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?

@tiggering I think that is nonsense. The ones struggling in my experience are the ones still both working full time.

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.

It’s not two months, though, is it? It’s already nearly 3!

Two weeks of Easter holidays, a week of Whit half-term...it's two months.

Anyone who thinks that problems are being caused by too many people going to the beach and that schools will be safer in January than September clearly hasn’t been paying attention to the way this virus spreads.

@MitziK it’s not simple enough as give shielding staff the admin tasks and getting others in to do face to face teaching. First off, there will not enough staff to do the face to face teaching and many will not have to skills or qualifications to do so. Also admin and non teaching jobs are for staff who have specific experience and qualifications which cannot be allocated to just anyone. And all the time only 15chn can be in a group there are not enough staff or classrooms for the children to be in

@tiggering
I've noticed that as well.

It's a far far better controlled virus in Iceland, that's for sure. And a far more decisive government

Er, yes but the can't control who passes it to who for fuck sake.

Our head (large comp) is convinced there’ll be no GCSEs or ALevels next year either. We’ve already been told we should try and get in 3 lots of mocks to provide us with the evidence needed to teacher assess again next year.

It might be two months of actual teaching time. But it’s nearly three months away from the classroom, and for some children it’ll be closer to six by September. You’re being either disingenuous or naive to think that that is hugely more disruptive than the phrase ‘just two months’ implies.

Schools could re-open to all age groups, but the government needs to consider what's going to give to allow that.

Schools operate with 30 (or more) children per class. If you set the maximum 'bubble' size at 15, then schools need twice as many classrooms and twice as many teachers as they currently have. That's not a "relatively low level of investment", it's a huge investment in staff and temporary buildings (assuming schools even have the space!) As PPs have said, we could possibly achieve 1 metre separation with bubbles of 15, but with 30+ in a class they're practically sitting on one another's knees.

Many schools don't have extensive outside space, or multiple large communal halls.

The government have said that TAs can temporarily lead class bubbles under the direction of a teacher. Unfortunately, schools don't have TAs sitting about waiting for work to do- budget cuts have led to redundancies in most TA positions, and usually only children with 1:1 funding have access to a TA.

Additional cleaning leads to additional costs in supplies and staffing , especially where cleaning is needed throughout the day (many schools bring in cleaning staff after the children have left). Government needs to guarantee that this will be funded- currently, schools have to spend the money and then hope the government lives up to its promises (ha!) and allows them to claim it back.

Staggering opening hours/ lunch hours also has a knock-on effect in terms of costs- for example, paying kitchen staff / MDAs to work an extra hour each day soon adds up.

Realistically, the government needs to choose : a rota system where half the children are in at any time, or invest in supply teachers and temporary classrooms, or accept that social distancing is totally non-existent in schools (ie separation between children is zero metres).

@Tiggering

I have noticed a pattern amoungst the parents I know. Those who have polite, thoughtful children who follow instructions and aren't addicted to screens are enjoying home schooling. The others can't wait for the schools to reopen.

Bullshit. Bullshit. Bullshit. Massive generalising offensive bullshit.

That that isn’t, I mean.

It’s not bloody teachers! It’s the government. I cannot wait to get back and think the chances of transmission now must be very low given there are very few new cases in my county.

TrustTheGeneGenie
Must be a different virus in Iceland then eh

It could be one of 3 mutations.

The reality is they think that the virus must have been in the UK at least 4 months before the April peak.

So given where we will be in two weeks (predicted to be less than 100 deaths per day on 15th June) that does give us in all likelihood at least until the end of October before we'd get a second peak - if the virus was going unchecked. 100 covid-19 deaths in Jan / Feb this year could easily go unnoticed on all statistical measure because it was a particular mild winter so we should expect our excess deaths to be lower compared to previous years.

Our track and trace system is bullshit and not effective as it stands and our restrictions are somewhat questionable. BUT we still have some time before we are likely to hit problems at this stage. We might not have problems at all.

