If blended learning was the thing for all of next academic year?

[porktangle]

www.thenational.scot/news/18454764.blended-learning-become-new-normal-schools-return/

This is obviously just an article and anything could actually change in the next year but I read this and suddenly the possible next academic year just hit me like a ton of bricks. I don't know why it's taken until now tbh. I think I've just been thinking about June 1st mostly!

I could still work (I'm full time main earner) but husband couldn't so we'd have significant money problems after a few months. My son is autistic and wouldn't have his EHCP fulfilled. He's done reduced timetables before and they were a disaster, he ended up out of education for over a year.

If blended learning (half in school with social distancing, half at home remote learning) is for the next academic year.....how would you manage?

Oh we also thought of hiring a teenager as a babysitter if that’s permitted. Or p/t uni student? But there just aren’t tons of those around, we already tried this for afterschool care pre-virus.

I almost have no words to describe how ridiculous the proposal for very part time schooling is

It’s a trial run. They are looking at how the kids engage and interact and see what rules they manage to break or what new rules they need to include.

Does the toileting work? Are lunch times working. Can the parents collect on time at the allotted slot?

I'm seriously concerned that if schools offer some bullshit blending part-time bollocks that I will no longer have 3 children to concern myself about.

My eldest is showing signs of depression and I'm afraid to leave her at home alone at the moment.

It's lovely to hear "optimistic" teachers breezily insisting that her pain is nothing.

Or that it's Her own fault for not being resilient enough

It’s a trial run.

It's a trial run for the rest of this academic year, to help plan a full return in Autumn.

If the next academic year starts like this, it is no longer an extreme measure in a crisis, it is the default educational offering.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog

It’s not imo. I was referring to the quoted on here Union guidance that teachers didn’t do any form of recording themselves for safeguarding reasons.

Unions seem to want to 1. Not go back to school 2. Not provide home school resources in any form

Thefore some other way to educate children will have to be found by the government and if this is a universal online programme (which would be shit in my opinion) then it won’t need anywhere as may teachers as there are now. One since teacher doing recorded lessons streamed to the entire nation etc.... Keyworker childcare can be provided by lower paid people without teaching qualifications as they supervise kids doing the online learning since the unions says the staff in school shouldn’t be teaching them as it’s unfair.

Clearly it’s cheaper to the country to have one national standardised online programs that children work through at 2m apart desks supervised by minimum wage employees with a DBS. If this becomes the normal imagine the money saved.

Seriously the unions are arguing themselves out of a job and kids will get substantially worse provision other than those that can afford to pay their way out of it. It’s proper dystopian

Science teacher no idea what since teachers would teach

Oh goodness that’s heartbreaking for you Nihiloxia, so stressful.

And GoldenOmber I’ve been thinking along the same lines, but the likelihood is that we won’t of know how’s it’s actually going to work in practical terms right until the last minute which makes planning that more difficult.

Can anyone recall what Patrick Vallance said before lockdown what the effect of having schools open (as normal) had on the R value? I’m sure it was only about 5%. Which could be compensated for by not allowing fucking golf and fishing and recycling and other middle aged male hobbies.

@GreenTulips I understand it’s for Scotland so not a trial run. It’s for the new school year in August

I'm the independent SAGE meeting today they said it's not safe to open on 1st June, but if they did stay closed til Sept there's a much increased chance that cases would be low enough to not need social distancing in Sept. m.youtube.com/watch?v=AuLuE62q7gI

That's horrific.

Celebrity scientists are having public events to lobby for school closures?

No fucking thanks.

I'm not sure Sir David King is a celebrity is he?

He's a celebrity scientist.

He's well-known to me and I'm not a scientist.

Nobody said that it's your daughters fault she is struggling @Nihiloxica. That must be very difficult. The college I work at is making special provisions for students who aren't coping and need to come in. Maybe your daughters school is doing the same? It's worth asking.

She doesn't want special provisions.

She wants her life back.

The very idea of "Independent" SAGE.

The name insinuates that the advice the government is receiving from its advisers is not independent.

Yuck.

Well the official sage have released their data which shows they've not modelled for reception, year 1 and 6 returning, so that was an interesting choice

I dunno someone on another threads just posted that "independent sage" might not be all that independent either...

Nihil, I am so, so sorry that your eldest is struggling. It's the same for mine and I'm sure you have the same sense of helplessness at not being able to do anything to change their situation. It is the worst feeling as a parent to not be able to help your child in pain. I hope you have some support.

Have they modelled for what it does to children to be off school for 6 months?

That's the model I'd like to see, since we're in the middle of a massive experiment with children's wellbeing.

Thanks, Bea

The only support I have is that of all the other parents with teenagers who feel they have nothing to live for.

@Beawillalwaysbetopdog and @Nihil it's he powerlessness that's getting me. I'm a single parent and feel like I'd do anything to help my child, but I can't with this. I've gone from sad to really bloody angry

Sorry Nihil, at the risk of derailing, it's utterly shit isn't it. Have you asked her school if they'll take her in? The one I work at would definitely let her attend, but keyworker school at the moment is very different to normal school so it might not help much, especially if her friendship group aren't in.

In Scotland its not a trial run..its on the lockdown easing plan.. Schools return Aug 11 part time

Blended home learning and class learning..

I can’t help thinking we need to get to a more granular level and have schools in red zones with more restrictions than schools where the virus is well controlled. It’s split along devolved lines but really it could be managed catchment by catchment.

Honestly? I think they are just floating this idea for a reaction.

They will give up and all kids will be back in school full time as they cannot be bothered to work out the logistics/pay for changes needed.