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?

After being off for so long on full pay

Do you believe that everyone who has been working from home during the pandemic has been 'off on full pay'? Or do you choose to only believe this of teachers?

They have not been off. They have been teaching from home.

Many have not been teaching at all. Putting a page from Twinkl online is not teaching!

Herculesupatree
The government has told school to start reopening.

Nope, the government has told schools to allow more pupils in, many schools weren't closed. But you already know this.

The teachers union has made it very difficult and campaigned against reopening in the media etc.

False, they have campaigned for the safer conditions for staff and pupils.

Many schools have not reopened despite being told to.

some are trying to, some are still open, and some have been told not to open by councils, others have been advised not to open.
And many are opening to a wider amount of pupils.

Surely you usually plan and mark for the whole class.

It is not possible to teach online the same way as you do in front of a class. The resources are different, the tasks have to be different, the equipment used is almost certainly different - so the task of planning for a class at school and one at home really is double.

@Sittingontheveranda this would mean part time schooling. You would also need to rotate which half of the class has morning lessons as attention dips noticeably in the afternoon, Although some English schools have adopted a similar model to the one you describe the current DfE guidance cautions against the use of rota systems.

I'm going to step away from this thread but want to make it very clear I'm happy with the provision the teachers in my school have been able to provide during lockdown as I get it's hard, but know my DC needs to go back. It's a shit sandwich for kids, parents and teachers right now.

My issue is with the govt for apparently not having thought through options for how we solve this problem.

The government has told school to start reopening. The teachers union has made it very difficult and campaigned against reopening in the media etc. Many schools have not reopened despite being told to

The government is full of crap. Health official are aghast at the bullish attitude and say they should be prepping for the second wave:

www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jun/06/prime-minister-told-to-dump-rhetoric-and-plan-for-new-covid-wave

The unions' job is to preserve the working conditions of their members. End of. And they can't close schools:

www.theguardian.com/education/2020/jun/06/schools-north-west-england-postpone-reopening-coronavirus

The death by suicide of three teenagers in Kent is tragic. I doubt, however, that your "quick google" reported the complex reasons behind those deaths.
And I struggle to reconcile your concern for those poor teens with your apparent disregard for the deaths of the 40,000 + who have already died of/with Covid, if your gung-ho desire to open schools up fully even though it is highly likely to contribute to a rise in infection rates and more subsequent deaths.
But yeah, as long as you can stick it to the lazy fucker teachers, eh?

If half a class is in school at a time, but the teacher is in school teaching them full time, who is taking the live online lessons?

That's what I want to know.
I guess it will be an element of concepts explained in class and practices at home.
Or teaching kids Uni style, concept explained to whole class via online lecture and actual class time is a question/ answer tutorial type session.
Actually that might work better for high schools rather than primary.

I am on Scotland and this week the school have informed us that the kids will go to school for two days a week, Monday Tuesday or Thursday Friday, the school will be closed for deep cleaning on Wednesday.

They have provided a power point of how classrooms will be set, breaks and lunch will work. Going to be honest it sounds grim.

I can barely think of any sector that isn't having to evolve their 'working model' on the fly.

So far, since the start of March, schools have fully evolved twice - from full time schooling, to online schooling + keyworker childcare, and now to a combination of teaching children in smaller groups in school plus the keyworker childcare and still providing online schooling for those at home.

I expect them to evolve completely again for September (I personally think this will be a combination model for all years), and then at least once more within the next school year (hopefully to a modified version of normal schooling, just without things like assemblies).

All this without proper, timely Government guidance or direction at any point.

In the Netherlands, one teacher is teaching half the class in the morning. The same teacher teaches the other half in the afternoon.

The dfe guidance for schools here (in one of the 40+ amended versions) strongly advised against morning/afternoon sessions, due to cross-infection.

People who are saying it's not about individuals, it's about the greater good and therefore by assumption the kids can go u dear the bus. I was taking a carer break until my dd started year 1.

There is no way I'm looking for a job with a five year old at home 24/7. Because individually that's not safeguarding her. So more tears on tax credits. Who pays for them? In turn can I say that's not my problem? I got made redundant and the carer break was in my mind until dd was settled in school. But I can survive live on tax credits. I cant live myself neglecting my child.

So do I double whammy her and say no education, left at home alone 8-6 five days a week for the greater good of controlling the pandemic AND contributing to the economy?

