If you think schools shouldn't reopen yet, what would your plan be for the next twelve months?

[allthatmalarkey]

That sounds more goady than I mean. I know loads of people who say they won't send their kids in and I'm sympathetic to them and to teaching staff. I'm just wondering how you would manage things instead if you were in charge. What would be your ideal plan?

Personally I think we fucked up by not locking down much sooner, we could see what was going to happen and if we'd kept the number of cases much smaller like New Zealand or Germany (both run by women) we'd have bought valuable time and been in a much better position now. So I wouldn't start off from here. However, that's the past and it is what it is: so if you're thinking of keeping your kids away on 1 June, what is your long term plan and what would be your plan for schools over the next year if you were in charge?

Everyone loves Les Mis.

Keep schools closed and parents out of work for 12 months and fans can live the dream as reality.

We locked down at the same rate of infection/deaths as most other Western countries. Even before Italy, if you go by deaths

Go back as normal in September.

I can't be arsed to go back now; it will be a complete shit show for the sake of childcare, not education. So I'm prepared to suck up the single half term that's left, as long as we can just go back to normal in September.

I agree with @bewareoftheblob. We are in Scotland and I'm hoping schools will repon as usual in August, but accept they probably won't. If they can't open as normal I'd prefer a week on week off system in groups to them being there but stuck at one desk apart from others all day. We are not a high risk household though AFAIK.

Why will it be normal in September?

We're looking at a year of 3 types of education. Home/distance for any shielding child/vulnerable child with concerned parents. In school for (hopefully) most, but probably not like 'normal' since the virus isn't going anywhere - maybe part time, maybe in bubbles. In and out of school for children who get ill, have an ill parent, have an ill teacher, have an ill classmate, then have to isolate fully, and/or isolate while waiting for test results.

It's going to be a year of worksheets and staggered breaktimes. Teachers will get the blame for this.

I think a lot of businesses are beginning to face up to reality.

They know that businesses will not return, in the short term anyway, to the same level of trading as before. Therefore, why delay the inevitable?

So they are starting to cut their losses now and make staff redundant. If they made use of the furlough scheme, they would have furloughed the least needed staff. So, these are likely to be the staff that are going to be first in the firing line.

So, very soon they won't have to make the decision about sending children back to soon. Instead they will be worrying about keeping the roof over their heads and putting food on the table.

I'm not saying it will be normal, I'm saying I think it should be. The fucking economy is collapsing around us and at some point we have to return to normal. We'll never know how many lives have been saved by this lockdown, but I know a huge amount of people who are in dire straits financially because of it. I only hope it was worth it.

I think people think that September is going to be some magical time, when this will all be a bad memory. It won't be. There will still be social distancing, which will affect schools as well.

No, I don't think anything will have changed with regards to the virus, but we need to go back to normal regardless. They need to spend the summer figuring out what they can put in place that is low impact, and then we need to crack on with life.

I think it will not go back to normal but I think that there will be a much greater expectations on schools to provide meaningful online learning. If children do not go back at all for the next academic school year (seems likely) then I think school will have to start proving their online learning option is effective. My children’s school will get funding for his education in September I think there will be an expectation that they use it to educate him and if not in school that will have to be a meaningful on line offer (and yes that will include things like online lessons and marking work).

@Qasd

If children do not go back at all for the next academic school year (seems likely)

What makes you think that? Not snarky, genuine question. Because of Cambridge?

You forgot to add Guernsey (run by a woman too - see the theme? ) dr Nicola brink

Early lockdown, contact trace and test like mad. Curve flattened and now the virus is eliminated in guernsey.

People seem to think by September this will all be over but the stark reality is christmas could be very shit and we are still social distancing for a very long time. I am fed up so I cant imagine how this is going to work for the vunreble and elderly? But the UK will collapse if we cant get back to normal, how long can people shield for? It's awful but will this virus die out?

I w had enough.

Of every thing.

Could jump off a bus right now to be honest

A recent study showed the virus is weakening compared to January, previous viruses have died out. It won't be around forever.

Yes Cambridge did make me come up short with it!

But there is also this article
www.google.com/amp/s/amp.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2020/may/20/british-schools-science-children-education-testing-tracing

Let’s face it the reason people don’t like the idea is that schools cannot social distance..there isn’t space as much as anything! The average corridor in an English secondary school is not two meters. As this said schools return when they can social distance ..so when five years olds no longer climb on each other😂!.. seriously that is basically when they no longer need to which requires scientific advancement (vaccine or treatment) which realistically take a year.

I may be bias because both of my children go to big schools but social distance is just impractical..school have already basically ruled out 1 June for none key worker children because it would increase numbers too much. So basically social distancing has to end before school is a realistic prospect in the U.K and they have been very open social distancing will last until 2021 ..so qed I think meaningful education for many is unlikely unless it can be delivered online.

Scotland come August will likely be part time education, hopefully taking on board good practice feom Europe, mixed with some online learning. Hopefully thebtime in school will be really focussed so learning during this time, in small groups will be greater.
What would I like to see ? A treatment that stops people getting really ill so that kids can be back full time and we cn build emotiona health within schools. I hate the thoughtbthat my 5vyear olds first school days will be sitting at a desk on her own with her own work pack and no physical interaction.

The average corridor in an English secondary school is not two meters

But, from memory, wider than a supermarket aisle and easier to control social distancing

I think everything just has to open as before. Anything else is not realistic. Social distancing is over once schools are open. They were all fully open in March and kids and teachers weren’t all dropping dead from the virus, there is less of it around now due to lockdown.

Didn't schools close during WW2?

@Qasd, totally agree regarding social distancing at school - just won't happen. But the idea of them not going back at all for the whole year terrifies me , which is why I think we have to accept that social distancing has to come to an end and that we have to get on as normal.

It's not teachers or pupils faults the government are not testing enough people yet. It's not their fault contact tracing is not up and running yet. It's not their fault people are not being quarantined when they enter the country yet. It's not right to send more children back to school than is necessary without these procedures in place.

Yes true😂! But I think people were sold from the outset that supermarkets were necessary Because people need food and the panic buying told us how the public would react if forbidden.

Supermarkets were kept open because they were deemed essential Not because they could effectively social distance (many clothes shops could in reality have social distanced more effectively but were told to close)...schools were shut because they were deemed none essential (so more like a clothes shop than a supermarket). These none essential businesses (restaurants, cinemas) are the ones that need to have social distancing in place to re-open so that would seem, and public debate has accepted it to include schools. It’s actually interesting as many schools say they are not really socially distancing key worker children (which again is deemed essential) but having to consider it more as they open for other children (not deemed essential).

Social distancing is what is stopping the spread. Of course it has to continue.

Schools may have to erect temporary classrooms so that small classes can be accommodated.