Schools fubared till November?

[Clemmieandareallybigbunfight]

Disruption to schools could continue to November, MPs told www.bbc.co.uk/news/education-52895640

Is this a dystopian joke?

Are we actually trying to fuck up our kids?

Schools need to be instructed to open fully five days a week with enhanced on day cleaning, increased buses to allow distancing, staggered start and finish, covered but open refuge areas allowing distancing whilst outside in all weathers for breaks and no assemblies. Relatively low investment needed, huge gain economically but more importantly for our kids education and mental health. Some of these kids will never get back to school if they are out for so long. Some will fail to achieve their potential. And all for an illness with a tiny mortality rate overall?

Vicki, fwiw, I don't agree with the way inclusion is done as a blanket approach here. Keep fighting for your child. I hope that's one of the things that changes after all this.

@Feellikedancingyeah

I'm not sure when schools plan their timetables for September but it is a complex task. Maybe June/July? Our ds gets his by e mail in August . So we will find out soon.

Timetabling takes ages. It depends on the school when it's done. I'm a bit of a saddo when I get mine and it gets immediately colour coded and hw/marking rotas worked out. This year I've barely looked at it, just saved the email as I'm not sure it will stand. There's no point until the government tell us what we're doing in September. Schools don't know because the government haven't told them yet.

He has a plan so classed as vulnerable but he cannot attend because he can’t do social distancing. It clearly states this in his plan so it is catch 22.

@whenwillthemadnessend

How many kids would you be willing to let die? How many would you class as being worth the ‘risk’?

There are 65 million people in this country and only about a million have been infected. Without proper infection controls the death toll has been estimated at over 500,000 (By government scientists).

I’m going to say I would not be able to to live with myself if I pushed for schools to open only for my child or one of their friends to die.

Do you know the affect it has on a student body when a classmate dies? Have you ever seen it? I have and it is horrific.

Well our high school is opening for y10, but only minimally. The head teacher says he is following guidance that only 25% of children should be on site at any one time.

The school is set on two different sites a mile apart. In my head, I think this means they could take twice as many y10, but no, apparently not.

The return to school guidance forbids my child from walking to school with a friend, wearing a coat or blazer, carrying an umbrella or bringing any personal belongings. They can bring medication and sanitary products in a clear bag.

Parents are advised to drop them off ‘as far away as possible’ from school. Their uniform has to be washed after every visit.

They will be taught in bubbles of 15, one day a week (two half days). They won’t have any breaks. They will only be taught maths, English, science. And actually not taught, just have their online learning ‘supported.’

So basically my 14 year old daughter, who has stayed at home working, is perfectly healthy, has to go to school in silence, getting wet if it rains, dropped off as far away as possible. She must carry sanitary towels in a clear bag all the way.

There is utterly no logic in some of this, it appears to be designed to make going back to school as unpleasant as possible and the teachers who have made the rules appear to be male.

Bellesausage.

You obviously did not read my post correctly. It's clearly reads

"Luckily for parents our children are strangely protected from covid. More school children per year die from flu and chicken pox and meningitis than have died from covid 19"

You were willing to accept that risk??? Assuming your kids attended mainstream school.

@whenwillthemadnessend

The death rate is lower- for now. Because the virus has not freely trans imitated across the entire population.

And death isn’t the only thing. My cousin’s baby was so ill with corona that he had a server seizure. He almost died. Instead he is left with life long seizures and motor issues.

I would find putting more children in hospital, when we could invest in distance learning technology or invest in different educational sites, a total disgrace.

As I said before. The U.K. population seems strangely keen to settle for the worst and most basic options offered.

By July, assuming Year 10s have had no education at all (which is not true for the vast majority) they may have missed, at most, 3% of their total learning time since the age of 4.

The govt are not forcing the parents to send children in. If you feel that strongly then it's you choice not too.

However most of us with children in the wrong school year have not been given that choice. I really feels Wakes approach is the better one.

Wales not wakes

As I said before. The U.K. population seems strangely keen to settle for the worst and most basic options offered

This is a genuine question, not being sarky, but what better options do you think could be put in place for my year 1 and reception children?

Yes, but it’s the not the amount if time lost since they were 4, it’s the proportion of their GCSE course teaching.

That’s obvious.

(I also agree with the approach Wales has taken)

Exactly countess. I do feel senior school kids are fairing the worst in all this.

