No space at school

[PinkDiamond1]

This is outing so have NC.

Our school is a large primary 3 form per year.

They've offered alternate weeks starting from the 8th June for year groups.

We were undecided on sending our DC back.

However we got an email yesterday saying they were at full capacity for key worker and Nursery R, Y1 and Y6 and can't accept anymore children!

Is this allowed?

Problem is. They only have so many teachers and classrooms. Most classes need to be split into two or three to ensure the social distancing bubbles they can't physically do it. There's not enough classrooms or teachers
What would you suggest? .

Sorry but I think you have completely unrealistic expectations.
And your post isn’t outing at all, similar issue in many similar schools across the whole country.

Our school only had a limited number of keyworker spaces, with a waiting list for those. Even with us both being keyworkers we’ve only just been given a space from next week.... even though we met the criteria.

They are bringing back all eligible year groups next week but each child gets only one day per week due to space and staff limitations. They sent a questionnaire to ask for numbers and didn’t say we couldn’t change our minds but I would have thought that obvious (bar exceptional circumstances) given the immense planning needed.

It’s a logistical nightmare and I feel really sorry for the schools.

The questionnaire was so they could organise the staff and the classrooms. They weren’t just asking what you thought while you were queuing for the bus.

I imagine there are quite a few parents of year sixes who asked them if they wanted to go back and their dc said no and now their friends are going back they want to change their minds.

It astonishes me how micromanaged some people need to be:
"Do you want a place?"
"No"
"You have not been allocated a place."

That seems fairly clear. To then moan that they didn't come back and say "Final answer?" is odd.

The question was asked and you answered it. Why should they have confirmed that they would, indeed, accept that answer as your answer?
It seems implied!

It is what it is. My son's school is a 2 form entry (he's year 6) and the numbers have been capped at 120. If all eligible children went in, it would be 200 plus keyworkers and that would be an impossible number to work with, looking at rooms and staffing - and this is a new build!
We said no to a place and now we can't have one because the places have all gone. I was expecting that.

It was clear that the guidance schools were getting was changing every day, and so of course they needed to know numbers so they could safely limit them.

I shouldn't think there's much issue with legality. I imagine that the potentially fatal global pandemic is quite a good caveat in cases of challenge.

My children's school is the same. They only have enough space for the key worker children so can't accept anyone else from N/R/Y1/Y6. Until something changes it is what it is. Contact your MP if it bothers you that much.

You said no, you cant complain now. Of course they can day there are no more spaces! What do you expect them to do, wave a magic wand and make more staff and classrooms appear???

OP why did you think they sent out the questionnaire for? Schools have enough to do without sending something out that wasn’t important. They needed to find out how many children were coming back to see if they could all be accommodated.

Some of the local schools here can only take the key worker children and vulnerable children as the number of children taking up these places have increased. These are the priority children. If there are any spaces they can then look at the eligible Year groups starting with the youngest, so from nursery if a school has one.
Many schools can’t accommodate 15 in a class with social distancing so have to have smaller bubbles usually between 7-8. So that will also have an impact on the number of places they can offer.

*They did send out a questionnaire and we said No - which is fair enough but we should be able to change our mind?

I disagree. If everyone changed their mind what was the point in asking? They asked for a reason - it’s a logistical nightmare and there simply isn’t enough space/staff.*

^^This.

What do you want them to do? What options do you think the school have?

Is this for real? Schools will have made plans depending on how many children they were expecting to return. Of course there is no space for those who said no.

You said no. The school then had a limited amount of time to work out how to accommodate the ones that said yes. You can't just expect them to somehow know you might change your mind. This is a logistical nightmare for head teachers right now so parents unfortunately need understand they cannot just chop and change their plans to send back right now.

This is where you lost me They did send out a questionnaire and we said No.
Absolutely no sympathy.
You said no. They planned accordingly.

The questionnaire from our school said nothing about ‘first come’ or ‘if you change your mind’. I realised at the time it was a pretty important decision that would be essentially binding.

