For those Primary schools that have managed to bring back N, R, Y1 & 6 - any chance other year groups will be back before Sep?

[UndertheCedartree]

This whole thing is making me so anxious! I just wondered if there are any next stages in place for further year groups?

Despite keep hearing on the news that 'Primary schools have reopened' as if it's all back to normal....
My DD's school is looking at opening for N & R on the 10th and Y1 on the 22nd. They don't think they'll be able to accomodate Y6. It just makes me feel really unsettled that I don't know when my DD (Y3) might be allowed back with her classmates and even her teacher?!

Sorry....I know it's probably all just speculation but it helps just to get all the worry out.

The problem is,unless the virus is under control to the extent that social distancing is no longer required it's simply not possible without double the space minimum, double the teaching staff or kids only going in part time........

Don’t know. My Reception child hasn’t been given a date yet.
Makes me anxious too, they need to reopen schools with zero social distancing. As soon as track and trace is running to a good standard.

I don’t know any schools round here that will be taking any more year groups back before the summer holidays-we are all at capacity with KW and the priority year groups. The existing year groups would have to go even more part time and vulnerable teachers forced to return before we could accept any others.

It's going to have to be part time or no social distancing isn't it? Without much of a 'roadmap' (to use Boris's term) it's hard to get any perspective and just feel like this will go on forever!

I can see it being part time for a long time.

We surveyed parents. 69% wanted part time over full time. So, it's week on week off for N, R, 1 and 6.

My head staffed it as best she could to leave teaching staff in the other years free for 'when' the other year groups are back. This means current staff are in 2 bubbles each, which isn't good for exposure.

Then we decided that the BAME staff are as vulnerable as other groups of staff - so we now have staff at home for being pregnant, vulnerable from a health pov or BAME.

This means we won't be able to staff the school for opening further.

What I'm saying is, things are changing all the time. We've had something like 40 bits of guidance in the last 6 days.

Why do you think the government didn’t send back all kids part time from the start? Schools are now full with R, Y1 and Y6 and can’t take any more kids if they have to social distance. But we know from Whitty that social distancing will go on for many months. So do Years 2-5 just stay off for however many months it takes to find treatment / vaccine? Why is Y1 so important they are in 4 days a week but Y2 are off until November?

No idea. I'm not the government. Assuming the young ones was about childcare, and year 6 was a sop to something. Made no sense. Could have done 2 days at the end of term to say goodbye.

Lots of schools can't provide anything more than part time for the year groups they've got. And part time doesn't deal with childcare usefully.

I don't know any school that has followed the guidance. It was impossible.

My school has 1 spare classroom left and no spare staff after KW and vulnerable, R, 1 and 6 are in. That is with R, 1 and 6 only in 50% too.

I hope they don't remove smaller class sizes. If we have no PPE, no additional cleaning (apart from what we do ourselves whilst trying to teach) and no attempt at distancing or restricting numbers, I am worried I might end up with a dead husband. He is mid sixties and a teacher too.

I suggest to just assume that it won't be until September. So you don't have to unnecessarily speculate. It will also help prepare your child. If the school opens earlier that that for her (which I doubt), it will be a bonus.
We have our daughter in reception and we aren't sending her in. Don't want to send her in just because Boris thought reception should get back in while the other older classes don't need to. Luckily we don't need the childcare.

I know one local school that is bringing back each class (split for distancing) for a week before the summer holidays. It’s quite a small school though which probably helps. Our school on the other hand has only taken back y6 so far, with plans for yr1 but not yr.
I quite like the idea of all pupils getting the chance to do a week, opportunity to finish off the year, and hopefully help stop school being this big scary thing that’s been too dangerous for what’ll be half the year by the time they (maybe) go back properly.

No, they won’t be back and possibly not in sept either unless the ridiculous distancing rules are binned. My DS goes to a large 3 class per year primary. They have the space but with each class broken into 3 bubbles, they are using mist of their teachers just for the 3 allocated year groups. Children have been thrown under the bus on this entirely.

My child is eligible to go back to school but will be staying at home for a while longer because the measures our school have taken are just too restrictive in my opinion. They have postponed opened twice now, it would seem because they can’t fit all the children suggested by the government in whilst keeping children in smaller groups.

I can’t see how it is possible for them to bring anymore children back before the summer and think something will have to drastically change in September to make this possible even then. Are the government really going to go from, bubbles of no more than 15 to social distancing isn’t required and all children can attend within 3 months? I can’t see it myself!

@DamitJanet - that is a great idea and is something I would love our school to do. I would love my DD to have a week with her teacher and classmates. Partly as a sort of debrief and check in with everyone, talking about things like 'I was scared when mum got taken into hospital' etc. To be able show and talk about what they've been doing at home. And to have lots of fun!

I am a TA and year R,1 and 6 have been split into 2 bubbles. Bubble A comes in on Mon & Tues, bubble B Thurs & Fri, school closed on Wed for deep clean. We have enough staff and classrooms to accommodate 5 more bubbles across the rest of the year groups as soon as we get the go ahead to do so. We think that all children who want a place will get one as a survey suggested that numbers would be low but we may have to do mixed year bubbles.

My yr2 child’s school has yr, y1 and y6 back part time now and key worker/vulnerable children as often as needed and are saying they want all children back on 15th June.
I’ve seen the teacher lists for the split bubbles they have now and all teachers are being used so no idea how the whole school returning, even on a part time basis, will be at all possible. Not to mention the lack of space to split all classes!
I’m mentally prepared for my child to be off until at least September but am very interested to see their plans for opening to all....

@cassgate - that sounds a good way to organise it.