What is the long term plan for schools?

[TeaAndASitDown]

My 5yo is back at school and it seems to be a nurturing and calm environment so far. However, the school is only running at about 15% capacity I'd guess.

With no further lockdown planned over the summer, what are the govt planning to do about education come September?

Will they scrap social distancing in schools, or will all children only attend half the time? I can't think of any other real option?

Personally I would like to see a strict lockdown over summer, eradicate community transmission, properly quarantine people coming in to the country. Then we have a fair shot at restarting education properly in September.

That sounds very pragmatic to me stuck. I do worry about what fedup highlighted; it will be very difficult to work with that system in place especially for people with children across more than one childcare setting / school.

@fedupandlookingforchange that’s a very depressing way of looking at it..... I doubt anyone has put that level of thought into it in all honesty, I think politicians are just reacting and hoping rather than being Machiavelli.

OP, I am sort of hoping there will be more information in 2 weeks or so. There have been relaxations, I assume the government are waiting 3 weeks to see what effect those relaxations (including partial reopening of schools) have on infection/death rates and then there may be more information at that stage. Plenty of other countries are also reopening education, so there should be lots of information about how different strategies have worked.

My school (secondary) seems to be assuming that even if they are nudged by the government into taking kids back this term, they will still be basically remote learning while supervised (too much risk of spreading if all the kids are on the usual timetable of mixing up groupings/teachers all day long). But the timetable is being written for September on the assumption that things will in all likelihood be back to normal(ish) by then for schools. There’s obviously no official decision though, as they have to follow government guidance.

Social distancing doesn’t work in schools. There just isn’t the space. Not if you want to have all the kids in. Having different year groups at different times doesn’t really solve that as the teachers would still be in contact with lots of different kids. But I don’t think it’s sustainable to put education on hold for very much longer. I assume we will reopen pretty much as normal in September, but perhaps with extra effort to protect vulnerable members of staff. I don’t think any other approach can be justified.

Let's eat grandma what are the local preschools doing, are they hanging on to the preschool intake for that year? I feel very lucky to have a nursery place.

This could all be avoided

Thanks crazychemist That is interesting. I hope what you're saying can happen.

That sounds very pragmatic to me stuck. I do worry about what fedup highlighted; it will be very difficult to work with that system in place especially for people with children across more than one childcare setting / school.

Yes it would be a nightmare for working parents, I wonder if enterprising individuals will open their own little miniature "home schools" that 5-8 children can pay to attend full time whilst their parents work? Or childminders might pick up the slack.

Personally the scenario I outline isn't what I want to happen, just what I think might happen if that makes sense?

I’ve noticed the talk about other year groups returning hasn’t been mentioned recently, I’m guessing that they’ve realised that it is an impossible situation. This is not going to change until full size classes are allowed x

It’s the transport side as well isn’t it.

School busses or even local busses, kids crammed on.
They don’t want parents driving but Id imagine very few kids are in secondary’s they could walk to.

I reckon a few things will impact on how schools can move forward. Firstly, if there's an increase in cases of school staff/children in the years that have gone back. Then if those shielding/vulnerable will be able to teach (our school has three spare classrooms but no spare staff so at present we can't even take reception and Year 6 is on a two weekly rota). Then case numbers in the wider community.

I'd think the aim would be to get all children back in September, albeit part-time with extra hours given to Years 2, 6, 10 and 12 for SATS, exams.

I think regarding primary schools the government will reduce the 2m rule to 1m and expect all primary classes to be up and running to full capacity/normal in July. Primary schools will be expected to do what was being done before lockdown ie no assemblies, lots of hand washing etc. I also think there’ll extend the term by a week like wales so all primary children get 4 weeks in school. So regarding September all normal without assemblies and extra hand washing. Secondary schools not so sure on that one.

Secondary schools maybe compulsory face coverings/masks

I'm begining to suspect September will be a continuation of the current shit show. The provision I previously had in place for September for my 16 Yr old with an EHCP involved her doing 2 a levels at one school and a third at another school (there were reasons for this) and now that has been withdrawn because she won't be allowed to be at 2 different schools. She can't stay at her current school as they don't offer her first choice subject (that she wants to study post A level) , and no other local provision will commit to what subjects they will be offering now or even if they are accepting admissions, so basically she has no school/college place, nothing at all in place for September. Her GCSEs were cancelled just like that. She's 16 and has ASD. Her mental health has plummeted. But of course, according to the government no child's future opportunities will be adversely affected. Yeah right. I'm so sad and angry right now and literally no idea what we will do in September.