We MIGHT get upticks during the Summer as people get fed up. We might get localised outbreaks and restricts. But in reality until we get a big spike people will grow tired of restrictions come August, especially with childcare problems.

The saying is a week is a long time in politics.

This government wants to reopen as soon as possible so if the public mood is with it, it does matter what the science is, come middle of August.

What we think now versus what we think mid Aug is a huge.

I'm still expecting school to be back to normal come September ESPECIALLY if we do reopen borders to Europe for holidays...

Please don't swear at me. It's a tiny study from some time ago. It's findings are not widely accepted and it is not peer assessed. Studies since have found the opposite. It was also done while schools were not fully open.

Also, again, definition of a child is under 10.

Once again, it's not teachers who are limiting the opening of schools. We were planning a limited opening to year 10 on 8 June, and have been instructed to put it back to 15 June, when we will follow the government instruction to open to 25% of year 10 at one time.

@FrippEnos

TrustTheGeneGenie Must be a different virus in Iceland then eh

It could be one of 3 mutations.

That only exists in Iceland? Rightly ho.

LoveSummerNotIcecream

Once you have finished screaming at the wrong people, go scream at the government.

It's almost like nobody accepts the positive studies but the negative studies are just universally accepted? Why is that?

@0v9c99f9g9d939d9f9g9h8h

Something has to give at some point for anyone is shielding not just teachers. There will be nurses, care workers, nursery staff also so shielding are they going to have to shield forever? And does the rest of the world have to stop whilst they do?

What alternative are you suggesting? That they should take their chances (and a proportion of them will certainly die or suffer long-term poorer health if they do) because you thought their life was worth less than the inconvenience of waiting while better treatments, vaccines and test and trace are developed? Are you actually suggesting that the thing which 'has to give' is this proportion of people escaping death and long term damage? I don't care if it's just one person (although it would be considerably more) - is this what you're suggesting? 'Something has to give' seems like an extraordinary euphemism if so.

This is brilliantly put. Shocked that people are so belligerently keen for other people to put their lives and children's lives on the line. I hope that schools do go back to normal as soon as possible but this situation isn't normal. I don't want to be the one who dies or loses loved ones because people wish society was business as usual.

Well, barely , since through extensive track and trace ,and the decisive measures taken when the outbreak was tiny (including closing schools) the Icelanders hardly have anything to study.

Social distancing is a vital part of keeping numbers down

This. Not just a pp saying this. I have been paying attention to a friend, an experienced epidemiologist, ex WHO, who knows rather a lot more about the way this virus spreads than most.

I have noticed a pattern amongst the parents I know. Those who have polite, thoughtful children who follow instructions and aren't addicted to screens are enjoying home schooling. The others can't wait for the schools to reopen.

Seriously how did you write that with a straight face, absolutely vile. My 12 year old has autism, this time has been beyond difficult for him. My 14 year old is doing the best she can but it is not schooling and I fear she will suffer as she goes into year 10.

And me, well I'm working full time from home, so no it is not a time of great joy and focusing on school work.

Your complete nonsensical ideas just show how sheltered you must be, you have no clue whatsoever why people are struggling.

Yes, 2 months off school will ensure a lifetime of poverty.

it's not two months off school. Most schools finished on 20th March. In Scotland schools are not going back at all until August. My kids are back on 13th August. 21 weeks off school. Similar situation in Northern Ireland. Some children in England won't be back until September. Welsh children might be back part time for a few weeks in July.

Part time education for next year is being proposed with 2 days a week in school, at least in Scotland.

That does not equate to missing "two months of school". It equates to missing a LOT more than that, and for children whose parents can't/won't support home learning it's a disaster. Even children whose parents are hugely supportive of education are struggling because it's impossible to educate three children and hold down a job ALL AT THE SAME TIME.

The rates are plummeting. By the end of summer it should be even less.

All children back in school full time when the autumn term starts. Only logical solution.