A question for teachers about your school is going to work

[Oakmaiden]

I'm just interested, really. I'm in Wales, so none of our schools are planning to return yet, so I really have no "skin in this game".

I have heard that some schools are splitting classes and having them in on a rota basis, some on certain days of the week, some don't have enough room to include all children in those age groups, and a few don't even have room for the specified age groups as they are at capacity socially distancing key worker children.

The question this popped up into my mind was - are you actually going to be educating these children? I know it was very clear that cover for keyworker children was not education, it was childcare. Is it going to remain that way for keyworker children in your school? And what about the year groups at home - will you still be able to provide them with work while you are working with the classes who are in school? And the question that really inspired me to post - if your school has only given places to some children in the year group, will you be doing lessons as normal for those who are in? And are there any plans for making provision for those who won't be given places? Do you have any idea how the school decided how to allocate spaces?

I am just interested in the potential gaps here, and the inequalities that may arise from them (which our government seems determined to ignore as far as they can).

There are quite a lot of threads already that answer your questions really well

I have read a lot of them. I haven't, however, seen any comment from teachers on whether they have been told to conduct lessons as normal, just for smaller classes, or whether they are going to provide materials for children in those year groups who should be but are not at school.

The situation seems to be constantly changing, too, as guidance changes and schools put more detailed plans into place.

Year 6 teacher here, it is most definitely just childcare and parents have been told that.

It seems to depend on the school. In our school is not going to be just childcare.

You’d be better off posting on the staffroom board.

We will be focusing on emotional well-being on their return but they are in on a rota so only 2 days each week. Some work set for home.

My SLT have said there will be no expectation that end of year targets are achieved and no expectation that we will cover all of the curriculum, but we have been asked to include a daily maths and English task. I will also be doing phonics revision although this is tricky without splitting them, but we'll try. Reading individually would be nice if I can see from a safe distance. We'll find out. It's slightly different work to the home group, similar tasks but less printing out and distributing paper. I'm Y1.

We sent home notes explaining about the 2m and will reinforce this but won't be telling children off if they don't manage, just gentle reminders. Using our outdoor space and washable toys, praying for sun.

Lots of teachers have stopped opening posts about schools because they get slagged off the whole way through.

It will be completely dependent on individual school, there is almost no point in asked about it more widely - that way lies said slagging off.

My school did have detailed plans about having Y10 and Y12 in but now they have been totally scrapped as we had relied on having half of the year group in, rather than a quarter which has now been annouced. We had half of Y10 in one wekk, half the next week. Year 12 in 2 days a week. The plan is/was to teach but in a 1.5 hour slot, so Monday and Tuesday was 1.5 hours English, then Maths, then Science, then Option 1, Option 2 etc over 2 days but a roling rota. Then then next week the other half of year 10 woud come in. Year 12 were given Thursday and Friday with 2 2hour slots a day. Wednesday for a deep clean.

No idea what will happen now; we are a massive school with over 400 in each year group.

Thank you so much to those who responded. As I say, it doesn't effect me yet. I am a teacher, albeit not employed currently as I took a year to do a postgrad course, and I am aware that there are about as many different ways of managing this as there are schools. I was just trying to get my head round how it might work.

I teach Y1 and we’re going ahead with the summer 2 curriculum as planned, with a worksheet option for those at home. Class split in half and taught by two separate teachers (extra teachers borrowed from other year groups).

Our primary has given us a clear indication that DD4 (Yr 1) will be following the same sort of work which we have been doing online for the last 10 weeks. So education of sorts. Her particular bubble is being run by one of the TAs.

I have enormous empathy with the TAs as i was one myself at that very school for years. I still wish DD was going to be with her actual teacher though.

Ours won’t just be childcare but it will be more flexible than usual curriculum too - we need to see where the children are really (emotionally as well as academically) and go from there.

Children at home will still be getting homelearning but only 1 teacher in the school will be providing for all year groups so it won’t be as good as currently unfortunately. Can’t really be helped though.

Ours is following the home learning programme they laid out- so technically kids in and not in will be doing the same work (although not in practice of course). This means the teachers (2 form entry) only have to do one set of planning. There wasn't any online teaching.

DD will be with her actual teacher- there seem to be 3 bubbles for her year- am assuming the others are led by the other class teacher and the HLTA.