Government backs down on primary school opening 1 June

[peridito]

Just heard headline on Radio 4 .

Daily Mail seem to be only News agency reporting .

Teachers needs to consider

I believe the thread title says government backs down

Tell our school then op as they’ve sent a letter today about how it’s going to work come 1st June
We’d best get on to them

DDs primary is planning to open for Reception and Y1 on the 8th June and Y6 on the 22nd. This is all subject to government advice and they have made it very clear that it will be up to the parents to decide if their children go back. There will be no comeback on the parents if they decide not to return their children at this point.

This is a small rural primary with only 4 classrooms.

Will be a big backlash against teachers and unions for this

It’s not backing down ? They said quite clearly June 1st EARLIEST. If all the indicators were in place .

Schools have been open for key workers anyway so it’s not exactly news is it.

I think the government has relaxed the message slightly but they always said schools back ‘at the earliest FROM 1st June’ not that schools HAD to all be back from the 1st.

Teachers needs to consider that alot of us have been working all through this pandemic

Teachers are amongst the people who have been working throughout.

The government have suggested opening may not be uniform - lots of LAs are pushing it back.

Re unis - I think it will be just lectures that are not face to face - news on R4 earlier suggested that smaller groups for tutorials etc will “probably” still go ahead, using the space freed up by moving lectures online.

Teachers needs to consider that alot of us have been working all through this pandemic.

So have teachers, and 65 school workers have already died. I mentioned this the other day and everyone said there’s no proof they got it in schools, but travel to and from school... even if they got it on the way they still got it going to work or at work. Just like care and NHS staff.

Also if most private, 15 in a class before the pandemic, schools are waiting until September or when it’s safe surely state schools should too.

Will be a big backlash against teachers and unions for this

The 'guidelines' are unworkable if parents are imagining that their children will be back full-time 5 days a week from June 1st for YR, Y1 and Y6 (and then the rest for a month!) - schools do not have the staff or space to accommodate this.

If, however, the government secretly are going to pressurise schools to have the children back in full classes...

Cambridge are not intending to deliver all learning online, only lectures. The intention is to deliver tutorials and seminars face to face if safe and possible to do so.

I do wonder why Eton and other independent schools are not going back until September at the earliest - if it'ssafe for the state schools to go back...

@vickyeadieofthigh I believe this is down to them often being boarding schools as well and also the amount of foreign students there may be.
Plus don’t they also break up for summer holidays much earlier than state schools?

Wait, what?! Schools are going back?! Shit, I need to organise myself! I’m a primary teacher, no one said we were going back! I haven’t finished my current book and my garden isn’t quite finished. I mean I’ve been working hard on it all through my lovely holiday from work but it’s not quite done! I’m not sure I can even remember the way to my school it’s been so long! I don’t even think I can recall the names of the kids in my class, I wonder if they’ve done any learning at home, I’d forgotten all them if I’m honest. Well done all those who have still been working through this though, I’ve felt for you while I’ve been doing bugger all on full pay.

@VickieEadieofThigh. Eton is a senior school, starting in Year 9 and full boarding. Private primary schools are mostly opening as advised by government.

Lectures being in person is a total anachronism anyway. Having 700+ students in a lecture hall is hardly a better learning experience than accessing the lectures online. Bummer if someone in the room had it and they had to isolate the whole group. Small group teaching reduces the potential impact massively!

Local authorities are asking each school to conduct a risk assessment. Depending on the outcome of that risk assessment each school can decide what they are able to offer. My local authority is telling schools that they should be offering to vulnerable and key workers children as now and then prioritise those disadvantaged (no technology in the home etc) and to consider bringing reception back part time. t's then up to the governor's and leaders of each school to decide what else they can do. Academies don't have to do any of this and can make their own decisions as to whether they open or not. Local authorities are then expecting individual schools to communicate with parents. Currently it doesn't look like any local authority will have all schools open for Yr R, 1 and 6 on 1st June

1st of June was never set in stone, though- it was a goal. So it's not really backing down- someone has convinced them it's too risky.

If going back to school is not happening, they need to bring in restrictions about gathering in parks and beaches. Maybe within an x amount of distance from your home or something, although goodness knows who will police it.

It’s only not ‘uniform’ because some councils have the balls to stand up for the health of their staff and the children in their care.

Boarding schools have issues that state schools don't, for obvious reasons. You can't tell an international student to come back part-time. You can't have everyone boarding unless you have the space to put one bed only in a boarding house bedroom, because even if beds are well spaced how can you police the distancing? Add to that the fact that what is propping up those sorts of schools is parents sending their kids from Russia and China, and they won't be coming here any day soon, those sorts of schools just can't operate. Those of us whose kids walk or cycle to school 5 minutes away and can come and go during the day safely and independently according to a rota can send ours back. I am no fan of elitist institutions but even I don't think this is a plan to let the poor kids get the virus while protecting the wealthy - it's simply logistics.

Eton is a senior school, starting in Year 9 and full boarding.

So they could go back as soon as they like, then? Why not?

Teachers needs to consider that alot of us have been working all through this pandemic

At my children's school the teachers have been working bloody hard all the way through this! They are open for keyworker and vulnerable children, setting work for the rest and phoning each of us at least weekly. This week they have been deep cleaning, rearranging a whole school to try and fit in with the governments plan for this absolute shit show.
They also opened over Easter and are opening next week for half term. They are fantastic.

@boxachocs, I can' t tell from your sarcastic message whether you are lambasting people who teacher-bash or teachers themselves. If it's the later, have a . Most teachers have worked their arses off in recent weeks, including going into school at Easter to look after keyworker kids. Because we care.

So have teachers, and 65 school workers have already died. I mentioned this the other day and everyone said there’s no proof they got it in schools, but travel to and from school... even if they got it on the way they still got it going to work or at work. Just like care and NHS staff.

Teachers or school employees as a class aren't overrepresented in Covid19 death statistics across the general population, certainly they do better than other occupational groups.

What is your ideal breakdown of covid19 deaths by occupation, assuming you accept that there will be some in the case of a pandemic?