Other European Countries and school returns

[Lemonblast]

Would be interested to hear from parents and teachers in other European countries about how the return to school is working out?
So much conflicting ‘advice’ and scare mongering here it’s so difficult to know what to do.

Eeeek not exactly the reassurance I was hoping for

Great thread started on AIBU from a Dutch poster on this very topic. Really reassuring

OK - Berlin here and a year 11.2 (meaning everything from 11.1 to 12.2 plus exams count towards Abitur). It's secondary I and II.
There were online lessons, than we had 8 2-hour-sessions in school in preparation for the 8 exams that have to be written.
The school extended their hygiene plan to cover Covid, handed it in to the health authorities and had it approved:
We got an 8 page letter covering:
hygiene in classrooms, corridors, sanitary tracts, offices etc.
infection prevention in lessons, in breaks, restrictions on sports and music / theatre
a one way system for movements within the building
measures for people at risk
masks and handwashing (every classroom has a basin) rules.
We all had to sign it and hand it back in.
Lessons take place in classrooms and every other available space including outside.
The return will be staggered by year and nobody is forced to go in.

Plus there is obligatory mask wearing on public transport and in shops etc.

But school breaks up for the summer at the end of June.

Are the kids coping well with the changes ?

I can only speak for my DS (AS) - who very much prefered the new system.
This age group intends to go to university and can be / is expected to be able to learn on their own (teachers were availabe for questions at times teenagers are actually awake
i. e. nights ).

From co-workers and neighbours with younger childeren I get the impression, that the DC cope better when the new situation it is presented as a problem to be solved instead of a state that has to be endured. (not my best English, but I hope you can decifer this.)

Yes that makes perfect sense.

A sink in every classroom would be a great start

sink is the word - thank you

Well, as most schools had to be rebuild from scratch from the 1950ties onward, I think sinks were mandatory (I remember easying my table ever so slightly towards the sink to fill sneaked in water pistols in the early 70ties).

Our school have built sinks in the covered area of the playground and hand washing is very regular maybe every hour. No parents on site, we let them know what time we will pick up and they send the kid out (though the vast majotof kids go home alone or with siblings from age 6/7). The classes have been halved and the teacher is physically with one half and sets work for the other remotely - the other half are supervised by a child carer. Each group has been assigned a different indoor area and enterence and exit - fortunately our school is spread over 6 small buildings. At least half the school are off the site through the day cycling and walking mostly, but they've visited the beach and forests by bike (despite it being freezing). The classes are taken outside. The teachers seem relieved to get the kids back. It must have been stressful keeping on top of things remotely.