Any primary teachers preparing their return to school

[whattodo2019]

Can I ask what changes you are being asked to make to your classrooms, the way you will teacher, social distancing etc? How do you feel a it returning to work.

There are so many mixed Messages, I would love to hear from the teachers who are going back on 1st. June

Our teachers haven't been away. With the exception of those shielding, teachers have been working in the learning hubs every day. They even worked through the Easter holidays

I had a discussion with my sister today who works at a nusury.... And she said they are taking away things like sandpits, sensory bins and any other messy play as they can't clean them. If they find cleaning specific toys difficult they will remove the toy.

I'm not a teacher so can't give any opinion but I've read some of the government guidelines that come into effect in June and it all looks very sad :(

I have been teaching key workers' children on a rota, including Easter hols and upcoming half term break as a PP said. But it has been a much smaller group and only 2 days per week. As of June, I will go back 'properly' to teach 15 pupils in a bubble, but I do not yet know which year group or which room. Apart from the obvious, my biggest head ache is how I am going to fit in 'teaching' my own class too, who are still staying home, as well as planning for my new bubble. That is going to be challenging. Until we are told which year we are teaching, I can't do much by way of preparing.
Instead, I am focusing on bringing my own health up to spec; doing lots of cardio, losing some weight and taking good quality supplements.
I am also sourcing some good quality gloves and masks as part of our duties on return is to frequently clean and disinfect the toilets, washing facilities and communal areas during the children's break times and lunch. School will only provide reusable marigold type gloves, but there's no way I am using those.

Womanlstaken what is the problem
With marigold gloves (sorry if it's a daft question!)

What I do know is that I'm not going to clean toilets.

@pfrench but do you know when you are able to go to the loo?

Same as always - twice a day at allotted times.

I am also sourcing some good quality gloves and masks as part of our duties on return is to frequently clean and disinfect the toilets, washing facilities and communal areas during the children's break times and lunch.
What the actual fuck?!

Also, if youre cleaning the toilet, who is watching your bubble? When you go to pee, who is watching your bubble?

So do you have an extra adult in your bubble @pfrench?

We've no extra adults in our bubbles, one adult per bubble. I am waiting for a response from our HT regarding who will watch the bubble when I clean, as we've been told we are to supervise our bubbles during breaks and lunchtime too (the time simultaneously allocated for cleaning).

OP, there would not be a problem with Marigolds per se, but I refuse to reuse gloves which have been down our school toilets to clean hand rails and taps the next day. PPE worn in care settings or in the NHS is disposed of after use. Regular wearers of PPE report that the risk of inadvertently infecting oneself when removing PPE is considerable. I'm not asking for aprons or a visar, just disposable gloves.

I'm going back. I teach Y1. I have a class of 24 and 7 parents have responded that they want their child in. 2 of them work in education so unsure if they are definite yet.

My head is putting a teacher and TA in our bubbles. We've got to cover the whole day between us. Each child has their own table with a tray, one exercise book and pack of stationary that will stay in their tray. Doors and windows must be kept open. Lots of outdoor activities. Staggered drops offs and pick ups.

Lunches will probably be sandwiches and delivered to the classroom. The playground is being divided up so half for us the other half for one EYFS bubble.

Other staff are covering 2 EYFS bubbles as 13 parents requested. places. Our rooms will only allow 6/7 children because of size.

Other staff will cover key worker children which are in their own bubble.

I think it's pointless as we'll be basically providing childcare not education. I'm willing to give it a go but my TA and I feel once the kids realise they won't be seeing their friends and have limited/no chances to play with the kids that are there they will refuse to attend. If they think they will be coming back to school pre lockdown they are going to very disappointed.

We have an online staff meeting this week to discuss it all.

Yes-we are all in Friday to prep the rooms. We will have Reception and Year 1 only, 8-10 to a class, in every third day. Wednesday off for PPA and deep cleaning. Soft toys removed from classes, teachers desk area has tape around it and desks are all spaced apart-each child has a named pot with pencils/colours etc in.

Toys in a rotation and cleaned regularly, outside equipment cleaned after use.

2m Distancing tape by the classroom doors for parents.

I don’t think we will have that many back actually.

my TA and I feel once the kids realise they won't be seeing their friends and have limited/no chances to play with the kids that are there they will refuse to attend. If they think they will be coming back to school pre lockdown they are going to very disappointed

Absolutely.

We also will not be taking any children who don’t want to come in as we can’t physically take them off their parents so if any are upset and refuse, the parent will need to take them home.

How are the teachers with only them as the adult in their bubble all day going to go to the loo?

@Lumene our schools are still trying to come up with a solution for that problem

I am also sourcing some good quality gloves and masks as part of our duties on return is to frequently clean and disinfect the toilets, washing facilities and communal areas during the children's break times and lunch. School will only provide reusable marigold type gloves, but there's no way I am using those.

This isn't your job. Why are you doing it?

Teachers constantly buy things that they shouldn't be buying/paying for e.g
Stationary
Paper
Card
Cleaning products
Play sand
Books
Ingredients for baking

It's what teachers do up and down the country every term.

I meant it's not the teacher's job to clean the toilets. Or anywhere else.

That's why cleaners are employed and I'm sure they'd be glad of the extra money.

But schools don’t have the money to pay for extra cleaners. Also the toilets will have to be cleaned once the bubbles have used them so teachers if those bubbles may need to clean them.

At our school, each bubble will have two adults. Teachers and TAs from other year groups will come in to be the extra adults in those bubbles. So Y4/5 staff will help with Y6 bubbles and Y2/3 staff will be working with Y1 bubbles.

Staff who want/need to stay at home are taking on the planning and delivering of remote learning for chn in years 2 - 5.

We will be planning and delivering normal learning while adhering to social distancing. This approach differs from some other schools: my Y6 ds will be going to school to complete the remote learning tasks. So essentially his school is providing childcare plus social interaction.

I'm going to send him in, but I know he will find it frustrating not to be going back to proper learning. Despite the best efforts of his teachers, remote learning is always going to be weaker provision than class-based learning.

Our measures are:

• classes of 15 or less
• 2m social distancing of desks as much as possible
• allocated desks with stationary and exercise books that must remain the same every day
• no marking of books, only verbal feedback
• no use of items outside of those allocated to each child (laptops, paintbrushes, instruments, PE equipment)
• handwashing at each transition
• staggered drop off/break/lunch/pick up
• one way system through school
• children will be required to observe social distancing at all times including at break time where they will be allocated a marked out area of the playground to use with their bubble. Playground climbing frames out of use.
• in the event of first aid needs, children will be directed to designated first aid area where staff with appropriate PPE will help

*stationery

Hardly any uptake of spaces indicated here, which is a shame as some of my class would definitely benefit from being back at school. Anyway, pretty much the same as @sallyally2020. Thankfully no toilet scrubbing has been mentioned yet, although I am sure it's coming.

Even if the budget was available to pay cleaners extra to clean the toilets 3 or 4 times daily, they wouldn't necessarily want or need the extra money. Bit of an assumption there Lemon