is safe (and the British Medical Association fully supports and agrees with this) and we are weeks behind other countries in terms of lockdown.

Still closed in Italy. Was talk of kinder, primary & middle maybe not going back to physical school in Sept. High school in shifts online/in school. But that seems to be shifting towards physical for the younger ones,

Parent/teacher relations at lowest ebb ever in my town.

Will add more, got to go & teach my last Saturday class of the morning first.

Interesting that many are part-time which our Government have said no to.

Interesting that many are part-time which our Government have said no to.

Indeed. I would be interested to hear of any countries where schools are offering full time schooling. Are there any?

Also which other countries are prioritising the 3-4 year olds?

DS's school is mooting the idea of Y10 going in for some teaching in small groups in English, maths and science, although they can't say how long/often. Each child would have their own desk for all their learning, no moving classrooms.

They are talking of staggered lunch breaks etc, but I would prefer just short intensive am or pm teaching and forget breaks and lunch, because I feel there is more risk at these times. Hopefully no toilet trips needed either.

Schools in Bulgaria are closed until September but full timetable is taught online for all grades.

This is where our country has really fallen down, no proper guidelines on what the remote learning should look like.

My family in Spain say schools there closed until possibly September. I don't think any schools are open for under 6's in Europe

Also which other countries are prioritising the 3-4 year olds?

Not 4 year olds, but I recently heard from the mums with tinies (1-3) that Nido (nursery) might be the one school going back before the summer. Something about micro-groups of three kids per teacher, super cleaning, the return of the grembiule (see pic) which we'd only just got rid of, and other extra measures. I'm not sure when confirmation either way is expected.

Don't think everybody will go back, there are many very traumatised, bereaved and frightened people here. So micro-groups might be workable with current staff alone. But there are also a lot of people between a rock and a hard place as work places reopen and childcare is an urgent issue for them. It's not like the Nonni Army can step back into their role as major childcare providers.

Still waiting to see what will happen with our usual summer edu/social provision for kids via the church's summer camp the 2 youth clubs. If they are allowed to run they might extend the age range to include the very littles, but we'll need a lot more volunteer animators than usual for that to work.

I'm in the Netherlands. DS is 10 and has been back at school for a week.
The children are in small groups of 8 or 9 and go to school every other day. They have homework on the days that they're not in school. The children sit together and mix as usual but have to keep away from the teacher. They are encouraged to wash their hands regularly.
Prior to going back they had lessons online via Teams 4 days a week, online homework, and worksheets to do so aren't too behind on the syllabus.
All sports activities and clubs have also been reopened for under 12s. The rules are similar. The children mix freely but adults have to keep their distance and parents are no longer allowed to watch.
How do I feel about it?
DS is happy. His life is almost back to normal. The change in him is enormous.
There have been no new cases reported in our area for at least three weeks and no more deaths. So that's good. But with the children mixing I think we will see a second wave. Maybe even a second lockdown.
On the other hand, I am very close to the epicentre in North Brabant and I, and many other people I know, were pretty ill back in late February/ early March. Maybe we've already been exposed but without testing we'll never know.

I'm not scared and I'm ready to expect anything as no-one knows hows what will happen next.

I am in Germany my sone went back to school on Monday, he had two days this week and will have one next, the grade fours went back two weeks ago ( as final year of Primary where I live) , as well as all exam students, year 13, year 12 and some schools year 9 and 10, there are three different types of secondary
School in most German States all ending in different qualifications so they sit exams at different ages.

My son 8 is at school 1 or two days a week until the end of June when its holidays. Is schools is small so other schools may work differently, he lines up in the playground in the morning g standing 1.5 m from other students, he has to take a mask to school and when he is not in the classroom he must wear it. The first the he must do when he gets inside is wash his hands and he must stay at his seat. He is school 8.30 to 12.00 wich is actual a normal day for him the latest he is at school is normally 1.30. There are only 10 children in his classroom with one teacher.

He normally gets the bus but because he needs two clean masks a day just for the bus I am driving him to schools I could just see him leaving the dirty masks in their protective box at school.

