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?

@TrustTheGeneGenie there won't be bubbles of 30, there would need to be 2 adults in a bubble that size for young children so hopefully that's the point at which normal service resumes

It will be a logistical nightmare.
For DS in primary I would need childcare for half the day that he’s not in school or to go part time at work (assuming I have a job to go back to!!)
The older 2 are year 7 and 8. I assume the LEA will put on more buses so kids can be taken home or picked up at lunchtimes else.
I’m also assuming the will be making sure all kids in the same family will be on the same hours.

1 solution I guess would be to have half the class in school for the morning doing sit down school work with the teacher and the other half using the school hall/village hall/church halls/leisure centre/library/ rugby club etc to do drama/sport/music/etc but that might work in a large village with 1 school but as soon as you have a town with lots of schools all wanting to use the available space it starts to run out of space.

Well yes but you could do that without it being normal service like still not have assemblies or lunch all together or playtime all together etc

Visiting family indoors is detailed under phase 3 and 4. So yes, all going to plan, by the time schools return in August grandparents can do childcare, providing they are not shielding.

I have primary age children and I would prefer part time school for my kids they would benefit from a part time system. For us the current school hours don't leave enough time and energy for anything else. I find the school hours overwhelming for them and limits their life in many ways.

@Nihiloxica Agree With you 100%
The govt have handled this terribly but so have the unions.
Say what you need - more money, PPE, venues for bubbles (Denmark used halls and leisure centres etc to create more space - I will back you 1000%
But the current mess is so far removed from many children's needs- my eldest is losing her spark on a daily basis - is just so horrendous. She's so bright and I'm so sad for her. The work from the school has been rubbish (yes I have raised it with the Head, exec head and the chair). We had covid (99% certainty ) and we live in London. Do we really have to go on like this for a year ?

Exactly cocktailoclock schools should be saying what they need to make this work. If it’s a question of they aren’t sure then let’s get them the logistics help we need. We built hospitals in 10 days, but no one thinks of turning their heads to schools. If it’s logistics let’s give every LA/school some members of they logistics corp to assist.

@SudokuBook I agree.

This is just nuts now.

No. I’m not a teacher and there would need to be far better provision that is currently provided. And the impact on my career would likely be detrimental, likely needing to work part time as employers won’t subsidise my productivity indefinitely, and all that will affect career progression too.

@StrawberryBlondeStar - exactly - we built hospitals in days. It was the right thing to do.
We sent people to the moon but somehow we have got ourselves in a mess and we can't work out to give every child who wants it a place.
No- one is socially distancing in London at all today. But no my children can't go to school

In Scotland and we have received work from the school every day. We have maths and literacy with videos and worksheets to complete, topic work, health and well being, music, extra activities. We upload what we’ve done each day and the teacher marks it. It’s working very well and it’s amazing for my dyslexic kid who can’t focus at school at all. We have had tears and meltdowns at times but he’s completed all of his work and much faster than he did at school. His maths and handwriting have improved hugely. It’s hard work for me as I am working at home and have two different ages to teach but it’s worth it I think
Going back part time is ideal for me as I would get some peace and still be able to help the kids learning
We have really enjoyed the extra time we have to go for walks and do exercise and eat better as well.
I realise though that is a logistical nightmare for many and terrible for vulnerable children. I would give up my spot so someone else could have a full time spot

@absolutelyknackeredcow
That's so true. Parks and beaches are packed but are children have to do with learning through YouTube videos. It doesn't make sense.

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I would be OK, I teach and the only one in the department with school aged children (everyone else's are grown) so we would just have me at home facilitating the homeschooling on day Dd is at home and we'd both go to school at the same time.

Sorry to hear that cocktail - my DD is the same, it’s very upsetting.

In Scotland phase 2 says you can meet indoors with one household phase 3 you can meet indoors with other households and return to school ptime so i would say grandparents can return to childcare

Phase 4 says schools operating with any necessary precautions.. Not clear what that means but it sounds like a shift from ptime.. Maybe.. Hopefully.
My son is due to sit Nat 5.. He needs to be full time.. I cant teach hm at that level

The way I read it though all phases say you still need to be at a distance? So even if someone is in your home you shouldn’t be in close contact?

absolutely - a quick google tells me that 7 nightingale hospitals were built and that there are 32,770 schools in England.

The number of patients in hospitals is far fewer than the number of pupils in school. There isn't enough money to build that many schools. And who would staff them?

In my town there is a nursery, a primary school with 480 kids and a secondary with 1200 kids.

So with half those kids needing somewhere to go that's 840 kids.

The town hall could accommodate about 30 kids spaced out, the library would hold 4/5 and the leisure centre is already the sports hall of the school. I guess the 2 churches could fit another 30 each, but where do the other 745 go?

There just isn't the space for them.

What about older children? Schools and govt are acting as if teenagers are fine with online /home learning. They’re not and most of them aren’t getting it. They don’t watch the videos, they google the answers or cheat on the worksheets, they’re in their phones all day, and they resist any help from parents even if we have time to give it. Y11s have been really badly abandoned- six months of nothing and no social life. It’s an absolute scandal that there’s no joined up policy.

@Aramox yes, it is a scandal, and I don't understand how the way they're being treated is suddenly ok.

A few years ago in my area schools were closed, then use to the birthrate there was no room and some schools had intakes of 3 classes of 30- 90 children in one year!

Now those year groups- a 'bulge year' I think it is called, have been living up the school system.

How are those schools going to cope, they were not coping as it were.

Posters saying theirs not enough money for schools? The government has found billions for the nhs, furlough schemes, businesses, they can find my money for Schools if they wanted to and more importantly if they felt the public (and therefore voters wanted this). At the moment a large proportion of the public don’t want to send kids back so they aren’t bothered. Give it to September and watch public mood change...

I can cope with the schools not going back (due to my work-life pattern, having a mildly introverted academic kid and I don't want to send her to back to what would be Guantanamo Academy) but yet again those in the most need aren't being targeted. What a failure of vision and leadership we have.

@StrawberryBlondeStar I think you're right about September. After the summer holidays where lockdown will be much more relaxed and to a certain extent, children will be out and about more, part time schooling in September will feel like a back step to many and I think the mood will probably change from risk aversion to education worry.