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 .

Sone children I sone schools will be back on 1 June, other won't. Nothing's changed, it was always for schools to decide how to run it.

Agree the Eton this is also misleading. (1) it's a secondary (2) the students live on campus, far raising the risk (3) the many international students won't be coming anyway and (4) they are not going to have families who lack motivation, devices or ability to support online learning. Some of the wealthier families we know are hiring in extra subject tutors to keep their DC on track, a bit of distance learning will not notably harm them.

I imagine the Daily Fail could come up with a way we should be punished Heff.

I think your list is a good starting point 😂

Probably still 1 June, but 2021....that should please most people on here.

MarshaBradyo

I think it’s highly unlikely your yr5 will go back - there simply isn’t room in school buildings with classes at half size :(

Smile do you mean pre September? I know it’s not on the list first but was hoping for before the summer break. When do you think they’ll go back?

Eton has done a fair bit for others to be honest during all of this, it's boarding (that brings up it's own challenges) which comprises a fair amount of international students, and it's not like all secondary students have been earmarked for returning yet. If anyone wants any salt for the chip on their shoulder though, you are welcome to some.

Accommodation for key workers
We have offered accommodation, free of charge, within some of our now empty boarding houses for adult key workers, where they need alternative accommodation because their own families are self-isolating.

Support for key worker and vulnerable children
We have opened our doors to support key workers from our local area by offering a structured programme of activities, free of charge, during the day for their children aged 5-13. The scheme also includes vulnerable children. As part of this programme we are preparing food for those on free school meals and delivering this to local schools.

EtonX self-study courses
We have offered our EtonX self-study courses, free of charge, to every state secondary school in the UK. The initial focus will be for students in Year 11 and Year 13 now that there are no public exams, to help support these students as they consider their next steps, whether that be Sixth Form, university or employment.

Fees
We have reduced our fees by one third for the Summer term and have invited parents to contribute the balance if they feel able to, so as to support our initiatives above and to establish a financial aid fund for those whose financial circumstances have now changed and who cannot afford the reduced fee.

Thanks
Many parents have contributed by donating the balance of the full fee and we are very grateful to them for this. We continue to raise money in this way and we have a very generous donor willing to match all donations made to this effort on a one to one basis, up to an initial amount of £200,000.

We would like to do more. Can you help?
We have been humbled by the number of parents and Old Etonians who have already made very generous donations to support our efforts. However, in addition to continuing to raise funds for the initiatives above, the Eton community would now like to do more.

Through working alongside our established partners from Royal SpringBoard, Eastside Young Leaders’ Academy, IntoUniversity, Holyport College and the London Academy of Excellence we want to support the most vulnerable children whose social and educational disadvantage has been compounded by this crisis. The following key challenges are common to most of these vulnerable children:

They do not have access (or have limited access) to IT equipment so as to engage in the online teaching that may be offered by their school, or by our partner organisations. If there is a computer at home it is likely to be shared between several family members.
Their parents often lack the educational background to provide support at home.
Some are at risk in their home environment.
Their families are often facing a range of health, financial and practical problems which means that education is not the first priority.
With sufficient funding we will support these children in the following two ways:

We will provide them with food and basic household supplies; support for utility bills; activity packs including academic and creative resources, stationery, workbooks, card games and board games; and IT equipment such as tablets (and dongles for those who don’t have internet access).
We will offer them tutored EtonX courses, as opposed to the self-study courses that we have already offered the state sector.
You can find out more about our partner organisations here. Financial support at this time of acute need will have a transformative effect.

My school are planning on if it does well all in on Monday July 6th - the Yr 6, 1 and R are staggered between 8:30-1 I imagine the others will fit in the afternoon

Most primaries and nurseries/preschools are running themselves ragged trying desperately to get staffing and sites together and risk assessments organised and plans sorted out with their parents, while in many cases continuing to care for key worker children who have been in all the time, all efforts appear to be being made for June 1st. Lots of sleep lost, lots of trying to figure out how the fuck to make things work while at the same time meeting the needs of the children they care about. Guidance for early years is due out, but only to be released two whole days before the kids are due back. The govt have been as helpful as chocolate bloody teapots in all this.