(Discounting those suffering abuse of course) Horrific situation

@Drivingdownthe101

I would say look to other countries- investment in more school buildings, more comprehensive online learning platforms, less pressure on outcomes at primary stage.

The English education system was just about holding together before this. It was a sausage factory and totally inappropriate for so many students.

We need to separate the education side from the childcare side.

Absolutely Belle.

2014 sewed the seeds for this shit show learning wise.

@MeadowHay

I do wonder whether there are a lot of people claiming to be shielding when they're not technically shielding, e.g. they're going out and now even having some socially distanced meetings etc - which don't get me wrong us different from working in a classroom environment! But is not actually shielding. Then I think there people who are shielding that don't actually need to, either they've misunderstood the advice or they've been erroneously advised to shield. The shielding list is set to become much smaller as time goes on anyway so lots of people will be removed from that list before the next academic year starts (if it even continues to exist at all). I personally know of a few people who are shielding despite not being in the shielding group, and a few people who are claiming to be shielding despite not being in the shielding group and also not actually shielding e.g. still doing things like exercise outdoors/socially distanced meetings in their garden/food shopping.

I agree with PP that the way children in particular have been treated throughout this is actually appalling. There has been essentially zero consideration of their health and wellbeing which on the long term is far more significant to public health than the risk coronavirus poses to people at the present time.

As I have stated on a previous thread and will state again- you can't fake shielding to get out of teaching. You have to provide your NHS letter to your school to prove that you or someone you live with is shielding. Whether or not that person stays inside is something that schools don't know and can't monitor. As for the 'convenient' comment about a third of a school's staff shielding, it's entirely possible if you factor in that it may not be the staff member themselves but someone they live with. There's a lot of ill people in this country, we just don't normally know about them as there normally isn't a fucking virus that takes over the world and forces them inside!

@LoveSummerNotIcecream

The teachers need to get over themselves. The virus has been present since last October/ November and there were lots of cases in February and March before we locked down. Teachers weren’t dying in droves in March. They need to get back to normal ASAP.

Again- there are stupid cunts out there that think it's the schools' choice to not open and not the government .

There has been essentially zero consideration of their health and wellbeing which on the long term is far more significant to public health than the risk coronavirus poses to people at the present time

I said upthread, that's all teachers are talking about, next to the attainment gap for those who really need it.

There was zero consideration for mental health and well being when the 2014 curriculum came out and wiped the Rose report and brand new primary curriculum that had only just launched, under the carpet.

The education system really has become a sausage factory. So many children are being turned off learning due to the measured outcomes.

Actually, the only good thing currently about ofsted is that they've just twigged this and were just beginning to use their powers to try to undo the harm done.

Don't pretend to give a shit about mental health and well-being of pupils now after allowing the education system to have fallen into such a state for the last 6 years, especially under funding and appropriate training for send pupils.

So, when the government tell you to open, you’ll just open, follow government advice?

Or will the union say no?

Are teachers following the union or the government? Because it sounded like the unions weren’t happy with government advice, and now teachers are ‘following government advice.’

You can see why parents (who aren’t stupid) think this is politically motivated.

I work in the NHS, the government have treated us appallingly over the years. I’m in a union, I would never play political games that harmed my patients, however.

(I agree with that, too, Neurotrash).

countess it is the unions jobs to protect staff. By protecting staff, we protect the children.

If the government ordered us all back tomorrow in full class sizes, of course there would be debate and discussion because it would totally go against all Public Health advice. But that is not going to happen.

My union stepped in at my school when our head made a frankly unjustifiable decision. He listened and softened his plans. That is what they are necessary for.

The union are actually pretty wishy washy you know. We haven't had a strike in my union since 2008.

So, when the government tell you to open, you’ll just open, follow government advice? Or will the union say no?

Yes, we are already open. No, unions haven't said no. They have had lots of good suggestions about how schools can open safely which the vast majority of schools are doing. They have provided clear checklists and guidance to reassure staff. That's their job. Without a bit of digging and googling you wouldn't know the details of that though as it's not exciting news to anyone who isn't working in schools. HTH

countess that is horrendous what your school are suggesting. Sanitary products in a clear bag??? What, because of course that sneaky coronavirus could hide in a regular bag but not a clear bag 🤔 It's ridiculousness like this that makes me think this country has actually gone totally mad. Your poor dd. I hope it turns out not to be too awful for her.