Can’t see how children will be able to go back to school in 2021

[Ouchy]

Let’s face it. The R0 may not be controlled for months. Vaccine unlikely until 2021. Teaching unions up in arms. People unwilling to accept the risk of the virus (low for many). I’m getting more and more concerned and the government haven’t published any forward plans for how school can be restarted in the various scenarios we may be facing come September (have they?). What on earth are the DfE and the Education Secretary doing during the working week if they’re not planning this stuff? Is there something I’ve missed - am I mistaken? I’m getting more and more concerned. The children are low risk - there needs to be a plan and fast as their educations and social development are being kind of ignored for something they’re super low risk for as individuals themselves. Looking for reassurance really - am I mistaken or being silly?

Risk is about transmission too. How many times? This individualistic focus needs to go.

No majority home schooling will be the norm for the next academic year. I think Scotland have admitted this whereas England remains quiet but I cannot see any other option really!

But I would say individualic focus is not confined to the virus. The state did not decide to educate my children because it was Nice for them as individuals. If you deny education to the huge numbers of children that is actually a society not an individual problem. We can take the hit and decide it’s worth it but do not convince yourself this is not a problem for society. We cannot build a skilled economy without effective education.

I have emailed my MP to ask this very question today as there seems to be no forward planning on this. Home schooling (and working from home) just not sustainable. We are parents not teachers.

Homeschooling for our 2 kids at different state schools is pitiful.

Barely any work sent home from either. I’ve contacted both schools in various ways but it’s made no difference.

We try to make things up ourselves/ find stuff elsewhere but both are working.

This is not an education.

They need to make public worse case scenarios for people to plan ahead. Our primary have sent a message out today that they aren't going to open as planned on Monday due to the R going up (fair enough) but its unrealistic to think people can change plans /work/child care at the drop of a hat and for this to be the case for the foreseeable. My eldests high school will be offering some online lessons from Monday and had lots of emails this week about potential work that hadn't been submitted etc, no emails of this nature in the previous 10 weeks. Our Primary school asking if there's any children without access to an internet device, again never mentioned in the previous 10 weeks. My gut is telling me that home schooling or at least part time schooling is going to be the case for much longer than September.
If they told parents what worse case scenario schools are planning for then we could plan too and anything better or sooner is a bonus.

Scotland and NI have released plans for next academic year. Both say PT schooling. England will be the same.

Flu pandemics typically last two years, I suspect this will be similar. And for those who say this isn't flu maybe you should look at how long the bubonic plague lasted in Europe or indeed how HIV is doing, 2 years is the optimistic view, some scientists are already saying we are going to have to live with this.

I'm a scientist who work in pharma, the timelines for a vaccine are very ambitious, the entire industry is working towards treatments and vaccines but there are no guarantees.

I think the education itself aside is not the main issue it really is childcare for work that is the main problem so primary.
And parents trying to wfh with kids around.
Education wise there is so much online for primary and workbooks available so most parents should be able to homeschool up to maybe yr 4 level even if that means doing some at weekends (assuming thats not when you are working).
If it lasts a year many should be allowed to drop back a year especially the youngest ones. Even if that means exceeding the 30 class limits. As often kids move anyway so you could drop down later anyway to 30.
A lot of school is play time pe geography and history. Most of us cant even remember thise topics from primary. So as long as they get there in maths reading and writing. The later years are harder as those subjects are harder than when we were that age so many of us cant teach the grammar.

Increases further in online maths etc maybe english to help with grammar too.

Secondary is much more an issue.

It’s shit. This is our children’s education. Their future. For an illness that barely affects them. I don’t know what the answer is, I don’t think there is one. But it’s awful. And heartbreaking. Part time schooling isn’t feesible for anyone who works, it just isn’t. And who is going to lose their jobs because of it? Probably women. How many people are going to lose houses or struggle to feed their families because employers will simply performance manage them out in favour of someone who isn’t homeschooling. Awful.

So if we are redesigning our society arounf part-time school, presumably the plan is that only one parent will work from now on.

How do we pay for this?

Also, we need to look at teacher redundancies. If schools are only offering part time education, they should not continue to receive the current level of funding.

We will need it to pay the costs to families of educating their children at home.

What is part time schooling? Shorter days? Children not in everyday?

@Bol87 so true!

Part time schooling will happen because of smaller classes due to social distancing.

So if you do the maths, they will need more teachers, not less😒

Such a scary prospect. So many families like ours where both parents cannot work from home. I have been lucky to be furloughed for 3 months so far but need to go back for July. If this is a long term plan of part time schooling it must ultimately result in mass redundancy across numerous sectors.

I’d like to know what ‘my door is always open’ Gav is doing right now too (other than changing guidance for schools 41 times over the course of two weeks).

Schools are in a hideous position at the moment. We have literally no idea what education will look like in three weeks time, let alone three months. Heads are desperate for some kind of indication of how they should be planning for September.

As an individual teacher, I also need to know sooner rather than later if I need to find childcare for my toddler through the holidays again.

Also, we need to look at teacher redundancies. If schools are only offering part time education, they should not continue to receive the current level of funding.

This is one of the most stupid statements I've seen on mumsnet. If the children are part time, the teachers are still working full time with split classes and different bubbles. We don't have enough staff as it is, let alone if some were made redundant.

I’m beginning to think that dying from Covid is preferable to living like this.

@Bol87

It’s shit. This is our children’s education. Their future. For an illness that barely affects them. I don’t know what the answer is, I don’t think there is one. But it’s awful. And heartbreaking. Part time schooling isn’t feesible for anyone who works, it just isn’t. And who is going to lose their jobs because of it? Probably women. How many people are going to lose houses or struggle to feed their families because employers will simply performance manage them out in favour of someone who isn’t homeschooling. Awful.

This. 100%.

Only a sudden outbreak of common sense is going to stop the forthcoming educational and economic catastrophe.

So if you do the maths, they will need more teachers, not less

Well then we'll have to reduce salaries.

We can't keep funding for schools at current levels if they are passing at least half of the responsibility for education back to parents.

Part-time school as a default in the next academic year means we are reconfiguring society in a way that will harm children (and women), but if the danger from this mild virus is going to be used as a pretext for doing this (with the collusion of the teacher's unions) we need to at least make sure the people being given additional work to do are funded to do it.

@Nihiloxica

So if we are redesigning our society arounf part-time school, presumably the plan is that only one parent will work from now on.

How do we pay for this?

Also, we need to look at teacher redundancies. If schools are only offering part time education, they should not continue to receive the current level of funding.

We will need it to pay the costs to families of educating their children at home.

Teachers will be in full time though? Just with half the amount of kids in. So you still need the same numbers of teachers.

I'm not saying this will happen but that's what Scotland are proposing?

The education act says that it's the parents responsibility to provide an education, via. state provision, private or otherwise.

Thats how the schools can fine you as it's legally parental responsibility you are only using state provision to do that. So in effect even if the state cannot at this time provide that education, parents are still responsible.

I’m not sure living like this is quite as bad as dying from Covid🥳

Wrong emoji.....😂