It will, inevitably, be that the govt and general public have to accept that not all schools and preschools will successfully fight their way through all this and have a plan in place ready to go on the 1st, or can create a situation that's safe for them to do so. Because pandemic. And staff being people with the same issues everyone else has in this pandemic. And the DfE not being able to issue magic wands. But the newspapers are constantly looking for the next pot to stir, and are being ridiculously unhelpful in all this.

The large secondary I work in is planning to have Y10/12 back from mid June. It will be smaller groups/rota but we will be back. Plans are being finalised next week.

Oh, and teachers have been working throughout the pandemic. I think I may have worked more hours and felt more anxious for my students than ever before.

I obviously don't know what will happen in September yet but I hope to god that it's normal school (or as close as possible to normal).

If it isn't safe schools shouldn't open, simple as that.
health should come first, always.

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

I've considered it. I've also considered how I've been working from midday until midnight every night, all day Sunday, doing homeschooling/childcare of my own child, while providing lessons that the government HAS NOT ASKED ME TO DO, too. So, basically fuck you. Blame the government.

Boxachocs, the teachers at my primary school have been in school on a rota, looking after key workers children plus they have put work for their pupils on Google Classroom, which they mark and comment on, plus reply to any queries from parents

Unbelievably, my die hard Tory supporter mother who would support them even if they suggested mass genocide has just phoned me (which she never does) to say how ridiculous she thinks the government are being about schools reopening and how she agrees with the trade unions.

I need a stiff drink.

t was hoping for before the summer break. When do you think they’ll go back?

Not before September I don’t think. It’s only possible to get R/1/6 in by using all available space.

I would honestly prepare your Y5 for a Sept start - and potentially for that to be a bit strange.

This thread is a very good example of what happens when some people don’t read beyond headlines.

@CarrieBlue you knew what @Florencemattell meant teachers obviously teach for their job and there are parents trying to juggle WFH AND teaching children - it's not doable in some, if not most, households!

If this year’s A level cohort defer, won’t every subsequent cohort have to defer?

Nothing has changed.

A decision is due on the 28th

@PickUpAPickUpAPenguin The government were always going to have to back down on the "no rota" rule if everybody was going to be back by September. They can't have it both ways unless they can magic up new buildings and teachers to cope with 15 kids to a class They can't do basic arithmetic can they, as if many primary schools could just rustle up double the classrooms and teachers. Mind you Pritti Patel can't read out a number and Gove wants every child to be above average so it really shouldn't be a shock.

The government cannot get track and trace up and running. They cannot open schools until they have that.

I dont know why people still think or most likely. no thinking goes on at all Schools being shut is down to teachers.

The government issued five points to reopen schools.
The government has continually fucked up in dealing with anything since January.
The government has failed to complete the five points therefore schools cannot go back.

How do idiots then get to it is the teachers fault?
I said we should have been track and tracing and Quarantining new arrivals in February. Why is this my fault and not the governments?

The governing can’t get the track and trace app running, so they’ve employed 21,000 physical track and tracers in the interim.

They have said this system will be working by June 1st.

I don't know none of them seem to be acknowledging that their own scientific advisor said schools can't open until track and trace is up and running

@Michelleoftheresistance Most primaries and nurseries/preschools are running themselves ragged trying desperately to get staffing and sites together and risk assessments organised and plans sorted out with their parents, while in many cases continuing to care for key worker children who have been in all the time, all efforts appear to be being made for June 1st. Lots of sleep lost, lots of trying to figure out how the fuck to make things work while at the same time meeting the needs of the children they care about. Guidance for early years is due out, but only to be released two whole days before the kids are due back. The govt have been as helpful as chocolate bloody teapots in all this. You forgot about working through the Easter holidays, well I assume you did I know our local schools did.

@VenusTiger Teachers have been wfh and trying to teach their children too. Florencemattell confused ‘teachers’ with ‘government’ - the government make the rules, not teachers. It seems you’ve made the same mistake.