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.

@wendz86 the problem is the government told schools not to do this rota system (although I know some have and actually think it’s better) because it doesn’t enable parents to return to work, so most schools are using spare classrooms for the 3 yr groups that have returned. Unless the government are going to change their guidance about that it is going to be impossible (and they’re never going to do that now are they?)

@Nicedayforawedding but where are all these children going to be taught? If you have 3 yr groups split in half that’s double the amount of rooms needed straight away- many schools simply don’t have the room to split all classes at the same time

Yes I agree it isn’t ideal for people working but then those parents with kids in other years can’t go back to work either so is always going to be tricky . I have one at school and one not but luckily I can work from home .

The government are hoping that there won't be a surge in cases and during the course of the summer parents will be so pissed off, they will want schools to return to normal in September.

I don't think September will be the problem tbh. I think the problem will fall in November when people start to get colds and kids aren't allowed to school if they are ill even though the school is back to normal. In that situation parents definitely can't use grandparents and they will be stuffed even if they are keyworkers.

Unless the 15 child threshold is reduced nothing is likely to change.
Disadvantaged children are the focus for any summer catch up school presently.
The NGA has urged the government to review its ambition for all primary children to return to school for a month:

No long term plan can really be formalised in the wake of ever changing conditions

@Rainbow12e

You seem very confident of there being a vaccine soon. On what basis are you saying this?

We are hoping for a miracle where schools can open normally in September.

We are preparing to provide “blended teaching” until at least Christmas, where pupils will get some teacher time at school and the rest of their learning via Teams, Zoom or Google Classroom.

As long as social distancing is in place, schools will not go back to normal.

What's the point of spending millions on any vaccine that doesn't confer at least 1 year of immunity; how could a vaccine be ready in November that we can be sure gives at least 1 year of immunity.
?

Oh wait, I forgot. April was the THIRD wave. Actually covid has been with us since November 2017. Big Pharma has been secretly working on the vaccine since 2017, they just needed to hype up the danger in 2020 so they could charge the highest possible price on the jab. Silly me. All clear now.

I’m not convinced which wave we’re on makes much practical difference. I am hopeful about the vaccine though!

www.ox.ac.uk/news/2020-06-05-oxford-university-s-covid-19-vaccine-next-steps-towards-broad-and-equitable-global#

agree about this destroying lives for a large number of vulnerable children

Not just vulnerable children. All children.

And yet you say you want. A strict lockdown over summer? Do you think this will make children's lives better?

The schools going back in November, just brings me despair.

I work on the front line, have had to adapt in many ways to cope with Covid-19. And then the pressure from July bringing in the normal NHS service as well makes me feel sick with worry... I've had no time off and I'm exhausted.

My children have been at home alone throughout this. They're in secondary and old enough to work alone, but it's not good enough.

In a short time, the NHS have had huge campaigns to redeploy and bring back staff who have left or retired. They've redesigned the limited spaces in hospitals into hot and cold areas. And other practical measures to keep patients safe from Covid-19. There needs to be some similar forward planning in schools. There's plenty of time between now and September.

I can't see all Primary DC back by July. My DD's school hasn't opened beyond KW and vulnerable DC yet. They hope to open on 10th to Nursery and Reception, then on the 22nd to Y1. They don't think they'll be able to open to Y6 atall.

"In a short time, the NHS have had huge campaigns to redeploy and bring back staff who have left or retired. They've redesigned the limited spaces in hospitals into hot and cold areas. And other practical measures to keep patients safe from Covid-19. There needs to be some similar forward planning in schools. There's plenty of time between now and September."

I can imagine your frustration. You need to write to your MP. The NHS ( quite rightly) were given massive additional funding to deal with this.
As far as I know, the government is offering nothing extra to schools. Not to rent more premises/rooms, employ more teachers and TAs, pay for additional cleaning. Not even to buy soap and hand sanitiser.

There needs to be some similar forward planning in schools.

The really, really frustrating thing is that schools do masses of forward planning, but the process of government announcements followed by belated guidance (without consultation) makes it so much waste paper.

Schools can plan endlessly - and many have, right from the moment of lockdown.

Then, randomly, BoJo makes an announcement of what will happen. Is there a detailed set of guidance to accompany this? No. Has anyone been consulted? No. Has the DfE been spoken to? No. have genuine school leaders - ie the heads of a range of schools around the country - been consulted for their advice? No. Have the LAs been involved? No. Has anyone even vaguely considered mentioning it to the unions? No again. has SAGE done detailed modelling .... well, that is obviously a No.

So then the schools have to plan again on the basis of the announcement, and wait for the guidance.

And then they have to plan again once the first piece of guidance is rushed out.

And again once 42 amendments to that guidance are rushed out one after another (primary) or alternatively wait in limbo for the detailed guidance that is always coming 'soon' (secondary).

Meanwhile, the public have heard the announcement, and quite reasonably assume that it had some substance and plan behind it, so expect what has been announced to happen ... and then blame teachers, not the announcer, when it doesn't happen as they expected.

It's all the wrong way round. Plan WITH the schools, and with school leaders, and local authorities, then announce the plan ... and funnily enough, it will happen SO much more smoothly.

There will be a vaccine by November so that won't be an issue Redtoothbrush

How long do you think it will take to produce a vaccine? And then administer it?

The earliest it will be ready will be October. Thats the very earliest. I know people working on the frontline of one of the UK projects, so I'm keeping very up to date with how thats going.

Given that we've had so many problems with organisation and planning so far in the crisis, I find the idea that we can get 60million people to be informed of the date and location of when their vaccination slot is, and to actually be able to attend a slot by November hilarous. Not to mention the logistics of staffing this project.

Reality seems to be this mythical concept that far to many people walk around unable to get their head around. Its really a scary thought.

Excellent post @cantkeepaway

It's pointless planning anything right now because no one knows what September will be like. Schools can make a best guess and plan timetables but knowing how long timetables take to create (days) it wouldn't be worth trying to second guess the government and make one now. Better off waiting and seeing. Same with our schemes of work, we're not changing them at all yet because we just don't know what September will be like.

@cantkeepawayforever that sums up the problems faced by schools. We are forever planning and then new guidelines come out about maximum pupil numbers and bubbles. BoJo saying only a quarter in at a time for Year 10 is a pain in the arse - 50% would be preferable and 100% even better.

I am just waiting for the changes to be made for next year's GCSE and Alevel exams

@Hercwasonaroll absolutely! All the prep for the start of the academic year in terms of tweaking the SOW and assessment planning is going to be pointless.

If (big if, obviously) they have the 40 million doses by September that they are anticipating I’d hope we could be well on our way to vaccinating at least the most vulnerable by November.

I’d turn all the drive through testing centres into mass vaccination centres, set up in sports halls as temporary clinics, open GP surgery’s at the weekend to do nothing but vaccinate people. I really, really hope they surprise us and a detailed plan is already being drawn up and actioned.

Vaccinating all NHS staff and all care homes residents and staff will make a huge difference on its own.

There is absolutely no evidence that this governments gives a shit about children’s education or wellbeing so I wouldn’t expect them to do anything other than winging it and leaving children to the back of the queue.

I really hope they lock us down. Nhs is currently coping. They need to stop the key worker childcare provision in this lockdown I think

The NHS definitely wouldn't be coping if all NHS staff with children had to stay home because there is no key worker childcare provision

So you honestly expect teachers, having already worked through their easter and half term holiday, should also be expected to work all throughout the summer and then straight into a brand new school year with a new cohort of pupils. Erm, don't think thats going to happen somehow.