@evilpea My daughter attends a sen school and vast majority of pupils are transported on mini buses with driver and escort. School were working with the idea that children would travel in with the 'bubbles' they would be with at school but then when you factor in year groups, where children live (as at the moment minibuses do rounds in certain areas) etc it becomes a logistical nightmare. And there are only 150 pupils in the school which is tiny compared to a mainstream secondary.

How would everyone feel about a proper, strict lockdown over the summer holidays?

I have young children and feel daunted and exhausted at the idea.

But. If everyone did it, it would work. We could halt community transmission. We could all but eradicate covid and what was left could be contained by a track and trace system which would be given months in which to get up and running.

I would do it. We could be almost normal again, come September.

It's what we should have done in the first place IMO but it's too late now. Nobody will lock down anymore. This is going to drag on for ages and ages.

@TeaAndASitDown I would absolutely do it if it meant getting back to a more normal way of life. Lockdown is done though. The government has bollocked things up on a irreversible level now

@TeaAndASitDown

You keep saying this. There will not be another UK wide lockdown, at most could be a city/regional one and the government won't want this either.

The economy is aready shot to bit.

Also why do you say no schools for key worker children? You think even the most basic services could keep running if large amounts of key workers with children couldn't work due to childcare?

Salad I agree sadly.

I think the idea that most teaching with be online chalk/talk style (with some of the class physically present). Attendance by pupils on site on a rota basis, for the physical/social benefits. Vulnerable/shielded pupils simply don't participate in the on site version, unless there are occasional even more highly risk-assessed sessions to let them keep a toe-hold - important because the social and mental effects of stricter/longer isolation and/or shield makes things even tougher for them.

It's a model that might be adapted for secondaries - most learning online, but coming in in groups for lab days etc

And Sabrina I agree.

Rose this is a discussion and I'm interested in how others feel, that's why I'm asking.

As I have already said, I am a key worker. As I have already said, I think in a non-peak time, with good workforce planning, we absolutely could run our key services for six weeks with no key worker childcare. Ask yourself what we would have done had this been a severe flu pandemic with high child mortality rates. I sure as hell wouldn't have sacrificed my children by sending them to childcare in that and I wouldn't expect any other key worker to either. We would cope. For example, we would cancel the annual leave that usually has a big percentage of staff off in the summer anyway. We would refrain and reassign staff as we did during planning for the covid peak. It has been done in other countries- look at NZ for example. It could be achieved here. I'm not fixated on it though.

The keyworker childcare is becoming more and more difficult though. The keyworker bubble staff are needed in year groups, schools are shortening the day and some are banning child minders from picking them up. How can you Work FT with not even close to PT childcare?

Cancelling the exams was the right call whichever way you look at it. It was the least worst option and meant everyone knew where they stood.

EYFS until after October is mental unless the government mandate it. How are parents supposed to deal with this? Current nurseries will need the places for new intake. We can't just have all 4yos at home indefinitely.

The DfE definitely didn't think through the number of teacher parents who rely on grandparents, nursery, school, childminders etc for childcare.

In Scotland we have been told schools return 11 Aug with blended learning.. Ie probs 1.5 or 2 days in school. The rest remote learning. Ds is supposed to sit his national 5 next year.. Its completey shit. Teachers are going to be teaching 5 days so how can they support those at home.

We need schools back to normal. Social distancing can happen elsewhere and vulnerable families can shield because the virus is only a risk to a small number of the population. Those people can shield themselves and the rest of us need to get back to normal rather than destroying ours and our children's lives.

@spinnaker I agree about this destroying lives for a large number of vulnerable children. It's awful.

Doing what you suggest, which we are sort of half way to doing at the moment but with no obvious forward movement, is also destroying lives for shielding people and their families though.

The blended learning is incredibly tricky to do when teachers are expected back in the building full time. I can't forsee that working effectively to be honest.

@fedupandlookingforchange I'm worried about that too. There has been very little allowance made for people with kids, research shows women are bearing the brunt and I don't think it can go on much longer without a lot of nervous breakdowns.