My daughter 12 will hopefully go back in two weeks when the older children have finished their exams I assume that will only be a couple days a week as well.

@NebbiaZanzare our 3 year olds are meant to be in groups of 15!

Schools in Italy still closed, although there was talk of opening in June for kindergarten (3-6yo) and nurseries as they would normally be the only ones open in June - school holidays for all another grades start early June in normal times. All other schools will be going back in September and probably with smaller classes on alternate days, as the authorities are expecting a second wave in the autumn. There are no set guidelines as yet, it’s still at proposal stage and the decrees come out as the situation evolves and the data come in.

The state exams are still a bit unclear, fortunately my DD did her end of middle school exams last year, from what I’ve seen from those a year behind her it’s all a bit of a shambles.

Online teaching at DD’s school has been well organised and well delivered, but she is at a well regarded upper high school in Milan. It is a bit of a postcode lottery as I’ve friends in other areas where the provision has been patchy. Friends with children in primary are finding they need to do a lot of homeschooling as a lot of the work set requires parental input (including science experiments in the kitchen with liquids - no way is that self study for an 8yo!).

Three and four year olds are back in preschool in NL. Activities and clubs have been resumed. The Efteling is about to reopen too, albeit with a one third capacity to ensure social distancing.
Not sure what the plans are for the older children. (12+)

@NebbiaZanzare no oratorio allowed here, their take on H&S leaves a lot to be desired in normal times, although there is talk of council run summer centre schemes being expanded. I’ll believe that when I see it.

Three and four year olds are back in preschool in NL.

NL, Netherlands? Also interested to hear about the group sizes for this age group.

Some three and four-year-olds are back in France as well, it really depends on the individual school.

I’m in Friuli and there are no schools, sports activities or Oratorio apart from online.

DD is in 3rd year of middle school and has full days of homework, single and group projects, plus 50% (so half an hour for every school hour) online lessons via Google Classroom. She’s enjoying it and as they all check in 10/15 minutes before the lessons for a chat, they’re doing alright socially, too.

Our school was up and running with distance learning within 2 weeks, but we’re in a relatively wealthy area and everybody had some way of following the lessons.

Yes, the Terza Media exam is a shambles. They’re expected to write (how long is anybody’s guess) a multidisciplinary thesis to hand in, be read by the teachers and discussed in a half-hour Skype interview. Maths is a big “?”.

But, hey ho, the kids already have their places in High School, so the exam is a formality. DD is happy to work this way and I have to say her levels of exam anxiety are well under control for somebody 4 weeks from the date!

In September they’re talking about splitting the classes and having 1 week in/one week via Videoconference but her Liceo Classico class size is less than 20 students so there’s hope for them to fit in the rooms!

We shall see..

Here’s a thread I posted on recently.www.mumsnet.com/Talk/living_overseas/3849943-Anyone-else-currently-homeschooling-in-their-second-additional-language

@GrimmsFairytales I just downloaded the protocol pdf to check.
Group sizes may run as per pre-Covid protocol. I'm not sure what that was but when DS went there were always 2 or 3 staff and maybe 20 children.
The children are not expected to distance from each other, or the staff.
Staff and parents have to keep apart from each other. Groups may not mix.
I'm not sure if the staff are allowed to change groups. It's a pretty long document!

The Dutch approach seems to be that young children are least affected by the virus but worst affected by the lockdown. They worry about the affects on mental and social development, and learning. Older children can understand the situation and catch up on their education even in years to come. However younger children missing out on key developmental stages could cause problems for the individuals and society in years to come. So they're setting the children free (for want of a better expression) and will see what affect that has on the spread of the virus.

France. Some primary and maternelle have gone back this week. Reduced classes, distancing and a million different protocol for teachers / children to follow.

Secondary start back next week. We had a 10 page doc last night from the school on the protocol sanitaires, it looks grim and completely unworkable. At most, they would be back 2 days per week.

It’s all babysitting and an attempt to catch up with disadvantaged children.