Do I fuck. No. If there is no education then my Bsc Hons in a STEM subject arse isnt going to be able to work. The longer I'm out of the market the less likely it becomes I will return to work ever

Blackbear19

Our school (and all of the schools that I have been in) wouldn't be able to support online live video sessions.

Simply because you are looking at so many live streams going on at once. you are looking at roughly 45 lessons being streamed at once= 5 times per day.

@CallmeAngelina

The death by suicide of three teenagers in Kent is tragic. I doubt, however, that your "quick google" reported the complex reasons behind those deaths. And I struggle to reconcile your concern for those poor teens with your apparent disregard for the deaths of the 40,000 + who have already died of/with Covid, if your gung-ho desire to open schools up fully even though it is highly likely to contribute to a rise in infection rates and more subsequent deaths. But yeah, as long as you can stick it to the lazy fucker teachers, eh?

Ah ok so again teen deaths fine because not covid. Got it.

I have no disregard whatsoever for the people who've died from this but the fact is, more are going to die from preventable reasons if the lockdown continues as it is. They are no less important imo.

I have never once called teachers lazy or even insinuated that they are so fuck off putting words into my mouth.

It is not possible to teach online the same way as you do in front of a class
Plenty of time to adapt your teaching methods so they work for both. Where there is a will there is a way.

My DC’s teacher is poor when school is open. She is doing nothing since school ended other than put a page from Twinkl online. No feedback. No actual teaching of any sort. No contact other than a cheery few lines on the class app every Sunday evening telling us how much she is enjoying the garden and the beach and to help mum and dad around the house. I spend hours every weekend printing out sheets, looking at online classes, bite size etc as well as paying for websites such as Reading Eggs.I have another child in a different year do I am doing this work twice I am not a teacher. If I can do that, surely she can? It is disgraceful.

After being off for so long on full pay, I think asking teachers to do this is perfectly acceptable
I rarely respond to these sort of threads but I am a teacher. I have ensured I am logged onto my laptop by 8.30 in the morning, I am setting work, providing feedback to students, planning for the unknown future, inputting data on a spread sheet to indicate which students are engaging with the work, keeping tabs on my tutor group, taking part in Teams meetings, e-mailing work in for students who need paper based work to the year teams, keeping up with the numerous risk assessment and Cleapps, doing CPD, liasing with the exam board and finalising GCSE grades, finding a way to launch the Y10s NEA and helping Dd with her school work. I finish at 4.00. Oh yes I've been off for such a long time on full pay.

@KeepWashingThoseHands and @cantkeepawayforever your posts make loads of sense, thank you. KeepWashingThoseHands I totally agree there is an urgent need for those in government responsible for education to think outside the box with regards to how to move things forward for children’s education at present without putting teachers with conditions etc at risk - so maybe a recruitment drive (albeit temporary- it’d be a good work experience opportunity) for people not at risk including young adults.

so fuck off putting words into my mouth.

Yet that's exactly what you have just done yourself to me!
I wrote, "The death by suicide of three teenagers in Kent is tragic."
You interpreted that as, "Ah ok so again teen deaths fine because not covid." "Tragic" vs "fine."
You really are something else, and I'm getting sick and tired of reading your posts on here.

We are all, by the way, ignoring the complexiy that keyworker childcare brings to the arrangements,.

Unless the Government removes the requirement to offer this as the absolute priority, we will never get the rest of the school back in more than one third or one quarter of the time, and if all those who have 1 keyworker parent take it up in September and maximum group size remains 15, the school can offer no further places to anyone at all, and the currently returned years will have to return to home learning.

Sittingontheveranda

As I just posted it roughly (depending on the school) 45 live streams simultaneously. Unless the government puts some major infrastructure in place it can't happen.

elephantoverthehill You sound like you are teaching. Many of your colleagues are not. Your colleagues are letting you down.

so maybe a recruitment drive

Have you missed the fact that there has been a major recruitment crisis in teaching for a few years now? What on earth makes you think anyone is going to be queueing up to join the profession now? Especially if people witness the sort of shit teachers have to face in places like Mumsnet?

You really are something else, and I'm getting sick and tired of reading your posts on here
Don't read them then?

Though I suspect you're not when you get "lazy fucker teachers" from my posts which haven't even mentioned what teachers are doing....

elephantoverthehill

Please don't justify yourself to these posters, they won't believe what you are doing and frankly are so entrenched in their views that they are comical.