Yesterday we received our ‘welcome back’ video and my DD is super excited. It doesn’t look at ghastly as they portrayed and I think it will actually help her transition from the play based learning in Reception to the desk based structure of year 1.

Would you rather they squeezed your kids in ignoring social distancing and put them and other kids at risk? Because thats the only alternative I see?

Or guess you could contact the LEA and ask if there's space at a different school and move school?

I think the fact that the OP says naming the year group her kids are in will be outing sums up her state of mind - forgetting that this is what's happening ALL OVER THE COUNTRY.

Sorry haven't read all the thread but are you sure you saying no actually made a difference, OP. My DCs school is accommodating no more children than the key worker children they have allowed in since March/April even if the Yr/Y1/Y6 parents requested a return, many of whom 'are your it would be OK'. The main driver is the viability of bubbles without sharing teachers, the availability of teachers and the physical characteristics of the school.

Jesus wept. Just when I think the world can't get any madder or more self-absorbed, along comes a thread like this.

But I am cheered at the number of lovely posters who have supported the (awful!) position schools are in and put across the sane voice of reason.

The Government's own guidance is completely clear - schools have to work out their capacity, offer places to keyworker / vulnerable children first, then work up through the age groups. When they reach capacity, they stop offering places, even if this means that some year groups who can theoretically attend don't get the opportunity to.

This does mean that in some school, it remains keyworker / vulnerable only.

Others are able to open for some of the new year groups.

Some are opening to all the year groups, but only those children who have chosen to (the guidance does say they should plan for full attendance from the year group and offer places for fewer year groups, but where few are choosing to return i can see that this would feel unreasonable - we have almost 100% coming back in)

Aw are able to open fully to all of the specified age groups and key workers, but simply given the Maths involved, this is probably the minority.

I've been on MN for years - yes perhaps I should ask the LA what the alternatives are.

The homeschooling sent by the school has been as hoc. But I don't blame them for that at all or complaining as plenty of resources.

My furlough has been extended for June - confirmed this morning so now I don't need the place - if the school continues to reach over the summer this could mean we won't get a place over the summer?

I think SD guidelines will be lessened in schools.

A key worker parent was told there was no more space for KW kids.

KW kids are being kept in a separate hub.

You refused a place.
You've changed your mind (sort of, although now maybe not?)

Well, it's a bit shit.
But not as shit as being a Teacher or TA trying to fit a quart into a pint pot.

Schools won't be teaching over the summer. That has already been confirmed. The Ofsted bloke the other day was just shit-stirring.

We are keeping DS1(Reception) and DD(Nursery) at home and seeing how things are for September.

Many of DS1's classmates' parents are doing the same thing. I think the school is relieved as they are struggling with space.

I think SD guidelines will be lessened in schools

Do you have a crystal ball, OP?

If they are (unlikely) then you will get your places. Until then , you will have to keep your kids at home.

Whilst I realise it must be frustrating, it’s not the schools fault. They can’t invent space and you had said you weren’t sure/didn’t want your child to go back. Has the fact that you now can’t, made you want to, as it sounds a little that way.

If the school continues to reach over the summer this could mean we won't get a place over the summer?

The school won’t continue to teach over the summer.

I think SD guidelines will be lessened in schools

Eventually, yes. But whilst everyone else needs it in their workplace to protect them, so do those working in schools.

What I have taken from this thread is that the school asked if you if you want a place, you said no and they didn’t give you one. You have been furloughed until The start of July, so don’t even need a place. But you are still cross with the school?

My infant school (so nursery to y2, 250 children) sent the questionnaire out 2 weeks ago asking who wanted provision. As it turns out, due to lack of space, the max we get get in the largest classroom safely is 9, and due to staff shortage, 2 teachers pregnant, 1 shielding and another TA shielding we have only been able to increase the numbers of key worker children to 50.
Six staff were in last week to clean classrooms, set out desks with trays for the children. Label everything, change cloakroom pegs etc.
5 year olds will be expected to sit at a desk whilst in the classroom.
It’s not going to be fun.